Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost — August 23, 2020

Today’s Theme for Worship: When we look at our personal problems we will experience nothing but discouragement, doubt, frustration. When we look to God for help, we overcome our problems and our mixed feelings.

Opening Hymn: 779 I Sing As I Arise Today

1 I sing as I arise today, I call on my Creator’s might:

The will of God to be my guide, The eye of God to be my sight,

2 The word of God to be my speech, The hand of God to be my stay,

The shield of God to be my strength, The path of God to be my way,

3 The work of God to be my joy, The house of God to be my rest,

The grace of God to be my song, The praise of God to be my best.

4 I sing as I arise today; I cry out my Redeemer’s name:

Lord Jesus Christ, my hope, my all, Today and evermore the same.

Text (st. 1,2): Anon.

Used by permission.

P: The grace of our Lord + Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.

C: And also with you.

Confession of Sins

P: We have come into the presence of God, who created us to love and serve him as his dear children. But we have disobeyed him and deserve only his wrath and punishment. Therefore, let us confess our sins to him and plead for his mercy.

C: Merciful Father in heaven, I am altogether sinful from birth. In countless ways I have sinned against you and do not deserve to be called your child. But trusting in Jesus, my Savior, I pray: have mercy on me according to your unfailing love. Cleanse me from my sin, and take away my guilt.

P: God, our heavenly Father, has forgiven all your sins. By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, he has removed your guilt forever. You are his own dear child. May God give you strength to live according to his will.

C: Amen.

P: In the peace of forgiveness, let us praise the Lord.

♬ Oh Taste And See

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

Bless-ed are they who take re-fuge in him.

Your Word, O Lord, is e-ter-nal;

it stands firm in the heav-ens.

Your faith-ful-ness con-tin-ues for-ev-er.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

Bless-ed are they who take re-fuge in him.

Prayer of the Day

P: Let us Pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve. Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: ♬ Amen.

First Lesson: 1 Kings 19:9-18

The LORD speaks to Elijah at Mt. Horeb.

⁹He came to a cave and spent the night there.

Then the word of the Lord suddenly came to him saying, “Why are you here, Elijah?”

¹⁰He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of Armies, but the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant. They have torn down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking to take my life.”

¹¹Then the Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is passing by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains and shattered rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.

After the wind came an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

¹²After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.

After the fire there was a soft, whispering voice.

¹³When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak, and he went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. Then a voice came to him and said, “Why are you here, Elijah?”

¹⁴He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of Armies, but the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant. They have torn down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking to take my life.”

¹⁵Then the Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came and go to the Wilderness of Damascus. When you get there, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram. ¹⁶You will also anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah as prophet in your place. ¹⁷Whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill, and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. ¹⁸But I have preserved in Israel seven thousand whose knees have not bent to Baal and whose lips have not kissed him.”

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 73

Refrain

Surely, it is God who saves me;

I will trust in him and not be afraid.

For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense,

and he will be my Savior.

I am always with you, O LORD;*

you hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,*

and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?*

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,*

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son*

and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning,*

is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Refrain

Surely, it is God who saves me;

I will trust in him and not be afraid.

For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense,

and he will be my Savior.

Second Lesson: Romans 9:1-5

Paul has a deep love for his own nation, the Jews. Yet their unbelief and rejection of God is painful for him because of the many great blessings they had received from God

I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying—my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit ²that I have great sorrow and continuous pain in my heart. ³For I almost wish that I myself could be cursed and separated from Christ in place of my brothers, my relatives according to the flesh, ⁴those who are Israelites. Theirs are the adoption as sons, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. ⁵Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, came the Christ, who is God over all, eternally blessed. Amen.

Verse:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

These words are written that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33

Peter wants to join Jesus as he walks on the water. When fear replaces faith, Peter begins to sink. Jesus reaches out his hand and saves him.
²²Immediately Jesus urged the disciples to get into the boat and to go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³After he had dismissed the crowd, he went up onto the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. ²⁴By then the boat was quite a distance from shore, being pounded by the waves because the wind was against it. ²⁵In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came toward them, walking on the sea. ²⁶When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified and cried out in fear, “It’s a ghost!” ²⁷But Jesus spoke to them at once, saying, “Take heart! It is I! Do not be afraid.”

²⁸Peter answered him and said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹Jesus said, “Come!”

Peter stepped down from the boat, walked on the water, and went toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the strong wind, he was afraid. As he began to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

³¹Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³²When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. ³³Those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God!”

C: ♬ Praise be to you, O Christ!

Hymn of the Day: 379 Amazing Grace – How Sweet the Sound

1 Amazing grace-how sweet the sound-That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost but now am found, Was blind but now I see.

2 The Lord has promised good to me; His Word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures.

3 Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come;

’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.

4 When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.

Text: John Newton, 1725-1807, st. 1-3, abr.; John P. Rees, 19th century, st. 4.

Text: Edward A. Dayman, 1807-90, alt.

Sermon

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his 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 into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Offering Prayer

Electronic Giving! You can give your offerings from your smartphone with the GivePlusChurch app, which can be downloaded for free at Google Play or the App Store. You can also give at holytrinitylutheranwyoming.com by clicking the Offerings link at the top of the page or scan the QR code below. If you have any questions about any of these options, please contact Dave Conrad at dconrad765@gmail.com or 616-406-7172

Prayer of the Church

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.

Hymn: 447 Who Trusts in God, a Strong Abode

1 Who trusts in God, A strong abode

In heav’n and earth possesses;

Who looks in love To Christ above-

No fear his heart oppresses.

In you alone, Dear Lord, we own

Sweet hope and consolation,

Our shield from foes, Our balm for woes,

Our great and sure salvation.

2 Though Satan’s wrath Beset our path

And worldly scorn assail us,

While you are near, We will not fear;

Your strength will never fail us.

Your rod and staff Will keep us safe

And guide our steps forever;

Nor shades of death Nor hell beneath

Our souls from you will sever.

3 In all the strife Of mortal life

Our feet will stand securely.

Temptation’s hour Will lose its pow’r,

For you will guard us surely.

O God, renew With heav’nly dew

Our body, soul, and spirit

Until we stand At your right hand

Through Jesus’ saving merit.

Text: Joachim Magdeburg, c. 1525-after 1583, st. 1; Harmonia cantionum, Leipzig, 1597, st. 2-3;

tr. Benjamin H. Kennedy, 1804-89, alt.

Prayer and Blessing

P: O Lord God, our heavenly Father, pour out the Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep us strong in your grace and truth, protect and comfort us in all temptation, and bestow on us your saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

P: Almighty God, we thank you for teaching us the things you want us to believe and do. Help us by your Holy Spirit to keep your Word in pure hearts that we may be strengthened in faith, guided in holiness, and comforted in life and in death, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: ♬ A-men.

P: Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another. Serve the Lord with gladness.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look on you with favor and + give you peace.

C: ♬ A-men, A-men, A-men

Closing Hymn: 422 Jesus, Lead Us On

1 Jesus, lead us on Till our rest is won;

And although the way be cheerless, We will follow, calm and fearless.

Guide us by your hand To our fatherland.

2 If the way be drear, If the foe be near,

Let not faithless fears o’ertake us; Let not faith and hope forsake us,

For through many a woe To our home we go.

3 When we seek relief From a long-felt grief,

When temptations come alluring, Make us patient and enduring;

Show us that bright shore Where we weep no more.

4 Jesus, still lead on Till our rest is won.

Heav’nly Leader, still direct us; Still support, console, protect us

Till we safely stand In our fatherland.

Text: Nicolaus L. von Zinzendorf, 1700-60, adapt.; tr. Jane L. Borthwick, 1813-97, alt.