Pentecost Two Worship Bulletin | 6-11-23

St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

PENTECOST 2 / Bear Creek Camp Sunday

06-11-2023     10:00AM “Hybrid” Worship

+  We Rejoice in the Spirit  +

THE OPENING RITE (based on PSALM 50):        Beverly Morris

L   The Mighty One, the Lord our God, is moving all over the face of the earth.

Our God calls out to the heavens above to listen, our God has an issue with the people here on earth.

C Our God comes and will not be silent.

Our God sends a destructive fire before him, and a violent storm surrounds him.

Our God doesn’t seem too happy with us right now.

L   The Mighty One, the Lord our God, is definitely not pleased with the people.

Our God rages with anger and thunders with judgment.

C Our God doesn’t need or want the people 

to grill up some steaks,

to fry up some chicken,

or to broil up some fish 

in order to satisfy God’s desire and hunger. 

Our God doesn’t need or want

weak “Praise the Lords!” 

empty “Hallelujahs!”

or half-hearted deeds of limited kindness

to come from our lips and our lives.

L   The Mighty One, the Lord our God, is about to “go off” on the attitudes and the actions of humanity.

Our God is frustrated with those who are “playing religious”, and our God is angry with those who are “walking wicked”.

But our amazing God also continues to be patient and merciful, to reach out again, to offer love and a second chance.

C We ought to listen to God’s voice with sorrow for our sin and with humble gratitude for God’s grace!

O let us be and become a people who know and seek the glory and splendor of God,

a strong and obedient people

a people truly able to share God’s love and mercy, 

a people of joy, a living Body!

OPENING SONG: “REJOICE, O PURE IN HEART”                              Tan #557

PRAYER OF THE DAY:        Congregation

Almighty God, here we are, flesh and blood, spirit and life – created, redeemed, and empowered by your love! Your Son Jesus declared that he came to call sinners into your kingdom. We’re so glad he called us sinners, and we thank you for mercy, healing, and grace! May we follow the Christ and touch lives, heal diseases, and resurrect the dead.   Amen.

+  We Rejoice in God’s Saving Word  +

FIRST READING:   HOSEA 5:15 – 6:6 [False trust in military power… and shallow repentance.]    Brandon?

5:15 I will return again to my place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face. In their distress they will beg my favor:

6:1 “Come, let us return to the Lord; for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us up.

6:2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.

6:3 Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his appearing is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth.”

6:4 What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early.

6:5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have killed them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light.

6:6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

WORDS/SONG: BEAR CREEK CAMP STAFF  

SECOND READING:   ROMANS 4:13-25  [A trusting faith rather than a legalistic righteousness.]   Linda Crawford

4:13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

4:14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.

4:15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.

4:16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us,

4:17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”) –in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

4:18 Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.”

4:19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.

4:20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,

4:21 being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

4:22 Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

4:23 Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone,

4:24 but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

4:25 who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

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.”                                                 Jordan Washington?

THE HOLY GOSPEL:   MATTHEW 9:9-13, 18-26  [Jesus loves “sinners”, “outcasts”, and other ”losers” like us!]

9:9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

9:10 And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples.

9:11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

9:12 But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

9:13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”

9:18 While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”

9:19 And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples.

9:20 Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak,

9:21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.”

9:22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” and instantly the woman was made well.

9:23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion,

9:24 he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him.

9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.

9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district.

SONG SELECTION: ALL SAINTS CHOIR

THE SERMON: BEAR CREEK CAMP / Pastor Gwen or Pastor Neil 

SONG RESPONSE: “NO, NOT ONE!”                                     Tan #308

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

+  We Rejoice in God’s Nourishing Meal  +

THE OFFERING…  Let us offer who we are and what we have to help others have a “fresh start” through Jesus Christ!

BEAR CREEK CAMP video…  SONG SELECTION by 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:           Tanya Morris

O Lord our God, if your Spirit is alive within us, then stretch our time and abilities, our money and our mouths, all that we are and all that we have, to testify to your amazing grace in Jesus Christ. 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: Gracious God,

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 #524          Tan #565          

THE COMMUNION BLESSING by the Celebrant after all have communed.

POST-COMMUNION PRAYER by the Communion Assistant.         Maliek Patterson

+  We Rejoice in Our Mission  +

THE BENEDICTION:

L   Go out, sisters and brothers, into the world with courage and conviction, bearing the love of God, the good news of Jesus

Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit in every word you speak, and in everything you do.

C (sing)   A-MEN! A-MEN! A — — — MEN! 

CLOSING SONG: “I’M SO GLAD”                                     Tan #238