Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Prelude
Please stand as you are able.
Entrance Hymn
“Morning Has Broken”
1 Morning has broken like the first morning;
blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
Praise for them, springing fresh from the Word!
2 Sweet the rain’s new fall, sunlit from heaven,
like the first dewfall on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,
sprung in completeness where God’s feet pass.
3 Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning,
born of the one light Eden saw play!
Praise with elation, praise ev’ry morning,
God’s recreation of the new day!
Dialog
P: Holy is the Lord, the Almighty,
C: He was, he is, and he is to come.
P: He is worthy of glory and honor and power.
C: He created all things. By his will they came to be.
P: Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain;
C: worthy to take the scroll and break its seals.
P: By his blood he purchased for God
C: people of every race and tongue, of every folk and nation.
P: Christ made of them a kingdom
C: and priests to serve our God.
P: And they shall reign on earth forever.
C: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The Apostles’ Creed
P: God has made us his people through our Baptism into Christ. Living together in trust and hope, we confess our faith.
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.
Old Testament Canticle: LBW #14 (green hymnal)
“Listen! You Nations”
Refrain
Listen! you nations of the world:
listen to the Word of the Lord.
Announce it from coast to coast;
declare it to distant islands.
1 The Lord who scattered Israel
will gather his people again;
and he will keep watch over them
as a shepherd watches his flock. Refrain
2 With shouts of joy they will come,
their faces radiantly happy,
for the Lord is so gen’rous to them;
he showers his people with gifts. Refrain
3 Young women will dance for joy,
and men young and old will make merry.
Like a garden refreshed by the rain,
they will never be in want again.
Break into shouts of great joy:
Jacob is free again!
Teach nations to sing the song:
“The Lord has saved his people!”
Prayer of the Day
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Let us pray.
God among us, we gather in the name of your Son to learn love for one another. Keep our feet from evil paths. Turn our minds to your wisdom and our hearts to the grace revealed in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
C: Amen.
Please be seated.
First Reading: Amos 8:4-7
4 Hear this, you that trample on the needy,
and bring to ruin the poor of the land,
5 saying, “When will the new moon be over
so that we may sell grain;
and the sabbath,
so that we may offer wheat for sale?
We will make the ephah small and the shekel great,
and practice deceit with false balances,
6 buying the poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
and selling the sweepings of the wheat.”
7 The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
The word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Psalmody: Hymn #285 (maroon hymnal)
“Praise Him! Jesus, Blessed Savior”
Kathryn Keith, leader
Praise him, praise him, praise him, praise him!
Jesus, blessed Savior, he’s worthy to be praised.
From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same;
He’s worthy, Jesus is worthy, he’s worthy to be praised.
Glory! Glory! In all things give him glory!
Jesus, blessed Savior, he’s worthy to be praised.
For God is our rock, hope of salvation;
A strong deliverer, in him I will always trust.
Praise him, praise him, praise him, praise him!
Jesus, blessed Savior, he’s worthy to be praised.
From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same;
He’s worthy, Jesus is worthy, he’s worthy to be praised.
Praise him, praise him, praise him, praise him!
Jesus, blessed Savior, he’s worthy to be praised.
Second Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-7
1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For
there is one God;
there is also one mediator between God and humankind,
Christ Jesus, himself human,
6 who gave himself a ransom for all
—this was attested at the right time. 7 For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
The word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Please stand as you are able.
Gospel: Luke 16:1-13
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the 16th chapter.
C: Glory to you, O Lord.
1 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. 2 So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ 3 Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ 7 Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ 8 And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.
10 “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13 No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
P: The Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to you, O Christ.
Please be seated.
Children’s Sermon
Sermon
Silence for reflection and meditation.
Hymn #364 (green hymnal)
“Son of God, Eternal Savior”
1 Son of God, eternal Savior,
source of life and truth and grace,
Word made flesh, whose birth among us
hallows all our human race,
you our head, who, throned in glory,
for your own will ever plead:
fill us with your love and pity,
heal our wrong, and help our need.
2 As you, Lord, have lived for others,
so may we for others live.
Freely have your gifts been granted;
freely may your servants give.
Yours the gold and yours the silver,
yours the wealth of land and sea;
we but stewards of your bounty
held in solemn trust will be.
3 Come, O Christ, and reign among us,
King of love and Prince of peace;
hush the storm of strife and passion,
bid its cruel discords cease.
By your patient years of toiling,
by your silent hours of pain,
quench our fevered thirst of pleasure,
stem our selfish greed of gain.
4 Son of God, eternal Savior,
source of life and truth and grace,
Word made flesh, whose birth among us
hallows all our human race:
by your praying, by your willing
that your people should be one,
grant, oh, grant our hope’s fruition:
here on earth your will be done.
Offering
Please stand as you are able.
Offertory: Hymn #503 (green hymnal)
“O Jesus, I Have Promised”
1 O Jesus, I have promised
to serve you to the end;
remain forever near me,
my master and my friend.
I shall not fear the battle
if you are by my side,
nor wander from the pathway
if you will be my guide.
2 Oh, let me feel you near me;
the world is ever near.
I see the sights that dazzle,
the tempting sounds I hear.
My foes are ever near me,
around me and within;
but, Jesus, then draw nearer
to shield my soul from sin.
3 Oh, let me hear you speaking
in accents clear and still
above the storms of passion,
the murmurs of self-will.
Now speak to reassure me,
to hasten or control;
now speak and make me listen,
O Guardian of my soul.
4 O Jesus, you have promised
to all who follow you
that where you are in glory
your servant shall be too.
And Jesus, I have promised
to serve you to the end;
oh, give me grace to follow,
my master and my friend.
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.
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.
Please be seated.
New Testament Canticle: LBW #13 (green hymnal)
“Keep in Mind that Jesus Christ has Died for Us”
Refrain
Keep in mind that Jesus Christ has died for us and is risen from the dead.
He is our saving Lord; he is joy for all ages.
1 If we die with the Lord, we shall live with the Lord.
If we endure with the Lord, we shall live with the Lord. Refrain
2 In him all our sorrow, in him all our joy.
In him hope of glory, in him all our love. Refrain
3 In him our redemption, in him all our grace.
In him our salvation, in him all our peace. Refrain
Announcements for God’s Mission in the World
Please stand as you are able.
Blessing
P: The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and ☩ give you peace.
C: Amen.
Sending Hymn #776 (blue hymnal)
“Be Thou My Vision” v. 1-3
1 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art:
thou my best thought by day and by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
2 Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tower,
raise thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.
3 Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise,
thou mine inheritance, now and always:
thou, and thou only, first in my heart,
great God of heaven, my treasure thou art.
Dismissal
A: Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Postlude
Worship Leaders
The Rev. Emily Beckering, Pastor **away
The Rev. Michael Oakley, Presider
Kris Keith, Music Director
Kate Wollenburg, Organist
Terry McDowell, Assisting Minister
Kathy Hirt, Reader
Upcoming Events
Sunday, September 18: 15 Pentecost
9 am Sunday School / Adult Forum
10:30 am Worship (in-person / livestreamed)
Monday, September 19
**Epistle articles deadline**
7 pm Council meeting
Tuesday, September 20
5:30 pm Confirmation class
7 pm Confirmation mentor meet-and-greet
Wednesday, September 21
6 pm Reading Bridal District “Fall in Love” Bridal Show
Thursday, September 22
6 pm Scouts BSA
Saturday, September 24
9 am House of Worship Safety Training for Council members
1 pm Active Shooter Emergency Preparedness – Congregation welcome
Sunday, September 25: 15 Pentecost
9 am Sunday School / Adult Forum
10:30 am Worship (in-person / livestreamed)
After worship: Evangelism Committee
Tuesday, September 27
6:30 pm Venture Scouts
Copyright Notices
Morning Has Broken: Text © Miss E. Farjeon Will Trust, by permission of David Higham Associates. Arr. © 2006 Augsburg Fortress.
Praise Him! Jesus, Blessed Savior: Text and music by Donnie Harper © 1987 Bud John Tunes, Inc. (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
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 © 2022 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS010308.