Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost 8/20
Pentecost 12 8.20.23. PDF Alt Set
TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
AUGUST 19-20, 2023
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, WELCOME TO ST. PAUL’S!
Saturday – 5:00 p.m.; Sunday – 10:00 a.m.
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THE ENTRANCE RITE
PRELUDE Five Variations on ‘Westminster Abbey by Richard Proulx
WELCOME
ENTRANCE HYMN Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation LSB 909
1 Christ is made the sure foundation,
Christ, our head and cornerstone,
Chosen of the Lord and precious,
Binding all the Church in one;
Holy Zion’s help forever
And our confidence alone.
2 To this temple, where we call You,
Come, O Lord of hosts, and stay;
Come with all Your loving-kindness,
Hear Your people as they pray;
And Your fullest benediction
Shed within these walls today.
3 Grant, we pray, to all Your faithful
All the gifts they ask to gain;
What they gain from You, forever
With the blessèd to retain;
And hereafter in Your glory
Evermore with You to reign.
4 Praise and honor to the Father,
Praise and honor to the Son,
Praise and honor to the Spirit,
Ever three and ever one:
One in might and one in glory
While unending ages run!
INVOCATION
In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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 and the unity of all, 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. Almighty and everlasting Father,
You give Your children many blessings even though we are undeserving. In every trial and temptation grant us steadfast confidence in Your loving-kindness and mercy; 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 56:1, 6-8
Thus says the Lord:
“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
for soon my salvation will come,
and my deliverance be revealed. . . .
“And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
and holds fast my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.”
The Lord God,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,
“I will gather yet others to him
besides those already gathered.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 67 (Read responsively)
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!
SECOND LESSON Romans 11:1-2a, 13-15,28-32
I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. . . .
Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? . . .
As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
ALLELUIA VERSE (Stand) LSB 952
Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia!
GOSPEL Matthew 15:21-28
The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the 15th chapter.
Glory to You, O Lord.
Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON (Be seated)
Already during Isaiah’s ministry God revealed His love for the nations. He was Lord, not just of Israel, “But the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord to minister to him and to love the name of the Lord, and to be His servants….these I will bring to my holy mountain.” It was a lesson Israel forgot, and you could physically see and feel how far they had gone in a different direction in Jesus’ day. Jews walked dozens of miles to go around Samaria on their way to Galilee, because they considered Samaritans to be dogs. Israel did not love the nations and they didn’t think their God did either.
Jesus often went beyond Israel’s borders, and today’s Gospel opens with Him going to Tyre and Sidon, Phoenician Gentile, not Jewish territory. And Jesus was already known there, beyond the border, because Matthew begins this incredible Gospel with an appeal from a never named Canaanite woman who called Jesus, “Lord and Son of David,” key titles of the Jewish Messiah. Crying out to him loudly, she appealed for mercies to be showered on her daughter who she said was demon possessed. What is unique about this Gospel is Jesus’ reaction. First of all He ignored the woman. Ignored her pleas. Acted as though she wasn’t there. But she kept crying out for mercy.
The Second response came when the disciples became bothered by all the ruckus she was causing, and urged Jesus to act: “Send her away because she keeps on shouting!” Perhaps the disciples wanted Jesus to grant her request so that she would go away, but in any case their energy in this story was to get rid of her because she was a nuisance.
The third response in this Gospel is Jesus’ reply to the disciples, his very first words in the story: “I was sent only to the Lost Sheep of the house of Israel.” As hard as Jesus’ words were in this context, they were spoken to the disciples, who had already seen Him heal in other Gentile territories, who had heard Him hold up Nineveh in the days of Jonah as a better example of faith than Nazareth, his hometown. But the disciples didn’t intervene, didn’t remind Him that He had fed 5000 people with bread, among whom were surely some Gentiles. The disciples could have said those things, but their part in the story was over, leaving this hard word hanging in the air, a word that would drive most folks away.
The woman heard Him too, but she did not turn away, nor did she point out how mean his words were. In fact she escalated their encounter, coming closer to him, kneeing……..perhaps even grasping the hem of his tunic as was the posture of another supplicant woman on another day. Then she started over, “Lord help me.” “Lord have mercy.”
Jesus’ second response is directly to her and is more blunt than His first: “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” It won’t help this awful response sound a bit better if I tell you that the word Jesus used means “little dogs.”
By now you must be asking, “Is this the Jesus I have always known and loved, Savior of the whole world? Or has some alien being possessed Him? This is, after all, a demon possession story.” This story is easy if we start at the end and read forward. But it is very hard to go through it as Matthew recorded it. But that is what we must do, because just so the Spirit inspired Matthew to write.
We might wonder what is wrong with Jesus, but this heroine extraordinare, stays. Stays and begs with Jesus’ harsh words as her very plea: “Even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Not only has she confessed Him as Lord, as Son of David, but now as her Master. And she begs only for a crumb from His table.
No doubt many in Israel needed to hear this dialog. Jews who counted their blood lines as better than hers needed to hear it. Pharisees who thanked God for not being like other people, not like this Canaanite dog. But regardless of who all the ones for whom Matthew wrote this story this way, finally there is only one who needed to hear this last reply, which really is the whole story. And it is spoken directly to her. “Woman, great is your faith. All that you have asked is granted.”
Where no one expected saving faith Jesus saw great faith. Where most would have given up this heroine did not. And to the Israel that had forgotten about the much loved foreigners, Jesus extended the blessings of the Kingdom to her. Why this way and with such biting words you will have to wait until you meet this Canaanite saint in Jesus’ arms. What stands out is the height & depth of her faith. Like another Gentile hero, the Roman Centurion, faith bigger and more resilient than in all of Israel.
Think of all the ones we brand, like her, too damaged, too evil, too different, to be our sister. Think how little resilience there is to our faith on too many days, and learn endurance and hope from her. Recognize how quickly we would have run away if Jesus said to us, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs.” Worse, think how many times we thought those same things about folks we are passing by on the other side.
We, God’s Church are called to bear, bring, proclaim and embody the Kingdom of this Jesus to all nations and tribes, all classes and ethnicities, all cultural divides, all, always all. Perhaps Matthew was moved to proclaim this Gospel just this way because I never see myself as a helpless supplicant, as a beggar deserving only crumbs. Perhaps so that I can see in this sister what believing with all mu heart, mind and soul looks and acts like. But above all to see Jesus, Savior of all, insisting on an all that even includes me.
HYMN OF THE DAY (Stand) Evening and Morning LSB 726
1 Evening and morning,
Sunset and dawning,
Wealth, peace, and gladness,
Comfort in sadness:
These are Thy works; all the glory be Thine!
Times without number,
Awake or in slumber,
Thine eye observes us,
From danger preserves us,
Causing Thy mercy upon us to shine.
2 Father, O hear me,
Pardon and spare me;
Calm all my terrors,
Blot out my errors
That by Thine eyes they may no more be scanned.
Order my goings,
Direct all my doings;
As it may please Thee,
Retain or release me;
All I commit to Thy fatherly hand.
3 Ills that still grieve me
Soon are to leave me;
Though billows tower,
And winds gain power,
After the storm the fair sun shows its face.
Joys e’er increasing
And peace never ceasing:
These shall I treasure
And share in full measure
When in His mansions God grants me a place.
4 To God in heaven
All praise be given!
Come, let us offer
And gladly proffer
To the Creator the gifts He doth prize.
He well receiveth
A heart that believeth;
Hymns that adore Him
Are precious before Him
And to His throne like sweet incense arise.
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, bless this church that it may be a house of prayer for all people; and bless this congregation, that we may be a people of prayer. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, grant that the Church may steadfastly proclaim Your irrevocable gifts and calling, that the disobedient may receive mercy and that those who hear would become grafted onto Jesus Christ, the true vine. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, bless all honest work and occupations, and grant that we may use well the fruits of our labors. Give us a spirit of generosity for those in need. And bless the tithes and offerings that accompany our sacrifice of praise. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, grant that our government and those who protect us might keep justice and do righteousness for Your name’s sake, according to Your will. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, extend your healing and care to those who cry out to You, whether they are beset with grief, sorrow, pain or trouble, including all on our prayer list and those we name in our hearts at this time… For the sake of Christ, be pleased to answer them according to Your will. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, bless all who are about to receive Christ’s body and blood from this altar. Grant that these crumbs from Your table may strengthen us in faith and love, that we may be united with You and our neighbors. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
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, now and forever. 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.
✠ ✠ ✠
SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT
PREFACE (Stand)
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, holy 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 the Lord be with you always.
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 When in the Hour of Deepest Need LSB 615
1 When in the hour of deepest need
We know not where to look for aid;
When days and nights of anxious thought
No help or counsel yet have brought,
2 Then is our comfort this alone
That we may meet before Your throne;
To You, O faithful God, we cry
For rescue in our misery.
3 For You have promised, Lord, to heed
Your children’s cries in time of need
Through Him whose name alone is great,
Our Savior and our advocate.
4 And so we come, O God, today
And all our woes before You lay;
For sorely tried, cast down, we stand,
Perplexed by fears on ev’ry hand.
5 O from our sins, Lord, turn Your face;
Absolve us through Your boundless grace.
Be with us in our anguish still;
Free us at last from ev’ry ill.
6 So we with all our hearts each day
To You our glad thanksgiving pay,
Then walk obedient to Your Word,
And now and ever praise You, Lord.
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 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty LSB 790
1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is your health and salvation!
Let all who hear
Now to His temple draw near,
Joining in glad adoration!
2 Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things is wondrously reigning
And, as on wings of an eagle, uplifting, sustaining.
Have you not seen
All that is needful has been
Sent by His gracious ordaining?
3 Praise to the Lord, who has fearfully, wondrously, made you,
Health has bestowed and, when heedlessly falling, has stayed you.
What need or grief
Ever has failed of relief?
Wings of His mercy did shade you.
4 Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;
Surely His goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew
What the Almighty can do
As with His love He befriends you.
5 Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen
Sound from His people again;
Gladly forever adore Him!
ANNOUNCEMENTS (Be seated)
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE Praise to the Lord By Paul Manz
FLOWERS: Thanking God for our many blessings, the flowers are given this week by the O’Neill family in celebration of their 30th family birthday.
FELLOWSHIP CONTRIBUTORS: Board of Education
Those serving:
Organist: Lois Lehrer
Saturday, August 19, 5:00 p.m.:
Greeter: Steve Janssen
Comm. Assist: Jim Easterly
Reader: Dede Dixon
Sunday, August 20, 10:00 a.m.:
Greeter: Aaron Siebrass
Comm. assist: Dan Buuck
Reader: Dale Rogers
AV Assistants: Hannes Buuck, Andreas Buuck