THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Welcome to Grace!
Our mission at Grace is to teach the inspired and inerrant Word of God, to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the crucified and risen Savior of the world, and to nurture believers for lives of Christian service.
Check out the GRACE WEBSITE at GraceLutheranSAZ.org
WORSHIP NOTES
We are very pleased that you have joined us for worship today! We pray that this time will be a blessing for you as God comes to you with his Word and promises, and as you offer him your thanks and praise.
The worship service is printed in this worship folder for you to follow along and participate. You’ll notice that the service is a dialogue between God and us, his people. The pastor speaks to God along with the congregation and also speaks the Word of God to the people. Those wishing to leave an offering can do so at the exit today or give online at www.GraceLutheranSAZ.org/give. (You can also scan the QR code to the right to access the online giving page.)
Today we are using elements from the Christian Worship hymnal. If you would like to worship from a hymnal today, you will find these blue worship books in the hymnal racks in each row; however, you do not need to use a hymnal if you so choose, as everything needed for worship is printed in this worship folder.
OUR WORSHIP SERIES THE HOLY MINISTRY
“Ministry” simply means “service.” Throughout history, God has called individuals to serve God’s people by sharing God’s Word. Many today feel they do not need to be part of a church, do not need Christian preaching and teaching. “I can be a believer without any of that.” Well, if that is true, then why does Jesus bother to keep calling ministers to share his gospel: pastors, teachers, missionaries, etc.? Clearly, Jesus himself believes ministry is necessary. He knows what we need better than we do.
We call it “holy ministry” because the Holy Spirit does his work through his ministers. As ministers proclaim God’s Word, the Spirit unleashes his power. We also call it “holy ministry” because through gospel ministry our faith is sustained, which is what makes us holy in God’s eyes. Our worship for the next three weeks follows this path:
The Holy Ministry Is Filled with Sinners Called by God
The Holy Ministry Demonstrates Compassion for God’s People
The Holy Ministry Preaches Christ Despite Persecution
OUR THEME FOR TODAY—THE HOLY MINISTRY IS FILLED WITH SINNERS CALLED BY GOD
They never forgot their past. Moses never forgot how, in a fit of anger, he killed a man. Paul never forgot how he had savaged the Church of God, overseeing the persecution and execution of Christians around Jerusalem. Matthew never forgot how, as a tax collector for the Roman Empire, he was disdained as a swindler and traitor to his people. These men never forgot their past.
But God did. God forgave them all their sins and called them into gospel ministry. The holy ministry is not filled with perfect people. The holy ministry is filled with sinners whom God has called out of his boundless mercy. The holy ministry is God’s gift to the Church. But it is also God’s gift to ministers, who certainly do not deserve the privilege of being God’s public servants. God calls sinful and weak individuals into the ministry, so that as his kingdom advances, we give credit where credit is due to the Holy Spirit.
OPENING HYMN
By Grace I’m Saved Christian Worship 575
Please stand
INVOCATION
Minister: In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.
Congregation: Amen.
SPOKEN RESPONSES
Hasten to save me, O God.
O Lord, come quickly to help me.
Psalm 148:1
Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above.
Psalm 149:1
Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.
Psalm 150:1
Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
Psalm 28:9
Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance. Govern and uphold them now and always. Day by day we bless you. We praise your name forever.
Keep us today, Lord, from all sin. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
Lord, show us your love and mercy, for we have put our trust in you.
In you, Lord, is our hope: let us never be put to shame.
CONFESSION OF SINS
What is confession?
Confession has two parts. The one is that we confess our sins; the other, that we receive absolution or forgiveness from the pastor as from God himself, not doubting but firmly believing that our sins are thus forgiven before God in heaven.
What sins should we confess?
Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even those we are not aware of, as we do in the Lord’s Prayer. But before the pastor we should confess only those sins which we know and feel in our hearts.
People of God, let us consider our sinfulness:
How can we recognize these sins?
Consider your place in life according to the Ten Commandments. Are you a father, mother, son, daughter, employer, or employee? Have you been disobedient,
unfaithful, or lazy? Have you hurt anyone by word or deed? Have you been dishonest, careless, wasteful, or done other wrong?
Silence for meditation
Let us confess our sins to God and ask for his forgiveness.
Almighty God, merciful Father, I confess to you that I have not loved you with all my heart. In what I have done and left undone, I have pursued my ways instead of your ways. I have not loved others as you command. For this I deserve your punishment now and forever. I am sorry for my sins. I repent of them. I beg for your mercy.
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. How will the pastor assure a penitent sinner of forgiveness?
He will say, “By the authority of Christ, I forgive you your sins in the name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Amen.
In the peace of forgiveness, let us praise the Lord:
HYMN RESPONSE By Grace I’m Saved Christian Worship 575
Christ gave the authority to forgive the sins of penitent sinners to his Church: “Whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven.”
John 20:23Moses asked a good question: “Who am I...that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Answer: the one the L himself had chosen for that holy ministry.
+ THE WORD +
PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Let us pray.
Almighty and merciful God, you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, to seek and to save the lost. Graciously open our ears and our hearts to hear his call and follow him by faith that we may feast with him forever in his kingdom; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Please be seated
FIRST READING
This reading continues on the next page.
Exodus 3:1-15
1 Now Moses was shepherding the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, a priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 The Angel of the L appeared to him in blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire, but the bush was not burning up. 3 So he said, “I will go over and look at this amazing sight to find out why the bush is not burning up.”
4 When the L saw that Moses had gone over to take a look, God called to him from the middle of the bush and said, “Moses! Moses!”
Moses said, “I am here.”
5 The L said, “Do not come any closer. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He then said, “I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The L said, “I have certainly seen the misery of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their cry for help because of their slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8 So I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 Now indeed, the Israelites’ cry for help has come to me. Yes, I have seen how the Egyptians are oppressing them.
10 Come now, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 So he said, “I will certainly be with you. This will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.”
13 But Moses said to God, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what should I say to them?”
14 So God replied to Moses, “I I .” He also said, “You will say this to the Israelites: I has sent me to you.”
15 God also told Moses, “Say this to the Israelites: ‘The L , the God of your fathers the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered from generation to generation.’”
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. HYMM
To demonstrate mercy and patience, God called Paul, the selfidentified “worst of sinners,” into the holy ministry.
12 I give thanks to the one who empowered me, namely, Christ Jesus our Lord, that he treated me as trustworthy, appointing me into his ministry. 13 He did this even though formerly I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. But I was shown mercy, because I acted ignorantly in unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord overflowed on me along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 This saying is trustworthy and worthy of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” of whom I am the worst. 16 But I was shown mercy for this reason: that in me, the worst sinner, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his unlimited patience as an example for those who are going to believe in him, resulting in eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, to the immortal, invisible, only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
The
Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Please stand
Jews considered tax collectors to be among the worst of sinners. To demonstrate grace, Jesus called one of them to be his disciple.
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s booth. He said to him, “Follow me.” Matthew got up and followed him.
10 As Jesus was reclining at the table in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were actually there too, eating with Jesus and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “The healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ In fact, I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The
Gospel of the Lord.
Praise be to you, O Christ.
Please be seated
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE & GREETING
While the children are coming forward please greet your neighbor and fill out the Friendship Register located in the red folder in your row and pass it along. Thank you!
LORD’S PRAYER
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. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY Chief of Sinners Though I Be Christian Worship 578
Matthew 6 and Luke 11 record how Jesus taught his disciples to pray. We use his example prayer as part of our public worship, trusting that he will hear and answer our prayers. During the singing of this hymn, children ages 1-8 are excused to attend Children’s Church in the CLC Building. Parents can pick up their children there following the service.
The Apostles’ Creed developed in the Early Christian Church as a personal confession of faith. It is so named because it confesses the faith taught by the Apostles of Jesus.
CONFESSION OF FAITH Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
I believe 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 is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there 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.
Please stand
Brief intercessory prayers may be added in a fitting place.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Almighty God and Father, we thank you for all your mercies, especially for the gift of your Son, through whom you have revealed your gracious will. We praise you for the Holy Spirit and his working through the means of grace.
Plant your Word in our hearts, and cause it to produce fruit in our lives.
Strengthen and defend your Church, that by your Word and sacraments faith may grow and love toward all may increase.
Support all who spread the light of your truth throughout the world.
Keep our children in the grace of their baptisms. Enable their parents to train them in lives of faith.
Raise up Christians to serve you in the ministry of the Word and in all godly walks of life.
Preserve our nation in justice and honor. Guide and bless all who make, administer, and judge our laws.
Give them wisdom that they may promote justice and hinder evil.
Let your blessing rest on planting and harvest, commerce and industry, medicine and science, the arts and culture. Protect all who travel, and care for those whose work is difficult or dangerous.
Be with all who devote themselves to any useful task.
Comfort all who are in sorrow or need, sickness or adversity. Remember those who suffer persecution for the faith. Have mercy on those for whom death draws near.
Grant them your love, and take them into your tender care.
Hear us, Lord, as we pray in silence.
Silent prayer
We remember with thanksgiving those who have loved and served you, who now rest from their labors. Console those who are mourning or living with sadness. Keep us in the true faith, and bring us at last to the joys of heaven.
Grant us these things, Father, for the sake of Jesus, who died and rose again. Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER
Blessed Lord, you have given us your Holy Scriptures for our learning. May we so hear them, read, learn, and take them to heart that, being strengthened and comforted by your holy Word, we may cling to the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Psalm 67:1
Psalm 67:7
BLESSING
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us.
May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
Please be seated ANNOUNCEMENTS CLOSING
Friendship Register
We would like to have a record of both members and guests who are worshiping with us. Please sign the red Friendship Register book located along the center aisle in the hymnal rack.
Children’s Church
Children ages 1-8 will be dismissed from our worship service today during the hymn before the sermon to attend Children’s Church. Parents, following worship, please pick your child up from the gymnasium in the CLC building.
Sunday Morning Bible Study
We are currently studying “Pray, Praise, and Give Thanks.” It is a study on selected Psalms like 1, 23, 46, etc. It will help us appreciate the Old Testament “hymnal” for its words of teaching, comfort, praise and thanksgiving. Now would be an excellent time to make this study a part of your Sunday routine! Class is held at 9:00 AM in the CLC gymnasium.
Midweek Bible Study: Wednesday
The Bible Project: The 66 books of the Bible are a collection of history, poetry, prophecy and insights into the eternal history of God and his people. The focus of the entire Bible is God’s plan of salvation. However because of the sheer volume of the Bible, many people get bogged down trying to read it and understand it. This Bible Project is a study that quickly summarizes each book and give the student a quick overview of the Bible. Please join us on Wednesdays at 10:00 AM in the Church Entryway.
Church History Bible Study at Grace-Tucson
The midweek Church History Bible study will NOT be meeting this Wednesday, June 14, or next Wednesday, June 21. We will resume our study of the church during the American Revolution on June 28. We study together in the Grace-Tucson Fellowship Hall at 10:00 AM and repeat the same material at 7:00 PM. We look forward to having you join us for whichever time fits your schedule best!
Women’s Bible Study: Thursday at Grace-Tucson
“There are things I’ll never be able to forgive.” “With so many interpretations and denominations, who can say who is right?” “I’ll let my kids decide for themselves.” “Whatever happened to tolerance?” “Religion is a crutch for the weak.” We hear these kinds of things and may even wonder about them ourselves. These and more are addressed in Pastor Mark Paustian’s book, “Prepared to Answer.” The book is provided at no cost for everyone in the class, and each question is handled in just a handful of pages, so it is easy to jump into the study at any time, even if you can’t make it each week. Invite a friend and join Pastor Koehler for this study which is helpful for us and for those we have discussions with about such things. This class meets on Thursdays at 9:00 AM in the Grace-Tucson Fellowship Hall.
Ladies’ Fellowship Group: Thursday
The Ladies’ Fellowship Group will meet at Grace-Tucson THIS Thursday, June 15, at 10:15 AM following the Women’s Bible class. They will meet in the Fellowship Hall to watch a movie and enjoy lunch and ice cream sundaes. Please bring a sack lunch and your favorite ice cream topping. If you have any questions, please contact Lois Thornton at (520)323-8772 or vthornto2@gmail.com. Ladies from all Grace sites are welcome to join in the fun!
“Happiest Place on Earth” Summer Fun Night: Friday
Join us for a Summer Fun Night that is sure to be a great time! Our Disney-themed “Happiest Place on Earth” is coming up THIS Friday, June 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM in the Grace-Tucson Fellowship Hall. We’ll play Disney-themed games including Disney trivia (review your movies and songs!) and some outdoor games. If possible, please wear your favorite Disney attire! Snacks and drinks will be provided.
Additional Summer Fun Nights will be held on July 7 & 21 and August 4. If you would like to invite friends to join you for these fun events, informational postcards for you to use can be found in the church entryway.
Holy Communion
Due to the large number of guests expected to attend worship next Sunday, June 18, for our Father’s Day event, we will not be celebrating Holy Communion as we normally would. The next opportunity for Holy Communion will be Sunday, July 2.
Sahuarita Father’s Day BBQ: June 18
Fathers of Grace Lutheran Church and the Child Learning Center are invited to a Father’s Day celebration NEXT Sunday, June 18! Please join us for worship at 10:00 AM and enjoy a BBQ following worship at 11:30 AM. We will be honoring dads with a variety of smoked, grilled, and bbq’d meats as well as sides, paired with flights of beer and/or bourbon. There will also be few fun activities for dads to do with their children after lunch. Please sign up in the entryway to participate and/or help out.
Back to Jerusalem Vacation Bible School: June 19-23
Travel back in time with us as we go Back to Jerusalem at Vacation Bible
School!
We will turn back the clock in Jerusalem and Jericho, at Golgotha, on a Lonely Road, and in Athens and discover the Bible’s truths through songs, games, crafts, snacks, and lessons. Time travelers entering preschool through grade 5 are invited to attend from 9:00 to 11:30 AM from June 19 to 23 at Grace-Tucson. Visit GraceLutheranSAZ.org/VBS for more information and registration.
Vail Food Drive
Our members at Grace-Vail are organizing a food drive for the Vail Food Bank during the month of June. The Vail Food Bank donations tend to slow down during the summer months and this can lead to shortages, especially with kids who normally receive meals at school being home for the summer. We are hoping to provide some relief from this shortage. Specific items needed include: peanut butter, cereal, rice & pasta, and canned items - meats (tuna, salmon, chicken etc.), beans, tomato sauce or diced tomatoes, soup, fruit, and vegetables. Please check the expiration dates on your donations! Expired food will not be accepted. A donation box is available in the church entryway. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!
This schedule is subject to change. Please watch your email for the most up-to-date information or call the Grace Central Office at (520)623-6633 if you have questions.
This Week at Grace June 11 – June 18
Stay Up to Date
The fastest and easiest way to keep Grace members and friends informed about what is happening at our four sites is through our weekly email update. This email is sent every Friday and at other times when special announcements are necessary. If you have not been receiving this email, but would like to, please email the Grace Central Office at office@gracelutheransaz.org and request to be added to our email list.
