Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost Worship Bulletin | 10-20-24
10-20-2024 10:00AM “Hybrid” Worship
+ We Gather in God’s Presence +
THE OPENING RITE:
L Today we will hear Jesus say, “Whoever wishes to be great among you must become servants to all.”
With humility that is not pretended and hope that is fully grounded in the death and resurrection of Christ, let us draw near to the throne of grace to find mercy and to ask for God’s help.
C Righteous and Almighty God,
in place of servanthood we long for status,
in place of thorns we hope for thrones,
and in place of the cross we beg for a crown.
We ask you to spare us from the self-denial of service, suffering, and sacrifice.
We want you to hear our selfish pleas for power, prestige, and positions.
We offer to follow you if you lead us to glory, we will love you if you do as we wish.
But, Lord, let YOUR will be done. Amen.
L Our ways are not God’s ways, and we can thank God for that! Brothers and sisters, know that Jesus – who came not to be served but to serve – calls you out of your self, offers you deliverance from your pride and ego, and leads you to “drink the cup” and to “be baptized” into a radical new life marked by humble service, sacrificial compassion, and genuine love. Will you drink this difficult “cup” of Jesus? Will you face his tough “baptism”? It is the only way to be a Christian and the best way to live. If you are willing, your sins are forgiven in the name of (+) Jesus Christ, Now live like you know it! Hallelujah!
OPENING SONG: “COME, THOU FOUNT OF EVERY BLESSING” Brown #108
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY (together):
Gracious God, your Son Jesus shows and tells us the way to servanthood in your Kingdom.
Continue to shape us into humble and willing servants who offer ourselves, our time, and our possessions to bless, love, and serve others. Amen now, tomorrow, and the rest of our life’s journey!
+ We Proclaim God’s Saving Word +
FIRST READING: ISAIAH 53:4-12
[Because “the Servant” didn’t fit in with society, he was brutally eliminated. Is this Israel the Old Testament nation, or the prophet Isaiah, or the awaited Messiah, or Jesus of Nazareth, or his future Church, even you?]
53:4 Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases, yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.
53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
53:8 By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people.
53:9 They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
53:10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him with affliction. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the LORD shall prosper.
53:11 Out of his anguish he shall see; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
53:12 Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out himself to death and was numbered with the transgressors, yet he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.
SECOND READING: HEBREWS 5:1-10
[Jesus is the Great High Priest not by his family heritage but by humility and compassion. And the sacrifice he presided over was the ultimate one – his own life!]
5:1 Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
5:2 He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness,
5:3 and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people.
5:4 And one does not presume to take this honor but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
5:5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you”;
5:6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
5:7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
5:8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered,
5:9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,
5:10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
SONG SELECTION: ALL SAINTS CHOIR
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!” [repeat]
THE HOLY GOSPEL: MARK 10:35-45
[On the way to Jerusalem, disciples beg to sit beside Jesus in his glory, but they don’t want to stand beside him in his suffering.]
10:35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
10:36 And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?”
10:37 And they said to him, “Appoint us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”
10:38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
10:39 They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink and with the baptism with which I am baptized you will be baptized,
10:40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to appoint, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
10:41 When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John.
10:42 So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.
10:43 But it is not so among you; instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant,
10:44 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.
10:45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.”
THE SERMON: Pastor Gwen or Pastor Neil
SONG RESPONSE: “MUST JESUS BEAR THE CROSS ALONE?” Brown #237
AN AFFIRMATION OF OUR FAITH… We confess our FAITH in the God who has given us life, love, and new life…
I trust in God who has made me his own. I know that God loves me. To God I am as precious as his own Son, Jesus Christ, who lived and died in obedience to his Father’s will. Jesus suffered our pain, and through his suffering and death has brought us into fellowship with God.
I believe that God through his Spirit will give me strength when I am oppressed and weary… will give me love when I am afraid and lonely… and will guide his Church to make people free at last.
I believe that God lives in the fellowship of those who trust him, and that God wants all people to be brought into that fellowship.
I believe that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Living in hope and trust, I will deny myself, take up my cross, and walk the Jesus walk of faithful servant love.
THE PRAYERS… We pray for NEW LIFE in the Spirit and for the MISSION of the Church to the world!
+ We Share God’s Nourishing Meal +
TITHES (10% giving) AND GIFTS… We faithfully accept the responsibility of OUR DISCIPLESHIP and GOD’S MISSION!
Those in the Sanctuary can put their offering in the offering plate to share their gratitude and their generosity in response to Christ’s love. Those who are farther away might: mail a check or money order to St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2169 74th Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19138… contribute online through bit.ly/stpetersgiving and set up a one-time donation or a recurring weekly gift to selected categories… or text Give+ at 833-914-0896 and follow the instructions to register and record your contribution. God has blessed us to be a blessing!
SONG SELECTION: ALL SAINTS CHOIR
THE OFFERTORY SONG:
“More about Jesus would I know, more of his grace to others show, (Tan #565)
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 led by the Communion Assistant: [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:
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. Praise the Lord for this community meal that unites us together, renews our spirits, powers our faith, and reminds us of the future heavenly banquet that awaits us
COMMUNION SONGS: Brown #109 Brown #246
THE COMMUNION BLESSING by the Celebrant after all have communed.
POST-COMMUNION PRAYER by the Communion Assistant.
+ We Go Forth in Mission +
THE BENEDICTION by the Pastor… God sends us forth TO LIVE faithfully and TO LOVE fervently!
CLOSING SONG: “DOWN AT THE CROSS” Brown #72