Eighth Sunday after Pentecost July 26, 2020
PRE-SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Jul 29 (Wed) – A Midweek Outdoor Prayer and Praise Service will be held this Wednesday at 7:00 PM to give us the opportunity to meet and worship together in person. To protect those around us, we will respect each other by observing social distancing and the wearing of masks. We will meet on the north side of the church in the grass beside the kid’s playground. The service will last approximately 20 minutes. You may bring lawn chairs or you may choose to stand during the abbreviated service. Let us be good examples to our children by instilling in them the great privilege of meeting together as the body of Christ remembering that many Christians around the world do not have that freedom.
- Aug 08 – Due to the Coronavirus, the Trivia Night Event has been cancelled for this year.
- Aug 16 (Sun – 10:00 AM) – Worship in the Park WILL be celebrated at Moody Park (formerly Longacre Park – Pavilion #5). Again, because of the resurgence of the virus, we will not be observing the Picnic or Rally Day games. Please bring your own lawn chairs. The Pool will also be closed that evening.
- Sunday School Teachers needed! We are in need a few good people who love children and are willing to spend some time in the Word of God preparing and then presenting Bible lessons for our children during the Sunday School hour when we are able to resume our regular schedule.
- Clayton Paulsmeyer has moved to Okinawa, Japan for a new work assignment. Thomas and Morgan Williams have relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah also for new job opportunities. We will miss them all!!
INVOCATION
P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES
Psalm 125
P: Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
C: As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore.
P: For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous stretch out
their hands to do wrong.
C: Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
and to those who are upright in their hearts!
But those who turn aside to their crooked ways
the LORD will lead away with evildoers!
P: Peace be upon Israel!
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Silence for self-examination
P: O King and Father, your Son died and was raised up in power.
Now enable us to die to our sin in repentance so we may rise to
new life in Him. We confess to you:
C: Lord, though You should guide us, we inform ourselves;
though You should rule over us, we control ourselves;
though You should fill us with peace, we console ourselves.
We think Your truth too lofty, Your will too hard,
Your power too remote, Your love too free.
Yet without them, we are of all people most miserable.
Now by Your great mercy,
heal our confused minds with your word,
heal our divided wills with Your grace,
heal our troubled consciences with Your love,
heal our anxious hearts with Your presence,
all for the sake of your Son,
who loved us and gave Himself for us. Amen.
P: St Paul writes, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”
Because of our Lord’s sacrificial death, His resurrection from the dead, His ascension to the Right Hand of God, and His powerful intercession on our behalf, we are more than Conquerors through Him who loved us, giving us the assurance that..
“neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Therefore, upon this your spoken confession and faith, hear now this earnest proclamation as from God Himself: Your sins are forgiven; in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
SHARING THE PEACE
SONG OF PRAISE
In Christ Alone (My Hope is Found)
W&M by Keith Getty & Stuart Townsend
c. 2008 Thank You Music
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.
My Comforter, my All in all,
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone, who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless Babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
‘Till on the cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied.
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine,
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the pow’r of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
‘Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand!
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
‘Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand!
“Be Thou My Vision”
Traditional Irish Melody
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art:
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
P: Let us pray.
Mighty God, Your love once called a people and made them Your chosen instrument from which You would bring forth Your Son. Grant to us the same love and grace that we might be Your own and live under You in Your kingdom forevermore; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever
C: Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING
Deuteronomy 7:6–9 (Because the Lord loves you, He has chosen you to be His treasured possession.)
“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations…”
L: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
EPISTLE
Romans 8:28–39 (Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ our Savior.)
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
VERSE
Matthew 13:35b
L: Alleluia! We know that for those who love God
all things work together for good,
C: for those who are called according to his purpose. Alleluia.
HOLY GOSPEL
Matthew 13:44–52
(The kingdom of God is like a hidden treasure.)
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the thirteenth chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
ANTHEM/HYMN
“Blessed Redeemer” VIDEO: Casting Crowns
SERMON
“O Love, That Will Not Let Me Go!”
Romans 8:28-39 Pastor Vern
CONFESSION OF FAITH – THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
OFFERING
The collection plates will not be passed out during our worship service but an offering basket is located in the Narthex for those who wish to contribute. For those worshiping with us today online there is opportunity to give through Joyful Response or Tithe.ly. We thank you for your faithful support during the Covid -19 crisis and pray that the Lord is providing for all your physical needs.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Special Prayers: For Janice Paulsmeyer’s co-worker whose son, Kyron Moore was senselessly murdered in a Metrolink parking lot in North St. Louis last week.
For Gwen & Wayne Kemp whose sister Shirley Chapman entered her eternal rest on Tuesday, July 21, 2020.
For Clayton Paulsmeyer as he transitions to a new job in Okinawa, Japan.
For everyone affected by the Coronavirus and for the success of a vaccination to overcome this disease.
For a renewed sense of brotherhood among all people so that the human race may not be divided by social class, skin color, ethnicity, or gender, but as one family under God lead lives of affection and support for one another.
LORD’S PRAYER
(Matthew 6:9-13)
All: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen.
BLESSING OF THE LORD
Numbers 6:24–26
P: The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord smile upon you and + give you peace.
C: Amen.
SENDING
P: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
C: Thanks be to God!
ANTHEM
“O Love that Will Not Let Me Go” – Gaither Vocal Band
Text: George Matheson (1842-1906)
Music: Albert Lister Peace (1844-1912)
O Love, that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O Joy, that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to Thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain
That morn shall tearless be.
Cross, that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from Thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.