Gathering
Prelude: Learning the Closing Hymn (#790, blue hymnal)
“Praise to You, O God of Mercy”
Tune: Thanks Be to You
Opening Hymn #718 (blue hymnal) v. 1-3
“Gather Us In”
Tune: Gather Us In
1 Here in this place the new light is streaming,
now is the darkness vanished away;
see in this space our fears and our dreamings
brought here to you in the light of this day.
Gather us in, the lost and forsaken,
gather us in, the blind and the lame;
call to us now, and we shall awaken,
we shall arise at the sound of our name.
2 We are the young, our lives are a myst’ry,
we are the old who yearn for your face;
we have been sung throughout all of hist’ry,
called to be light to the whole human race.
Gather us in, the rich and the haughty,
gather us in, the proud and the strong;
give us a heart, so meek and so lowly,
give us the courage to enter the song.
3 Here we will take the wine and the water,
here we will take the bread of new birth,
here you shall call your sons and your daughters,
call us anew to be salt for the earth.
Give us to drink the wine of compassion,
give us to eat the bread that is you;
nourish us well, and teach us to fashion
lives that are holy and hearts that are true.
Confession and Forgiveness
P: In the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
P: Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
C: Amen.
P: Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Silence is kept for reflection.
P: Most merciful God,
C: we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
P: In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Greeting and Prayer of the Day
P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C: And also with you.
P: Let us pray. O God our strength, without you we are weak and wayward creatures. Protect us from all dangers that attack us from the outside, and cleanse us from all evil that arises from within ourselves, that we may be preserved through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
C: Amen.
The Word
Song for the Word #713 (blue hymnal)
“Lord, Let My Heart Be Good Soil”
Tune: Good Soil
Led by Kathryn Keith
Lord, let my heart be good soil,
open to the seed of your word.
Lord, let my heart be good soil,
where love can grow and peace is understood.
When my heart is hard, break the stone away.
When my heart is cold, warm it with the day.
When my heart is lost, lead me on your way.
Lord, let my heart, Lord, let my heart,
Lord, let my heart be good soil.
Blessing of the Lector
P: Let us pray. God Almighty, we ask your blessing upon Carroll as he reads to us the scriptures. May the words of his mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.
C: Amen.
First Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9
1 So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the LORD your God with which I am charging you.
6 You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!” 7 For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is whenever we call to him? 8 And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?
9 But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children.
The word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Psalm 15
1 Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle?
Who may abide upon your holy hill?
2 Those who lead a blameless life and do what is right,
who speak the truth from their heart;
3 they do not slander with the tongue, they do no evil to their friends;
they do not cast discredit upon a neighbor.
4 In their sight the wicked are rejected, but they honor those who fear the Lord.
They have sworn upon their health and do not take back their word.
5 They do not give their money in hope of gain, nor do they take bribes against the innocent.
Those who do these things shall never be overthrown.
Second Reading: James 1:17-27
17 Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
19 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21 Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25 But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
The word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
P: The holy gospel according to St. Mark, the 7th chapter.
C: Glory to you, O Lord.
1 Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, 2 they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. 3 (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; 4 and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) 5 So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6 He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,
‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
7 in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines.’
8 You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”
14 Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.”
21 For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, 22 adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
P: The gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to you, O Christ.
Special Music
“Seek Ye First”
Performed by Kathryn Keith
Children’s Sermon
Sermon
Silence for meditation
Hymn of the Day #511 (green hymnal)
“Renew Me, O Eternal Light”
Tune: Herr Jesu Christ, meins
1 Renew me, O eternal Light,
and let my heart and soul be bright,
illumined with the light of grace
that issues from your holy face.
2 Remove the pow’r of sin from me
and cleanse all my impurity,
that I may have the strength and will
temptations of the flesh to still.
3 Create in me a new heart, Lord,
that gladly I obey your word.
Let what you will be my desire,
and with new life my soul inspire.
4 Grant that I only you may love
and seek those things which are above,
till I behold you face to face,
O Light eternal, through your grace.
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again 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.
Prayers of Intercession
A: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs.
After each petition:
A: Lord, in your mercy,
C: Hear our prayer.
After the last petition:
A: Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
C: Amen.
Peace
P: The peace of Christ be with you always.
C: And also with you.
The Meal
Invitation to Offering
Offertory: Hymn #732 (blue hymnal)
“Create in Me a Clean Heart”
Tune: Francke (4/4)
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with your free Spirit.
Offering Prayer
P: Let us pray.
C: God of all creation, all you have made is good, and your love endures forever. You bring forth bread from the earth and fruit from the vine. Nourish us with these gifts, that we might be for the world signs of your gracious presence in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
Great Thanksgiving
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 thanks to the Lord our God.
C: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
P: In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Lord, remember us in your kingdom, and teach us to pray:
The Lord’s Prayer
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
Invitation to Communion
P: With his body and blood, Christ Jesus creates in you a clean heart and renews your spirit.
The Body of Christ, broken for you.
The Blood of Christ, shed for you.
All eat bread and drink wine or juice at their seat.
Communion Hymn #705 (blue hymnal)
“As the Grains of Wheat”
Tune: As the Grains
Refrain
As the grains of wheat once scattered on the hill
were gathered into one to become our bread;
so may all your people from all the ends of earth
be gathered into one in you.
1 As this cup of blessing is shared within our midst,
may we share the presence of your love. Refrain
2 Let this be a foretaste of all that is to come
when all creation shares this feast with you. Refrain
Table Blessing
P: The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
C: Amen.
Prayer after Communion
A: Let us pray. God of abundance, with this bread of life and cup of salvation you have united us with Christ, making us one with all your people. Now send us forth in the power of your Spirit, that we may proclaim your redeeming love to the world and continue forever in the risen life of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C: Amen.
Sending
Announcements for God’s Mission in the World
Blessing
P: Almighty God, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever.
C: Amen.
Closing Hymn #790 (blue hymnal)
“Praise to You, O God of Mercy”
Tune: Thanks Be to You
1 Praise to you, O God of mercy:
thanks be to you forever!
Raising high the weak and lowly:
thanks be to you forever!
2 From of old you loved and sought us:
thanks be to you forever!
Truth and justice you have taught us:
thanks be to you forever!
Bridge
Strong is your faithfulness,
strong is your love,
rememb’ring your covenant of life with us.
3 Praise to you, O God of mercy:
thanks be to you forever!
Raising high the weak and lowly:
thanks be to you forever!
Thanks be to you forever!
Dismissal
A: Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Postlude
Worship Leaders
The Rev. Emily Beckering, Pastor
Kris Keith, Music Director
Kate Wollenburg, Organist
Donald Harris, Assisting Minister
Carroll Mayhugh, Reader
Upcoming Events
Sunday, August 29: 14 Pentecost
10:30 am Worship Service (in-person/livestreamed)
After Worship: Evangelism Committee
Tuesday, August 31
6:30 pm OA Scouting Chapter Meeting (fellowship hall)
Wednesday, September 1
6:00 pm Bible Study (in-person/Zoom)
Thursday, September 2
10:30 am Bible Study (in-person/Zoom)
6 pm Worship & Music Committee (Zoom)
7 pm “The Game’s Afoot” meet-n-greet
Sunday, September 5: 15 Pentecost
10:30 am Worship Service (in-person/livestreamed)
Tuesday, September 7
7 pm “The Game’s Afoot” rehearsal
Wednesday, September 8
6:00 pm Bible Study (in-person/Zoom)
7:00 pm Bell Choir
Thursday, September 9
10:30 am Bible Study (in-person/Zoom)
6:30 pm “The Game’s Afoot” rehearsal
Copyright Notices
“Gather Us In”: Text and music © 1982 GIA Publications Inc., 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. www.giamusic.com. 800.442.3358.
“Lord, Let My Heart Be Good Soil”: Text and music © 1985 Prince of Peace Publishing, Changing Church, Inc.
“Seek Ye First”: Text and music by Karen Lafferty © 1972 CCCM Music (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.), Universal Music – Brentwood Benson Publishing (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.).
“Create in Me a Clean Heart”: Arr. © 1958 Service Book and Hymnal, admin. Augsburg Fortress.
“As the Grains of Wheat”: Text and music © 1990 GIA Publications, Inc., 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. www.giamusic.com. 800.442.3358.
“Praise to You, O God of Mercy”: Text and music © 1990 GIA Publications, Inc., 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. www.giamusic.com. 800.442.3358.
Hymns/anthems: Music reprinted and streamed by permission under ONE LICENSE #A-726103 and CCLI Licenses #21045423 and #21045416. All rights reserved.
Liturgical texts and service music: From SundaysandSeasons.com. Copyright © 2021 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS010308.