Sunday Divine Service 10-1-2023

stand

The Season of Pentecost 2023

focus on Gratitude (Oct 1-Oct 22)

This Liturgy of Growth is drawn from many sources, edited by Dr DJ Cheek.

Prelude

*** Love, Pray, Gather, Serve ***

Welcome

P: We begin our worship grateful that God has called us by name and made us his sons and daughters.

C: We begin in the Name of Yahweh: Father, Son +, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

P: The Lord be with you.

C: And also with you.

A Thanksgiving Liturgy

P: Eternal and righteous Father, you created the heavens and the earth, and we give you thanks:

C: For breath that fills us with life,

P: for love that softens our hearts,

C: for the beauty all around us.

P: Christ, redeeming and forgiving Son, you are always faithful and merciful to us.

C: We give you thanks, for resurrection power, transforming our lives,

P: For peace calming our souls,

C: For hope that restores our faith.

P: Spirit, sustaining and compassionate, you ever call us to Life in the living God.

C: We give you thanks, for caring when our hearts ache,

P: For consoling us, when we don’t know what to say, or how to pray,

C: for your generosity, lavish and overflowing!

P: God who created the earth and the heavens, we gather together to give you thanks,

C: We are full of gratitude, and we give you thanks…

(especially for…all are invited to speak their thanks)

P: For the universe immense and unknown, for the earth, for humanity bearing your image.

C: Thanks and praise to you, Eternal Father our creator.

P: For entering human history as one of us, for the sacrifice of the cross, for rising anew so we could live.

C: Thanks and praise to you, Christ our redeemer,

P: For your indwelling presence, for your guidance and direction, for drawing us together as one body.

C: Thanks and praise to you, Holy Spirit our sustainer.

P: Through your love we are renewed, through your abiding presence we become one community.

C: Thanks and praise to God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer now and evermore. Amen. Psalm 95:1-7

AM: Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

C: We come into his presence with thanksgiving; we make a joyful noise to him!

AM: For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

C: In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.

AM: The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

C: Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

AM: For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture,

C: We are the sheep of his hand.

The Prayer of Thanksgiving

AM: Let us join our hearts in gratitude on this day for all God has given us. We remember all of those who do not have enough, who are afraid, who are lonely, and who suffer.

C: We wish for the abundance of this world to be shared, for fear to become love, for the lonely to feel welcomed, and for the suffering to know rest and joy.

AM: For the work, the love, the care that gave us the delights of this and every day, we say “Thanks!”

C: For the nourishment of our spirit, the challenges that strengthen us, and the friends we have on the journey, we say“ Thanks!”

AM: For all that is ours, we say, “Thanks!”

C: Amen.

(adapted from Naomi King)

Confession and Absolution

P: Gracious Creator, you have given us so much, but too often we take those gifts for granted.

C: You call us to live in caring community, but too often we place our wants and needs first, with those of others a distant second.

P: You call us to share your gifts with those around us, but we are worried that there may not be enough, and our worrying gets in the way of our sharing.

C: For all the times when we mistreat and misuse your gifts, for all the times we assume that we get what we have by ourselves, forgive us and lead us back to the path of wisdom.

silent prayer

P: God is a gracious giver. God is generous in his forgiveness. He calls us to new life. You are forgiven in the Holy Name of Yahweh, generous and merciful: Father, Son +, and Holy Spirit!

C: Thanks be to God! Amen.

Prayer of the Day

LP: LP: God of our salvation, we falter before the demands of your word and turn away from your call to life. Pour out your mercy on us as you showed mercy to your people of old, that we may turn from our sinfulness and walk the path of self-emptying love made known in Jesus Christ. Amen.

C: Amen sit

Readings

L: The Old Testament reading is from: Malichi 3:10-15

Pray, watch, and be thankful. (Col 4:2)

L: Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts. “Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ You have said, It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’” …This is the Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

Ps 78:1-4, 12-16

Hear my teaching, | O my people; incline your ears to the words | of my mouth. I will open my mouth | in a parable; I will declare the mysteries of | ancient times— that which we have heard and known, and what our fore- | bears have told us, we will not hide | from their children. We will recount to generations to come the praiseworthy deeds and the power | of the LORD, and the wonderful works | God has done. God worked marvels in the sight | of their ancestors, in the land of Egypt, in the | field of Zoan, splitting open the sea and letting | them pass through; making the waters stand | up like walls; leading them with a | cloud by day, and all the night with a | glow of fire; splitting the rocks | in the wilderness and giving them drink as | from the deep; bringing streams out | of a rock, making them flow down | like a river.

L: The New Testament reading is from: Philippians 2:1-13

Pray, watch, and be thankful. (Col 4:2)

L: If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.…This is the Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

P: The Gospel reading is from Matthew 21:23-32

C: Glory to you, O Lord

P: Jesus says: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28) When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

…This is the Gospel of the Lord

C: Glory to you, O Christ! sit

Sermon

AM: We stand to declare our faith in God.

C: We are not alone, we live in God's world. We believe in God: who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit. We trust in God. We are called to be the Church: to celebrate God's presence, to live with respect in Creation, to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope. In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God. Amen.

The Prayers of the People

AM: Remembering the caring and generous works of God, we pray for the church, creation, and the needs of our neighbors.

A brief silence.

AM: God our parent, you are our faith. We put our trust in you as we pray for the church. We pray for the work of ELCA World Hunger in feeding the hungry and connecting them to resources for continued survival. We ask your blessing on Bishop Eaton, Bishop Hazelwood, Pastor Derek, and others leading us to love our neighbors as you have loved us. Lord, in your mercy,

C: Hear our prayer.

AM: Holy God, the heavens tell your glory and the firmament proclaims your handiwork. Grant scientists and leaders the wisdom to repair ecosystems damaged by unwise human practices, causing disasters around the world. Lord, in your mercy,

C: Hear our prayer.

AM: God of justice and peace. Anoint those who govern our country and inspire them to confront problems without hatred and with mutual respect. Protect refugees coming to this country seeking safe lives for their families. We pray for an end to war. Lord, in your mercy,

C: Hear our prayer.

AM: God who hears our prayers, make us persistent as we pray for those in need. We pray for our neighbors on Cape Cod without adequate shelter, food, and medical care, and we pray for the agencies trying to protect them. We pray for comfort for people suffering from natural disasters and acts of war, and we pray for relief workers and peacemakers. Open us to the cries of our friends who need your comfort and help, especially Bob, Paul, Hannah, Nostradamus, Ryan, Al, 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: Hear our prayer.

AM: God our stronghold, we gather in love to know you through the Word and the Holy Meal. As we deliberate today on our stewardship to First Lutheran, we praise you for the blessings you have bestowed on us. We come in gratitude for each other and especially for the children in our congregation. Lord, in your mercy,

C: Hear our prayer.

AM: We give thanks for all the saints who died secure in the knowledge of salvation, especially Ethel. We also thank you for Francis of Assisi, who inspired us with his humility, generosity, and respect for all living creatures. We ask you to comfort those who mourn, especially the Lind family. Lord, in your mercy,

C: Hear our prayer.

P: Remember us according to your steadfast love as we offer these and the prayers of our heart, trusting in your compassion made known through Jesus Christ

C: Amen

stand The Peace

P: The peace of our bountiful God be with you.

C: And also with you. Amen!

We Greet one another with the Peace of Christ

The Children’s collection is donated to a specific 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.

The Holy Eucharist

P: The Lord be with you.

C: And also with you.

P: Lift up your hearts.

C: We lift them to the Lord.

P: Let us give eucharist: thanksgiving, to our God.

C: It is right to give him our thanks and praise.

P: It is our joy to give you thanks and praise, O God, for at creation you filled the Void with light and life, with planets and stars, with seas and mountains, with beasts of field and air and water, with men and women. You called those people to heed your voice, and at times they did, and at times they did not. So in the fullness of time you came to us in the man Jesus, who called women and men to follow him.

C: We follow him this day and lift our voices in praise for all your generous gifts to us. And so with all the saints and angels, we join our voices singing:

First Lutheran Church 1663 Main St W Barnstable, MA 02668 office@firstcapecod.org

Pastor: Rev Dr Derek J Cheek

Music Minister: Eric Williams

Sexton: Chuck Fillian

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P: We give you thanks that our Lord Jesus, on the night before he died, took bread, he blessed it, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Do this in memory of me.

C: Thank you Lord for facing our greatest enemy: Death.

P: In the same way he took the cup, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, remember me.

C: Thank you Lord that because of your death and resurrection we will live forever.

The Lord’s Prayer

P: O God, send your Spirit upon our hearts and on these gifts of bread and wine, transforming them into a sacred meal. Satisfy our hunger and thirst, and send us into the world to bear the burdens of others. We join our hearts in praying 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. Amen.

AM: Remembering all your mighty and merciful acts, we take this bread and this wine, and celebrate with joy the redemption won for us in Jesus Christ. Accept our sacrifice of praise as a holy offering, that our lives may proclaim Jesus Christ.

C: Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory. Amen.

AM: All things are ready, we welcome all who are grateful for God’s many to us to come, and receive yet more blessing from his holy hands.

If you have need of gluten free bread please come first 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

Prayer after Communion

AM: Lord, we give you thanks for all your blessings. We have been filled with this bread and wine, our hearts overflow with gratefulness for your love and mercy.

C: Thank you Lord, Amen.

Benediction

P: Brothers and sisters, rejoice! Comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. (2Co13:11)

C: Amen.

AM: Depart in the Peace of God.

C: Thanks be to God!

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