Pentecost Six Worship Bulletin | 7-9-23
St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
PENTECOST 6
07-09-2023 10:00AM “Hybrid” Worship
+ We Rejoice in the Spirit +
OPENING SONG: “MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS” Tan #385
OPENING RITE OF CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS:
L Come, all you who carry heavy burdens, and Christ will give you rest. For he is gentle and humble in heart; and in him you will find rest for your souls. Are you looking for relief and release this morning?
C O Lord, we confess to you and to our brothers and sisters that we are tired and weighed down by the
mistakes we have made, even in our closest relationships.
We have sinned against You and against one another.
The good that we want to do, we often fail to do.
The evil we do not want, we find ourselves doing.
Who will rescue us from our sin? We know of no other solution to try, no other savior to turn to. Amen.
L The good news of our faith is this: God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.
As tender as a loving parent is to child, so gentle is God with us.
As high as heaven is above earth, so vast is God’s love for us.
As far as east is from the west, so far God removes our sin from us.
Jesus Christ (+) invites you and embraces you, offers you rest and forgiveness, and gives you a second chance. Amen.
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY (together):
Almighty God, here we are, flesh and blood, spirit and life – created, redeemed, and empowered by your love!
Give us peace and give us rest, especially in those moments when we feel so weak and unworthy.
Then direct us as we extend Christ’s comfort and compassion to a heavy-burdened world. Amen.
+ We Rejoice in God’s Saving Word +
FIRST READING: ZECHARIAH 9:9-12
[Hope grounded in God. No matter the present, the future is full of promise!]
9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
9:10 He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9:11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
9:12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.
SECOND READING: ROMANS 7:15-25a
[The Christian’s inner struggle with sin. Without Christ, we’ll always lose!]
7:15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
7:16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good.
7:17 But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
7:18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.
7:19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.
7:20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
7:21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand.
7:22 For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self,
7:23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
7:25a Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
GOSPEL VERSE:
“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 YOU 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!”
HOLY GOSPEL: MATTHEW 11:16-19, 25-30
[It’s no yoke – bearing Christ in your life will lighten your load. Jesus is a refreshing burden and will shoulder the weight!]
11:16 “But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
11:17 ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’;
11:19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
11:25 At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants;
11:26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
11:27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
11:28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
SONG SELECTION: ALL SAINTS CHOIR
THE SERMON: Pastor Gwen or Pastor Neil
SONG RESPONSE: “UNTIL I FOUND THE LORD” Tan #454
THE PRAYERS… We pray for NEW LIFE in the Spirit and for the MISSION of the Church to the world!
AFFIRMATION OF BAPTISM
[Previously baptized into the ONE Church of Jesus Christ on this earth, and officially joining our St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church family through public affirmation of their baptism, are Bernadette Hassan and Danaeh Wade.]
L Let us pray. Merciful God, we thank you for our sisters in Christ, this mother and daughter, whom you have made your own by water and the Word in baptism. You have called them to yourself, enlightened them with the gifts of your Spirit, and nourished them in the community of faith. Uphold your servants in the gifts and promises of baptism, and unite the hearts of all that you have brought to new birth. We ask this in the name of Christ.
C Amen.
L Bernadette and Danaeh, I ask you to profess your faith in Christ Jesus, reject sin, and confess the faith of the church.
Do you renounce the devil and all the forces of evil that defy God?
- I renounce them.
L Do you renounce the powers of this world that rebel against God?
- I renounce them.
L Do you renounce the ways of sin that draw you from God?
- I renounce them.
L Bernadette and Danaeh and all the community of faith, Do you believe in God the Father?
- (and ALL) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
L Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
- (and ALL) 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 to judge the living and the dead.
L Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
- (and ALL) 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.
L Bernadette and Danaeh, you have made public profession of your faith. Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in holy Baptism: to live among God’s faithful people; to hear the Word of God and share in the Lord’s supper; to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed; to serve all people, following the example of Jesus; and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth?
- I do, and I ask God to help and guide me.
L People of God, do you promise to support our sisters and pray for them in their life in Christ?
C We do, and we ask God to help and guide us.
L (laying hands on and praying) O God, stir up in (NAME) the gift of your Holy Spirit:
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, both now and forever. Amen.
+ We Rejoice in God’s Nourishing Meal +
THE OFFERING… Forgiven and blessed, let us be generous and compassionate in sharing God’s love in our world!
SONG SELECTION: ALL SAINTS CHOIR
THE OFFERTORY SONG:
“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
THIS IS MY STORY, THIS IS MY SONG,
PRAISING MY SAVIOR ALL THE DAY LONG! [sing the chorus 2 times]
We are God’s people, we are Christ’s Church, called by God’s Spirit into the world.
We have God’s power from heaven above, we’ll share God’s justice, mercy and love!”
OFFERING PRAYER led by the Communion Assistant:
Lord God, we thank you for making a way out of no way in our life! During this summer may we dedicate our leisure and our work, our rest and our travel, our service and our spending, our health and our wealth, our worship and our witness to glorify You and to extend your Kingdom to others. Someone somewhere is in need of your Good News. 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 Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful… C … and set us on fire with your love! 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 BLESSINGS… All 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. You can receive God’s peace, power, and promises for true life!
COMMUNION SONGS: Tan #530 Tan #431
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
CLOSING SONG: “I AM THINE, O LORD” Tan #387