Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Sunday, September 4, 2022
GATHERING
The holy spirit calls us together as people of God.
PRELUDE
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
In the name of the Father,
and of the ☩ Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Gracious God, have mercy on us. We confess that we have turned from you and given ourselves into the power of sin. We are truly sorry and humbly repent. In your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things we have done and things we have failed to do. Turn us again to you, and uphold us by your Spirit, so that we may live and serve you in newness of life through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. In the name of ☩ Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts through faith. Amen.
GATHERING SONG O God, My Faithful God (ELW 806)
1 O God, my faithful God, true fountain ever flowing, without whom nothing is, all perfect gifts bestowing: give me a healthy frame, and may I have within a conscience free from blame, a soul unstained by sin.
2 Give me the strength to do with ready heart and willing whatever you command, my calling here fulfilling– to do it when I ought, with all my might–and bless whatever I have wrought, for you must give success.
3 Keep me from saying words that later need recalling; guard me, lest idle speech may from my lips be falling; but when, within my place, I must and ought to speak, then to my words give grace, lest I offend the weak.
4 When dangers gather round, oh, keep me calm and fearless; help me to bear the cross when life seems dark and cheerless; help me, as you have taught, to love both great and small, and, by your Spirit’s might, to live at peace with all.
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 Kyrie (Ghana)
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray. Direct us, O Lord God, in all our doings with your continual help, that in all our works, begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy name; and finally, by your mercy, bring us to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
WORD
God speaks to us in scripture, preaching, and song.
CHILDREN’S TIME
First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:15-20
A reading from Deuteronomy.
Moses speaks to the Israelites, who are about to enter the land promised to their ancestors. In this passage, he lays out the stark choice before them: choose life by loving and obeying the LORD; or choose death by following other gods.
15See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. 17But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, 18I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.
Psalm:
1Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats | of the scornful!
2Their delight is in the law of the LORD, and they meditate on God’s teaching day and night. R
3They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; everything they do shall prosper.
4It is not so with the wicked; they are like chaff which the wind blows away.
5Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.
6For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall be destroyed. R
Second Reading: Philemon 1-21
A reading from Philemon.
While Paul was in prison, he was aided by Onesimus, a man who had run away from Philemon, a slaveowner and a Christian friend of Paul. Paul told Onesimus to return to Philemon and encouraged Philemon to receive Onesimus back as a Christian brother.
1Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, 2to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God 5because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. 6I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. 7I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother. 8For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, 9yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. 10I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. 11Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. 12I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; 14but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. 15Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, 16no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self.
20Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. 21Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Gospel: Luke 14:25-33
The holy gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus speaks frankly about the costs of discipleship. Those who follow him should know from the outset that completing the course of discipleship will finally mean renouncing all other allegiances.
25Now large crowds were traveling with [Jesus;] and he turned and said to them, 26“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. 27Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 29Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, 30saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON Pastor Wendolyn Trozzo
HYMN OF THE DAY Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song (ELW 808)
Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song Jesus, je voudrais te chanter ENGLISH 1 Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey; I’ll tell ev’rybody about you wherever I go: you alone are our life and our peace and our love. Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey.
2 Lord Jesus, I’ll praise you as long as I journey. May all of my joy be a faithful reflection of you. May the earth and the sea and the sky join my song. Lord Jesus, I’ll praise you as long as I journey.
3 As long as I live, Jesus, make me your servant, to carry your cross and to share all your burdens and tears. For you saved me by giving your body and blood. As long as I live, Jesus, make me your servant.
4 I fear in the dark and the doubt of my journey; but courage will come with the sound of your steps by my side. And with all of the family you saved by your love, we’ll sing to your dawn at the end of our journey.
APOSTLES CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the dead.*
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Response after each prayer: hear our prayer.
PEACE
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
MEAL
God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ.
OFFERING
OFFERING PRAYER
Let us pray. God of all creation, all you have made is good, and your love endures forever. You bring forth bread from the earth and fruit from the vine. Nourish us with these gifts, that we might be for the world signs of your gracious presence in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
GREAT THANKSGIVING
DIALOGUE
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 our thanks and praise.
PREFACE
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God,
through our Savior Jesus Christ.
You call your people to cleanse their hearts
and prepare with joy for the paschal feast,
that, renewed in the gift of baptism,
we may come to the fullness of your grace.
And so, with all the choirs of angels,
with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven,
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
THANKSGIVING AT THE TABLE
Holy God,
you alone are holy,
you alone are God.
The universe declares your praise:
beyond the stars;
beneath the sea;
within each cell;
with every breath.
We praise you, O God.
We give you thanks for your dear Son:
at the heart of human life;
near to those who suffer;
beside the sinner;
among the poor;
with us now.
We thank you, O God.
In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread,
and gave thanks; broke it,
and gave it to his disciples,
saying: Take and eat;
this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper,
he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink,
saying: This cup
is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people
for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
We pray for the gift of your Spirit:
in our gathering;
within this meal;
among your people;
throughout the world. Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
Come to the banquet, for all is now ready.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Let us pray. O God, our life, our strength, our food, we give you thanks for sustaining us with the body and blood of your Son. By your Holy Spirit, enliven us to be his body in the world, that more and more we will give you praise and serve your earth and its many peoples, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
SENDING
God blesses us and sends us in mission to the world.
BLESSING
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord’s face shine on you with grace and mercy.
The Lord look upon you with favor and ☩ give you peace.
Amen.
SENDING SONG Lift High the Cross (ELW 660)
Refrain Lift high cross, the love of Christ proclaim till all the world adore his sacred name.
1 Come, Christians, follow where our captain trod, our king victorious, Christ, the Son of God. Refrain
2 All newborn servants of the Crucified bear on their brows the seal of him who died. Refrain
3 O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree, as thou hast promised, draw us all to thee. Refrain
4 So shall our song of triumph ever be: praise to the Crucified for victory! Refrain
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Share the good news. Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE