October 18th, 20th Sunday After Pentecost

PRELUDE 
O God of Every Nation (ELW 713)

Gathering 
The Holy Spirit calls us together as people of God. 

WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS 
For safety reasons, we ask that the congregation follow along with all spoken and sung responses silently.
The Assisting Minister and the Cantor will respond for the congregation to all spoken and sung responses.

CONFESSION 
Let us confess our sin. 
Silence for self-reflection 

Most merciful God, We confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. 
We have sinned against you in thought word and deed, 
By what we have done and by what we have left undone. 
We have not loved you with our whole heart; 
We have not loved our neighbors or families or friends as ourselves. 
For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, Have mercy on us. 
Forgive us, renew us, and lead us. Free us from the urge to speak with 
haste, offending those we fail to fully understand. Let our words always 
honor your wondrous love so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, 
to the glory of your holy name. Amen 

ABSOLUTION 
In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us; and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority I therefore declare to each of you the entire forgiveness of all your sins; In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen 

GREETING 
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 
And also with you. 

KYRIE 
Lord, Have Mercy. Christ, Have Mercy. Lord, Have Mercy. 

PRAYER OF THE DAY 
The presiding minister leads the prayer of the day. 
Let us pray,… 

Word 
God speaks to us in scripture, preaching and song. 

CHILDREN’S TIME

FIRST READING Isaiah 45:1-7
Response after the conclusion: Thanks be to God. 

1Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him— and the gates shall not be closed: 2I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, 3I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. 4For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me. 5I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no god. I arm you, though you do not know me, 6so that they may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is no one besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.

PSALM  Psalm 96:1-9
1Sing to the Lord| a new song; sing to the Lord, | all the earth. 2Sing to the Lord, bless the name | of the Lord; proclaim God’s salvation from | day to day.1Sing to the Lord| a new song; sing to the Lord, | all the earth. 2Sing to the Lord, bless the name | of the Lord; proclaim God’s salvation from | day to day. 3Declare God’s glory a- | mong the nations and God’s wonders a- | mong all peoples. 4For great is the Lord and greatly | to be praised, more to be feared | than all gods. R 5As for all the gods of the nations, they | are but idols; but you, O Lord, have | made the heavens. 6Majesty and magnificence are | in your presence; power and splendor are in your | sanctuary. 7Ascribe to the Lord, you families | of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord hon- | or and power. 8Ascribe to the Lord the honor due the | holy name; bring offerings and enter the courts | of the Lord. R 9Worship the Lord in the beau- | ty of holiness; tremble before the Lord, | all the earth.

SECOND READING  1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 
Response after the conclusion: Thanks be to God. 

1Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. 2We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. 6And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, 7so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION 
GOSPEL  Matthew 22:15-22
Response after the announcement: Glory to you, O Lord. 
Response after the conclusion: Praise to you, O Christ. 

15Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap [Jesus] in what he said. 16So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” 18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 21They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

SERMON PASTOR ERIC

HYMN OF THE DAY 
We Raise Our Hands to You, O Lord (ELW 690) 

INSTALLATION OF COUNCIL MEMBERS & OFFICERS

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION 
Each portion of the prayers ends with these or similar words: 
Lord in your mercy…Hear our prayer. 

PEACE
The presiding minister and the assembly greet each other in the peace of the risen Christ.

The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.

The people may greet one another using their cell phones texting “Peace be with you” or similar words. The assembly is then seated.

THE LORD’S PRAYER 
Together as Jesus taught us using the more familiar words 

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.

Sending 
God blesses us and sends us into the world to serve our neighbor. 

BLESSING 
Live your lives in Christ, rooted and built up in him, and abound in thanksgiving; and the blessing of the Holy Trinity + one God, be upon you and remain with you forever. Amen. 

DISMISSAL 
Go in peace. Christ is with you. Thanks be to God. Alleluia. 

POSTLUDE
God of Grace and God of Glory (ELW 705) arr. P. Manz

What’s Happening! 

Worship Assistants 

  • Pastor: The Reverend Dr. Eric J. Trozzo 
  • Assisting Minister: Wayne Becker
  • Cantor: David D. Harp
  • Soloist: Denise Cole 
  • Greeter:  John O’Meara
  • Usher:  Gary Duda

Zoom Events 
For more info, please refer to October Messenger 

  • Sunday, Oct. 18 9:30AM Live Streaming Worship Followed by Coffee Hour
  • Sunday, Oct. 18 11:15AM  Virtual Sunday School with Cross Roads 
  • Sunday, Oct. 18 5PM  Outdoor Holy Communion