20th Sunday After Pentecost CALL TO WORSHIP Philippians 4:4-7 P: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. C: Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS P: With confidence in God’s grace, let us confess our sin in the presence of God and one another. P: Steadfast and faithful God, C: you have revealed the ways of justice, yet we fail to follow you. We are overwhelmed by the world’s violence and suffering. We are afraid to risk what we have for the sake of others. For the harm we have caused, known and unknown, forgive us. For the unjust demands we place on others and your creation, forgive us. For the ways we turn away from you and our neighbor, forgive us. Lead us back to you and set us on the right path; in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen. P: Beloved in Christ, God’s justice stretches beyond all understanding. God’s compassion is beyond compare. In Jesus, God is always making a new way for us. In + Christ, you are already and always forgiven. C: Amen, HYMN “Now We Join in Celebration” PRAYER OF THE DAY P: Lord of the feast, you have prepared a table before all peoples and poured out your life with abundance. Call us again to your banquet. Strengthen us by what is honorable, just, and pure, and transform us into a people of righteousness and peace, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. C: Amen. READING Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” SERMON Rev. Lori E.L. Kitzing HYMN “Surely Goodness and Mercy” PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION P: Trusting in the transformative power of God’s loving Spirit, let us pray for the church, the world, and all in need. P: We pray for the church of Jesus Christ in this and every land, that all followers of Christ would share the mind of Christ and strive to live together in peace, staying firm in the Lord. God of grace, C: hear our prayer. P: We pray that your creation flourishes and that humankind lives in right relationship with all you have made. God of grace, C: hear our prayer. P: For the nations of the world and all who hold positions of authority, that they govern in accordance with God’s vision of justice, providing shelter and refuge to all in need, striving toward the goal of peace and prosperity for all. God of grace, C: hear our prayer. P: God we pray for the leaders of Israel and Hamas. They need your guidance, your intervening hand. We pray for an end to this violence that makes no sense. We pray for the protection of the people of Israel and the Gaza Strip. God of grace, C: Hear our prayer. P: We pray for all experiencing illness and grief, that they be healed and comforted and find rest in the presence of the Good Shepherd who walks beside them. (We pray especially for Julie, Karla, Stephanie, Cammie, Nancy, Beverly, Micala, Murlene, Donald, and Eileen). God of grace, C: hear our prayer. P: We lift up in prayer this community of believers, that wherever there is conflict or discord, the love of Christ may keep us united and make us mindful of all that is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, and excellent. God of grace, C: hear our prayer. P: We pray in thanksgiving for the beloved saints who now rest in your mercy, that their faithful witness guides your church until the day we join them at your heavenly feast. God of grace, C: hear our prayer. P: Gracious God, into your hands we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your unending love and amazing grace; through Jesus Christ, our Savior. C: Amen. OFFERING PRAYER Philippians 4:6-7& Isaiah 25:4 P: Beloved, do not worry about anything, but in everything let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. In the assurance of this promise, let us confidently offer ourselves to God, knowing that God has already provided all that we need. Financial gifts may be sent to the church. Throughout October WELCA is collecting “ultra soft” and “lotion” tissue box cubes to be given to residents at our area nursing homes. P: Creator God, you are our provider. We offer all that we have and all that we are to you, because we belong to you. Bless our gifts, and empower us, your church, that through the work of your Spirit we may be a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm, and a shade from the heat. Through Christ, our shield and our stronghold. C: Amen. LORD’S PRAYER BENEDICTION Philippians 4:7 P: May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in + Christ Jesus. C: Amen. HYMN “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” CHARGE P: Go And...Ask! So that you can better love and serve God and your neighbors. C: Thanks be to God. Printed by permission oneliscense.net A-717495
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AuthorRev. Lori E.L. Kitzing Archives
April 2024
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