Fourth Sunday after Pentecost –June 20, 2021

Today’s Theme for Worship: God’s kingdom grows outwardly- in the number of souls in his Church, and inwardly- in the hearts of every believer.

Order of Service: Service of Word and Sacrament

Opening Hymn: 760 When Peace Like a River

1 When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll—

Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

It is well (It is well) with my soul (with my soul).

It is well, it is well with my soul.

2 My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought—

My sin, not in part, but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more:

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

It is well (It is well) with my soul (with my soul).

It is well, it is well with my soul.

3 And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend;

Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

It is well (It is well) with my soul (with my soul).

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Text: Horatio G. Spafford, 1828–1888, alt.

Order of Service: Service of Word and Sacrament

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: God invites us to come into his presence and worship him with humble and penitent hearts. Therefore, let us acknowledge our sinfulness and ask him to forgive us.

C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful, and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good. For this I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity. But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

P: God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

Lord, Have Mercy

P: For all that we need in life and for the wisdom to use all your gifts with gratitude and joy, hear our prayer, O Lord.

C: ♬ Lord, have mer-cy.

P: For the steadfast assurance that nothing can separate us from your love and for the courage to stand firm against the assaults of Satan and every evil, hear our prayer, O Christ.

C: ♬ Christ, have mer-cy.

P: For the well-being of your holy Church in all the world and for those who offer here their worship and praise, hear our prayer, O Lord.

C: ♬ Lord, have mer-cy.

P: Merciful God, maker and preserver of life, uphold us by your power and keep us in your tender care:

C: ♬ A-men.

P: The works of the Lord are great and glorious; his name is worthy of praise.

♬ O Lord, Our Lord

O Lord, our Lord, how glo-rious is your name in all the earth.

Al-might-y God, mer-ci-ful Father,

you crown our life with your love.

You take a-way our sin; you com-fort our spir-it;

you make us pure and ho-ly in your sight.

You did not spare your on-ly Son, but gave him up for us all.

O Lord, our Lord, how glo-rious is your name in all the earth.

O Son of God, e-ter-nal Word of the Fa-ther,

you came to live with us;

you made your Fa-ther known;

you washed us from our sins in your own blood.

You are the King of glo-ry; you are the Lord!

O Lord, our Lord, how glo-rious is your name in all the earth.

Prayer of the Day

P: Let us Pray.

O God, protector of all the faithful, you alone make strong; you alone make holy. Show us your mercy and forgive our sins day by day. Guide us through our earthly lives that we do not lose the things you have prepared for us in heaven; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: ♬ A-men.

First Lesson: Ezekiel 17:22-24

In spite of Judah’s rebellion the LORD’s kingdom would come and his will would be done.

²²This is what the Lord God says. I myself will take part of the tip of the cedar and plant it. From the topmost of its shoots I will pluck off a tender sprig, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. ²³On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it. It will produce branches, bear fruit, and become a magnificent cedar. Flying birds of every kind will live under it. In the shelter of its branches they will nest. ²⁴Then all the trees in the countryside will know that I, the Lord, bring down the high tree and raise up the low tree, that I make the green tree dry up, and I make the dried-up tree blossom. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will carry it out.

Psalm of the Day – Psalm 92

Refrain

Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

How great are your works, O LORD,*

how profound your thoughts!

The senseless man does not know,*

fools do not understand,

that though the wicked spring up like grass*

and all evildoers flourish,

they will be forever destroyed.*

But you, O LORD, are exalted forever.

Refrain

Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,*

they will flourish in the courts of our God.

They will still bear fruit in old age,*

they will stay fresh and green,

proclaiming, “The LORD is upright;*

he is my rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

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

Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Paul compares our earthly life to living in a tent.

Now we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal home in heaven, which is not made by human hands. ²In fact, the reason we groan is that we long to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven. ³If we do indeed put it on, we will certainly not be found naked. ⁴To be sure, while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as the down payment.

⁶Therefore we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord, ⁷for we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸But we are confident and would much prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹And for this reason we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home or away. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he did while in the body, whether good or bad.

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 Lesson: Mark 4:26-34

Christ tells the parables of the growing seed and the mustard seed.
²⁶He said, “The kingdom of God is like this: A man scatters seed on the ground, ²⁷and while he sleeps and rises, night and day the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸The ground produces fruit on its own: first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head. ²⁹When the crop is ready, he swings the sickle without delay, because the harvest has come.”

³⁰Then he said, “To what should we compare the kingdom of God? Or with what parable may we picture it? ³¹It is like a mustard seed, which when sown on the ground is one of the smallest of all the seeds planted in the ground. ³²Yet when it is planted, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the sky can nest under its shade.”

³³With many similar parables he continued to speak the word to them, as much as they were able to hear. ³⁴He did not speak to them without a parable. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

Hymn of the Day: 188 Creator Spirit, by Whose Aid

1 Creator Spirit, by whose aid The world’s foundations first were laid,

Come, visit ev’ry humble mind; Come, pour your joys on humankind.

From sin and sorrow set us free; May we your living temples be.

2 O Source of light, our Counselor, The Father’s help to us assure.

Come down, as promised, with your fire, And hearts with heav’nly love inspire.

Your sacred, healing message bring To sanctify us when we sing.

3 Giver of grace, descend from high In answer to our earnest cry.

Help us eternal truths receive And practice all that we believe.

Give us your wisdom that we see The glory of the Trinity.

4 Immortal honor, endless fame, Attend th’ almighty Father’s name;

The Savior-Son be glorified, Who for all humankind has died;

And equal adoration rise To you, O Spirit, in the skies.

Text: attr. Rhabanus Maurus, 776-856, abr.; tr. John Dryden, 1631-1700, alt.

Sermon

Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father.

Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became fully human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Offering

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.

The Sacrament

P: The Lord be with you.

C: ♬ And also with you.

P: Lift up your hearts.

C: ♬ We lift them up to the Lord.

P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C: ♬ It is right to give him thanks and praise.

P: Praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In love he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. He sends the Holy Spirit to testify that we are his children and to strengthen us when we are weak. Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ. To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and thanks and honor and glory for ever and ever.

♬ Holy, Holy, Holy

Ho-ly, ho-ly, ho-ly is the Lord of hosts.

The whole earth is full of your glo-ry.

You are my God, and I will ex-alt you.

I will give you thanks, for you have be-come my sal-va-tion.

Ho-ly, ho-ly, ho-ly is the Lord of hosts.

The whole earth is full of your glo-ry.

Words of Institution

P: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying “Take and eat; this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

P: The peace of the Lord be with you always.

C: ♬ A-men.

♬ O Christ, Lamb Of God

O Christ, Lamb of God,

you take a-way the sin of the world;

have mer-cy on us.

O Christ, Lamb of God,

you take a-way the sin of the world;

have mer-cy on us.

O Christ, Lamb of God,

you take a-way the sin of the world;

grant us your peace.

A-men.

Distribution Hymn: 417 I’m But a Stranger Here

1 I’m but a stranger here; Heav’n is my home.

Earth is a desert drear; Heav’n is my home.

Danger and sorrow stand Round me on ev’ry hand.

Heav’n is my fatherland; Heav’n is my home.

2 What though the tempest rage, Heav’n is my home.

Short is my pilgrimage; Heav’n is my home.

And time’s wild, wintry blast Soon shall be overpast;

I shall reach home at last; Heav’n is my home.

3 There at my Savior’s side-Heav’n is my home-

I shall be glorified; Heav’n is my home.

There are the good and blest, Those I love most and best,

And there I, too, shall rest; Heav’n is my home.

4 Therefore I murmur not; Heav’n is my home.

Whate’er my earthly lot, Heav’n is my home.

And I shall surely stand There at my Lord’s right hand.

Heav’n is my fatherland; Heav’n is my home.

Text: Thomas R. Taylor, 1807-35.

Thank the Lord

Thank the Lord and sing his praise.

Tell ev-'ry-one what he has done.

Let all who seek the Lord re-joice

And proud-ly bear his name.

He re-news his prom-is-es and leads his peo-ple forth

in joy with shouts of thanks-giv-ing.

Al-le-lu-ia! Al-le-lu-ia!

Prayer

P: Hear the prayer of your people, O Lord, that the lips which have praised you here may glorify you in the world, that the eyes which have seen the coming of your Son may long for his coming again, and that all who have received in his true body and blood the pledge of your forgiveness may be restored to live a new and holy life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: A-men.

Blessing

M: 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: (sing) Amen. Amen. Amen.

Closing Hymn: 608 I Fall Asleep in Jesus’ Wounds

1 I fall asleep in Jesus’ wounds;

There pardon for my sin abounds.

Yea, Jesus’ blood and righteousness

My beauty are, my glorious dress.

In these before my God I’ll stand

When I shall reach the heav’nly land.

2 In peace and joy I now depart;

God’s child I am with all my heart.

I thank you, death, for leading me

To that true life, where I would be.

So cleansed by Christ, I fear not death.

Lord Jesus, strengthen now my faith.

Text: attr. Paul Eber, 1511-69; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827-78, alt.