CONCORDIA LUTHERAN CHURCH LOST. FOUND. FORMED. FOR SERVICE. 1 TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST November19, 2017 8:00, 9:30, & 11:00 a.m. Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! -Psalm 98:1a AS WE GATHER (prepared by Jim Gann) In this Psalm, Moses expressed some of the fundamental truths of our faith: the eternal existence of God; the dependence all creatures have on Him; and our personal relationship with Him as our dwelling place in all generations. Our Eternal Home is a place of safety and refuge. Nothing can harm us once we are in the shelter of Christ s everlasting arms. The way there is scattered with the pitfalls, lies, perils and roadblocks of Satan and our sinful nature. However, Jesus has cleared that path with His sacrifice. His pierced hands have opened the door forever to all believers. And so, we rejoice with all believers and praise God, Our help in ages past, Our Hope for years to come; Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home. Amen means to be seated means to stand, unless repeated standing is difficult [L: Lay Leader C: Congregation] PRELUDE (11:00) Choir LSB #803 Sing to the Lord of Harvest CALL TO WORSHIP SHARING OF THE PEACE RINGING OF THE BELLS OPENING HYMN #338 Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
+ DIVINE SERVICE SETTING FIVE + 2 INVOCATION L: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. L: Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. L: Our help is in the name of the Lord, C: who made heaven and earth. L: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, C: and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. CONFESSION and ABSOLUTION L: O almighty God, merciful Father, C: I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being. (Silence for reflection on God's Word and for self-examination.) L: In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for His sake God forgives us all our sins. To those who believe in Jesus Christ He gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. C: Amen.
HYMN OF PRAISE Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee LSB 803 sts. 1, 3 3 Text and Music: Public domain PRAYER OF THE DAY L: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. L: Let us pray together. ALL: Almighty and ever-living God, You have given exceedingly great and precious promises to those who trust in You. Dispel from us the works of darkness, and grant us to live in the light of Your Son, Jesus Christ, that our faith may never be found wanting; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Zephaniah 1:7 16 (The Day of the Lord is coming near.) R: The First reading is from Zephaniah, chapter one. (After the reading ) R: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. 4 EPISTLE READING 1 Thessalonians 5:1 11 (Encouragement at the coming of the Lord) R: The Epistle reading is from 1 Thessalonians, chapter five. (After the reading ) R: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God! VERSE Matthew 23:12 ALL: Alleluia. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Alleluia. HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 25:14 30 (The parable of the use of the talents) L: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the 25th chapter. C: Glory to You, O Lord. After the reading: L: This is the Gospel of the Lord. C: Praise to You, O Christ.
APOSTLE'S CREED All: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life + everlasting. Amen. 5 We invite the children forward as we sing: LSB 712, v.1 Seek ye first the kingdom of God, And His righteousness. And all these things shall be added unto you! Allelu, alleluia! CHILDREN S TALK SERMON HYMN #508, vs. 1-2, 5, 7 The Day Is Surely Drawing Near SERMON Mr. Charles Heinemann
(8:00) Choir LSB #803 Sing to the Lord of Harvest TITHES, PLEDGES, AND OFFERINGS [Please take a moment and sign the attendance book at the end of the pew] 6 PRAYER OF THE CHURCH L: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs. We pray for the Church. Time for silent prayer L: We bless You, O God, for the gift of the Church, our place of nurture and of refuge. May the Church continue to be faithful in sharing the message of salvation and in distributing the gifts You have for Your people. In mercy, O Lord, C: hear our prayer. L: Let us pray for the nations of the world and for our nation and its leaders. Time for silent prayer L: We thank You, O God, for the world in which we live and for the human family of which we are a part. May all who are in positions of leadership around the globe find ways that lead to peace and security. May the leaders of our nation, state, and local communities seek to do that which brings blessing to all people and serves the common good. Help us to be bringers of light into places that are darkened, that our lives may be marked by service in the name of Christ, who has served us with love and forgiveness. In mercy, O Lord,
C: hear our prayer. L: Let us pray for a right view of the world and our places in it. Time for silent prayer L: When You created the world, O God, You called it good. We know that sin has darkened and marred much of that original good creation. Direct our ways, O God, toward a respectful use of the earth and all that comprises our world, that we may be faithful stewards in our time, leaving a legacy for those who come after us until the time of the return of Christ, who will establish a new heaven and a new earth. In mercy, O Lord, C: hear our prayer. L: Let us pray regarding the special needs and concerns known to us this day. Time for silent prayer L: Lord, You know all things. You know our needs and the needs of others even before we speak of them with words or in our hearts. Hear our petitions for those who are hospitalized or ill, for those who are shut in or find their lives limited in some way, for those whose work is unfulfilling or who have no work at all, for those who are grieving on this day, and for those who seek some special blessing, [including...], that their lives may know Your presence. In mercy, O Lord, C: hear our prayer. L: In this time of prayer, let us remember all those no longer living on earth, whose witness informs and strengthens us. Time for silent prayer 7
L: We thank You, Lord, for all those people whose faith and faithfulness have inspired us. We thank You for the lessons we have learned from them and pray that, as the Holy Spirit works in and through us, we may pass along the light that they kindled in us. May our days and our deeds bring glory to Your name for the sake of Christ, our Savior. In mercy, O Lord, C: hear our prayer. L: Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. C: Amen. 8 THE LORD S PRAYER L: Lord, remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray: All: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. BENEDICAMUS and BENEDICTION L: Let us bless the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. L: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and + give you peace. C: Amen.
CLOSING HYMN #894 For the Fruits of His Creation 9 ANNOUNCEMENTS (p. 12-13) VERSE OF THE WEEK For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10) MISSION HYMN (sung together) Lift high the Cross, the Love of Christ proclaim till all the world adore his sacred name. POSTLUDE IN THE SERVICE OF THE LORD TODAY: Officiant Mr. Charles Heinemann Organist Charles Heinemann Usher Ed Asper/Mike Jorgenson Acolyte, 8:00 Sydney Hector Acolyte, 11:00 Shayla Gore Lector, 8:00 Nancy Flicek Lector, 11:00 Chip Brown Greeters, 8:00 Rosella Rogers Greeters, 11:00 Mr. & Mrs. Larry Campbell Nursery Bernie Davidson Altar flowers are given to the glory of God by Rosella Rogers in memory of Frank Rogers.
ANNOUNCEMENTS 10 [Please check the newsletter for additional announcements] THANK YOU to Charles Heinemann for leading us in worship today. This week: Monday MD Evening Bible Study, 7:00 p.m. (Flicek home) Wednesday - LifeLight Bible Study, 12:00 p.m. Thanksgiving Eve Worship, with Holy Communion, 7:00 p.m. POINSETTIAS - Order forms were placed in mailboxes. The cost is $9.75 each. Payment is due at the time of the order. Make checks payable to Concordia Lutheran Church and place forms and payment in specially marked basket in the office. The final count is due November 26. Thank you for your participation. MISSION OF THE MONTH for November is the Lutheran Bible Translators. More info to come. Mailboxes: A continued warm welcome to all of our regular visitors! Concordia serves four states and provides three Worship Services every Sunday in addition to other Ministries and activities. Communication is a challenge! There are enough mailboxes for everyone who desires a mailbox to have one. It is our most used form of giving and receiving communication. Email and Facebook are also used to help inform everyone of activities and events. Please contact Rosella Rogers or Jean Tichnell if you don t have a mailbox or if you would prefer your mailbox to be located in the Outreach Center instead of the Narthex. Thank you.
ChurchTrac: If there is a change in any of your personal information especially phone number or email address please contact Jean Tichnell @304-274-0025 or jeantich@comcast so the info can be changed in ChurchTrac. Thank you! 11 Prayer Shawl Ministry Request forms to have a prayer shawl made for you or a loved one are on the bulletin board to the left of the mailboxes. Please complete the form and put it in Jane O Farrell s mailbox. If anyone would like to share their talent of knitting or crocheting for this ministry please contact one of the members: Jane O Farrell, Stephanie Gore, Cheryl Dawson. Group meets the 2 nd Wednesday of every month. Church Library News: The Church library has a link on Concordia's Church Website (Our Library) and now under that link has the main library catalogue divided under four headings; PreK-Kindergarten, Children/Youth, Adult Fiction and Adult Non Fiction. FOOD FOR THE POOR LUTHERAN COALITION: Don t forget! We continue to collect funds to help serve the poorest of the poor. $2 per week from all our member families would mean $10,000 to help alleviate their tremendous suffering.