PENTECOST 13 / Labor Day Sunday Worship Bulletin – St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church

St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

PENTECOST 13 / Labor Day Sunday

09-04-2022 10:00AM Hybrid Worship

+ We Seek and Rejoice in the Spirit +

OPENING SONG: “To Worship, Work, and Witness” [Tan Tune #476]

To worship, work, and witness, the Good News spread abroad,

We magnify thy mission, Church of the living God;

The Father’s new creation through Jesus Christ his Son,

The Spirit has empowered to do as Christ has done.

Be thine thy Master’s purpose to seek and save the lost,

To ransom those in bondage, to dare not count the cost;

To love and lift the lowly, to heed the prisoner’s groan,

To take up others’ burdens and bear them as thine own.

Be thou to Christ his body, hold fast to Christ thy Head;

Be thou Christ’s open letter by others to be read;

Be thou Christ’s holy temple, himself the Cornerstone;

Be thou Christ’s living altar, on which his love is shown.

Head of the Church, inspire us to have in us Thy mind,

To humbly wait Thy guidance, Thy joy in serving find.

Bestow the Spirit’s grace-gifts and lead us from above

To lift the hearts of many, to show Thy precious love.

THE OPENING RITE (based on Psalm 1) AND PRAYER OF THE DAY:

L UNHAPPY are the people who are swayed by the lure of sin and sinners,

who are becoming addicted to this world’s fading treasures and foolish pleasures,

and who take pleasure in pride and prejudice.

C It might not look that way here on earth, but they have no true anchor and no lasting future.

They cannot stand up against the judgments of the eternal God

L HAPPY are those who delight in the Word of God,

who study it and seek to put it into practice.

They are like trees planted by streams of water,

and they will flourish and bear good fruit.

C Let us pray.

Lord, you know my strengths and my weaknesses, both my faithful and also my failed moments.

Forgive me my sins, my misplaced values, and my hesitation to change for the better.

Free me of all those things that prevent me from being your trustworthy disciple.

Help me to think right, to say right, to do right, to be right, to carry my cross and follow you. Amen.

+ We Rejoice in God’s Saving Word +

FIRST LESSON: DEUTERONOMY 30:15-20 [Make the right decision – choose life in God.]

30:15 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.

30:16 If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.

30:17 But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them,

30:18 I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

30:19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,

30:20 loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

SONG SELECTION

SECOND LESSON: PHILEMON, verses 1-21 [Practice radical faith – risk loving beyond the boundaries.]

1:1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker,

1:2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:

1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:4 When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God

1:5 because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus.

1:6 I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ.

1:7 I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.

1:8 For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty,

1:9 yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love–and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus.

1:10 I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment.

1:11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me.

1:12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.

1:13 I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel;

1:14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced.

1:15 Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever,

1:16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother–especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

1:17 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.

1:18 If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.

1:19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self.

1:20 Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ.

1:21 Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

GOSPEL VERSE:

“I really love the Lord… I really love the Lord!

You don’t know what He’s done for me, gave me the victory.

I love Him, I love Him… I really love the Lord!” (repeat)

THE HOLY GOSPEL: LUKE 14:25-53 [Be a true disciple – accept the total cost of commitment.]

14:25 Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them,

14:26 “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.

14:27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?

14:29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him,

14:30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’

14:31 Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?

14:32 If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace.

14:33 So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.

THE SERMON: Pastor Gwen or Pastor Neil

SONG RESPONSE: “Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?” Brown #237

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… It’s difficult to carry our cross and follow Jesus in sacrificial love if our minds and our hands are full of what this world pimps as the “good life”. Let’s all try to be like trees planted by streams of water and bearing good fruit through our words and deeds, our values and our compassion.

SONG SELECTION

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 (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 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 (together)

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: Brown #123 Brown #256

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: “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” [Tan Tune #400]

I have decided to follow Jesus… I have decided to follow Jesus…

I have decided to follow Jesus… NO TURNING BACK, NO TURNING BACK!

Though no one join me, still I will follow…

The world behind me, the cross before me…
Will you decide, now, to follow Jesus?