The Perils of Prophets 7 th Sunday of Pentecost July 11 & 12, 2015
Ebenezer Lutheran Church Port Hudson The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod 9100 Highway YY Leslie, Missouri Parsonage 573-459-6432 Church 573-459-6431 Rev. William F. Zastrow, Pastor Mary Sprick, Secretary ebenezerlutheran@hotmail.com ebenezerlutheranchurch.wordpress.com AS WE GATHER: Being a prophet is dangerous! That s what Amos, the reluctant prophet, learned in the eighth century BC. John the Baptist even lost his head for prophesying. We are called to prophesy as well; that is, we are to teach the truth about salvation in Christ. Although that might entail social stigma or physical trauma, the true peril awaits those who refuse to hear the Good News. There is no lasting peril for those who respond to what God has done in choosing, adopting, forgiving, and promising them eternal life. Our Lord took the ultimate risk, taking our sins with Him to the cross and rising on the third day, assuring us of obtaining the promised inheritance, eternal life with Him. PRAYER BEFORE WORSHIP: Heavenly Father, You brought Your Son through death to life for our sake. Give us confident faith that because He lives, we shall live also and that nothing shall separate us from Your love in time or eternity; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. HYMN Rise, Shine, You People HS98 871 INVOCATION Based on Ephesians 1:3, 7, 14 In the name of God the Father, 2
who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing, in the name of God the Son, in whom we have redemption through His blood, and in the name of God the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance in heaven. Amen. OPENING SENTENCES Psalm 85:8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for He will speak peace to His people, to His saints; but let them not turn back to folly. CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Amos 7:8; Ephesians 1:3, 7 Although we have repeatedly gone astray, by Jesus sacrifice for us God has made forgiveness available, so that we should be holy and blameless before Him as He always intended. Let us therefore confess our sins, confident of His grace and mercy for Jesus sake. Most merciful God, when we recognize the straight plumb line of Your Law, we see the crookedness of our ways. From birth, our sinful condition has shown in our thinking, speaking, and doing. When we recall the prophets of the Old Testament and John the Baptist, we recognize the weakness of our convictions. Without Your aid, we are as good as dead. According to the riches of Your grace, grant us forgiveness because of the redemption we have through Jesus blood. By Your Holy 3
Spirit, raise us to newness of life that we may walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen. God has blessed us in Christ that we should be holy and blameless before Him. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. INTROIT Psalm 143:1 2, 8a; antiphon: v. 11 For Your name s sake, O my Lord God, Keep me safe whene er I roam. In Your righteousness, O dear Lord, From all troubles bring me home. Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In Your faithfulness answer me, in Your righteousness! Enter not into judgment with Your servant, for no one living is righteous before You. Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. For Your name s sake, O my Lord God, Keep me safe whene er I roam. 4
In Your righteousness, O dear Lord, From all troubles bring me home. KYRIE Lord, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us. HYMN OF PRAISE The Lord, My God, Be Praised LW 174 The Lord, my God, be praised, My light, my life from heaven; My maker, who to me Has soul and body given; My Father, who will shield And keep me day by day And make each moment yield New blessings on my way. The Lord, my God, be praised, My trust, my life from heaven, The Father s own dear Son, Whose life for me was given, Who for my sin atoned With his most precious blood And gives to me by faith The highest heavenly good. PRAYER OF THE DAY 5
Let us pray. O Lord, You granted Your prophets strength to resist the temptations of the devil and courage to proclaim repentance. Give us pure hearts and minds to follow Your Son faithfully even into suffering and death; 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 Amos 7:7 15 (Amos stands up against a false prophet and the king.) This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. GRADUAL Romans 11:33, 36 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. EPISTLE Ephesians 1:3 14 (Our eternal inheritance is sure because of God s grace in Christ.) This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 6
VERSE Matthew 5:10 Alleluia. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Alleluia. HOLY GOSPEL Mark 6:14 29 (Herod thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist come back to life.) The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the sixth chapter. Glory to You, O Lord. (The Gospel is read.) This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to You, O Christ. 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 heavenand sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From thence He shall 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. 7
HYMN OF THE DAY Onward, Christian Soldiers LW 518 SERMON OFFERING OFFERTORY We Give You but Your Own LW 405 PRAYERS We give you but your own In any gifts we bring; All that we have is your alone, A trust from you, our King. May we your bounties thus As stewards true receive And gladly, Lord, as you bless us, To you our first fruits give. Let us pray for ourselves and this congregation. In times past You called Amos, John, and countless others to speak Your Word boldly. We give thanks, O Lord, that You have also called us in our various vocations to teach Your will and Word. Strengthen us for the task so that many people may join us to praise Your holy name. Let us pray for the Church around the world. Before the foundation of the world, O Lord, You chose Your people in Christ to be holy and blameless before You. 8
Guide and protect clergy and lay leaders in all the nations of the world so that they may proclaim the Gospel in freedom and safety. Let us pray for the leaders of the nations. Lord over all, You ordain the earthly powers for the ordering of society. Provide us with faithful and righteous leaders who will govern in peace and justice. Where there is injustice here or in any nation, strengthen those who will care for the downtrodden and despised. Where there is violence and terror, arrange for movement toward concord and harmony. Where despots rule, furnish others with the tools they need to effect peace within and across their borders. Let us pray for farmers and merchants, bankers and builders, athletes and musicians, artists and instructors, soldiers and first responders, and all through whom God makes human society safe and enjoyable. Impart them with the determination to use all their skills for the enrichment of our community and nation. May we rejoice together in the blessings they share with us all. Let us pray for our friends and neighbors, our brothers and sisters in Christ, our fellow students and co-workers, and all who call out to our gracious God in their distress. Surround them with caregivers to help them meet sudden crises or endure long-term ills. Bestow medical professionals and volunteers 9
with the gifts they need to bring healing from sickness and renewed vision from depression and grief. We pray especially for... Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Into Your hands, heavenly Father, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting Your mercy for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. LORD S PRAYER (Matthew 6:9 13) 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. HYMN Almighty Father, Bless the Word LW 216 Almighty Father, bless the Word Which through your grace we now have heard. Oh, may the precious seed take root, Spring up, and bear abundant fruit! We praise you for the means of grace As homeward now our steps we trace. Grant, Lord, that we who worshiped here May all at last in heaven appear. 10
CLOSING COLLECT Let us pray. We give thanks to You, heavenly Father, for You have fed us in Your Word on our pilgrim way. Grant us opportunity to proclaim boldly Your gracious pardon and peace. Strengthen our faith in You and increase our love for one another; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. BENEDICTION The Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all, and the blessing of almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, abide with you now and forever. Amen. Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series B, Part 3. Copyright 2015 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OUR MISSION AND MINISTRY To our members and guests who are here with us today. We are very glad you are here for worship services on this 7 th Sunday after Pentecost. May the Lord refresh you with peace and love during our worship services. Please join us here at Ebenezer again soon! Please sign the guest register 11
near the front entrance with your name, address and Church affiliation. Thank you! Our Christian Sympathy is extended to Gary Deppermann and daughter Nicole of Lake St. Louis. Gary s wife Peggy died this Friday, July 3, of breast cancer. A private service was held. The Quarterly Voter s Meeting will be held tomorrow evening (Monday, July 13, 2015). Please plan to attend this important meeting of our Church. Ladies Aid There is still a large assortment of craft supplies, craft books, fancy work (doilies), and patterns for making quilts, in the Church basement. If you or anyone that you know would like any of the supplies, please help yourself for a donation to Ladies Aid. The display will be in the Church basement through July 19, 2015. Welcome to VBS Camp Discovery: Jesus at Work Through Us! We are happy to invite children ages 3 through grade 8 to attend Vacation Bible School here with us. Vacation Bible School will be held here July 27 31 from 9:00 to 11:30 AM. VBS Decorating Requests We are gearing up for VBS 2015 and would like to start collecting items for decorating the Church for Camp Discovery: Jesus at Work Through Us. Since it s the camping theme this year, we are asking for artificial Christmas trees (not the pre-lit kind) of all shapes and sizes. We just ask that they are green! We can also use artificial evergreen garlands and silk greenery. In addition, we are looking for camping items (lanterns, canteens, binoculars, sleeping bags, fishing nets, fishing poles, butterfly nets, etc.) to decorate with. We are also looking for toy stuffed animals that you would find in the woods, (raccoons, 12
squirrels, rabbits, bears, foxes, etc.) Children will not be allowed to play with these items. All items will be returned to you after VBS, but please mark them so we know who they belong to. If you have something to lend, please call July Hilkerbaumer at 636-584-9239 or send an e-mail to ajhilkerbaumer@att.net. Thank you!! Please Take Notice of the Giving Trees at the back of the Church. There are several evergreen trees with notes tied to them with various supplies that are needed for Vacation Bible School. Just take a note home with you, and the next time you are at the store, pick the item up and return it to the old Church basement in the designated area. If the item is a perishable food item, please bring it to the kitchen on Sunday, July 26 th. This is a great way to help offset the cost of VBS and it s easy! VBS Snacks Day 1 (Monday) Bear-y Courageous Bagels Snack: plain bagels, cream cheese* (plain, honey, strawberry & blueberry flavored), banana slices & blueberries (cinnamon & sugar optional) Drink: Milk* & orange juice Day 2 (Tuesday) Very Wise Choices Snack: Fruit (watermelon, strawberries, grapes, bananas, & left-over blueberries from Monday) & fruit dip* Drink: Lemonade Day 3 (Wednesday) Camp-Fired Up About Jesus Snack: Pretzel Sticks, cheese triangles & raisins Drink: Lemonade Day 4 (Thursday) S more Snack Mix Snack: Golden Grahams cereal, mini-marshmallows, milk chocolate chips served in a zip-lock bag 13
Drink: Lemonade Day 5 (Friday) Jesus Gives His Love to Share Snack: Heart-shaped sugar cookies* Drink: Milk* Friday Closing Reception: Donated homemade cookies, left-over snacks from the week, lemonade to drink VBS Supplies Needed Our VBS will again do t-shirts to remember Camp Discovery. We especially need adult size t- shirts (size small and XX large). Adult small size quantity 3, adult size XX large quantity 2. T-shirts for children are also needed. Youth size extra small quantity 3 and youth size small quantity 3. Thank you for thinking of us to help supply shirts for those that cannot bring a t-shirt. VBS Cookies for the Closing Program We are making a variety of Camp snacks this year and will not need donations of cookies until Friday night for the closing program. If possible, please drop off your cookies on Thursday or Friday morning. Thank you for all your support!! Food Drive at VBS Closing Otis Children are still keeping the Corner in North St. Louis operating. Members of Otis family will be here at the closing program July 31. A food collection will be taken to support this mission and the people of North St. Louis. Please bring non perishable food. Shoe Collection For Water Projects A representative from the Shoeman Water Project will give a presentation on July 28 th at 9:00 AM during VBS. If you have shoes to donate try to have them here by Tuesday morning of VBS. We will continue to collect all during the VBS week and take whatever shoes not collected to the sight at another time. 14
Adult VBS Please join Pastor for Bible Study this Thursday at 10:00 AM for a study of the VBS Bible stories. This week we will study God Saves Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Plan to come to adult VBS for a great summer Bible Study of familiar stories from the Old and New Testament. Mark Your Calendars Mark J. Koch of Thrivent Financial will be hosting a Financial Update on Tuesday, July 21, 2015 from 6:00 8:00 PM here at our Church. A dinner will be served! Join us and get answers to help you decide where to go from here. Space is limited, so please RSVP by July 17 th to reserve your spot. Contact Mark at 573-237-2686 or email mark.koch@thrivent.com. Rev. Brandon Larson of Concordia Seminary will be our guest Pastor next Saturday and Sunday, July 18 & 19. Those Serving Today Organist Saturday Jenny Huellinghoff Organist Sunday Ruth Marschel Head Usher Saturday Tracey Bade Head Usher Sunday Marvin Kassebaum Altar Guild Karen and Kathy Scheer Acolytes Paige Thurmond Trent Huellinghoff Ava Monzyk Bell Ringer Jeff Hohlt Offerings and Attendance Weekly Contributions $1,655.00 Plate 2.00 Sunday School 14.52 Portals of Prayer 20.00 $1,691.52 15
Attendance: Saturday Worship 18 Sunday Worship 61 Sunday School: Children 1 Adults 22 This Week at Ebenezer Monday Quarterly Voter s Meeting 7:30 PM Thursday VBS Bible Study 10:00 AM Friday Pastor and Margaret to Valpariaso Saturday Worship with Holy Communion 5:00 PM Pastor and Margaret to Detroit Michigan to attend Pastor s nephew s wedding. 16