Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost Worship Service | 9-22-24

09-22-2024     10:00AM “Hybrid” Worship

 

+ We Rejoice in God’s Glory +        

THE OPENING RITE:

L   Today we will hear Jesus say, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”

But this sounds too much like humility and sacrifice and self-surrender to us.

Let us be truthful and admit that our thoughts, motives, and actions as Christians are not always so pure.       

C O God, we call Jesus our Savior and say that he’s our Lord.

We claim that we want to be faithful in our living and fervent in our loving.

But sometimes we are too ambitious and too jealous to be very good at discipleship.

Sometimes we want so much to be the first and the greatest and the most.

Sometimes we are too easily hurt, too easily angered, and too easily divided.

And that war that is inside of us often becomes conflicts and disputes among us. 

Lord, we confess our sin and ask for your mercy.

Turn us from evil thoughts and deeds, cure us of bitter envy and selfish ambition. 

Teach us again the meaning of cross and resurrection, and chase the devil out of us.   Amen.

L   My brother, my sister, draw near to God and God will draw near o you.

God understands and forgives us… and God helps us to turn away from evil and leave it behind us.

If you are willing, know that God is surely able.

Today Jesus calls you to live like a child, with humility and trust in God…

to live like a child, without the striving and the selfishness…

to live like a child, free and alive with the love of God.

OPENING SONG: “GOD OF GRACE AND GOD OF GLORY”                                 Green #415

THE APOSTOLIC GREETING by the Pastor.

THE PRAYER OF THE DAY (together):

Dear God, tenderly take me into your arms as my Father, as my Mother.

Help me to lean on your compassion and to trust in your promises.

Guide me to open my heart and my hands, like Jesus your Son, in servant-love to others.   Amen.

 

+ We Rejoice in God’s Saving Word +

FIRST READING:   JEREMIAH 11:18-20
[God’s servants find both their bruises and their blessings in being faithful.]

11:18 It was the LORD who made it known to me, and I knew; then you showed me their deeds.

11:19 But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. And I did not know it was against me that they devised schemes, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will no longer be remembered!”

11:20 But you, O LORD of hosts, who judge righteously, who try the heart and the mind, let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.

SECOND READING:   JAMES 3:13 – 4:3, 7-8a
[Does ambition outrank mercy, is jealousy better than compassion?]

3:13 Who is wise and understandable among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.

3:14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be arrogant and lie about the truth.

3:15 This is not wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish.

3:16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.

3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.

3:18 And the fruit of righteousnessn is sown in peace by those who make peace.

4:1 Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you?

4:2 You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask.

4:3 You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.

4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

GOSPEL VERSE

“There is strength in the name of the Lord… There is power in the name of the Lord… There is  hope in the name of the Lord… Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”     [repeat]

THE HOLY GOSPEL:   MARK 9:30-37    [Not prestige but humility, not self but servanthood.]

9:30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it,

9:31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.”

9:32 But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

9:33 Then they came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”

9:34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest.

9:35 He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”

9:36 Then he took a little child and put it among them, and taking it in his arms he said to them,

9:37 “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

SONG SELECTION: ALL SAINTS CHOIR  

THE SERMON:    Pastor Neil or Pastor Gwen

 

SONG RESPONSE: “I CAN HEAR MY SAVIOR CALLING”                     (Brown tune #146)

  •   I can hear my Savior calling, I can hear my Savior calling,

I can hear my Savior calling, “Take thy cross and follow, follow Me.”

Where He leads me I will follow…   where He leads me I will follow…

Where He leads me I will follow…   I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.

  •   I will show His love and mercy [3X]…   I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.
  •   He will give me grace and glory [3X]…   And go with me, with me all the way!    


THE PRAYERS
…  We pray for NEW LIFE in the Spirit and for the MISSION of the Church to the world!      

 

+ We Rejoice in God’s Gift of New Birth +

[This morning Tyrone Jenkins receives the new beginning and new life that God has given in Jesus Christ. HOLY BAPTISM IS MORE THAN A SOLITARY MOMENT… THIS IS A LIFE’S JOURNEY IN RESPONSE TO THE FREE GIFT OF GOD’S GRACE IN JESUS CHRIST!]

  1. Introduction:

L   Hear the testimony of the Holy Scriptures concerning baptism. In Matthew 28:19 we listen as the resurrected Jesus,

about to ascend into heaven, commands his followers: 

C Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the

Holy Spirit.

L   In Acts 2:38-39, immediately after the Pentecost event that gave birth to the Church, Peter proclaimed to the crowd:

C Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away. 

L   And in Acts 8:36, 38-39 we read the account of an unexpected baptism by Philip, a Christian disciple:

C The Ethiopian said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized? … Philip and the Ethiopian went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the Ethiopian saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

L   Finally, Jesus tells us in John 3:5-6:

C Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

L   My brothers and sisters, the testimony of the New Testament is that it is through HOLY BAPTISM – ordinary waters and the presence and promises of God – that persons have joined the Church. In this sacrament God washes away our sin and delivers us from the forces of evil and the power of death by joining us to the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this sacrament God gives us new birth, adopts us as children, as brothers and sisters to Christ and united in one body of Christ with all the faithful throughout the ages. In this sacrament God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit and calls us to a life of obedient faith and love. In this sacrament God promises us eternal life.

  1. Presentation of Candidates:

L   Today God calls Tyrone by name to receive the sacrament of Holy Baptism and to enter God’s family.

  • Commitment and Promise:

L   Tyrone, do you desire to be baptized?     I do.

L    Christian family and friends and sponsors who stand with Tyrone: Do you promise to nurture him in the Christian faith as you are empowered by God’s Spirit, and to help him live in the covenant of baptism and in communion with the church?   We do.

L   Congregation People of God and this Congregation, do you promise to support Tyrone and pray for him in his new life in Christ? We do.

  • Profession of Faith:

L   Tyrone, I ask you to profess your faith in Jesus Christ, reject sin, and confess the faith of the Church, the faith in which we baptize.

Do you renounce the devil and all the forces that defy God? I renounce them.

Do you renounce the powers of this world that rebel against God? I renounce them.

Do you renounce the ways of sin that draw you from God? I renounce them.

L   Remembering the words of the Apostles’ Creed that our church uses for Holy Baptism, I ask you to confess your faith in the Triune God – the eternal Creator, the risen Savior, and the dynamic Spirit.

Do you believe in God, the Father?

C I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

L   Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

C I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

L   Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?

C I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.  Amen.  

Thanksgiving for God’s Life-giving Waters:

L   Let us pray.

We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning your voice thundered and your Spirit moved over the waters and – by your Word – you created the world. You water the mountains and send springs into the valleys to refresh us and satisfy us and all living things. Through the waters of the flood you delivered Noah and his family, preserving humanity. Through  the sea you led your people Israel from slavery to freedom; and in the wilderness you nourished them with water from the rock; and you brought them across the River Jordan to the land you had promised. At the river your Son Jesus was baptized by John and anointed with the Holy Spirit. By the baptism of his death and resurrection, your Son Jesus has carried us to safety and to freedom. The floods will not overwhelm us, the deep shall not swallow us up, for Christ has brought us over to the land of promise. Gracious, merciful, loving God, pour out your Holy Spirit, the power of your living Word, that those who are washed in the waters of baptism may receive new life. Wash away their sin, take away the sting of death, and claim them as your own redeemed children. We praise you and pray to you through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

  • Baptism:

L   Tyrone, I baptize you in the name of the Father   <>  and of the Son   <>   and of the Holy Spirit   <>.  Amen. God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we give you thanks for freeing your sons and daughters from the power of sin

and for raising them up to a new life though this holy sacrament. Pour your Holy Spirit upon Tyroone: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence.   Amen.

Tyrone, child of God, receive the sign of the holy cross upon your [+] forehead and upon your [+] heart to mark you as one who has been sealed with the Holy Spirit and redeemed by Christ forever.  Amen. Jesus said, I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will have the light of life. Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to God.

  • Welcome:

L   On behalf of this St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church congregation and the one Church of Jesus Christ here on earth, let those who are present say to the newly baptized:

C We welcome you into the Lord’s family. We receive you with great joy to belong with us in the body of Christ, to share with us in God’s new creation, and to work with us by the power of the Holy Spirit as we bear witness to Jesus Christ, seeking to live faithfully and to love fervently.

+ We Rejoice in God’s Nourishing Meal +

OFFERING[What have you been discussing most along life’s way? How are you using your time, talents, and treasures?] 

Those in the Sanctuary can put their offering in the offering plate to share their gratitude and their generosity in response to Christ’s love. Those who are farther away might: mail a check or money order to St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2169 74th Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19138… contribute online through bit.ly/stpetersgiving and set up a one-time donation or a recurring weekly gift to selected categories… or text Give+ at 833-914-0896 and follow the instructions to register and record your contribution. God has blessed us to be a blessing! 

 

SONG SELECTION:     ALL SAINTS CHOIR

THE OFFERTORY SONG:       (Tan #565)

“More about Jesus would I know, more of his grace to others show,
More of his saving fullness see, more of his love who died for me.

MORE, MORE ABOUT JESUS… MORE, MORE ABOUT JESUS…

MORE OF HIS SAVING FULLNESS SEE, MORE OF HIS LOVE WHO DIED FOR ME.

More about Jesus let me learn, more of his holy will discern;

Spirit of God, my Teacher be, showing the things of Christ to me.”


OFFERING PRAYER
led by the Communion Assistant:    [see PHILIPPIANS 3:10-11]

Dear God, I want to know Christ inside and out. I want to experience the power of his resurrection and join him in his suffering. I want to be like him in his death and be raised like him from death. As I grow in the grace of Christ, make me strong in my faith, bold in my witness, and fervent in my servant-love. There is no better life than life in Christ!   Amen.


THE PREFACE
:

        L   The Lord be with you.             C   And also with you. 

        L   Lift up your hearts!       C   We lift them up in love for God!

        L   Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.               C   It is right to give God our thanks and praise.

        L   We are the Body of Christ!       C   His Spirit is in us! Alleluia!

        L   [continues the Preface]… we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

C   [singing…]   “Holy, holy, holy, holy, 

    holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!

    and we lift our hearts before you as a token of our love,

    holy, holy, holy, holy.

    Precious Jesus, precious Jesus, 

    We’re so glad that you redeemed us, precious Jesus…

    Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, 

    come and fill our hearts anew, O Holy Spirit…”


THE EUCHARISTIC WORDS
by the Celebrant, who recalls and re-enacts Jesus’ Holy Meal.

THE LORD’S PRAYER  (spoken)

COMMUNION AND BLESSINGSAll believers in Jesus Christ are welcome at the Lord’s Table! The wine may be received from the pouring chalice; we also have grape juice on the tray. Praise the Lord for this community meal that unites us together, renews our spirits, powers our faith, and reminds us of the future heavenly banquet that awaits us! 

COMMUNION SONGS:               Green #212               Green #474                        

THE COMMUNION BLESSING by the Celebrant after all have communed.

POST-COMMUNION PRAYER by the Communion Assistant. 

+ We Rejoice in Our Mission +

THE BENEDICTION by the Pastor…  We are sent forth to be and become the BODY OF CHRIST for the world!

CLOSING SONG: “LIFT HIGH THE CROSS”                                 Green #377