Preservice Music
Welcome to Worship & Prayer Concerns
Flowers on Oct. 4
Praise Song: “Seek Ye First” (2x)
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Allelu, alleluia.
Confession & Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, who creates, redeems, and sustains us and all of creation.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another. (Silence is kept for reflection.)
Faithful God, have mercy on us.
We confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We turn from your loving embrace and go our own ways. We pass judgment on one another before examining ourselves. We place our own needs before those of our neighbors. We keep your gift of salvation to ourselves. Make us humble, cast away our transgressions, and turn us again to life in you through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
God hears the cries of all who call out in need, and through his death and resurrection, Christ has made us his own. Hear the truth that God proclaims: Your sins are forgiven in the name of Jesus Christ. Led by the Holy Spirit, live in freedom and newness to do God’s work in the world. Amen.
Greeting
Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
ALL: And also with you.
Hymn: “All People that on Earth do Dwell” ELW# 883
1. All people that on earth do dwell, sing to the Lord with cheerful voice; him serve with mirth, his praise forth tell; come ye before him and rejoice.
2. Know that the Lord is God indeed; without our aid he did us make. We are his folk, he doth us feed, and for his sheep he doth us take.
3. Oh, enter then his gates with praise; approach with joy his courts unto; praise, laud, and bless his name always, for it is seemly so to do.
4. For why? The Lord our God is good. His mercy is forever sure; his truth at all times firmly stood, and shall from age to age endure.
5. To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the God whom heaven and earth adore, from us and from the angel host be praise and glory ever more.
Prayer of the Day
Let us pray: Beloved God, from you come all things that are good. Lead us by the inspiration of your Spirit to know those things that are right, and by your merciful guidance, help us to do them, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
*We Hear from God’s Word*
First Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7
The prophet sings a sad, parable-like love song about the relationship between God and Israel. In this song Israel is compared to a promising vineyard. Despite God’s loving care, the vineyard that is Israel has brought forth “wild grapes” of injustice and distress, when fine grapes of justice and righteousness were expected.
1Let me sing for my beloved
my love-song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
2He dug it and cleared it of stones,
and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
and hewed out a wine vat in it;
he expected it to yield grapes,
but it yielded wild grapes.
3And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
and people of Judah,
judge between me
and my vineyard.
4What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes?
5And now I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
and it shall be trampled down.
6I will make it a waste;
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
I will also command the clouds
that they rain no rain upon it.
7For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah
are his pleasant planting;
he expected justice,
but saw bloodshed;
righteousness,
but heard a cry!
Word of God! Word of Life! ALL: Thanks be to God!
Second Reading: Philippians 3:4b-14
Paul reviews some of his supposed credentials, which no longer have any bearing in comparison to the right relationship he has been given through the death of Christ. The power of Christ’s resurrection motivates him to press on toward the ultimate goal, eternal life with Christ.
[Paul writes:] 4bIf anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
7Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
12Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
Word of God! Word of Life!
ALL: Thanks be to God
Praise Song: “Halle, Halle, Hallelujah” ELW# 172
Halle, halle, hallelujah, Halle, halle, hallelujah,
Halle, halle, hallelujah, Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
The Holy Gospel Matthew Matthew 21:33-46
Jesus tells a parable to the religious leaders who are plotting his death, revealing that their plans will, ironically, bring about the fulfillment of scripture.
L: The Holy Gospel of Matthew chapter 21 and I read in Jesus name. All: Glory to you, O Lord (Reading of the Text)
[Jesus said to the people:] 33“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. 35But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ 39So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.” 42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? 43Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. 44The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” 45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.
The Gospel of the Lord. ALL: Praise to you O Christ!
Children’s Message: “Jesus Loves the Little Children”
Sermon
HYMN: “Go, My Children, with My Blessing” ELW# 543
1. Go, my children, with my blessing, never alone. Waking, sleeping, I am with you, you are my own. In my love’s baptismal river I have made you mine forever. Go, my children, with my blessing, you are my own.
2. Go, my children, sins forgiven, at peace and pure. Here you learned how much I love you, what I can cure. Here you heard my dear Son’s story, here you touched him, saw his glory. Go, my children, sins forgiven, at peace and pure.
3. Go, my children, fed and nourished, closer to me. Grow in love and love by serving, joyful and free. Here my Spirit’s power filled you, here my tender comfort stilled you. Go, my children, fed and nourished, joyful and free.
Statement of Faith: Apostles’ Creed ELW page 105
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 the People
With confidence in God’s grace and mercy, let us pray for the church, the world, and all those in need.
A brief silence.
Holy God, you call us to work for peace and justice in your vineyard. Refresh the church with your life, that we may bear fruit through work and service. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Thank you for the abundant harvest of the earth. Bless and care for those whose hands bring the fruits of the earth to the tables of all who hunger. May we be inspired by your servants who cared deeply for your creation. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Curb the impulses of greed and pride that lead us to take advantage of others. Grant that world leaders (especially) seek the fruits of the kingdom for the good and welfare of all people. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Sustain all who suffer with the promise of new life. Assured of your presence, heal our pain and suffering, and equip us to embrace all bodies aching for wholeness of mind, body, and soul. We call to mind those who are struggling today (especially). Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for all managers in our community and for all who seek employment. Give hope and a future to those who lack meaningful work, those who have been marginalized or abused in the workplace, and those who desire new opportunities. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
Thank you for the saints who teach us to live faithfully in your vineyard. May our chorus join theirs until our labor is complete. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Listen as we call on you, O God, and enfold in your loving arms all for whom we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Share an expression of the Peace of the Risen Lord!
*We Give Our Tithes and Offering*
Offering & Special Music & Announcements
Prayer of Blessing
Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things. You have set before us these gifts of your good creation. Prepare us for your heavenly banquet, nourish us with this rich food and drink, and send us forth to set tables in the midst of a suffering world, through the bread of life, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
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
Hymn Rise Up, O Saints of God ELW # 669
1. Rise up, O saints of God! From vain ambitions turn; Christ rose triumphant that your hearts with nobler zeal might burn.
2. Speak out, O saints of God! Despair engulfs earth’s frame; as heirs of God’s baptismal grace, the word of hope proclaim.
3. Rise up, O saints of God! The kingdom’s task embrace; redress sin’s cruel consequence; give justice larger place.
4. Give heed, O saints of God! Creation cries in pain; stretch forth your hand of healing now, with love the weak sustain.
5. Commit your hearts to seek the paths which Christ has trod; and, quickened by the Spirit’s power, rise up, O saints of God!
BENEDICTION Leader: Go in peace. ALL: Remember the poor!
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