Seventh Sunday after Pentecost –July 11, 2021

Today’s Theme for Worship: God wants his messengers to speak his Word. He wants us to listen to the Word and respect his messengers.

Order of Service: Service of Word and Sacrament

Opening Hymn: 281 God Has Spoken by His Prophets

1 God has spoken by his prophets, Spoken his unchanging Word,

Each from age to age proclaiming God the one, the righteous Lord.

In the world’s despair and turmoil One firm anchor holds us fast:

God is king, his throne eternal, God the first and God the last.

2 God has spoken by Christ Jesus, Christ, the everlasting Son,

Brightness of the Father’s glory, With the Father ever one,

Spoken by the Word incarnate, God from God, before time was,

Light from Light, to earth descending-He reveals our God to us.

3 God is speaking by his Spirit, Speaking to the hearts of all,

In the ageless Word expounding His own message for us all.

Through the rise and fall of nations One sure faith is standing fast.

God abides, his Word unchanging, God the first and God the last.

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.

God of all power and might, you are the giver of all that is good. Help us to love you with all our heart, strengthen us in true faith, provide us with all we need, and keep us safe in your care; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: ♬ A-men.

First Lesson: Ezekiel 2:1-5

The LORD commissions Ezekiel to speak to stubborn Israel.

He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you.” ²The Spirit entered into me as he spoke to me and brought me up to my feet. Then I heard him speaking to me.

³He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to disloyal nations, who have been disloyal to me. They and their fathers have rebelled against me to this very day. ⁴These children of mine are brazen-faced and hard-hearted. I am sending you to them, and you are to tell them that this is what the Lord God says. ⁵Then, whether they listen or do not listen—for they are a rebellious house—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.

Hymn: 362 Lord Jesus Christ, My Savior Blest
1 Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior blest, My Hope and my Salvation!

Lord, hear my plea: Deliver me From misery!

Your Word brings consolation.

2 Lord, as you will, So lead me still; Your mercy fails me never.

My God, I pray: Teach me your way To my last day;

From evil keep me ever.

3 I have your Word, Christ Jesus, Lord: You never will forsake me!

This will I plead In time of need. Oh, help with speed

When troubles overtake me!

4 Now henceforth must I put my trust In you, O dearest Savior.

Your gracious choice, Your Word and voice, Make me rejoice

Though sinful my behavior.

5 Grant, Lord, I pray, Your grace each day, That I, your name revering,

Your glory see And happy be Eternally,

Before your throne appearing.

Text: Hans C. Sthen, b. c. 1540, abr.; tr. Harriet R. K. Spaeth, 1845-1925, alt.

Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Paul tells about his thorn in the flesh. God wanted his strength, not Paul’s, to shine.

⁷Therefore, to keep me from becoming arrogant due to the extraordinary nature of these revelations, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me, so that I would not become arrogant. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that he would take it away from me. ⁹And he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, because my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will be glad to boast all the more in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may shelter me.

¹⁰That is why I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For whenever I am weak, then am I strong. ¹³Certainly, our goal is not that others take it easy while you are burdened, but that there may be equality. ¹⁴At the present time, your abundance will provide what they lack, in order that their abundance will also provide what you lack—in this way there will be equality.

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 6:1-6

When Jesus spoke to the crowd in Nazareth, where he grew up, he said that a prophet is respected everywhere but his hometown.
Jesus left there and went to his hometown. His disciples followed him. ²When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did this man learn these things? What is this wisdom that has been given to this man? How is it that miracles such as these are performed by his hands? ³Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

⁴Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own house.” ⁵He could not do any miracles there except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶He was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went around the villages teaching.

Hymn of the Day: 544 Preach You the Word

1 Preach you the Word and plant it home

To those who like or like it not,

The Word that shall endure and stand

When flow’rs and mortals are forgot.

2 We know how hard, O Lord, the task

Your servant bids us undertake:

To preach your Word and never ask

What prideful profit it may make.

3 The sower sows; his reckless love

Scatters abroad the goodly seed,

Intent alone that there may be

The wholesome loaves that people need.

4 Though some be snatched and some be scorched

And some be choked and matted flat,

The sower sows; his heart cries out,

“Oh, what of that, and what of that?”

5 Preach you the Word and plant it home

And never faint; the Harvest-Lord

Who gave the sower seed to sow

Will watch and tend his planted Word.

Used by permission.

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: 541 Lord Jesus Christ, with Us Abide

1 Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide, For round us falls the eventide,

Nor let your Word, that heav’nly light, For us be ever veiled in night.

2 O God, how sin’s dread works abound! Throughout the earth no rest is found,

And falsehood’s spirit wide has spread, And error boldly rears its head.

3 In these last days of sore distress Grant us, dear Lord, true steadfastness

That pure we keep, till life is spent, Your holy Word and sacrament.

4 Lord Jesus, help, your Church uphold, For we are sluggish, thoughtless, cold.

Oh, prosper well your Word of grace, And spread its truth in ev’ry place.

5 Oh, keep us in your Word, we pray; The guile and rage of Satan stay!

Oh, may your mercy never cease! Give concord, patience, courage, peace.

6 The cause is yours, the glory, too, So hear us, Lord, and keep us true.

Your Word alone is our defense, The Church’s glorious confidence.

7 Oh, grant that in your holy Word We here may live and die, dear Lord,

And when our journey’s ending here, Receive us into glory there.

Text: Geistliche Psalmen, Nürnberg, 1611, st. 1, 3; Nikolaus Selnecker, 1532-92, st. 2, 4-7, abr., adapt.; tr. composite.

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: 284 How Precious is the Book Divine

1 How precious is the Book divine, By inspiration giv’n!

Bright as a lamp its doctrines shine To guide our souls to heav’n.

2 Its light, descending from above Our gloomy world to cheer,

Displays a Savior’s boundless love And brings his glories near.

3 It shows to us our wand’ring ways And where our feet have trod

But brings to view the matchless grace Of a forgiving God.

4 This lamp through all the dreary night Of life shall guide our way

Till we behold the clearer light Of an eternal day.

Text: John Fawcett, 1740-1817, abr., alt.