Welcome in the name of Jesus Christ! We thank God that you have joined us this morning for worship. If you are visiting with us, we thank God you are here and pray our worship together will be a mutual blessing. If you are looking for a church home, we hope Abiding Savior can meet your needs. Please introduce yourself to one of the Pastors. We ask both members and visitors to kindly fill out attendance cards and pass them to the center aisle. The ushers will gather them during the Sermon Hymn which follows the Children s Message. Feel free to add a prayer request for the Pastor to include in the congregational prayer. We love children here at Abiding Savior. Parents are encouraged to sit in the front pews so that young children can see what is happening during worship. If you should want to make use of our cry room or nursery, please ask one of our ushers for directions. Ministers Rev. Dr. Thomas Rogers... Senior Pastor Rev. Glenn Lucas... Associate Pastor Mrs. Donna Lucas... Principal Pam Howard... Preschool Director Chris Rogers... Music Director & Organist Kyle Salesky.Director of Family and Youth Ministries Hank Hellfeld... Deacon Call Us Church Office... (949) 830-1460 School Office... (949) 830-1461 Preschool Office... (949) 837-4292 On the Web... www.abidingsavior.com facebook.com/abidingsaviorlakeforest @abidingsavior @aslc_youth
WELCOME Worship Service of Word and Song Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost Sunday, September 2, 2018 10:15 a.m. OPENING CONGREGATIONAL SONG Please stand. Joy Of The Lord Though the tears may fall, my song will rise, My song will rise to You. Though my heart may fail, my song will rise, My song will rise to You. While there s breath in my lungs I will praise You, Lord. In the dead of night, I ll lift my eyes, I ll lift my eyes to You. When the waters rise, I ll lift my eyes, I ll lift my eyes to You. While there s hope in this heart I will praise You, Lord. Refrain: The joy of the Lord is my strength! The joy of the Lord is my strength! In the darkness I ll dance, In the shadows I ll sing, The joy of the Lord is my strength! When I cannot see You with my eyes, Let faith arise to You. When I cannot feel Your hand in mine, Let faith arise to You. God of mercy and love, I will praise You, Lord. Oh, You shine with glory, Lord of light; I fell alive with You. In Your presence now, I come alive; I am alive with You. There is strength when I say: I will praise You Lord! Refrain Twice When sorrow comes my way, You are the shield around me. Always, You remain, Like courage in the fight. I hear You call my name. Jesus, I am coming, Walking on the waves, reaching for Your light! Refrain Twice Words & Music by Ed Cash, Rend Collective Copyright 2015 Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) All rights reserved Used by permission CCLI Song #7046448 CCLI License 520682 INVOCATION Pastor: In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen! 2
BLESSING OF THE BACKPACKS If you desire a blessing, please come forward. CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Worshippers are invited to kneel for the Confession and Absolution. Those who desire not to kneel may sit or stand. Pastor: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Pastor: Let us then confess our sins to God our Father. Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by b what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen. Pastor: 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 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. Amen. OLD TESTAMENT READING DEUTERONOMY 4:1-2, 6-9 And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and just decrees so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children s children. 3
CONGREGATIONAL SONG Unstoppable God Heaven thundered And the world was born. Life begins and ends In the dust You formed. Faith commanded And the mountains moved. Fear is losing ground To our hope in You. Refrain: Unstoppable God, Let Your glory go on and on. Impossible things In Your name, they shall be done. Freedom conquered, All our chains undone. Sin defeated, Jesus has overcome. Mercy triumphed When the third day dawned. Darkness was denied When the stone was gone. Refrain Twice Nothing shall be impossible. Your kingdom reigns unstoppable. We ll shout Your praise forevermore. Jesus our God unstoppable. Sing four times. Refrain: Unstoppable God, Let Your glory go on and a on. Impossible things In Your name, they shall be done. Repeat By Chris Brown, Steven Furtick & Wade Joye 2014 Be Essential Songs (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC) All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission. CCLI Song #7011436 CCLI #520682 EPISTLE READING EPHESIANS 6:10-20 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Please stand for the Reading of the Holy Gospel. 4
THE HOLY GOSPEL MARK 7:14-23 And he called the people to him again and said to them, Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled? (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person. Worshippers are invited to stand and share the peace of the Lord with each other. Children can come down to the chancel steps for the children s message. CHILDREN HILDREN S MESSAGE Prayer and member/guest cards will be collected during the singing of the following song: CONGREGA ONGREGATIONAL SONG What A Beautiful Name You were the Word at the beginning, One with God the Lord Most High. Your hidden glory in creation, Now revealed in You our Christ. What a beautiful Name it is, what a beautiful Name it is. The Name of Jesus Christ my King. What a beautiful Name it is, Nothing compares to this. What a beautiful Name it is, The Name of Jesus. You didn t want heaven without us, So Jesus You brought heaven down. My sin was great, Your love was greater, What could separate us now. What a wonderful Name it is, What a wonderful Name it is. The Name of Jesus Christ my King. What a wonderful Name it is, Nothing compares to this. What a wonderful Name it is, The Name of Jesus. What a wonderful Name it is, The Name of Jesus. Death could not hold You, The veil tore before You. You silence the boast of sin and grave. The heavens are roaring, The praise of Your glory, For You are raised to life again. You have no rival, You have no equal. Now and forever God You reign. Yours is the kingdom, Yours is the glory, Yours is the Name above all names. 5
What a powerful Name it is, What a powerful Name it is. The Name of Jesus Christ my King. What a powerful Name it is, Nothing can stand against. What a powerful Name it is, The name of Jesus. Sing three times. By Ben Fielding & Brooke Ligertwood 2016 Hillsong Music Publishing (Admin. By Capitol CMG Publishing) All rights reserved. Used by permission. CCLI Song #7068424 CCLI License #520682 THE SERMON REV EV. TOM ROGERS APOSTLES CREED 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. GATHERING OF OUR TITHES AND OFFERINGS God doesn t need our money, but in His grace He gives us the privilege to be stewards of everything He has entrusted to our care. We can do more together than separately. As one body in Christ, our congregation has agreed to offer our first fruits to support ministries and missions that enable us to communicate Christ s love to everyone, everywhere; and our love for Him. Your sacrificial gift enables this holy work. MUSICAL OFFERING What A Beautiful Name ABIDING PRAISE By Ben Fielding & Brooke Ligertwood 2016 Hillsong Music Publishing (Admin. By Capitol CMG Publishing) All rights reserved. Used by permission. CCLI Song #7068424 CCLI License #520682 THE PRAYERS Pastor: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs. After each petition the prayer concludes: Pastor: Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Pastor: Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend ourselves and all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy through Jesus Christ, our Lord. We pray together, 6
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 for ever and ever. Amen. BENEDICTION Pastor: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. Amen! CLOSING CONGREGATIONAL SONG Build Your Kingdom Here We seek Your kingdom first. We hunger and we thirst; Refuse to waste our lives, For You re our joy and prize. To see the captives hearts released; The hurt, the sick, the poor at peace. We lay down our lives for heaven s cause. We are Your church; We pray, revive this earth. Refrain: Build Your kingdom here. Let the darkness fear. Show Your mighty hand. Heal our streets and land. Set Your church on fire. Win this nation back. Change the atmosphere. Build Your kingdom here, We pray! Unleash Your kingdom s pow r, reaching the near the far. No force of hell can stop Your beauty, changing hearts. You made us for much more than this; Awake the kingdom seed in us. Fill us with the strength and love of Christ. We are Your church; We are the hope on earth. Refrain Words & Music by Rend Collective Experiment 2011 Thankyou Music All rights reserved Used by permission CCLI Song #6186078 CCLI License #520682 Pastor: Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 7
Flowers The flowers which grace our altar this weekend are dedicated to the glory of the Lord by the Birner Kids in celebration of Pastor Birner s 71 st year in the ministry. Today we celebrate Rev. Charles R. Birner and his 71 years as an ordained Lutheran Pastor for the LCMS! We have experienced a good majority of those 71 years living as PKs (Pastor s kids) and we can assure you that raising six PKs in Southern California in the 1960 s and 70 s was not for the faint of heart! Nevertheless, Dad s heart seems to have endured the many challenges of fatherhood and grown stronger over the decades as he continues to provide spiritual counsel and strength to us and countless others. Dad s zest for life has been a testament to his unwavering faith and commitment to Jesus Christ. We have been and continue to be blessed by our father, Charles R. Birner. We love you Dad and are grateful for the gift God has given us through you. David, Debby, Kristen, Mary, Andrea, and Becky We Pray For This Week Kyle Salesky, Amy Saneto & Family, Howard Saneto & Family, Jim & Dinah Sapunarich, Buzz & Eileen Schennum, Bob & Marcia Schmidt & Family, Joan Schumm, Dean Schwartz & Family, Bryan & Becky Seamer & Family, Lee Seib Keep in Your Prayers Prayers for strength and healing, guidance and blessing for: Elizabeth Hurley Jeanne Kelly Brad Lucente Crystal Nylander Brett Riedlinger Brian Adams Terri Green Alexander Hernandez Betsy Hotsko Patricia Howard Lee Seib Junko Shiki Denice Soresi Eileen Stewart Maggie Winn We pray for those who are ill: Irene Fabre Larry Reimnitz Lou Torres Etsuko Busker Rosemary Colburn We pray for those who are recovering: Jeff Conrad Rocky Hewitt June Thomas Prayers for those who mourn the death of a loved one, for comfort and strength: Family of Paul Kerbrat, who passed away Tuesday, August 28 th A memorial service celebrating the life of Paul will take place here on Saturday, September 15 8