Seventh Sunday after Pentecost 7/16
Pentecost 7 7.16.23. PDF Alt Set
SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
JULY 16, 2023
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, WELCOME TO ST. PAUL’S!
Sunday – 10:00 a.m.
✠ ✠ ✠
THE ENTRANCE RITE
PRELUDE God’s Own Child I Gladly Say It Setting: Matthew Corl
WELCOME
ENTRANCE HYMN God’s Own Child I Gladly Say It LSB 594
1 God’s own child, I gladly say it:
I am baptized into Christ!
He, because I could not pay it,
Gave my full redemption price.
Do I need earth’s treasures many?
I have one worth more than any
That brought me salvation free
Lasting to eternity!
2 Sin, disturb my soul no longer:
I am baptized into Christ!
I have comfort even stronger:
Jesus’ cleansing sacrifice.
Should a guilty conscience seize me
Since my Baptism did release me
In a dear forgiving flood,
Sprinkling me with Jesus’ blood?
3 Satan, hear this proclamation:
I am baptized into Christ!
Drop your ugly accusation,
I am not so soon enticed.
Now that to the font I’ve traveled,
All your might has come unraveled,
And, against your tyranny,
God, my Lord, unites with me!
4 Death, you cannot end my gladness:
I am baptized into Christ!
When I die, I leave all sadness
To inherit paradise!
Though I lie in dust and ashes
Faith’s assurance brightly flashes:
Baptism has the strength divine
To make life immortal mine.
5 There is nothing worth comparing
To this lifelong comfort sure!
Open-eyed my grave is staring:
Even there I’ll sleep secure.
Though my flesh awaits its raising,
Still my soul continues praising:
I am baptized into Christ;
I’m a child of paradise!
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
God of all mercy and consolation, come to the aid of your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your Holy Spirit that, attentive to your Word, we may confess our sins, receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Kneel. Silence is observed for reflection and self-examination.
Gracious God,
have mercy upon 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 (Stand) LSB 944
For the peace from above and for our salvation; and for the peace of the whole world, let us pray to the Lord:
Kyrie Eleison; Christe Eleison; Kyrie Eleison.
For the well-being of the Church of God; and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord:
Kyrie Eleison; Christe Eleison; Kyrie Eleison.
Help, save, comfort and defend us, gracious Lord.
Kyrie Eleison; Christe Eleison; Kyrie Eleison.
GLORIA IN EXCELSIS Splendor and Honor LSB 950
1 Splendor and honor, majesty and power
Are Yours, O Lord God, fount of ev’ry blessing,
For by Your bidding was the whole creation
Called into being.
2 Praised be the true Lamb, slain for our redemption,
By whose self-off’ring we are made God’s people:
A priestly kingdom, from all tongues and nations,
Called to God’s service.
3 To the Almighty, throned in heav’nly splendor,
And to the Savior, Christ our Lamb and Shepherd,
Be adoration, praise, and glory given,
Now and forever.
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. Blessed Lord,
since You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
✠ ✠ ✠
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST LESSON (Be seated) Isaiah 55:10-13
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
“For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 65:9-13 (Sung responsively)
You visit the earth and water it;
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide their grain,
for so you have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.
SECOND LESSON Romans 8:12-17
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
ALLELUIA VERSE (Stand) LSB 952
Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia!
GOSPEL Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the 13th chapter.
Glory to You, O Lord.
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear. . . .
“Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
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.
At the risk of sending your thoughts off to a place from which it may not be so easy to retrieve you… let’s start today’s sermon by noticing the setting of today’s Gospel reading. Jesus and all his hearers were at the beach.
Now this beach – somewhere on the Sea of Galilee – was not necessarily like the beaches we think of when we hear that word. This was not Myrtle Beach or Nags Head, and certainly not Waikiki. But it was a beach, nonetheless.
Some of those hearers of Jesus may have lived near that beach and seen it as just a normal place to be – much as we think about going to the park down the street. But others probably came in from out of town and were thus a little more taken by that setting. They would have noticed the smells of the sea and the fresh breeze coming off the water. They would have taken in all the activity of people working and playing and enjoying life in that lovely place.
When Jesus then got in a boat and pushed out a bit from the land in order to create the effect of a stage, this left the people all gathered together on the beach to hear him preach. And at this point, I’m guessing that many of them would have been saying to themselves things such as: “what a joy to be here! This is such a treat! The setting is so… novel and unique. And I like that it gives a different perspective than the synagogue.”
At the same time, I’m pretty sure others would have seen things differently. I can hear them saying: “Why did he take us to a place where we get sand in our feet? And where’s the shade? I didn’t pack any sunscreen. You know, this kind of thing should really be done in a synagogue.”
People see things differently. They have different expectations, and they have different needs.
With this in mind, let’s think about Jesus’ message in today’s reading. The setting is interesting, but the real blessing comes as we hear what Jesus has to say.
Jesus gives his message here in the form of a parable. We know that Jesus often taught with parables. In fact, today’s text tells us that he was sharing many of them with the people that day at the beach. The one that’s recorded for us here by Matthew is the first that’s recorded in his Gospel.
This parable is also unique for two other reasons as well.
First, it is one of the very few parables where Jesus also gives an explanation. Usually he just tells the story and leaves it to us to make the interpretation. But here he explains what the parable means – at least to his disciples.
Second, this parable is unique because sandwiched in between the parable and its explanation is a section where Jesus addresses a further question. His disciples wanted to know why he taught with parables – especially since he wasn’t explaining them. We skipped this section in our reading today. But let me give a quick summary.
We tend to assume that Jesus spoke in parables so that his teachings would be remembered. And certainly that must be one reason he taught in this way.
But in his explanation to the disciples, Jesus emphasized something else. He said: “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”
One way of understanding these words is to see Jesus giving the disciples extra knowledge for their task. As we’ve heard recently in our readings, Jesus had just sent out his disciples for a time of mission work, and was preparing them for even more mission work in the days ahead. For this the disciples would certainly need a strong understanding about Jesus and his kingdom.
But even more, these words of Jesus point to a reality that the disciples would need to grasp. And that is that some people will hear the words of Jesus and understand his message and believe it… but others won’t.
To those who do understand and believe, the message is like inside information which helps a person have an advantage in life. It’s not secret information in the sense that it’s being kept from anyone. Rather, it’s “secret” in the sense of that phrase: “the secret to success.” It’s information that not everyone realizes, even when it’s been shared with them.
In the same way, some people understand parables and some people don’t. And that’s because many of the parables take a lot of effort to understand. They are not always so simple and obvious. We need a lot of extra information, gleaned from other things Jesus and the prophets have said, in order to understand what these difficult parables are and are not saying.
Some people will put in the time and effort needed to understand them. But others won’t. Likewise, some people are open to what he has to say, while others are not.
And such is the case with everything Jesus said – not just the parables.
Having considered these things, we are now ready to examine the parable itself. And as we will see, this parable actually echoes the reason Jesus gives for why he speaks in parables, which is no doubt why Matthew puts this parable of Jesus first in his Gospel, and also why Jesus gives his thoughts on parables here too.
In the parable itself, Jesus tells of a sower who went out to sow seed. As the sower sowed, much of the seed fell in places that did not allow it to either germinate or grow to maturity.
Some seed, however, fell on good soil. And when it did, the seed grew into plants that produced much fruit.
The main point of this parable is to explain what happens when the Gospel is preached. Sometimes the Gospel message will take root in a person’s heart and lead to understanding and faith, but other times it won’t – just as some of the seeds in the parable grew to maturity and some didn’t.
This may seem like an obvious teaching that Jesus is giving us here. But it’s needed for at least three reasons.
First, it helps to clarify another teaching of the scriptures… that of Isaiah 55, the verses we read as today’s Old Testament lesson. There we hear that God’s Word does not “return to [him] empty” but “accomplishes that which [he] purposes.”
As clarified by Jesus, this doesn’t mean that hearts will always embrace God’s full message – at least not right away. But it does mean that the Word will accomplish what God wants. God’s Word always has an effect. It is never wasted. Even if it doesn’t convince, it still challenges.
And here we see that Isaiah’s teaching and Jesus’ teaching work together. They shed light on one another and bring clarity to a complicated subject.
Second, the teaching of Jesus in this parable is needed because it brings encouragement to disciples in a difficult task. Sometimes it feels that hearts are not moved by the proclaiming of God’s Word. As a preacher, I know this feeling all too well. But Jesus reminds us here that this is never actually the case. The Gospel works on people’s hearts – even if we don’t see the results for some time.
Third, the teaching in this parable is needed because it helps us consider different scenarios that happen in real life. As the parable suggests, hearts are sometimes hard, sometimes weak, and often under lots of pressure. In other words, there are many reasons why a person might hear the word of God and not take it to heart. Knowing this will help us be both patient and persistent.
Professor Donald Juel, who taught New Testament theology at Princeton, says of this text: “What strikes you immediately about the character of the sower is that he seems a bit careless. This farmer is not cautious but instead throws seed everywhere, apparently confident there will be a harvest in spite of the losses. He simply keeps sowing his seed, believing that growth will come.”
Juel then suggests that we followers of Jesus should be doing our mission work in the very same way. “The same careless abandon,” he says, “should characterize the church’s ministry.”
He then goes on to describe this careless abandon as “speaking gracious words without carefully calculating the potential for success.”
I like that description. For surely it means that we go about welcoming others as Jesus has welcomed us, and that we preach a message of unconditional love and unlimited grace while at the same time upholding the standards of God’s Law and calling all people to repentance.
Furthermore, that description understands that Jesus calls us to be faithful to him and to the kingdom and not worry about being successful in a worldly sense.
This is the way Jesus went about his ministry. So perhaps the sower in the story is firstly about him. Jesus will tell a similar parable soon after this in which he will explain that “the one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.”
But Jesus doesn’t say this in today’s parable. Here the emphasis, according to his own explanation, is on “the word of the kingdom.”
As we’ve now seen, today’s message is about encouraging us in our task of sharing “the word of the kingdom.” God promises that though it may sometimes fall on deaf ears, at other times it will take root in people’s hearts and accomplish great things.
And here we could end the sermon right now – resolving in our hearts to keep sowing the seed of God’s word and not give up. That would be a fine outcome from our time together today, and one that I’m certainly encouraging.
But as we noted earlier, the scriptures also share an explanation of this parable by our Lord Jesus himself. And we really should give these words of his a little more thought.
“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it,” said Jesus, “the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.”
These words of Jesus certainly help us understand what can happen with others. But should we not also think about how they might apply to us?
And if that’s the case, then we should ask ourselves: do we truly understand “the word of the kingdom?” Have we put in the time and effort to really grasp its message? Or do we just go through life with a surface understanding? Jesus’ words here warn us about what may happen if we do.
And “as for what was sown on rocky ground,” continues Jesus, “this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.”
Again, what about us? Is our faith rooted deeply? And what does it mean to have deeply rooted faith?
I tend to think that it means our faith is rooted in something that holds us and feeds us – something like church. In church we find other believers who will support us, as well as traditions, routines and disciplines which do the same. Then when trials come, we are not so easily pulled away from our faith. Rather, our roots keep us firmly in place.
Finally, “as for what was sown among thorns,” says Jesus, “this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.”
All people have worldly cares. And all of us see the riches around us which lure and distract. Here Jesus warns us against paying too much attention to these. We don’t need to fret because God will help us through our cares. And we don’t need to pine for wealth and fame because God has given us the greatest of all riches by forgiving our sins and receiving us into his kingdom of grace.
Jesus made these things possible through his sacrificial death on the cross where he paid the price of our sin and reconciled us to God our Father. And Jesus now continues to work in our hearts – making them places of good soil that will receive his teaching, care and encouragement.
After Jesus concluded his explanation of the parable, he closed his teaching on this subject by pointing to the great increase that comes when his word is understood. And notice that it comes at different levels – Jesus mentioning a hundredfold, sixty and thirty. This certainly refers to different rates of growth at different times and places in the kingdom. And it can also serve as a reminder that in our own lives we will sometimes take great steps forward in our faith, while at other times our progress will just be slow and steady.
Either way, God will bring blessing. He has promised it.
Let us therefore continue to hear and to share his life-giving word – for our growth and for others’.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY (Stand) Almighty God, Your Word is Cast LSB 577
1 Almighty God, Your Word is cast
Like seed into the ground;
Now let the dew of heav’n descend
And righteous fruits abound.
2 Let not the sly satanic foe
This holy seed remove,
But give it root in ev’ry heart
To bring forth fruits of love.
3 Let not the world’s deceitful cares
The rising plant destroy,
But let it yield a hundredfold
The fruits of peace and joy.
4 So when the precious seed is sown,
Life-giving grace bestow
That all whose souls the truth receive
Its saving pow’r may know.
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
The response to each petition will be:
“Lord, in Your mercy,”
“hear our prayer.”
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.
✠ ✠ ✠
SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT
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, hold Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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 961)
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth;
heav’n and earth are full of Your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessèd, blessèd, blessèd 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. In mercy for our fallen world you gave your only Son, that all those who believe in him should not perish but have eternal life. We give thanks to you for the salvation you have prepared for us through Jesus Christ. Send now your Holy Spirit into our hearts, that we may receive our Lord with a living faith as he comes to us in his holy supper.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD
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 peace of our Lord be with you all.
Amen.
AGNUS DEI (LSB 962)
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 Your peace,
grant us Your peace,
grant us Your peace.
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 Lamb of God LSB 550
1 Your only Son, no sin to hide,
But You have sent Him from Your side
To walk upon this guilty sod,
And to become the Lamb of God. Refrain
Refrain
O Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God,
I love the holy Lamb of God!
O wash me in His precious blood,
My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
2 Your Gift of love they crucified,
They laughed and scorned Him as He died:
The humble King they named a fraud,
And sacrificed the Lamb of God. Refrain
3 I was so lost, I should have died,
But You have brought me to Your side
To be led by Your staff and rod,
And to be called a lamb of God. Refrain
NUNC DIMITTIS LSB 937
1 Lord, bid Your servant go in peace,
Your word is now fulfilled.
These eyes have seen salvation’s dawn,
This child so long foretold.
2 This is the Savior of the world,
The Gentiles’ promised light,
God’s glory dwelling in our midst,
The joy of Israel.
3 With saints of old, with saints to come,
To You we lift our voice;
To Father, Son, and Spirit blest
Be honor, love, and praise.
PRAYER (Stand)
BENEDICTION
SENDING HYMN O Light of God LSB 836
1 Lord, bid Your servant go in peace,
Your word is now fulfilled.
These eyes have seen salvation’s dawn,
This child so long foretold.
2 This is the Savior of the world,
The Gentiles’ promised light,
God’s glory dwelling in our midst,
The joy of Israel.
3 With saints of old, with saints to come,
To You we lift our voice;
To Father, Son, and Spirit blest
Be honor, love, and praise.
ANNOUNCEMENTS (Be seated)
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE O Light of God Setting: Charles Callahan
Fellowship Contributors: Board of Elders
Those serving:
Saturday, July 15, 5:00 p.m.:
Greeter: Steve Janssen
Reader: Melissa Hecht
Flutist: Stephanie Poore
Sunday, July 16, 10:00 a.m.:
Greeter: Lynn Jacquez
Comm. assist: Jill Hecht
Reader: Lynn Jacquez
AV Assistants: Hannes Buuck, Andreas Buuck
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. LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
950 Splendor and Honor Text: Carl P. Daw, Jr., 1944 Tune: K. Lee Scott, 1950 Text: © 1990 Hope Publishing Co. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: © 1987 K. Lee Scott, admin. MorningStar Music Publishers. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
952 Text: Traditional Text: Public domain Tune: Fintan O’Carroll , d. 1977 Tune: © 1985 Fintan O’Carroll and Christopher Walker, admin. OCP Publications. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
956 Create in Me Text: Psalm 51:10–12 Tune: Johann Georg Winer, 1583–1651, adapt. Text and Tune: Public domain
955 Let the Vineyards Be Fruitful Text: John W. Arthur, 1922–80Tune: Richard W. Hillert, 1923–2010 Text and Tune: © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
961 Sanctus Text: Traditional; tr. International Consultation on English Texts, alt.
Tune: Mark L. Bender, 1951 Text: © 1975 International Consultation on English Texts. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
962 Agnus Dei — I Text: Traditional; tr. International Consultation on English Texts, alt. Tune: Paul D. Weber, 1949 Text: © 1975 International Consultation on English Texts. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: © 2001 Paul D. Weber. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
937 Lord, Bid Your Servant Go in Peace Tune: American Tune: Public domain Text (sts. 1–2): James Quinn, 1919–2010; (st. 3): Henry V. Gerike, 1948 Text (sts. 1–2): © 1969, 1989 OCP Publications; (st. 3): © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
594 God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It Text: Erdmann Neumeister, 1671–1756; tr. Robert E. Voelker, 1957 Tune: Johann Caspar Bachofen, 1695–1755, alt. Text: © 1991 Robert E. Voelker. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: Public domain
577 Almighty God, Your Word Is Cast Text: John Cawood, 1775–1852, alt. Tune: The Whole Booke of Psalmes, 1562, London Text and Tune: Public domain
550 Lamb of God Tune: Twila Paris, 1958 Text and Tune: © 1985 Straightway Music, admin. EMI. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Streamed under OneLicense.net #A-701491
836 O God of Light Text: Sarah E. Taylor, 1883–1954, alt. Tune: H. Barrie Cabena, 1933 Text: © 1952, renewed 1980 The Hymn Society, admin. Hope Publishing Co. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
