Second Sunday after Pentecost 6/11/23
SECOND SUNDAY ATER PENTECOST
June 11, 2023
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, WELCOME TO ST. PAUL’S!
8:00 & 10:30 a.m.
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THE ENTRANCE RITE
PRELUDE Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun Settings: 1. Stephen R. Johnson; 2. Jacob B. Weber
(10:30) Pauline Bell Ringers Setting: Jacob B. Weber
WELCOME
ENTRANCE HYMN Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun LSB 868
1 Awake, my soul, and with the sun
Thy daily stage of duty run;
Shake off dull sloth and joyful rise
To pay thy morning sacrifice.
2 In conversation be sincere,
Thy conscience as the noonday clear;
Think how the all-seeing God thy ways
And all thy secret thoughts surveys.
3 All praise to Thee, who safe hast kept
And hast refreshed me while I slept;
Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake,
I may of endless light partake.
4 Lord, I my vows to Thee renew;
Disperse my sins as morning dew;
Guard my first springs of thought and will
And with Thyself my spirit fill.
5 Direct, control, suggest this day
All I design or do or say
That all my pow’rs with all their might
In Thy sole glory may unite.
6 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host:
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION LSB 203
In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared.
Since we are gathered to hear God’s Word, call upon Him in prayer and praise, and receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of this altar, let us first consider our unworthiness and confess before God and one another that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition. Together as His people let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God, our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ, and saying: God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to everlasting life. Amen.
Almighty God, merciful Father, in Holy Baptism You declared us to be Your children and gathered us into Your one, holy Church, in which You daily and richly forgive us our sins and grant us new life through Your Spirit. Be in our midst, enliven our faith, and graciously receive our prayer and praise; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
KYRIE LSB 204
Lord, have mercy;
Christ, have mercy;
Lord, have mercy.
HYMN OF PRAISE – “Gloria in Excelsis” LSB 204
1 To God on high be glory
And peace to all the earth;
Goodwill from God in heaven
Proclaimed at Jesus’ birth!
We praise and bless You, Father;
Your holy name, we sing—
Our thanks for Your great glory,
Lord God, our heav’nly King.
2 To You, O sole-begotten,
The Father’s Son, we pray;
O Lamb of God, our Savior,
You take our sins away.
Have mercy on us, Jesus;
Receive our heartfelt cry,
Where You in pow’r are seated
At God’s right hand on high—
3 For You alone are holy;
You only are the Lord.
Forever and forever,
Be worshiped and adored;
You with the Holy Spirit
Alone are Lord Most High,
In God the Father’s glory.
“Amen!” our glad reply.
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. Almighty and most merciful God,
You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to seek and to save the lost. Graciously open our ears and our hearts to hear His call and to follow Him by faith that we may feast with Him forever in His kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ, 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) Hosea 5:15-6:6
I will return again to my place,
until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,
and in their distress earnestly seek me.
“Come, let us return to the Lord;
for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth.”
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O Judah?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes early away.
Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them by the words of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth as the light.
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 119:65-72 (Sung responsively)
You have dealt well with your servant,
O Lord, according to your word.
Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
You are good and do good;
teach me your statutes.
The insolent smear me with lies,
but with my whole heart I keep your precepts;
their heart is unfeeling like fat,
but I delight in your law.
It is good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.
The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
SECOND LESSON Romans 4:12-25
The promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.
That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
(10:30) CHILDREN’S SERMON
ALLELUIA VERSE (Stand)
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL Matthew 9:9-13
The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the 9th chapter
Glory to You, O Lord.
As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, O Christ
SERMON (Be seated)
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus. Amen. Dear friends in Christ:
The scripture lesson just read gets us back on track with this year’s reading of Matthew’s Gospel. We started this effort back in the Advent and Epiphany seasons, then paused during Lent and Easter to consider readings from John’s Gospel. We then followed this with readings specific to the Festivals of Pentecost and the Holy Trinity. Now, today, we are resuming the reading of Matthew. And how appropriate it is that the first text we’re examining is the story of Matthew’s calling.
Let me add that today’s first reading, from Hosea, was chosen to correspond with this Gospel. In fact, all the first readings during the Pentecost season are chosen to correspond with the Gospel lessons.
The second readings, on the other hand, are read-throughs of different epistles and not chosen to correspond with the theme of the other two. Today’s reading from Romans is the first of 15 consecutive Sundays in which we will read from this book. And sometimes there will be a connection with the other readings. Hearing of Abraham reminds us that he was called in a very similar way as Matthew. Yet mostly the second readings stand alone. Notice that our Romans reading is mainly about the subject of faith in relation to works, and not about God’s call.
When Matthew tells of his calling by Jesus, he does it in just about the simplest way possible. He seems to give no elaboration at all. All we hear is that when Jesus sees Matthew, he says to him: “follow me,” and then Matthew gets up and follows. That’s it.
And in this regard, Matthew’s calling is very similar to that of Peter, Andrew, James and John earlier in the Gospel. To Peter and Andrew Jesus added: “I will make you fishers of men,” but to James and John he said nothing that we know of.
And to their very brief and direct calls, all four men had a very quick and direct response. They all left what they were doing and followed, just like Matthew did.
About this following of Jesus, we don’t know for sure whether the disciples’ response in each case was actually as quick and decisive as the description or whether the Gospel writers just chose not to describe the long deliberations that took place. Perhaps the writers wanted to be brief. Whichever the case, deciding to follow Jesus meant leaving former lives behind – and this would have presented difficulties for these men. Even if they didn’t think on these at the time, I’m sure they would have thought about them at some point.
In Matthew’s case, following Jesus meant giving up a stable and potentially lucrative career. Tax collectors worked for the Romans, who had all the power at that time and wouldn’t be giving it up any time soon. These tax collectors could collect more than the Romans asked for if they wanted – in which case they would pocket the difference. No one would know. And the Romans didn’t care.
Certainly that money, or at least the opportunity for it, would have been hard for Matthew to walk away from. When the great painter Caravaggio painted the scene of Jesus calling Matthew, he has Jesus pointing to Matthew, with Matthew pointing back to himself, as if to say: “Me? Really?” But we also see that Matthew’s other hand is still holding money. Holding money is normal when you’re a tax collector. Still, this also symbolizes Matthew’s difficult choice, and maybe even speaks to some hesitation on his part. Following Jesus would involve sacrifice.
In addition to the money, I’m thinking Matthew would also have been pondering what this change would mean to both his social life and his future job prospects. As a collaborator with the Romans, Matthew would have had few friends. He was a traitor in the eyes of most people. The only friends he would have had were fellow tax collectors and other social outcasts. To walk away from his job and leave his few friends would be a big step. The Romans certainly wouldn’t hire him back.
When the Gospels of Mark and Luke tell this story of Matthew’s calling, Matthew is called Levi. It was not uncommon at that time for someone to be known by two names, so this shouldn’t be a surprise.
In the Old Testament, the name Matthew is Mattithiah – its Hebrew form. The name is found four different times in those scriptures, and two of the four men with that name are definitely Levites. There’s a good chance the other two are as well.
The Levites were set aside for religious work in Israel. If Matthew is called Levi because he’s from a family of Levites, which is probably the case, then he has greatly dishonored his family through his choice of profession. Leaving that profession to follow a renegade Rabbi like Jesus wouldn’t be any better.
So as you can see, losing the few friends Matthew had would be a big loss for him.
And yet, did Jesus ask Matthew to leave his friends? No. Obviously not. For what we see next in the story of Matthew’s call is Jesus and Matthew dining with those friends, and other sinners too.
This brings up an interesting question. When Jesus asks people to follow him, what are people to give up? And what can they keep?
It seems to me that the rule of thumb could be said this way: “followers of Jesus are to give up sin, but not to give up sinners.” It’s a corollary of that old saying: “hate the sin, not the sinner.”
But again, the short simple phrase should not fool us into thinking this is easy. Separating sinners from sin is incredibly difficult. And the story of Matthew’s calling makes this clear.
Almost immediately, Jesus and Matthew were being questioned. “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” the Pharisees asked.
And this would have been seen as a very proper question. Conventional wisdom said that sinners should be shunned because they are dangerous. They needed to know that their actions were not right. Eating with them indicated an alignment and thus a condonement of their behavior – at least in their minds.
But Jesus saw things differently. And he said so.
Here Jesus gives three short phrases to explain his view. And we should linger on each of them to catch their full meaning.
The first of these is: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” Notice what Jesus does here. He equates sinners with those who are sick. And this is a change from what people usually think.
We tend to label sinners as “bad.” And that label certainly speaks to people’s bad choices. But Jesus gets us thinking about sinners as “sick” instead. Sometimes people get sick because of their own bad choices, but other times people just get sick because of living in this dangerous world.
This should remind us that many sinners in our world are just doing things which they are told are okay. They’re told that it’s okay to steal from the rich. They’re told they can steal from the poor if it’s done in the name of competition. They’re told that it’s okay to have sex with whomever they want. They’re told that it’s okay to bend the truth as long as it’s for a (supposedly) good cause.
Ultimately, people are responsible for their own sin. They need to learn about right and wrong and can’t plead ignorance forever.
But ignorance can take time to overcome. And seeing ignorant people as sick instead of bad shows understanding and compassion.
We should remember, too, that it’s not just ignorance or poor choices that cause sin. Sometimes people battle compulsion or addiction. And while these, too, should be overcome, overcoming them is certainly not easy.
My predecessor at St. Paul’s liked to call the church a “hospital for sinners.” That description certainly captures the attitude toward sinners and the essence of the disciple’s call from Jesus that we find in today’s reading.
The second statement Jesus gave to those who questioned him was: “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ Here Jesus quotes a verse from the prophet Hosea – a verse we read as part of our Old Testament reading this morning. Jesus quotes it from the Septuagint – the Greek translation – which uses the word “mercy” in place of “steadfast love.” The difference between the two words is slight.
The point of both Hosea and Jesus is that religious observance does not excuse one from showing love. Both are necessary and important.
The people in Hosea’s day thought they could do whatever they wanted as long as they offered their religious sacrifices – meaning their prayers, their acts of devotion and their offerings. Doing these was seen as more important than how one person treated another.
The prophets declared that God saw it differently. In fact, if one is to be chosen as more important than the other – love is the more important.
Love and mercy are the attitudes which mirror God’s heart. What’s more, they are the qualities which allow us to forgive.
Love is fostered by religious observance. And religious observance is an expression of our love. Love toward God.
The saying of the prophets and Jesus reminds us that religious observance can sometimes turn into a celebration of the self. It can be seen as a good work that supposedly merits God’s applause.
The Pharisees who questioned Jesus that day were ones who tended to fall into that trap. Their religion told them to exclude sinners, and in doing so they celebrated their belief that they were doing God’s will.
Jesus saw things differently. He knew that sinners need religion, and that the only way they would find it is if sinners were in contact with the religious. Eating together at a meal was a very good way to foster that contact.
The third statement of Jesus to the Pharisees makes this emphasis of his quite clear. “For I came not to call the righteous,” he said, “but sinners.”
Here Jesus gets very specific about his ministry. He came to call sinners. His words even make it sound as if sinners are more important to him than righteous people.
That’s not the case, of course. All people are important to him. But his statement gets to the priority of saving those who are lost in their sin. This is a priority that is seen in certain parables of his, such as the shepherd who leaves behind the 99 sheep to search for the one who is lost.
And let’s be clear about the nature of Jesus’ call to sinners. He’s calling them to repentance. They are sick, remember? The call to the sinner is to repent.
Jesus first calls to repentance, and then calls to discipleship. However, these two callings are only so separate. They work together. Think about it… to which did Jesus call Matthew – repentance or discipleship? Both. The call is to follow. And following Jesus will include both.
Hearing Jesus say: “For I came not to call the righteous but sinners,” I sometimes wonder if Jesus is also giving a little dig here to those people who think they don’t need him. As we know, the world is filled with these people – those who think they don’t need religion because they are righteous enough already. They may not call themselves righteous. But we hear their righteous platitudes about politics and morality. We hear their words which show how confident they are in their own good. We see how they present themselves as polished, professional and totally in control. In their minds, things are so right in their world that God is not necessary.
But of course that’s completely incorrect. And any serious reflection on Jesus’ words here will catch this. “I have not come to call the righteous…” he said. But who are these righteous ones anyway? Who can honestly say that they are righteous?
Jesus came to call sinners. And that’s everyone. You, me… everyone.
Jesus is reaching out to all of us, even those of us who have heard his call before. We need him. Because we are sinners. And left to our own devices, we will follow the wrong path.
The call of Jesus can be thought of as a call to the cross. In two ways.
First, living as Jesus instructs us will bring crosses with it. Sacrifices will need to be made. And hanging out with sinners will get messy. Doing so will draw the ire of the world’s Pharisees. And it will take its toll as the sin of sinners gets heaped upon us.
But secondly, the way of the cross will also bring salvation. It was on a cross that Jesus died to pay for the sins of the world. And because he did this, when we now put our faith in his sacrifice, we are saved by being declared righteous by God. Paul explained this in our Romans reading, saying: “It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:24-25).
Today we remember that a sinner named Matthew was called to faith in Jesus. Matthew’s faith would need time to grow and mature, but the journey started with a decisive step. When called, he followed.
You and I are also called to follow Jesus. And in this call is the call to give up sin but not sinners. That is the way of Jesus. That is the way of the cross.
May God help us in the living out of this calling. And may his steadfast love and mercy be known to us always. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY (Stand) Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing LSB 686
1 Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
While the hope of endless glory
Fills my heart with joy and love,
Teach me ever to adore Thee;
May I still Thy goodness prove.
2 Here I raise my Ebenezer,
Hither by Thy help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wand’ring from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
3 Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be;
Let that grace now like a fetter
Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
4 Oh, that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in the blood-washed linen,
How I’ll sing Thy wondrous grace!
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry;
Take my ransom’d soul away;
Send Thine angels soon to carry
Me to realms of endless day.
APOSTLES’ CREED LSB, Back cover
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
Offerings support the church’s mission work – both here and through our many partners. Offerings may be placed in the box at the sanctuary entrance or sent to the church through our website or the mail. Fellowship Cards help us welcome new people and track participation. Please fill one out and place it in the offering box following the service.
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
O Lord, as the prophets remind us, You strike down and You heal. Though we justly deserve Your wrath, revive us and raise us up, that we may live before You forever. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Almighty God, You desire to be known by your people and for your people to live in steadfast love. To these ends, bless pastors, teachers and all church workers, that Your Word would sound forth in abundance. And open the ears of all who hear to acknowledge Your goodness and grace. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Father in heaven, by Your grace Abraham did not weaken in faith but trusted Your promises. Give to all parents this same strength in faith, that they would persist in their calling to train their children in Your Word and in Your ways. Defend them from discouragement and apathy. And convince them that You are able to do all that You have promised. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Creator of all things, You call into existence what does not exist and govern it for good. Remember those who have authority among the nations, that the laws they make and administer might reflect Your good order and maintain peace. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, Your Son came to heal the sick by calling them to repentance and teaching them your grace. Hear our prayers for those who suffer in any way, especially all on our prayer list and those we name in our hearts at this time… Restore them according to Your gracious will and strengthen their faith in Your steadfast love. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Almighty God, Your Son ate with sinners to call them into righteousness. And in the same way he now feeds us in His Supper so that we might be forgiven. Prepare our hearts to partake of the Sacrament of the Altar with penitence and faith, that we may depart from this place in righteousness and peace. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Holy Father, receive our thanks for Your kindness to Abraham, Sarah, Hosea, Matthew, Barnabas (whose feast day is today) and all the saints who have gone before us. Preserve us in faith and righteousness, that we, too, may give You glory now and forever. Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
OFFERTORY Create in Me (LSB 956)
1 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence;
and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;
and uphold me with Thy free spirit. Amen.
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SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT
PREFACE (Stand) LSB 208-210
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 that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, for the countless blessings You so freely bestow on us and all creation. Above all, we give thanks for Your boundless love shown to us when You sent Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into our flesh and laid on Him our sin, giving Him into death that we might not die eternally. Because He is now risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity, all who believe in Him will overcome sin and death and will rise again to new life. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:
SANCTUS LSB 208
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth adored;
Heav’n and earth with full acclaim shout the glory of Your name.
Sing hosanna in the highest, sing hosanna to the Lord;
Truly blest is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
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 LSB 210
1 O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God,
You take the sin of the world away;
O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God,
Have mercy on us, Lord, we pray.
2 O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God,
You take the sin of the world away;
Have mercy on us, Jesus Christ,
And grant us peace, O Lord, we pray.
THE COMMUNION (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. We ask that the wine be consumed away from the tray table. Empty cups should be dropped into the receptacles.
DISTRIBUTION HYMN I Come, O Savior, to Thy Table LSB 618
1 I come, O Savior, to Thy table,
For weak and weary is my soul;
Thou, Bread of Life, alone art able
To satisfy and make me whole: Refrain
Refrain
Lord, may Thy body and Thy blood
Be for my soul the highest good!
2 Thy heart is filled with fervent yearning
That sinners may salvation see
Who, Lord, to Thee in faith are turning;
So I, a sinner, come to Thee. Refrain
3 Unworthy though I am, O Savior,
Because I have a sinful heart,
Yet Thou Thy lamb wilt banish never,
For Thou my faithful shepherd art: Refrain
4 Weary am I and heavy laden;
With sin my soul is sore oppressed;
Receive me graciously and gladden
My heart, for I am now Thy guest. Refrain
5 What higher gift can we inherit?
It is faith’s bond and solid base;
It is the strength of heart and spirit,
The covenant of hope and grace. Refrain
NUNC DIMITTIS LSB 211
1 O Lord, now let Your servant
Depart in heav’nly peace,
For I have seen the glory
Of Your redeeming grace:
A light to lead the Gentiles
Unto Your holy hill,
The glory of Your people,
Your chosen Israel.
2 All glory to the Father,
All glory to the Son,
All glory to the Spirit,
Forever Three in One;
For as in the beginning,
Is now, shall ever be,
God’s triune name resounding.
PRAYER (Stand)
BENEDICTION
SENDING HYMN How Can I Thank You, Lord LSB 703
1 How can I thank You, Lord,
For all Your loving-kindness,
That You have patiently
Borne with me in my blindness!
When dead in many sins
And trespasses I lay,
I kindled, holy God,
Your anger ev’ry day.
2 It is Your work alone
That I am now converted;
O’er Satan’s work in me
You have Your pow’r asserted.
Your mercy and Your grace
That rise afresh each morn
Have turned my stony heart
Into a heart newborn.
3 Lord, You have raised me up
To joy and exultation
And clearly shown the way
That leads me to salvation.
My sins are washed away;
For this I thank You, Lord.
Now with my heart and soul
All evil I abhor.
4 Grant that Your Spirit’s help
To me be always given
Lest I should fall again
And lose the way to heaven.
Grant that He give me strength
In my infirmity;
May He renew my heart
To serve You willingly.
5 O Father, God of love,
Now hear my supplication;
O Savior, Son of God,
Accept my adoration;
O Holy Spirit, be
My ever faithful guide
That I may serve You here
And there with You abide.
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE How Can I Thank You, Lord Setting: Carl F. Schalk
FLOWERS: The Poores
Those serving:
Sunday, June 11, 8:30 a.m.:
Greeter: Jim Easterly
Comm. assist: Judy Koucky
Reader: Anne Kauzlarich
10:30 a.m.:
Greeter: Michael Chamberlain
Comm. assist: Dan Buuck
Reader: Arthur Erbert
Acolyte: William Dennis
AV Assistants: Hannes Buuck, Andreas Buuck
Fellowship Contributors: Board of Education
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 © 2023 Concordia Publishing House.
Create in Me Text: Psalm 51:10–12 Tune: Johann Georg Winer, 1583–1651, adapt. Text & Tune: Public domain
Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun Text: Thomas Ken, 1637–1711, alt. Tune: François H. Barthélémon, 1741–1808 Text & Tune: Public domain
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing Text: Robert Robinson, 1735–90, alt. Tune: Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second, 1813, Harrisburg Text & Tune: Public domain
I Come, O Savior, to Thy Table Text: Friedrich Christian Heyder, 1677–1754; tr. The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941, abr. Tune: Emskirchner Choral-Buch, 1756, Leipzig Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: Public domain
How Can I Thank You, Lord Text: David Denicke, 1603–80; tr. August Crull, 1845–1923, alt. Tune: Neu-vermehrtes . . . Gesangbuch, 1693, 3rd ed., Meiningen Text & Tune: Public domain
