Time after Pentecost
10:00 AM Service October 22, 2023
GATHERING
Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
Ringing of the Bell
(Please Stand)
Confession and Forgiveness
L: Blessed be God, the one who forms us, Jesus who bears the cross, the Spirit who makes our joy complete.
Amen.
L: Let us bow before God in humility, confessing our sin.
Silence is kept for reflection.
L: 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.
Hymn #866 “We Are Marching in the Light”
L: The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the commun-ion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
C: And also with you.
Glory to God in the highest...
L: Let us pray:
All: Sovereign God, raise your throne in our hearts. Created by you, let us live in your image, created for you, let us act for your glory; redeemed by you, let us give you what is yours, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
WORD
First Reading Isaiah 45: 1—7 Pg. 1131
R: Word of god, Word of Life. C: Thanks be to God.
Psalm Psalm 96: 1—13 Pg. 934
Refrain:
PS 96:1 Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
PS 96:2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
Refrain:
PS 96:3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
PS 96:4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.
Refrain:
PS 96:5 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
PS 96:6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
Refrain:
PS 96:11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and
all that is in it;
PS 96:12 let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of
the forest will sing for joy;
PS 96:13 they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the
earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.
Refrain:
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1: 1—10 Pg. 1837
R: Word of God. Word of life. C: Thanks be to God.
Children’s Sermon
(Please rise for the Gospel)
After the Gospel is announced, we sing
The Gospel according to Matthew, the twenty-second chapter.
Gospel Reading Matthew 22: 15—22 Pg. 1535
(After the reading of the Gospel, we sing)
(Please be seated)
Sermon The Rev. Kristine Hill
(Please Stand)
4
Hymn # 715 Christ, Be Our Light”
P: With the whole church, let us confess our faith:
All: I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried:
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
And He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen
The Prayers
L: . . . God of Grace C: Hear our prayers.
Blessing of the Quilts
P: Today we are blessing these quilts and symbolically, all the quilts made in WELCA (Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) everywhere. We are thankful for the faithful women who come to St. Andrew each week to make quilts for Lutheran World Relief. These quilts are sent all over the world to bring warmth, comfort, and healing to people who are in need, people who are in crisis, people who have been displaced, people we don’t know but who are known and dearly loved by God. So then, let us bless these quilts.
P: Lord, our neighbors around the world are in need of hope. Your Spirit is a mighty force, your whispers of hope bring light into the world. Open our hearts and hands to see your presence in the neighborhoods across the world.
C: Jesus, help us speak words of hope to our neighbors.
L: God, we give you thanks for the pieces of fabric, thread, and sewing machines. May their presence be a sign of hope and may these quilts wrap our neighbors in unending love.
C: Jesus, help us reach out in hope to our neighbors.
P: God, we give thanks for all the hands that fashioned hope into a quilt, for the hands that collected and sorted, for the hands that continually open wider so that no one feels left out.
C: Jesus, help us see hope in our neighbors.
L: God, we ask you to guide the staff and partners at Lutheran World Relief. May their voices and hands be a beacon of hope. Keep them safe. Keep them filled with your strength and perseverance.
C: Jesus, help us share a taste of hope with our neighbors.
P: God, be with our neighbors who will receive these gifts. May they be wrapped in love, may they taste your goodness, may they touch signs of your hope. Whether or not we know their names or where they live, they are our neighbors, our brothers and sisters in Christ. We pray this in the name of Jesus, the One who is our hope.
C: Amen.
Sharing of the Peace
L: The peace of Christ be with you always.
C: And also with you!
L: Let us share Christ’s peace with one another.
Offering
Offering Hymn #677 “This Little Light of Mine”
(As the last verse is sung, please stand as the offering is brought forward.)
L: Let us pray.
All: God of power, God of plenty, all things belong to you. We bring your gifts to the table, that all might be fed. Form us into the body of your Beloved, Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer: (Sung)
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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen
SENDING
Benediction
P: The God of glory, Jesus name above all names, and the Spirit who lives within you, bless you now and forever.
Hymn # 860 “I’m So Glad, Jesus Lifted Me”
L: Go in peace. God is at work in you. C: Thanks be to God.
Postlude
Our thanks to those who serve as our worship leaders today:
Our Reader—Judy Hillegeist
Our Liturgist—Don Gillett
Organist—Ed Workmon
Music Accompanist—Doris Menke
Hand Bell Director—Wendy Kuenemann
Transitional Pastor—Rev. Kristine Franke Hill