Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost 9/26
THE EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
SEPTEMBER 26, 2021
ST. PAUL’S LUTHERAN CHURCH, FALLS CHURCH, VA
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PRELUDE Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word John Leavitt
WELCOME
ENTRANCE HYMN (Stand) #870 Now That the Darkness Fills the Day
(Alternate tune: Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word)
1 Now that the daylight fills the sky,
We lift our hearts to God on high,
That He, in all we do or say,
Would keep us free from harm today;
2 Would guard our hearts and tongues from strife;
From anger’s din would shield our life;
From evil sights would turn our eyes,
And close our ears to vanities.
3 So we, when this new day is gone
And night in turn is drawing on,
With conscience by the world unstained
Shall praise His name for vict’ry gained.
4 “All praise to You, creator Lord!
All praise to You, eternal Word!
All praise to You, O Spirit wise!”
We sing as daylight fills the skies.
INVOCATION
In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
CALL TO WORSHIP
In the morning, O Lord, You hear my voice;
In the morning I prepare a sacrifice for You and watch.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
And with Your glory all the day.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And renew a right spirit within me.
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
God has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Therefore, let us be reconciled to God and to one another.
(We observe a moment of silence for self-reflection.)
Gracious God,
have mercy on us. In Your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things done and left undone. Uphold us by Your Spirit so that we may live and serve You in newness of life, to the honor and glory of Your holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life.
Amen.
KYRIE see p. 168 for music
In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house and for all who offer their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Amen.
HYMN OF PRAISE p. 171
This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia.
Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God.
Power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and blessing and glory are His.
This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia.
Sing with all the people of God, and join in the hymn of all creation:
Blessing and honor and glory and might be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen.
This is the feast of victory for our God, for the Lamb who was slain has begun His reign.
Alleluia, alleluia.
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. Everlasting Father, source of every blessing,
mercifully direct and govern us by Your Holy Spirit that we may complete the works You have prepared for us to do; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST LESSON (Be seated) Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
Now the rabble that was among [the children of Israel] had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at. . . .”
Moses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. . . .”
So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.
Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 104:24, 27-35 (Read responsively)
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
These all look to you,
to give them their food in due season.
When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works,
who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke!
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
SECOND LESSON James 5:13-20
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
ALLELUIA VERSE (Stand) p. 173
Alleluia. Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mark 9:38-50
The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark the 9th chapter
Glory to You, O Lord.
John said to [Jesus], “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus. Amen. Dear friends in Christ:
Businesses often go to great lengths to assure us that to them, we’re not just a number but a name. They may do this by stating how they’d like to have a relationship with us, or by taking down our name and calling it when our order is ready, or by highlighting our name in notes we receive from them.
But despite these efforts, we will often still get the impression that to them we’re really just a number. We’re a tipper at a certain percentage, or a depositor of a certain amount of funds, or either a repeat customer or a one-timer.
I bring this up because in our Gospel reading for today, the disciples seem to be more concerned about numbers than people. And that, of course, was a problem our Lord Jesus needed to address.
As the reading begins, one of the disciples, John, in the presence of the rest, says to Jesus: “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” Notice that no name was used here. Apparently, it wasn’t important to the disciples. The person referenced was just a one. “Someone.”
As further evidence that the disciples were thinking about numbers, we also note their use of the words “we and us.” “We saw someone… and he wasn’t following us.” The number these words point to is twelve. The disciples are thinking about the group to which they belong – the group often called, as it was just a few verses before this, “the twelve.”
We know that The Twelve was an important group. Jesus revealed his most significant teachings to these disciples. And they were the ones who had travelled and worked with him most closely. He had even sent them out on a special mission not long ago.
Still, as important as this group was, Jesus sometimes needed to clarify what this did and didn’t mean. And sometimes he needed to put its members in their place.
If you were here last Sunday, when we considered the section of the Gospel right before today’s section, you heard Jesus teach very directly against the idea of rank. The disciples had been arguing amongst themselves about who was the greatest – and Jesus scolded them for this. He told them that whoever would be first among them must be last and a servant of all. To emphasize this teaching, Jesus brought a child into the group and received it as an equal.
At that time, part of the disciple’s problem seemed to come from their focus on another number – the number three. Within that group of twelve disciples, three of them, Peter, James and John, got to experience certain special events with Jesus that the rest didn’t. This special attention may have suggested to them a ranking. But as Jesus made clear, that was not his way.
Today’s Gospel reading shows that this teaching needed to be explained further. Not only were the disciples to put away their concern over a ranking of themselves, but they were also to put away their thoughts on being ranked above others. They were not to be concerned that the “someone” who was casting out demons in Jesus’ name was not one of “them.” Rather, they were to understand that the one who was not against them was for them.
Even more, they were to understand how Jesus’ name was significant in this. Notice that while the disciples were focused on numbers, Jesus was focused on a name—his name. “No one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.” Jesus said this because he knew there was great power in his name.
After his resurrection he would reinforce this teaching, telling the disciples that “signs will accompany those who believe in my name (16:17).” And here we get further clarification on what it means to use Jesus’ name. The power is not just in the saying of the word, but also the faith which accompanies it. “Signs will accompany those who believe.”
Still, today’s text implies that even where faith is incomplete, Jesus can still do his work. The “someone” in this text must certainly have heard Jesus teach at some point and put faith in him. But the person wasn’t following Jesus at the moment, and Jesus still had things to say. The disciples were right to be concerned about this. But they shouldn’t have tried to stop the work.
Working in the name of Jesus means to do it according to what Jesus has taught. In the verses just previous to this, Jesus says: “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” The work mentioned here is the receiving of little ones. Doing it in Jesus’ name means it is done because of what Jesus has directed. And doing this, as Jesus makes clear, brings the blessing of God.
As we, then, today think about the power of Jesus’ name and the calling to work in that name according to what Jesus has taught, I’d like to offer three thoughts on what this means for us.
First, this text should remind us to embrace the name of Jesus in all we do. There is power in his name, and we need this power daily – to get us going and keep us on the right path.
Embracing the name of Jesus will lead us to recall teachings from his earthly ministry – teachings which will give us daily direction in how to live. For instance, in today’s reading, Jesus shares one very important word about himself that we don’t want to miss. And he says it so
subtly that we might. He says: “For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.” Hearing these words, we tend to focus on things such as the cup of water and the one who gives it and the reward that is given. And these are all important. But the word that stands out above the others here is the word “Christ.” Here Jesus, for one of the very few times in the Gospels, refers to himself with that title. Jesus had good reasons for being careful about using that powerful word during his ministry, because it said more about him than he was ready to reveal at the time. But we are to use it regularly and abundantly – as the rest of the New Testament writings do – embracing it for the confession it gives.
Using the title “Christ” declares our belief that he is the chosen one of God – literally “the anointed one.” And it declares, as well, that he is our Lord – the one to whom we bow down in faith and the one we trust to care and provide for us. Calling him Jesus Christ reinforces our belief that he is not merely a man but the God-man – equal with the Father and worthy of our worship and praise.
Speaking of worship, you may have noticed that often times we will conclude our prayers by saying: “in the name of Jesus, amen.” Our catechism reinforces this practice when it gives as its first answer to the question “how should we pray?” … “we should pray in the name of Jesus.” Doing this recalls for us how Jesus told his disciples that God will “do whatever you ask in my name” (John 14:13).
Most of all, however, embracing the name of Jesus each day will remind us of his greatest work – saving us from our sin. The reminder is there in the name itself, for the name Jesus means “Savior.” This important connection was made even before Jesus was born, for the angel said to Joseph his earthly father: “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Embracing the name of Jesus is a clear teaching of today’s text. A second teaching for us to note is that we should celebrate others who embrace the name of Jesus too.
Let’s face it; the reaction of Jesus to what John points out in this text is somewhat surprising to us. After all, we have questions about what kind of a person would use Jesus’ name but not follow him. How much did this person know about Jesus? Did he decide that following Jesus and the rest of the disciples wasn’t necessary? Or that one could just operate on their own? It sounds like this kind of half-trained, unsupervised worker might be dangerous.
And yet Jesus wasn’t concerned. And perhaps that is because Jesus knew that the worker was solid and faithful and that there were valid reasons for not following him like the others. That could be the case. But we don’t know for sure.
What we can tell for sure is that the use of Jesus’ name is critical. That’s what makes things okay. Jesus’ clear command to let the worker continue working was all about the name. For as Jesus then explains, anyone who works in his name will see its power and not be able to speak evil of him.
As we today think about this teaching of Jesus, the immediate application that comes to mind is our response to Christians who belong to other churches. They are not following Jesus with us. And while we know that there can be good reasons for this, other reasons are troubling.
The Bible warns us about the dangers of false doctrine and divisions in the church. And we are to guard against these for sure. And yet, in today’s text Jesus gives us an example of patience and trust. Could it be that those who think falsely about Jesus will eventually come to know the truth as they continue to work in his name? Could it be that patience and trust should be our guiding principles as we consider our divisions?
Furthermore, the next statement of Jesus – “whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ (literally: bears the name of Christ) will be no means lose his reward”—seems to indicate that even those outside of a Christian church who show goodwill to Christians will somehow be blessed by their action. Again, this statement is primarily given to show the importance of Jesus’ name, and that is its main intention. But it should also cause us to think about our attitude toward those who are outside of the church. According to this text, God blesses all who show support. “The one who is not against us is for us.” Again, patience and trust seem to be in order.
As Jesus presents these teachings to his disciples, he goes on to mention the “little ones who believe in me.” And from there he begins to teach on another subject – the evil of tempting others to sin. We don’t have time to consider that portion of the reading today. But let me just say a word about the “little ones.”
“Little ones” here seems to be a very apt phrase to describe the people Jesus just mentioned. In the Gospels, “little ones” usually refer to new believers or children or those without status in the eyes of the world. But its use here also suggests those who do not yet understand the fullness of Christian teaching—people like those who work on their own, or those who are not against us just not yet following. Looking back a little further in the narrative, “little ones” could also be those who have just a little faith—like the man we heard about two Sundays ago who cried out: “I believe, help my unbelief.”
If we take these teachings of Jesus to heart, this will then lead us toward a third application of today’s text – that of incorporating the attitudes of patience and trust into our task of reaching the unchurched.
This week, beginning on Wednesday evening, four of us staff members – our two pastors, our kantor and our youth director – will meet for our fifth and final gathering with the Pastoral Leadership Institute, a mission-focused learning community now headed by Rev. Jock Ficken, who was once a vicar here at St. Paul’s. The focus of our gatherings has been on ways that we can engage with people who are not yet followers of Christ. Specifically, we are thinking about how we can engage with them together in efforts of work or in groups devoted to fellowship and care. The idea behind such engagement is to lift up the name of Jesus through natural courses of life and let that name work its power in the lives of people.
To do this, we have been considering a new “entry path and priorities” model. In this model, personnel, energy and resources are spent on the coordination of activities done outside of the circle of the church. Leadership for these activities comes from the church, so that the work is being done “in the name of Jesus.” But participants come from both inside and outside the church, with the idea that those outside the church will first learn to belong, then become, and then believe.
As anyone who has ever recruited their unchurched friend to play on the church softball team knows there is no guarantee that the friend will end up professing faith in Christ. But the name of Jesus in the mix increases the odds. And some will come to faith. As we know, there is great power in the name of Jesus.
And besides, as we’ve learned, the church is not to be concerned about numbers but about names. Every person is important to Jesus. People are not just a “someone,” they’re a person with a name – known and loved by God. And God longs to save them. As God once said to his people through the prophet Isaiah: “Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine” (43:1).
In our world today, crazed as it is by the drive for efficiency and economy, we often feel more like a number than a name. But where Jesus’ name is lifted up, there people will be reminded that God knows them, loves them, and is connecting them with others whom he has called to himself.
So, let us lift up the name of Jesus in all we do. And let us remember, too, the salvation which this name brings. As St. Paul put it: “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (2:8-11).
Let it be so. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
And now may the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding… and which is yours by belonging to that great multitude which no one could number (Rev. 7:9) … guard and keep your hearts and minds in faith, through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY (Stand) #749 There is a Balm in Gilead
Refrain
There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin-sick soul.
1 Sometimes I feel discouraged
And think my work’s in vain,
But then the Holy Spirit
Revives my soul again. Refrain
2 If you cannot preach like Peter,
If you cannot pray like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus
And say He died for all. Refrain
3 Don’t ever feel discouraged,
For Jesus is your friend;
And if you lack for knowledge,
He’ll ne’er refuse to lend. Refrain
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
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For daily bread, that God would provide what we need, and that we would not crave nor weep after what we do not have but be content with what God so graciously rains down upon us, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For those who prophesy according to God’s Word, including our pastors and all who witness to the name of Jesus, that their words would give comfort, direction and peace to all who hear them, and that the Spirit would move all the Lord’s people to be bold in proclaiming His salvation in their homes and neighborhoods, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For our elders and church council, that God would bless them with the necessary gifts of His Spirit to serve the congregation, support its outreach efforts, and uphold the ministry of the Word amongst us, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For husbands and wives, parents and children, that our families would reflect the love of Christ in all things, and that they would confess their sins to one another and pray for one another so that they would be healed, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For our governing authorities and all who bear the sword in our land as representatives of God’s justice and protection, that sin and wickedness may be kept at bay and we may live peaceable lives in safety, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For the suffering and those who are sick, [especially ________________,] that the Lord would save them, heal them and raise them up, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For all who come to the altar today to receive the heavenly manna of Christ’s body and blood, that they would be well salted with repentance and faith and be at peace with one another, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
All these things and whatever else You know that we need, grant us, Father, for the sake of Him who died and rose again and now lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever. Amen.
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THE LITURGY OF HOLY COMMUNION
PREFACE TO HOLY COMMUNION (Stand) p. 178
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
It is truly good right and salutary…evermore praising You and saying:
SANCTUS
Holy, holy, holy Lord, Lord God of pow’r and might:
Heav’n and earth are full of Your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have had mercy on those whom You created and sent Your only-begotten Son into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior. With repentant joy we receive the salvation accomplished for us by the all-availing sacrifice of His body and His blood on the cross.
Gathered in the name and the remembrance of Jesus, we beg You, O Lord, to forgive, renew, and strengthen us with Your Word and Spirit. Grant us faithfully to eat His body and drink His blood as He bids us do in His own testament. Gather us together, we pray, from the ends of the earth to celebrate with all the faithful the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end. Graciously receive our prayers; deliver and preserve us. To You alone, O Father, be all glory, honor, and worship, with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
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.
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD
PAX DOMINI
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
Amen.
AGNUS DEI
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; grant us peace, grant us peace.
DISTRIBUTION (Be seated)
The Communion Assistant will come forward to receive first, then those from the pulpit side – by order of pew, front to back. Communicants will come up the center aisle and return via the side aisle. When all from the pulpit side have communed, the baptismal font side will commune in the same manner. Distancing must be maintained between all communicants. Masks should be kept on except for the moment of consuming the elements. We ask that the wine be consumed away from the tray table. Empty cups should be dropped into the baskets.
COMMUNION MUSIC There Is a Balm in Gilead John Leavitt
NUNC DIMITTIS (Stand) p. 182
Lord, now You let Your servant go in peace;
Your word has been fulfilled.
My own eyes have seen the salvation
which You have prepared in the sight of ev’ry people:
A light to reveal You to the nations
and the glory of Your people Israel.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
POST-COMMUNION COLLECT
BENEDICTION
SENDING HYMN #922 Go, My Children, with My Blessing
1 Go, My children, with My blessing,
Never alone.
Waking, sleeping, I am with you;
You are My own.
In My love’s baptismal river
I have made you Mine forever.
Go, My children, with My blessing—
You are My own.
2 Go, My children, sins forgiven,
At peace and pure.
Here you learned how much I love you,
What I can cure.
Here you heard My dear Son’s story;
Here you touched Him, saw His glory.
Go, My children, sins forgiven,
At peace and pure.
3 Go, My children, fed and nourished,
Closer to Me;
Grow in love and love by serving,
Joyful and free.
Here My Spirit’s power filled you;
Here His tender comfort stilled you.
Go, My children, fed and nourished,
Joyful and free.
4 I the Lord will bless and keep you
And give you peace;
I the Lord will smile upon you
And give you peace:
I the Lord will be your Father,
Savior, Comforter, and Brother.
Go, My children; I will keep you
And give you peace.
ANNOUNCEMENTS (Be seated)
DISMISSAL
POSTLUDE Go, My Children, with My Blessing John Leavitt
Those serving:
Sunday, September 26, 8:30 a.m.:
Greeter: Michael Chamberlain
Comm. assist: Dede Dixon
Reader: Aaron Siebrass
10:30 a.m.:
Greeter: Steve Janssen
Comm. assist: Jill Hecht
Reader: Bill Muller
Acknowledgments
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2021 Concordia Publishing House.
Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word Text & Tune: Public domain
There Is a Balm in Gilead Text & Tune: Public domain
Go, My Children, with My Blessing Text: © 1983 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: Public domain
