August 17, 2014 Ruth Meets Boaz Ruth 2:1-23
Grace Lutheran Church August 17, 2014 9:30 a.m. Welcome to worship at Grace! May this time of gathering in Christian community bless you and enable you to be a blessing to others. Special welcome to Newcomers in the name of Christ! We pray that our time of worship would give you the chance to offer your prayer and praise, hear anew the Word of God, and receive our Lord s presence in Holy Communion. Enlarged print bulletins and personal assist hearing devices are available. Please see an usher for assistance. Children s bulletins and activity bags are also available. The order of worship, and many of the prayers, can be found in the worship bulletin. Hymns and worship music can be found in the red worship books. Hymns are in the back of the worship book, with the large numbers at the top of the page. Service music is in the front of the worship book, with the small numbers on the bottom of the page. Every Sunday we share Holy Communion. All are welcome to the Lord s Table. When invited by the ushers, please come forward using the center aisle. To receive the bread, hold out your hand, palm up. The minister will place the bread in your hand along with the words "The Body of Christ, given for you." You may respond, "Amen," or "Thanks be to God." Standing at the cup, dip the bread into the wine or juice. The Communion Server will say, "The blood of Christ, shed for you." You may respond "Amen," or "Thanks be to God," before consuming the wine/juice-soaked bread. Then, return to your seat by way of the side aisles. Note: Grape juice (lighter in color) is available as well as wine (darker in color). Gluten-free wafers are available on the table between the servers---after receiving the words of promise, simply take a wafer, dip it into the wine/juice also provided on the table, eat both and return to your seat by way of the side aisles." *Please stand as you are able. 2
Prelude O God, My Faithful God Handel * Gathering Hymn #679 For the Fruit of All Creation * Greeting P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. C: And also with you. *Confession and Forgiveness P: With faith in a loving God, we confess our sins before God and one another. (Pause for silence and reflection) P: God of kindness and compassion, C: We are not always quick to claim you as our God. We fail to care for each other with the compassion you have shown us. Forgive our thoughts, words, and actions, and all that we have failed to do or say. Cleanse us from the inside out and make us new. Amen. P: Our God is faithful even when we are not. Today we are forgiven. Today we are cleansed of our sins and made into new beings. Today we follow the Lord, whose compassion never fails. Receive newness of life, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. *Glory to God p.213 (The congregation will sing the refrains, and the liturgist and/or choir will sing the verses) *Prayer of the Day L: God of compassion, Your love is spread when members of the community come together. Show us how to make ourselves available for the needs of others, and to receive the gracious gifts of others, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Welcome and Announcements Children s Message 3
Special Music Scripture Ruth 2:1-23 Now Naomi had a respected relative, a man of worth, through her husband from the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz. Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, Let me go to the field so that I may glean among the ears of grain behind someone in whose eyes I might find favor. Naomi replied to her, Go, my daughter. So she went; she arrived and she gleaned in the field behind the harvesters. By chance, it happened to be the portion of the field that belonged to Boaz, who was from the family of Elimelech. Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem. He said to the harvesters, May the Lord be with you. And they said to him, May the Lord bless you. Boaz said to his young man, the one who was overseeing the harvesters, To whom does this young woman belong? The young man who was overseeing the harvesters answered, She s a young Moabite woman, the one who returned with Naomi from the territory of Moab. She said, Please let me glean so that I might gather up grain from among the bundles behind the harvesters. She arrived and has been on her feet from the morning until now, and has sat down for only a moment. Boaz said to Ruth, Haven t you understood, my daughter? Don t go glean in another field; don t go anywhere else. Instead, stay here with my young women. Keep your eyes on the field that they are harvesting and go along after them. I ve ordered the young men not to assault you. Whenever you are thirsty, go to the jugs and drink from what the young men have filled. Then she bowed down, face to the ground, and replied to him, How is it that I ve found favor in your eyes, that you notice me? I m an immigrant. Boaz responded to her, Everything that you did for your mother-in-law after your husband s death has been reported fully to me: how you left behind your father, your mother, and the land of your birth, and came to a people you hadn t known beforehand. May the Lord reward you for your deed. May you receive a rich reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you ve come to seek refuge. She said, May I continue to find favor in your eyes, sir, because you ve comforted me and because you ve spoken kindly to your female servant even though I m not one of your female servants. 4
At mealtime Boaz said to her, Come over here, eat some of the bread, and dip your piece in the vinegar. She sat alongside the harvesters, and he served roasted grain to her. She ate, was satisfied, and had leftovers. Then she got up to glean. Boaz ordered his young men, Let her glean between the bundles, and don t humiliate her. Also, pull out some from the bales for her and leave them behind for her to glean. And don t scold her. So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed what she had gleaned; it was about an ephah of barley. She picked it up and went into town. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She brought out what she had left over after eating her fill and gave it to her. Her mother-in-law said to her, Where did you glean today? Where did you work? May the one who noticed you be blessed. She told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz. Naomi replied to her daughter-in-law, May he be blessed by the Lord, who hasn t abandoned his faithfulness with the living or with the dead. Naomi said to her, The man is one of our close relatives; he s one of our redeemers. Ruth the Moabite replied, Furthermore, he said to me, Stay with my workers until they ve finished all of my harvest. Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, It s good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, so that men don t assault you in another field. Thus she stayed with Boaz s young women, gleaning until the completion of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law. L: The Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Message *Hymn of the Day #765 Pastor Karen Williams Lord of All Hopefulness 5
*Prayers of Intercession The liturgist leads the congregation. Each petition concludes: L: Lord in your mercy, C: Hear our prayer. The prayers conclude: P: With gratitude for your faithfulness, we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen C: Amen Offering & Offertory *Offering Hymn #829 Refrain Only Prayer: An Offertory George Walker Have You Thanked the Lord? *Offering Prayer L: Let us pray. Blessed are you, O God, ruler of heaven and earth. Day by day you shower us with blessings. As you have raised us to new life in Christ, give us glad and generous hearts, ready to praise you and to respond to those in need, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. C: Amen. *Offering Hymn #829 Refrain Only Have You Thanked the Lord Holy Communion *Great Thanksgiving P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. P: Lift up your hearts. C: We lift them to the Lord. P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. C: It is right to give our thanks and praise. *Words of Institution 6
*Lord s Prayer 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 Invitation to our Lord s Table Words of invitation to the table will include: P: The feast is ready. The gifts of God for the people of God! C: Thanks be to God! Lamb of God Hymn #195 Distribution of Communion Please see inside front cover of this bulletin for a note on receiving Holy Communion. Distribution Hymn #733 Great is Thy Faithfulness * Post Communion Prayer P: God of abundance, with this bread of life and cup of salvation you have united us with Christ, making us one with all your people. Now send us forth in the power of your Spirit, that we may proclaim your redeeming love to the world and continue forever in the risen life of Jesus Christ, our Lord. C: Amen. *Blessing P: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord's face shine on you with grace and mercy. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. In the name of the Father, the + Son, and the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. *Sending Hymn #806 O God, My Faithful God 7
*Dismissal L: Go in peace! Share the Good News! C: Thanks be to God! Postlude Great Gate of Kiev from Pictures at an Exhibition Mussorgsky ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Presiding Minister: Liturgist: Lay Reader: Acolyte: Communion Servers: Special Music: Greeters: Ushers: Offering Counters Grace Geek Squad: Today s Worship Leaders Pastor Karen Williams Laura Gorton Cassie Pray Grady Westling Rich & Irma Raschke Grady Westling Jim & Julie Dike Team D:Bill Kinney-Captain, Ed Holtan-Head Usher, Larry Atneosen, Jim Geister, Barb Kinney, Randy Nikula Team F: Kate Pray-Captain, Larry Carlson, Bob Golder, Cassie Pray, Justin Pray Linda Sackreiter We lift our prayers to God in times of thanksgiving and times of need, in times of joy and times of sorrow. We pray for: Keith Wickert, Cindy Malmin, and Dorothy Mohwinkel. In case of an emergency after church office hours and weekends, please contact Pastor Karen Williams at 651-503-8958. Pastor Karen will be on vacation starting Monday, August 25-September 1, 2014. She will return to the office on September 2, 2014. In case of any emergency, after church hours and weekends, please contact President Bill Kinney at 651-770-6819. The Church Office will be closed on Monday, September 1, 2014 for the Labor Day holiday. The Altar flowers today are given by Carol and Bob Golder in honor of their 24th wedding anniversary. 8
Please wear your name tag to help Pastor Karen get to know you! We are looking for ways in the church office to cut back on mailing costs. It costs $36 to $50 a month to mail the Intouch and sometimes more depending on if there are any postal updates when we get there, plus the time taken to go to the bulk mail post office in Eagan. Please complete this form and put it in the box on the table in the Good Shepherd s Lounge You can also bring it to the church office or email the church at office@gracelutheranstpaul.org. Name I wish to have my Intouch electronically sent to me: Email Address I wish to pick up my Intouch at the church on a designated Sunday I wish to have my Intouch mailed to me. I do not wish to receive an Intouch SUMMER BIBLE STUDY hosted by Women of Grace Wednesday, August 20, 2014, 6:15-8pm South Tower Room. Every generation of Grace women is invited to an evening titled, "Of Many Generations". Gather magazine's two summer issues, June and July/August, include three studies which spend time with Mary and her cousin Elizabeth in the first chapter of Luke's gospel; also with Lydia in Acts 16: 11-15. We meet these women who understand that they are part of a multi-generational community - many ages, many experiences. If that sounds a lot like you and me today, come and learn about the relationships we have with the world nowadays. Also come to meet Pastor Karen who will lead the discussion and is eager to meet everyone! Stay for ice cream and cookies. Plan to be there on August 20th. August 31, Labor Day Sunday: In recognition, celebration and thanksgiving of the jobs (paid and unpaid) we do, you are invited to wear your "work clothes" or bring something that pertains to your work or hobby. This will be a way to show the variety of talents we have as a congregation. "There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." 1 Corinthians 12: 5, 6 (NIV) 9
Our many thanks from District 1 Community Council to the Grace Lutheran congregation for their generous donation to the National Night Out event. Because of your cash donation, many neighbors were fed for the evening. It was also great to see your members there in full force, and to meet your new pastor. We hope that there will be plenty of opportunities for future collaboration with District 1 Community Council. The Mission of the Month for August is August Mission of the Month is Union Gospel Mission. This worthwhile organization s mission statement states that Union Gospel Mission is a Christian Ministry dedicated to serving the homeless, poor and addicted in our community. By meeting physical, spiritual, emotional and educational needs, Union Gospel Mission is changing lives. Union Gospel Mission provides many services including safe housing, free dental clinic, a donation center for clothes etc., as well as meals and holiday meals. Please use your multi-purpose blue envelope and check Mission of the month and place in the offering plate or send to the church office. Checks should be made payable to Grace Lutheran Church. Thank you for sharing of your resources with those less fortunate. Good Samaritan Garage Sale-Good Samaritan will be holding their annual garage sale in the Grace Parking lot on Friday, August 29 and Saturday August 30th from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. If you have anything you would like to donate, please call Thaoke Her at 651-204-6436. Please plan on attending worship on Sunday, September 7, 2014, for Pastor Karen s Installation at Grace. Our guest will be Bishop Patricia Lull, from the St. Paul Area Synod, who will be doing the installation of Pastor Karen. Following the service the Church picnic will be held and also the ELCA Day of Service. Please join us for this important day at Grace. Please let Maxine Keller know if you can help grill. Your September Intouch Articles are due by Tuesday, August 20, 2014. Stewardship Notes Faithful stewardship involves giving to God as an expression of our faith. We confess that all we are and everything we have belongs to God and we put this faith into action when we offer ourselves and our possessions to God. 10
Musical Notes The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." This is the text from Lamentations 3:22-23 that Thomas Chisholm read, inspiring him to write the hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness. Thomas sent his poem to his friend William Runyan who put them to music. Runyan then gave the hymn to his friend Dr. Houghton who was president of the Moody Bible Institute. The Institute ran a radio station. Dr. Houghton asked George Beverly Shea to sing his favorite hymn on the radio. Who should be a frequent listener of the Institute s radio station but Billy Graham, at that time being a student attending Wheaton College. When he began his international ministry, he invited George Beverly Shea to join his ministry team and within months, Great Is Thy Faithfulness became a world-wide favorite. On quite a different note, today s postlude The Great Gate of Kiev was composed by Modeste Mussorgsky in 1874. It is the last movement of his bigger work entitled Pictures at an Exhibition, written to honor his friend Victor Hartmann who had died the year before. The playing of The Great Gate... is in honor of Carol and Bob Golder s 24th anniversary. It was their wedding recessional. George Walker, the composer of our offertory today is the 1st African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Week ending 08/10/2014 General Offering $4,532.00 Mortgage Offering $645.00 Attendance 156 11
Sunday August 17, 2014 August 24, 2014 Sunday (17) 9:30 a.m. Worship 10:30 a.m. Coffee Hour 12:00 p.m. Good Samaritan Worship Tuesday (19) 7:00 p.m. Church Council Wednesday (20) 10:00 a.m. Coffee & Conversation 6:00 p.m. Good Samaritan Band Practice Friday (22) 4:30 p.m. Ray-Taylor-Kemokai Wedding Rehearsal 6:00 p.m. Good Samaritan Events Saturday (23) 9:00 a.m. Good Samaritan Youth 9:00 a.m. Good Samaritan Women s Bible Study 3:30 p.m. Ray-Taylor-Kemokai Wedding Next Sunday (24) 9:30 a.m. Worship 10:30 a.m. Coffee Hour 12:00 p.m. Good Samaritan Worship 12 Rev. Karen Williams, Pastor Rhynda Landt, Administrative Associate 1730 Old Hudson Road 651.774.9617 Saint Paul, Minnesota 55106 office@gracelutheranstpaul.org. email