Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – August 8, 2021 The Order of Worship at 9:00 am As the spread of COVID-19 in our community has slowed, we have gradually offered in person, small group gatherings following the guidelines provided by our COVID-19 Taskforce. We continue to offer communion over Zoom for those who cannot gather in-person. As we open worship to in-person attendance, we will continue to exercise the same care that has protected us through the past year: limiting the number of people, the duration of the service, and providing safe seating. At the same time, we will continue to stream our services live for those who cannot be present. We will use the same bulletin for in-person and remote participants. Please use the links available on the viewing page to let us know that you are worshiping with us, to submit any prayer requests, to let us know if you need help or are available to help a neighbor, and to continue giving financially to support the ongoing ministries of Redeemer. As always, we pray that worship at Redeemer is a blessing for you, even as your participation blesses us, whether we gathering in the name of Christ inperson or online. As you are comfortable, we encourage you to sing the hymns and to sing or speak the congregational portions of the liturgy in bold type. This bulletin contains content protected by copyright and is provided only for you to participate in worship. Please delete or destroy any physical or digital copy of the material following the service.
WELCOME ANNOUNCEMENTS 1
Standing Fully vaccinated congregants in the sanctuary are encouraged to sing while masked. Those who are not fully vaccinated should “sing in spirit” reading the words to our hymns and liturgy as they are sung by the choir/musicians.
HYMN 482
I Come With Joy
CONFESSION 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. 2
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God. Kneeling or seated
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 as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen. 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 you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit. | Amen. Standing
PRAYER OF THE DAY The Lord be with you. | And also with you. Gracious God, your blessed Son came down from heaven to be the true bread that gives life to the world. Give us this bread always, that he may live in us and we in him, and that, strengthened by this food, we may live as his body in the world, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. | Amen Please use the Prayer Request link on the webpage to submit your requests. Seated
CHILDREN’S SERMON Standing
THE GOSPEL 3
John 6:35, 41-51
After feeding more than five thousand people in the wilderness, Jesus teaches them regarding the true significance of this remarkable sign. The Holy Gospel according... | Glory to you, O Lord. Jesus said to [the crowd,] “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Gospel of the Lord. | Praise to You, O Christ. Seated
SERMON
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Pastor Mark H. Larson
Standing
HYMN 485
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I am the Bread of Life
Kneeling or Seated
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION Let us offer our prayers to God, responding to each petition with the words “Sustain your world, we pray.” O God, Bread of life, feed the baptized with your mercy. Uphold the preachers of the church. Bless Sunday sermons, parish education, and new models of ministry, and nourish us with hymns and prayers both classic and recently composed. Receive our prayers, O God | sustain your world, we pray. O God, Manna in the wilderness, protect the countless terrains that you have created. Tame the wild weather that human activity has generated. 6
Grant healthy harvests around the globe, and provide water and shade in each wilderness. Receive our prayers, O God | sustain your world, we pray. O God, you are the Staff of all life, the Corn of life, the Rice of life. Look with favor on each area of the globe, and open our hearts to the wide world you have made. Show us how to feed those who hunger, and bless world agencies of relief. Receive our prayers, O God | sustain your world, we pray. O God, the Sustenance of life, lead our country and all the nations of the world out of divisive controversies and into pathways toward peace. Nurture in our elected leaders the desire for truth. Strengthen our efforts to combat the coronavirus. Guide school administrators as they plan the fall semester. Receive our prayers, O God | sustain your world, we pray. O God, Cup of goodness, heal the sick and comfort those who suffer. Give a home to refugees and housing for those who have been evicted. Fill the emptiness of persons who are lonely or rejected. Empty our reservoir of prejudice. Save those we name here before you. . .. . Receive our prayers, O God | sustain your world, we pray. O God, Feast at the end of time, we praise you for all the faithful departed, especially the preacher Dominic, and those we name here before you. . . . Gather us at the end of time around your heavenly table of grace. Receive our prayers, O God | sustain your world, we pray. To you, O God, Source of life, we commit all for whom we pray, confident in the promise of your saving love through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. 7
Standing
PEACE The peace of Christ be with you always. | And also with you. Please share a sign of blessing with your fellow worshippers while maintaining proper distancing.
Please let us know you worshiped with us today by using the I’m Worshiping link as you would the attendance pad at church. Seated
GATHERING OF GIFTS Please use the Help and Give links to support the ministry of Redeemer. MUSIC by Redeemer Jazz Trio Standing
OFFERING PRAYER Jesus, Bread of life, you have set this table with your very self, and called us to the feast of plenty. Gather what has been sown among us, and strengthen us in this meal. Make us to be what we receive here, your body for the life of the world. 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.
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SENDING God blesses us and sends us in mission to the world. BLESSING The blessing of God, who provides for us, feeds us, and journeys with us, ☩ be upon you now and forever. | Amen. HYMN 535
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Hallelujah, We Sing Your Praises
SENDING Go in peace. You are the body of Christ. Thanks be to God. POSTLUDE by Redeemer Jazz Trio Following the postlude join us for communion via Zoom. Link NEXT WEEK AT REDEEMER Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost As we welcome back worshippers to the sanctuary, we need ushers and greeters to help with our homecoming. If you are willing to join the team, please contact rdurdin@redeemer.org
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THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER 731 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30308 www.redeemer.org | 404.874.8664 | Emergency Line: 404.874.9759 The Rev. Mark H. Larson ...................................................................... Senior Pastor, ext. 201 The Rev. Ronald Bonner ................................... Pastor for Community Engagement, ext. 203 The Rev. Jonathan Trapp ................................................. Pastor for Faith Formation, ext. 233 The Rev. Jenny McLellan......................................... Pastor for Congregational Care, ext. 224 STAFF Bob Boyd ........................................................... Director of Operations and Finance, ext. 232 Seth Brown................................................................... Facilities and Media Director, ext. 218 Robin Durdin ............................................................ Office Administration Director, ext. 204 Kate Elkins .................................................................................... Preschool Director, ext. 252 David Hansen ........................................................................... Adult Choral Director, ext. 236 Sarah Hawbecker .......................................... Organist & Children’s Music Director, ext. 206 Deacon Mary Houck .....................................Children & Family Ministries Director, ext. 227 Jennifer Isaacson ........................................................Financial Information Director, ext. 237 Hillary Nelson ............................................................ Youth Director, hnelson@redeemer.org Tawanda Searcy ................................................ Receptionist and Wedding Director, ext. 200 Stacey Williams .............................................................................................. Head of Security
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