Our Only Option Is to Forgive! October 1, 2017 Service of the Word and Sacrament
OPENING HYMN I Know Who Holds Tomorrow African American Heritage Hymnal 1. I don t know about tomorrow, I just live from day to day; I don t borrow from its sunshine, For its skies may turn to gray. I don t worry o er the future, For I know what Jesus said; And today I ll walk beside Him, For He knows what is ahead. Refrain: Many things about tomorrow I don t seem to understand; But I know who holds tomorrow, And I know who holds my hand. 2. Ev ry step is getting brighter As the golden stairs I climb; Ev ry burden s getting lighter, Ev ry cloud is silver lined. There the sun is always shining, There no tear will dim the eye, At the ending of the rainbow, Where the mountains touch the sky. Refrain 3. I don t now about tomorrow It may bring me poverty; But the One who feeds the sparrow, Is the One who stands by me. And the path that is my portion, May be through the flame or flood; But His presence goes before me, And I m covered with His blood. Refrain 2
WELCOME M: La gracia de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, el amor de Dios, y la comunión del Espíritu Santo sean con ustedes. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you. C: And also with you. CONFESSION OF SINS M: Dear friends, let us approach God with a true heart and confess our sins, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us. C: I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts, words, and actions through my fault, through my own fault, through my own most grievous fault. Therefore, I ask God to have mercy on me; forgive me all my sins; and bring me to eternal life. M: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. In his great mercy, God made us alive in Christ even when were dead in our sins. Hear the word of Christ through his called servant: I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. LORD, HAVE MERCY M: In peace, let us pray to the Lord. For the well-being of all people everywhere, that they may receive from you all they need to sustain body and life, hear our prayer, O Lord. C: Lord, have mercy. 3
M: For the spread of your life-giving gospel throughout the world, that all who are lost in sin may be brought to faith in you, hear our prayer, O Christ. C: Christ, have mercy. M: For patience and perseverance in this life, that we may not lose the hope of heaven as we await your return, hear our prayer, O Lord. C: Lord, have mercy. M: Lord of life, live in us that we may live for you. C: Amen. SONG OF PRAISE M: The works of the Lord are great and glorious; his name is worthy of praise. 4
PRAYER OF THE DAY M: Lord, we pray that your mercy and grace may always go before and follow after us that, loving you with undivided hearts, we may be ready for every good and useful work; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. 5
FIRST LESSON Genesis 50:15-21 15 When Joseph s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him? 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly. Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father. When their message came to him, Joseph wept. 18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. We are your slaves, they said. 19 But Joseph said to them, Don t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children. And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. SECOND LESSON Romans 14:5-9 5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. VERSE OF THE DAY Romans 15:4 Alleluia. Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Alleluia. 6
GOSPEL Matthew 18:21-35 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times? 22 Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 At this the servant fell on his knees before him. Be patient with me, he begged, and I will pay back everything. 27 The servant s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28 But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. Pay back what you owe me! he demanded. 29 His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, Be patient with me, and I will pay it back. 30 But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 Then the master called the servant in. You wicked servant, he said, I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart. 7
HYMN OF THE DAY Forgive Our Sins Nos / Ensañaste a Perdonar Oramos Cantando 779 8
SERMON Our Only Option Is to Forgive! Matthew 18:21-35 NICENE CREED I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became fully human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. 9
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH M: Lord God, heavenly Father, you sent Your Son to live a perfect life and die in our place and to to pay the price for our sins in order to reconcile us to You. Help us live lives of repentance, not despairing over our sin, but ever mindful of the reconciliation we have in Christ. Lord, in your mercy: C: Hear our prayer. M: Almighty Father, just as Joseph forgave his brothers and provided for them and their families, help us forgive those who have sinned against us. Grant that we would share with them the gospel message of reconciliation in Christ. Lord, in your mercy: C: Hear our prayer. M: Merciful Father, guard and keep all who are sick, lonely, overwhelmed by grief or poor in spirit, that they may be comforted and healed according to Your good and gracious will. Let them look to Jesus Christ, the light of the world, in their time of need, and remind them that he is the light no darkness can overcome. Lord, in your mercy C: Hear our prayer. M: Heavenly Father, we come to your table as servants who owe a debt we cannot pay. Thanks to Christ, that debt has been forgiven in its entirety. As we receive Christ s body and blood for our forgiveness, let us be ever grateful, that we may go out to serve others with that same spirit of forgiveness. Lord, in your mercy: C: Hear our prayer. M: Ever-living God, we thank you for the certain hope of everlasting life. Receive our thanks for all the faithful who have departed this life, and grant that we may share with them the joys of Your everlasting kingdom. Lord, in Your mercy: C: Hear our prayer. 10
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. OFFERING The members of Christ the King have joined together to do the Lord s work in their community and around the world. Visitors should not feel obligated to participate in this offering which supports our ministry. THE PREFACE M: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. M: Lift up your hearts. C: We lift them up to the Lord. M: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God. C: It is good and right so to do. 11
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING M: Blessed are you, O Lord of heaven and earth. We praise and thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, and we remember the great acts of love through which he has ransomed us from sin, death, and the devil s power. By his incarnation, he became one with us. By his perfect life, he fulfilled your holy will. By his innocent death, he overcame hell. By his rising from the grave, he opened heaven. Invited by your grace and instructed by your Word, we approach your table with repentant and joyful hearts. Strengthen us through Christ s body and blood, and preserve us in the true faith until we feast with him and all his ransomed people in glory everlasting. C: Amen. WORDS OF INSTITUION M: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take and eat; this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. The peace of the Lord be with you always. C: Amen. DISTRIBUTION OF HOLY COMMUNION God s Word teaches we should examine and prepare ourselves before receiving communion. Therefore, we ask guests who are not members of our church to meet with our pastor before receiving communion the first time. 12
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING M: Hear the prayer of your people, O Lord, that the lips which have praised you here may glorify you in the world, that the eyes which have seen the coming of your Son may long for his coming again, and that all who have received in his true body and blood the pledge of your forgiveness may be restored to live a new and holy life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. God, now and forever. C: Amen. BLESSING M: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace. El Señor te bendiga y te guarde. Haga el Señor resplandecer su rostro sobre ti y tenga de ti misericordia. Vuelva el Señor su rostro a ti y te conceda la paz. C: Amen. 13
CLOSING HYMN Precious Lord, Take My Hand / Oh Señor, Guíame Oramos Cantando 789 14
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Take the Next Step It s a big step to walk into a new church! We are glad you came. If you are looking for a place to learn more about God s Word, grow in your faith, and be connected to other Christians, follow these suggestions to take the next step: Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost 6541 Eastern Ave Bell Gardens CA 90201 (323) 773-6284 cristoreylutheran.com Pastor Matt Behmer (323) 395-8062 pastor@cristoreylutheran.com We invite you to come back next week. God promises that time spent in his Word will grow your faith. We encourage you to take our Bible Information Class. This class provides an overview of the Bible and serves as the class for those desiring to become members of our congregation. We challenge you to select a way to serve. We are currently revitalizing our ministry and are always looking for help. We urge you to invite your friends and family. The people in your life need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. Spiritual Services To serve you best, we offer a variety of spiritual services. These include confirmation, counseling, visits to the sick and hospitalized, baptisms and quinceañera worship services. These spiritual services are provided without cost and require few prerequisites. Please speak with Pastor Matt to learn more. Worship Schedule Divine Service in English...Sundays at 10:45am English Bible Study. Sundays at 10:00am Misa Cristiana en español...comenzando la nochebuena 2017 A member of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS). Affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Worship Acknowledgements Scripture Passages taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Liturgy taken from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal. Hymns taken from Oramos Cantando. Reprinted with permission under One License A-726822. 16