Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost –October 3, 2021

Today’s Theme for Worship: There is no need to be jealous of other people who do God’s work. Christian love leads us to rejoice that they too share in spreading God’s kingdom.

Order of Service: Service of Word and Sacrament

Opening Hymn 349 Jesus, Priceless Treasure

1 Jesus, priceless treasure, Fount of purest pleasure, Truest friend to me.

Ah, how long in anguish Shall my spirit languish, Yearning, Lord, for thee?

Thou art mine, O Lamb divine!

I will suffer naught to hide thee, Naught I ask beside thee.

2 In thine arms I rest me; Foes who would molest me Cannot reach me here.

Though the earth be shaking, Ev’ry heart be quaking, Jesus calms my fear.

Lightnings flash And thunders crash;

Yet, tho’ sin and hell assail me, Jesus will not fail me.

3 Satan, I defy thee; Death, I now decry thee; Fear, I bid thee cease.

World, thou shalt not harm me Nor thy threats alarm me While I sing of peace.

God’s great pow’r Guards ev’ry hour;

Earth and all its depths adore him, Silent bow before him.

4 Hence, all earthly treasure! Jesus is my pleasure; Jesus is my choice.

Hence, all empty glory! Naught to me thy story Told with tempting voice.

Pain or loss Or shame or cross

Shall not from my Savior move me Since he deigns to love me.

5 Hence, all fear and sadness! For the Lord of gladness, Jesus, enters in.

Those who love the Father, Though the storms may gather, Still have peace within.

Yea, whate’er I here must bear, Thou art still my purest pleasure,

Jesus, priceless treasure!

Text: Johann Franck, 1618-77, abr.; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827-78, st. 1-2, 4-5, alt.;

The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis, 1941, st. 3.

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.

Mercifully grant, O God, that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts, for without your help we are unable to please you; 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: Numbers 11:16, 24-29

¹⁶So the Lord said to Moses, “Gather seventy men from the elders of Israel for me, men whom you know to be elders and officers for the people. Take them to the Tent of Meeting and make them stand there with you.”

²⁴Moses went out and told the people the Lord’s words. He gathered seventy men from the elders of the people and had them stand all around the tent. ²⁵The Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him. He took from the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do it again.

²⁶Two men, however, remained in the camp. The name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other was Medad. They were listed among the elders, but they had not gone out to the tent. The Spirit rested on them, and they prophesied back in the camp. ²⁷A young man ran and reported this to Moses. He said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!”

²⁸Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide from his youth, answered, “My lord Moses, stop them!”

²⁹Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? If only all of the Lord’s people were prophets so that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”

Psalm of the Day – Special Music Psalm 51 – Have Mercy on Me

Special Music sings the verses, congregation joins in the refrain

[Refrain:]

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your love;

Have mercy on me, O God, and cleanse me from my sin.

I was sinful at my birth, from the time I was conceived.

Yet you desired faith.

Cleanse me; I will be clean; wash me whiter than snow.

Let the bones you crushed rejoice.

[Refrain]

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your love;

Have mercy on me, O God, and cleanse me from my sin.

Create in me a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit.

Do not take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

And grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

[Refrain]

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your love;

Have mercy on me, O God, and cleanse me from my sin.

Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy, have mercy

Rachel Braun © 2015

Second Lesson: James 4:7-12
⁷So, submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded people. ⁹Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be changed into mourning and your joy into gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.

¹¹Do not speak against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother is speaking against the law and judging the law. But if you judge the law, you are not one who does the law, but a judge. ¹²There is one lawgiver and judge. He is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

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 9:38-50

³⁸John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”

³⁹But Jesus said, “Do not try to stop him, because no one who does a miracle in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil about me. ⁴⁰Whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹Amen I tell you: Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, will certainly not lose his reward.

⁴²“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall into sin, it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around his neck. ⁴³If your hand causes you to fall into sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed, than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, ⁴⁴‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁵If your foot causes you to fall into sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁶‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁷If your eye causes you to fall into sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁹For everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰Salt is good. But if the salt loses its flavor, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Hymn of the Day: 192 Triune God, Be Our Stay

Triune God, oh, be our stay

And let us perish never!

Cleanse us from our sins, we pray,

And grant us life forever.

Keep us from the evil one;

Uphold our faith most holy;

Grant us to trust you solely

With humble hearts and lowly.

Let us put God’s armor on,

With all true Christians running

Our heav’nly race and shunning

The devil’s wiles and cunning.

Amen, amen! This be done;

So sing we, Alleluia!

Text: German litany, 14th century, adapt.; tr. Richard Massie, 1800-87, 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

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: 121 Jesus, Grant that Balm and Healing

1 Jesus, grant that balm and healing In your holy wounds I find,

Ev’ry hour that I am feeling Pains of body and of mind.

Should some evil thought within Tempt my treach’rous heart to sin,

Show the peril, and from sinning Keep me from its first beginning.

2 Should some lust or sharp temptation Fascinate my sinful mind,

Let me think about your passion, And new courage I shall find.

Or should Satan press me hard, Let me then be on my guard,

Saying, “Christ for me was wounded,” That the tempter flee confounded.

3 If the world my heart entices With the broad and easy road,

With seductive, sinful vices, Let me think about the load

You were willing to endure; Then I’ll flee all thoughts impure,

Mastering each wild temptation, Calm in prayer and meditation.

4 Ev’ry wound that pains or grieves me By your wounds, Lord, is made whole;

When I’m weak, your cross revives me, Granting new life to my soul.

Yes, your comfort renders sweet Ev’ry bitter cup I meet;

For your all-atoning passion Has procured my soul’s salvation.

5 O my God, my Rock and Tower, Grant that in your death I trust,

Knowing death has lost his power Since you crushed him in the dust.

Savior, let your agony Ever help and comfort me;

When I die be my protection, Light and life and resurrection.

Text: Johann Heermann, 1585-1647, abr.; 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

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: (sing) Amen. Amen. Amen.

Closing Hymn: 462 Oh, that the Lord Would Guide My Ways

1 Oh, that the Lord would guide my ways

To keep his statutes still!

Oh, that my God would grant me grace

To know and do his will!

2 Order my footsteps by your Word,

And make my heart sincere;

Let sin have no dominion, Lord,

But keep my conscience clear.

3 Assist my soul, too apt to stray,

A stricter watch to keep;

And should I e’er forget your way,

Restore your wand’ring sheep.

4 Make me to walk in your commands-

’Tis a delightful road-

Nor let my head or heart or hands

Offend against my God.

Text: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, abr., alt.