Seventh Sunday After Pentecost Worship Bulletin
St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
PENTECOST 7
07-24-2022 10:00AM Hybrid Worship
+ We Seek and Rejoice in the Spirit +
THE OPENING RITE (based on LUKE 11:1-13):
L They saw him praying, and there must have been something very special – or maybe very simple – about the praying of Jesus. And so his disciples asked him –
C “Lord, teach us to pray.”
L The answer Jesus gave is NOT a certain place, a set schedule, a required posture, a detailed technique, dictated rules, or specific format – it is a humble relationship of growing intimacy with God:
C “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. YOUR will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
L The answer Jesus gave is NOT certain language or special holy words, candles, beads, music, incense, darkness, how long, how loud, or how quiet – it is a humble relationship of deepening trust in God:
C “Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.”
L And the answer Jesus gave did NOT guarantee that God is a Santa Claus, a fairy godmother, or a genie who will grant us all our phenomenal wishes and give us exactly whatever we demand – but he did promise that prayer will always be answered by a God who dearly loves us.
C So we will ask and trust God’s love.
So we will search and trust God’s love.
And we will knock and trust God’s love.
OPENING SONG: “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” Brown #220
THE APOSTOLIC GREETING by the Pastor.
PRAYER OF THE DAY (together):
Almighty God, here we are, flesh and blood, spirit and life – created, redeemed, and empowered by your love.
Please teach us to pray.
Continue to grow within us the attitude of prayer, the persistence of prayer, and the power of prayer. May we trust that God loves, that God listens, that God forgives and restores, and that God makes a way out of no way. Amen.
+ We Rejoice in God’s Saving Word +
FIRST READING: GENESIS 18:20-32 [If only we could pray and act like Abraham on behalf of others!]
18:20 Then the LORD said, “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin!
18:21 I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.”
18:22 So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the LORD.
18:23 Then Abraham came near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
18:24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it?
18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”
18:26 And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.”
18:27 Abraham answered, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.
18:28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
18:29 Again he spoke to him, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.”
18:30 Then he said, “Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.”
18:31 He said, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.”
18:32 Then he said, “Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”
SECOND READING: COLOSSIANS 2:6-19 [If only we could stay rooted in Christ and not be misled!]
2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him,
2:7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.
2:9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
2:10 and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.
2:11 In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ;
2:12 when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
2:13 And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses,
2:14 erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.
2:15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.
2:16 Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths.
2:17 These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
2:18 Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking,
2:19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.
GOSPEL VERSE: “Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying” Brown #247
Lord, listen to your children praying;
Lord, send your Spirit in this place.
Lord, listen to your children praying;
Send us love, send us pow’r, send us grace.” [Repeat…]
THE HOLY GOSPEL: LUKE 11:1-13 [If only we could pray + live + trust God like Jesus!]
11:1 He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”
11:2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.
11:3 Give us each day our daily bread.
11:4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.”
11:5 And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;
11:6 for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’
11:7 And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’
11:8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
11:9 “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
11:10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
11:11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish?
11:12 Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion?
11:13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
THE SERMON: Pastor David Maddox II, messenger of God’s Word of Life, Jesus Christ
SONG SELECTION St. Peter’s Choir
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… We ought to be amazed, not only at the richness of God’s mercy and grace and blessing given us, but also by God’s confident trust in us to forgive others, to serve others, to love them as deeply as we have been loved. Let’s do that with our time, our talents, and our treasures.
SONG SELECTION St. Peter’s Choir
OFFERING 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:
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: Brown #242 Brown #193 Brown #240
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’m So Glad, Jesus Lifted Me” Brown #191
Circle the words that keep you from praying to God.
Do not know how Pride
Time Guilt
Uncertainty Fear
Unbelief Sin
Lack of privacy Shame
YOUTH + FAMILY COMMUNITY DINNER tonight, 5:00 – 7:00PM. Join the party!