Pentecost Twenty-One Worship Service | 10-22-23
St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
PENTECOST 21
10-22-2023 10:00AM “Hybrid” Worship
+ We Rejoice in the Spirit +
THE OPENING RITE (based on PSALM 96):
L Sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord and bless God’s name!
Let’s all get happy and loud!
Let’s tell of God’s saving power from day to day!
C We’re gonna tell all the nations that God is holy and full of glory!
We’re gonna tell all the people that God is amazing and full of power!
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice!
Let the sea roar with laughter,
the fields shout in celebration,
and the forests sing with joy!
L For God is greater than anything and everything else!
There is no other “god” to look and long for!
There is no better “god” to follow and trust!
God is here! God is now! And God is magnificent!
C It’s time to break out with joy!
Give God the honor!
Give God the praise!
God is here! God is now! And God is magnificent!
OPENING SONG: “PRAISE TO THE LORD, THE ALMIGHTY” Tan #117
PRAYER OF THE DAY (together):
What a debt we owe you, dear God!
You have given us all things in Christ Jesus –
and yet we withhold from you the glory and honor that are yours.
This morning we are grateful for the gift of your amazing grace and the power of your Holy Spirit.
And we offer you our sincere love, our trusting faith, our humble obedience, and our entire lives! Amen.
+ We Rejoice in God’s Saving Word +
FIRST READING: ISAIAH 45:1-7
[God chooses and anoints Cyrus the Persian emperor as an amazing “Messiah” to end Israel’s evil. There is no other god! God has power over creation, power over nations and earthly leaders, even the power to create both good and evil!]
45:1 Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him– and the gates shall not be closed:
45:2 I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron,
45:3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
45:4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me.
45:5 I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides me there is no god. I arm you, though you do not know me,
45:6 so that they may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is no one besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.
45:7 I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the LORD do all these things.
SONG SELECTION ALL SAINTS CHOIR
SECOND READING: 1 THESSALONIANS 1:1-10
[Paul commends, encourages, and reassures these new Christians who face rejection and perhaps persecution in an antagonistic pagan world. Their commitment of faith, love, and hope makes them a model for other new Christian communities.]
1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
1:2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly
1:3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1:4 For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you,
1:5 because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.
1:6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit,
1:7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
1:8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it.
1:9 For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God,
1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead–Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.
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!”
HOLY GOSPEL: MATTHEW 22:15-22
[Responding to one of many questions intended to trap him, Jesus says simply, “Render to Caesar… render to God.”]
22:15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said.
22:16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.
22:17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”
22:18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites?
22:19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.
22:20 Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?”
22:21 They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
22:22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
THE SERMON: Pastor Gwen or Pastor Neil
SONG RESPONSE: “WHAT SHALL I RENDER?” Tan #389
- What shall I render unto God for all his mercies?
What shall I render, tell me, what shall I give?
GOD HAS EV’RYTHING; EV’RYTHING BELONGS TO HIM.
GOD HAS EV’RYTHING; EV’RYTHING BELONGS TO HIM.
WHAT SHALL I RENDER, TELL ME, WHAT SHALL I GIVE?
- All I can render is my body and my soul;
That’s all I can render, that’s all I can give.
THE PRAYERS… We pray for NEW LIFE in the Spirit and the MISSION of the Church to the world!
+ We Rejoice in God’s Nourishing Meal +
THE OFFERING… May the Spirit of God within us guide us to grateful, generous, and fruitful discipleship!
SONG SELECTION: ALL SAINTS CHOIR
THE OFFERTORY SONG: “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) led by the Communion Assistant.
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 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 #270 Tan #148
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 EVERY VOICE AND SING” Tan #540