13th Sunday After Pentecost CALL TO WORSHIP Isaiah 51:1, Psalm 138:1-2 P: Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. C: We give thanks to God with our whole heart. We give thanks for God’s steadfast love and faithfulness! CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS P: Confident in God’s ever-gracious, never-failing help, we come before the Lord, confessing our sin and seeking forgiveness. Silence is kept for reflection P: Forgiving God, C: we confess that we are conformed to this world. We conform to this world’s frantic pace, too hectic to notice all the blessings you provide. We conform to this world’s reckless waste, exploiting what you entrust to our care. We conform to this world’s shallow values, oblivious to the giftedness of people different from us. We conform to this world’s impatient attitudes, preferring the latest instead of the lasting. Forgive our conformity and transform us, O God. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. P: Hear the Good News: The steadfast love of the Lord never ends. In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven + and now live, confident, in God’s grace. C: Amen. HYMN “Christ is Made the Sure Foundation” singing starts at :45 LYRICS 1 Christ is made the sure foundation, Christ, our head and cornerstone, chosen of the Lord and precious, binding all the church in one; holy Zion’s help forever and our confidence alone. 2 To this temple, where we call you, come, O Lord of hosts, and stay; come with all your lovingkindness, hear your people as they pray; and your fullest benediction shed within these walls today. 3 Grant, we pray, to all your faithful all the gifts they ask to gain; what they gain from you, forever with the blessed to retain; and hereafter in your glory evermore with you to reign. 4 Praise and honor to the Father, praise and honor to the Son, praise and honor to the Spirit, ever three and ever one: one in might and one in glory while unending ages run! PRAYER OF THE DAY P: We thank you for forming us into the church, the body of Christ in the world. Help us to live as he taught us: loving you, loving our neighbor, living unified in Christ, using our varied gifts and skills in the service of ministry, until all things are transformed into what is good and acceptable and perfect. In Christ’s name, we ask it. C: Amen. READINGS Hebrew Bible Reading: Isaiah 51:1-6 God speaks words of comfort to those in exile. What looks like “waste places” or a barren future will spring forth growth. 1Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. 2Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many. 3For the Lord will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. 4Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples. 5I will bring near my deliverance swiftly, my salvation has gone out and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope. 6Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended. Epistle Reading: Romans 12:1-8 God’s grace empowers different forms of service among Christians, but all forms of ministry function to build up the body of Christ. 1I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20 3Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. SERMON Rev. Lori E.L. Kitzing HYMN “Built on a Rock” PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION P: Confident that God receives our joys and concerns, let us offer our prayers for the church, those in need, and all of creation. P: Inspire your church to pursue righteousness in its ministry. Equip us to share your compassion that unites us as one family of faith. Hear us, O God. C: Your mercy is great. P: Remind us that from the beginning of creation, you knit together a world meant for harmony. Protect and restore the wasted places to joy and gladness. Hear us, O God. C: Your mercy is great. P: Stir the leaders of nations and towns, to respond to your teachings. Let your call for justice reach all people and bring deliverance where there is oppression. Hear us, O God. C: Your mercy is great. P: Show your steadfast love and faithfulness to those in despair. Increase their strength, care for all who feel low, keep safe any in the midst of trouble, and protect vulnerable people from harm. Hear us, O God. C: Your mercy is great. P: Encourage those who offer their gifts and talents in service to your church. Energize this congregation’s Pastor and lay leaders, so they may be transformed in sharing your grace. Hear us, O God. C: Your mercy is great. P: God of all the saints, sustain us in hope until we come at last to our heavenly home. Hear us, O God. C: Your mercy is great. 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. OFFERING PRAYER P: God has given us gifts to share: prophetic acts and acts of service, teaching and leading, encouragement, diligence, and cheerfulness, giving without strings attached. Freely, then, we open our hearts, hands, and resources to a world in need. Financial gifts may be sent to the church. P: Gracious God, we thank you for the measure of faith you have given to each of us. Increase in us generosity, compassion, and prophetic courage so we may continue to be your body in and for the world. With thanksgiving, we pray in the name of Christ. C: Amen. LORD’S PRAYER Performed in English and Omaha BENEDICTION P: May the Lord who made heaven and earth, the Christ + who lived and died for all, and the Spirit who renews our minds and hearts abide with you and all God’s people, now and forever. C: Amen. HYMN “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” CHARGE Romans 12:2 One: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed to live as the body of Christ in the world. All: Amen. Printed by permission oneliscense.net A-717495
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AuthorRev. Lori E.L. Kitzing Archives
April 2024
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