Worship Bulletin for 15th Sunday after Pentecost 09/06/2026
15TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST / Labor Day Sunday
09-06-2026 10:00AM Worship (in person and online)
+ We Rejoice In God’s Presence +
THE OPENING RITE OF CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS:
L Where two or three gather in the name of Jesus…
C He’s right here with us!
L He’s right here with us to remind us of God’s love for us…
C He’s right here with us to tell us to love one another!
L Especially when we seek to hear God’s Word and to put that Word into practice…
C He’s right here with us!
L Even when feathers are ruffled and egos are bruised and some of us are angry and alienated…
C He’s right here with us!
L Especially when we are genuine in our words and our embraces when we share our Lord’s peace…
C He’s right here with us!
L Whenever we refuse to nurse a grudge, keep a score, seek a payback, or walk away forever…
C He’s right here with us!
L Especially when we offer and ask forgiveness, when we seek and practice reconciliation…
C He’s right here with us!
L Even when our lives are crumbled in disarray and our world is reeling and vulnerable…
C He’s right here with us!
L Whenever we seek to show and tell the Good News of God’s love to all our neighbors, near and far…
C He’s right here with us!
L In our believing, in our thanking and our praising, in our obeying and our serving, in our living and even our dying…
C He’s right here with us!
L Praise the Lord, glory to God, right here, right now, as we gather together in the Body of Christ, the family of faith…
C He’s right here with us, Alleluia!
OPENING SONG: “O HOW I LOVE JESUS” Brown #250
PRAYER OF THE DAY (together):
O Lord, St. Paul writes that the main quality of a Christian is this:
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
God loved us to save us, and God saved us to love others.
Help us to live for God and for others rather than only for ourselves. Amen.
+ We Rejoice in God’s Saving Word +
FIRST READING: EZEKIEL 33:7-11
[The prophetic responsibility is to “tell it like it is” and to live it how “it oughta be”. It is not a choice whether to think right, say
right, do right, and be right,!]
SONG SELECTION: ALL SAINTS CHOIR
SECOND READING: ROMANS 13:8-14
[The Christian obligation is to love one another, seeking the highest good for our neighbor, staying centered in our love for Christ.
Keep on loving because there’s nothing else to live for!]
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 18:15-20
[The vital ministry of reconciliation within the faith community. Keep learning and trying to love!]
THE SERMON: Pastor Neil or Pastor Gwen
SONG RESPONSE: “JESUS LOVES ME” Brown #248
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 +
THE PEACE GREETING… We offer words and signs of GOD’S LOVE alive and real among us!
THE OFFERING… Paul reminds us, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another.” Let’s do it together!
In the Sanctuary, place your offering in the offering plate or scan the QR code on the screen.
At home, mail a check or money order to St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2169 74th Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19138 or scan the QR code on the screen. You can also contribute online through bit.ly/stpetersgiving and set up a one-time donation or a recurring weekly gift to the categories you select. Or you can text Give+ at 833-914-0896 and follow the instructions for your contribution. Thank God, praise God, and serve God with your faithful giving.
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 Christ are welcome at the Lord’s Table! You may come up by the center aisle and kneel or stand at the altar. Get an empty glass as you come up if you want wine from the chalice; we will also have a tray of pre-poured glasses of grape juice at the altar. You may return to your seats by the side aisles.
COMMUNION SONGS: Brown #119 Brown #155
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 LOVE TO TELL THE STORY” Brown #228