The Season of Pentecost 2023
—focus on Spiritual Growth (Aug 13)
This Liturgy of Growth is drawn from many sources, edited by Dr DJ Cheek.
Prelude
*** Love, Pray, Gather, Serve ***
Welcome
stand
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: The God of love is with us.
C: The Spirit of his love is in our midst.
P: Jesus, the Son of God, moves among us.
C: We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
P: We are gathered in the name of the Father, the of Son + and the of Holy Spirit, One God.
C: Amen.
P: Come now all who thirst
C: and drink the water of life.
P: Come now all who hunger
C: and be ?illed with good things.
P: Come now all who seek
C: and be warmed by the ?ire of love. (from the Iona Abbey Worship Book)
Blessing of Water (with “Asperges”—rite of sprinkling)
AM: O God, make haste to save us.
C: Make haste to help us, O Lord.
AM: Save us; as you preserved Noah through the Slood waters,
C: Bless us, and keep us, O Lord;
AM: Deliver us, as you saved Moses and the Children of Israel through the waters of the Red Sea;
C: Set us free, Father;
AM: Save us, as you recalled Jonah from the abyss;
C: Redeem us from the cords of Death;
AM: Reach down and lift us up, as you stretched forth your hand to Peter as he sank in the Storm,
C: Rescue us, and increase our faith;
AM: Wash us in the holy waters of victory over sin, Death and the Devil.
C: All who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death.
AM: We were buried with him by baptism into death.
C: As Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too should walk in newness of life, because the powerful Spirit of his resurrection lives in us, too. (Ro6:3-5)
AM: Clothe us in your truth, enfold us in your mantle of light, encircle us with the belt of your love, adorn us with your deeds of compassion and mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
C: Amen (inspired by the Stowe Sacramentary ca. 792, Ireland)
AM: The righteous Slourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
C: They are planted in the house of the LORD; they ?lourish in the courts of our God.
AM: They still bear fruit in old age; they are always full of sap and green,
C: They declare that the LORD is upright; he is our rock, and full of justice. (Psalm 92:12-15)
AM: We worship the Father who created us, the Son + who redeemed us, and the Spirit, who gives us life.
C: Amen. (from Carmina Gadelica, 1992)
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Invitation
P: Come, Lord, enter our darkness with your light; Sill our emptiness with your presence;
C: Come, refresh, restore, renew us.
P: In our sadness, come as joy, In our troubles, come as peace,
C: In our fearfulness, come as hope, In our darkness, come as light,
P: In our frailty, come as strength, In our loneliness come as love,
C: Come, refresh, restore, renew us. (modiSied from Rev David Adam, Lindisfarne)
Prayer of the Day
LP: Through the storms of life, O God, you are with your people in the person of Jesus your Son. Calm our fears and strengthen our faith that we may never doubt his presence among us but proclaim that he is your Son, risen from the dead, living for ever and ever.
C: Amen. sit
Readings
L: The Old Testament reading is from: Genesis 37 Feed our Faith!
L: Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the Slock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him. And Israel said to Joseph, "Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the Slock; and bring word back to me. […] Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to
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kill him. They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams." But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life. Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of [their cousins the] Ishmaelites coming, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, "What proSit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own Slesh." And his brothers agreed. They drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt. …This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Psalm 85:8-13
I will listen to what the Lord | God is saying;
for you speak peace to your faithful people and to those who turn their | hearts to you.
Truly, your salvation is very near to | those who fear you, that your glory may dwell | in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness have | met together; righteousness and peace have | kissed each other. Faithfulness shall spring up | from the earth, and righteousness shall look | down from heaven. The Lord will indeed | grant prosperity, and our land will | yield its increase. Righteousness shall go be- | fore the Lord and shall prepare for | God a pathway.
L: The New Testament reading is from: Romans 10 Feed our Faith!
L: The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justiSied, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
…This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
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The Gospel GOSPEL ACCLIMATION
P: The Gospel reading is from Matthew chapter 14
C: Glory to you, O Lord
P: You show you are my disciples if you bear much fruit. (Jn 15:8)
Immediately [Jesus] made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terriSied, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." …This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Glory to you, O Christ!
stand
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Sermon
AM: Together we declare our faith in God.
C: We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth is named. We believe in God the Son, Savior of the world, who lives in us through faith. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
(from Eph3:14-19)
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The Prayers of the People (stand or sit as you prefer)
AM: ConSident that God receives our joys and concerns, let us offer our prayers for the church, those in need, and all of creation.
A brief silence.
AM: God of our faith, we come in gratitude for the whole church, which is drawn into every corner of life to bring the good news of Jesus Christ and to work for positive change that upholds human dignity. We ask your blessing on Bishop Eaton, Bishop Hazelwood, Pastor Derek, and all others leading us to live in the spirit of the resurrection. Lord, in your mercy,
C:
AM: Almighty God, we see your majesty in your works. We pray for wisdom and intelligence to restore our damaged environment. All creation rejoices when we care for each other and for this precious gift of the Earth. Lord, in your mercy,
C: verse
AM: Sheltering God, we thank you for national and world leaders committed to justice and the well-being of all people. We pray our elected ofSicials will enact measures to reduce gun violence. We pray they will unite to create equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender identiSication. Holy God, we pray for an end to all wars. Lord, in your mercy,
C: verse
AM: God of compassion, you call us to courageous faith as we weather life’s storms. You reach out to comfort us. We pray for your blessing on victims of Sloods, heat waves, and other climate disasters. We pray for our neighbors living in poverty. Grant your peace to our friends Jeanne, John, Kelly, Pat, Carol, Tina, Amanda, Judy, Prudence, Peter, and those we now name out loud or in the silence of our hearts. Pause. We pray for those who have no one to pray for them. Lord, in your mercy,
C: verse
AM: God our strength, we praise you for our First Lutheran congregation, where we gather to encounter you in the Word and the Holy Meal. You grant us peace and send us forth to be a sign to others of your presence. We are grateful for the children in our church. Lord, in your mercy,
C: verse
AM: God of new life, we thank you for the saints who now rest with you, especially John Miller. We are inspired by them as examples of following your call. We pray for your blessing of comfort on those who mourn, especially the Miller family. Lord, in your mercy,
C: verse
P: Into your hands, O God, we commend all for whom we pray, in the name of the one who reconciled all creation to himself, Jesus Christ our Savior.
C: Amen.
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P: Deep peace of the Son of peace to you!
C: And also with you!
We Greet one another with the Peace of Christ
The Children’s collection is donated to a speciNic ministry or mission which will be announced; If you have a gift for the church please place it in the plate in the Narthex, not the kid’s globe.
Holy Eucharist
P: Blessed be God forever. Everything in heaven and on earth is yours: all things come from you.
C: Of your own do we give back to you.
P: The Lord is here.
C: His Spirit ?ills us.
P: Lift up your hearts.
C: We lift them to the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
C: It is right to give him thanks and praise.
P: It is indeed right always and everywhere to give you thanks, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, your only Son, our Lord. This day we give you thanks because your Spirit gives us grace to call you father, to proclaim your gospel to all nations, and to serve you as a royal priesthood. Therefore we join our voices with angels and archangels, and with all those in whom the Spirit dwells, to proclaim the glory of your name, forever praising you and singing:
The Peace
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P: And now, lest we believe that our praise alone fulSills your purpose, we fall silent and remember him who came to live and die as one of us.
We observe a moment of Silence
P: Setting our wisdom, our will, our words aside, emptying our hearts, and bringing nothing in our hands, we yearn for the rest, the healing, the holding, the accepting, the forgiving which Christ alone can offer.
C: If we can touch just the hem of his cloak we shall be whole.
P: The Lord is here in this place.
C: His Spirit is with us, moving among us, and within us.
P: Lift up your hearts.
C: We lift them to the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C: It is right to give thanks and praise.
P: It is right to praise you, Father, Lord of all creation; in your love you made us for yourself. When we turned away you did not reject us, but came to meet us in your Son.
C: You embraced us as your children and welcomed us to sit and eat with you.
P: In Christ you shared our life that we might live in him and he in us.
C: He opened wide his loving arms on the cross and made for us the perfect sacri?ice for our sin.
P: On the night he was betrayed, at supper with his friends he took bread, gave you thanks; broke it and gave it to them, saying: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in memory of me.
C: Father, we receive the Bread of Life.
P: At the end of supper, he took a cup of wine, gave you thanks, and said: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sins; do this in memory of me.
C: Father, we receive this Life-giving Drink.
P: Merciful God, send now, in kindness, your Holy Spirit to settle on this bread and wine and Sill them with the fullness of Jesus. And let that same Spirit rest on us, converting us from the patterns of this passing world, until we conform to the shape of him whose food we now share.
C: Make us one in Christ.
P: We pray with conSidence as Jesus taught us:
C: 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 and ever. Amen.
AM: Christ welcomes us in bread and wine. The gifts of God for the people of God. All are invited, All are welcome, there are no outsiders at this table. Come.
If you have need of gluten free bread please come Nirst to receive
Please form a “circle” on the transition between the two shades of carpet
The wine is offered both for intinction (dipping), or in a common chalice for drinking.
You are welcome to light a candle in the middle window after you have received Communion
