Ninth Sunday of Pentecost Worship Bulletin
St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
PENTECOST 9
08-07-2022 10:00AM Hybrid Worship
+ We Seek and Rejoice in the Spirit +
OPENING SONG: “O Come, Let Us Adore Him” Tan #173
- O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
- For He alone is worthy…
- Let’s praise His name together…
- We’ll give Him all the glory…
THE OPENING RITE AND PRAYER OF THE DAY:
L We give Jesus the praise and the glory, but why won’t Jesus stop warning us about wealth and an attachment to things?
C Last Sunday Jesus told us, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.”
L And this week Jesus tells us, “Sell your possessions, and give alms.”
C And this week Jesus also says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
L It seems that Jesus is wondering, Jesus is asking each of us – Is your “bank” here on earth or up in heaven?
C Jesus is warning us, Jesus is encouraging us – Make sure you don’t fall “short” of God’s trust and grace.
L Let’s get real, Church person.
Are you ready to have your “life investments” examined and tallied by your Lord whenever he suddenly appears?
Are your heart, your hands, and your hope focused on God?
Or has your life been shaped more by fear and foolishness and unfaithfulness?
Whatever your past, what about your future?
The God who called an old man, Abraham, and an old barren woman, Sarah, calls us today.
The God who loves us calls us to courageously trust and obey, to live faithfully and to love fervently.
C And so we pray:
Loving God, you are the source, the guide, and the goal of our lives.
Guide me to invest my life in your Kingdom,
to have a heart that is centered in Jesus Christ,
to practice a faith that is alive and real and active,
to invest my life in loving and serving others,
and to be prepared to die because I have learned how to live. Amen.
+ We Rejoice in God’s Saving Word +
FIRST LESSON: GENESIS 15:1-6 [FAITH is living between trust and anxiety.]
15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
15:2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
15:3 And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.”
15:4 But the word of the LORD came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.”
15:5 He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
15:6 And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.
SECOND LESSON: HEBREWS 11:1-3, 8-11 [FAITH is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen.]
11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
11:2 Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval.
11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going.
11:9 By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
11:10 For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11:11 By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old–and Sarah herself was barren–because he considered him faithful who had promised.
11:12 Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”
11:13 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth,
11:14 for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
11:15 If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return.
11:16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.
GOSPEL VERSE:
“Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Break me… melt me… mold me… fill me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.”
THE HOLY GOSPEL: LUKE 12:32-40 [FAITH is responsible response to God’s gifts of grace.]
12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
12:33 Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
12:35 “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;
12:36 be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks.
12:37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them.
12:38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
12:39 “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
12:40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
THE SERMON: Linda and Herbert Crawford, members of St. Peter’s
SONG SELECTION: Volunteer Singers
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 Nourishing Meal +
OFFERING OF TITHES (10% giving) AND GIFTS… Jesus says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is God’s pleasure to give us the kingdom.” We are to sell what we have and give alms to the poor. We are to make purses for ourselves that do not wear out, investing who we are and what we have in the treasure in heaven where no thief steals it and no moth destroys it.
SONG SELECTION: Volunteer Singers
OFFERTORY SONG:
There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place, and I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord.
There are sweet expressions on each face, and I know they feel the presence of the Lord.
SWEET HOLY SPIRIT, SWEET HEAVENLY DOVE,
STAY RIGHT HERE WITH US, FILLING US WITH YOUR LOVE.
AND FOR THESE BLESSINGS WE LIFT OUR HEARTS IN PRAISE;
WITHOUT A DOUBT WE’LL KNOW THAT WE HAVE BEEN REVIVED
WHEN WE SHALL LEAVE THIS PLACE!
There are blessings you cannot receive till you know God in his fullness and believe. You’re the one to profit when you say, “I am going to walk with Jesus all the way!”
OFFERING PRAYER:
Lord God, thank you for making a way out of no way in my life! During this summer may I dedicate my leisure and my work, my rest and my travel, my service and my spending, my health and my wealth, my worship and my witness to glorify You and to extend your Kingdom to others. Someone somewhere is in need of your Good News. Amen.
THE PREFACE AND THE EUCHARISTIC WORDS:
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 Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful… C … and set us on fire with your love! Alleluia!
THE EUCHARISTIC WORDS by the Celebrant, who recalls and re-enacts Jesus’ Holy Meal.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
COMMUNION AND BLESSINGS… All believers in Jesus Christ are welcome at the Lord’s Table! We will have “continuous distribution” with wafers and wine or grape juice. Praise the Lord for this community meal that renews our spirits, powers our faith, and reminds us of the future heavenly banquet that awaits us!
COMMUNION SONGS: Tan #686 Tan #385
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: “The Lord Is My Light” Tan #160
Without God, our week would be SIN-day
MOURN-day
TEARS-day
WASTE-day
THIRST-day
FIGHT-day
SHATTER-day.
Seven days without God makes one WEAK. Become STRONG daily in faith!