Today’s Theme for Worship: Human rejection is crushed by divine exaltation. The world’s experts and culturally elite generally see little value in Christ and his Word. Christ tells us to expect this. The world’s experts see heaven’s greatest treasure as trash, but heaven is ours in Jesus!

Opening Hymn: 914 Christ Is Our Cornerstone

1     Christ is our cornerstone,
    on him alone we build;
with his true saints alone
    the courts of heav’n are filled.
On his great love
    our hopes we place
    of present grace
and joys above.

2     Here may we gain from heav’n
    the grace which we implore,
and may that grace, once giv’n,
    be with us evermore
until that day
    when all the blest
    to endless rest
are called away.

3     Oh, then, with hymns of praise
    these hallowed courts shall ring;
our voices we will raise
    the Three in One to sing
and thus proclaim
    in joyful song,
    both loud and long,
that glorious name.

Text: tr. John Chandler, 1806–1876, alt.; Latin, c. 8th cent., abr.

Text: Public domain

Order of Service: Service Setting One

Invocation

P: In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

Confession

P: If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

C: If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness.

P: Let us confess our sins to the Lord.

C: Holy God, gracious Father,
    I am sinful by nature
        and have sinned against you in my thoughts, words, and actions.
    I have not loved you with my whole heart;
    I have not loved others as I should.
        I deserve your punishment both now and forever.
    But Jesus, my Savior, paid for my sins
        with his innocent suffering and death.
    Trusting in him, I pray: God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Absolution

Our gracious Father in heaven has been merciful to us. He sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, who gave his life as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. 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 T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Lord, Have Mercy

P: In peace let us pray to the Lord.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P: For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P: For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P: For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

C: Amen.

Glory Be to God

Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

We praise you, we bless you, we worship you,

we glorify you, we give thanks to you, for your great glory,

O Lord God, heav’nly King, God the Father Almighty.

O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ;

O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,

you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.

You take away the sin of the world; receive our prayer.

You sit at the right hand of God the Father; have mercy on us.

For you only are holy; you only are the Lord.

You only, O Christ, with the Holy Spirit,

are most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Salutation

P: The Lord be with you.

C: And also with you.

Prayer of the Day

P: Let us pray.

Almighty God, by your great goodness, mercifully look upon your people that we may be governed and preserved evermore in body and soul; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: Amen.

First Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21

¹⁶This is what the Lord says,

who makes a road through the sea

and a path through mighty waters,

¹⁷who brings out the chariot and the horses,

the army and the strong warrior.

They will all lie down together.

They will not get up.

They are extinguished.

Like a wick they go out.

¹⁸Do not remember the former things.

Do not keep thinking about ancient things.

¹⁹Watch, I am about to do a new thing.

Now it will spring up. Don’t you know about it?

Indeed I will make a road in the wilderness.

In the wasteland I will make rivers.

²⁰The wild animals, the jackals and ostriches, will honor me,

because I am providing water in the wilderness,

rivers in a parched wasteland,

to provide water for my chosen people to drink.

²¹This people that I formed for myself will declare

P: The Word of the Lord

C: Thanks be to God

Psalm of the Day: 73B Surely It Is God Who Saves Me

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

you hold me by my right hand

You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will take me into glory

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

Whom have I in heav'n 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

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

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

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 Reading: Philippians 3:8-14

If anyone else thinks that he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶in regard to zeal, persecuting the church; in regard to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.

⁷But, whatever things were a profit for me, these things I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. ⁸But even more than that, I consider everything to be a loss because of what is worth far more: knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I have lost all things and consider them rubbish, so that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, which comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God by faith. ¹⁰I do this so that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, ¹¹in the hope that in some way I may arrive at the resurrection from the dead.

¹²Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus also took hold of me. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it yet, but there is one thing I do: Forgetting the things that are behind and straining toward the things that are ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

P: The Word of the Lord

C: Thanks be to God

Adult Choir Day by Day

Gospel: Luke 20:9-19

⁹He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to some tenant farmers, and went away on a journey for a long time. ¹⁰When it was the right time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenant farmers beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹The man went ahead and sent yet another servant, but they also beat him, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹²He then sent yet a third. They also wounded him and threw him out. ¹³The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my son, whom I love. Perhaps they will respect him.’

¹⁴“But when the tenant farmers saw him, they talked it over with one another. They said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours.’ ¹⁵They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. So what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶He will come and destroy those tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others.”

When they heard this, they said, “May it never be!”

¹⁷But he looked at them and said, “Then what about this that is written:

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?

¹⁸“Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush the one on whom it falls.”

¹⁹That very hour the chief priests and the experts in the law began looking for a way to lay hands on him, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.

P: The Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise be to you, O Christ!

Hymn of the Day: 861 Lord Jesus Christ, the Church’s Head

1     Lord Jesus Christ, the Church’s head,
    you are her one foundation;
in you she trusts, before you bows,
    and waits for your salvation.
Built on this rock secure,
your Church shall endure
though all the world decay
and all things pass away.
    O hear, O hear us, Jesus!

2     O Lord, let this your little flock,
    your name alone confessing,
continue in your loving care,
    true unity possessing.
Your sacraments, O Lord,
and your saving Word
to us e’er pure retain;
grant that they may remain
    our only strength and comfort.

3     Help us to serve you evermore
    with hearts both pure and lowly;
and may your Word, that light divine,
    shine on in splendor holy
that we repentance show,
in faith ever grow;
the pow’r of sin destroy
and evils that annoy.
    O make us faithful Christians.

4     And for your gospel let us dare
    to sacrifice all treasure;
teach us to bear your blessèd cross,
    to find in you all pleasure.
O grant us steadfastness
in joy and distress.
Lord, for your mercy’s sake,
let us by grace partake
    of endless joy and glory.

Text: tr. William J. Schaefer, 1891–1976, alt.; Johann Mentzer, 1658–1734, abr.

Text: Public domain

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 truly 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.

Prayer of the Church

Offering

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Offering Prayer

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.

It is truly good and right that we should at all times and in all places give you thanks, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lived among us as a human being and revealed his glory as your only Son, full of grace and truth. Therefore, with all the saints on earth and hosts of heaven, we praise your holy name and join their glorious song:

Holy, Holy, Holy

Holy, holy, holy Lord God of heavenly hosts: heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he, blessed is he, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

We give thanks to you, O God, through your dear Son, Jesus Christ, whom you sent to be our Savior, our Redeemer, and the messenger of your grace. Through him you made all things; in him you are well pleased. He is the incarnate Word, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. To fulfill your promises, he stretched out his hands on the cross and released from eternal death all who believe in you.

As we remember Jesus’ death and resurrection, we thank you that you have gathered us together to receive your Son’s body and blood. Send us your Spirit, unite us as one, and strengthen our faith so that we may praise you in your Son, Jesus Christ. Through him, we glorify and honor you, O God our Father, with the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: Amen.

Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins,

as we forgive those

who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours

now and forever. Amen.

Words of Institution

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 T 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 T 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: Amen.

O Christ, Lamb of God

O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.

O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; grant us your peace. Amen.

Distribution Hymn: 397 My Song Is Love Unknown

1     My song is love unknown,
    my Savior’s love to me,
love to the loveless shown
    that they might lovely be.
Oh, who am I
    that for my sake
    my Lord should take
frail flesh and die?

2     He came from his blest throne
    salvation to bestow,
but such disdain! So few
    the longed-for Christ would know!
But oh, my friend,
    my friend indeed,
    who at my need
his life did spend!

3     Sometimes they strew his way
    and his sweet praises sing,
resounding all the day
    hosannas to their King.
Then “Crucify!”
    is all their breath,
    and for his death
they thirst and cry.

4     Why? What has my Lord done?
    What makes this rage and spite?
He made the lame to run,
    he gave the blind their sight.
Sweet injuries!
    Yet they at these
    themselves displease
and ’gainst him rise.

5     They rise and needs will have
    my dear Lord made away.
A murderer they save,
    the Prince of life they slay.
Yet cheerful he
    to suff’ring goes
    that he his foes
from death might free.

6     In life no house, no home
    my Lord on earth might have;
in death no friendly tomb
    but what a stranger gave.
What may I say?
    Heav’n was his home
    but mine the tomb
wherein he lay.

7     Here might I stay and sing;
    no story so divine,
never was love, dear King,
    never was grief like thine.
This is my friend,
    in whose sweet praise
    I all my days
could gladly spend!

Text: Samuel Crossman, c. 1624–1683, alt.

Text: Public domain

Thanksgiving

P: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

C: his mercy endures forever.

P: Whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup,

C: we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Prayer

We give thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us with this saving gift. We pray that through it you will strengthen our faith in you and increase our love for one another. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: Amen.

Blessing

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 T give you peace.

C: Amen.

Hymn: 517 Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness

1     Praise the one who breaks the darkness
    with a liberating light;
praise the one who frees the pris’ners,
    turning blindness into sight.
Praise the one who preached the gospel,
    healing ev’ry dread disease,
calming storms and feeding thousands
    with the Father’s word of peace.

2     Praise the one who blessed the children
    with a strong, yet gentle, word;
praise the one who drove out demons
    with the piercing, two-edged sword.
Praise the one who brings cool water
    to the desert’s burning sand;
from this well comes living water,
    quenching thirst in ev’ry land.

3     Let us praise the Word incarnate,
    Christ, who suffered in our place;
Jesus died and rose victorious
    that we may know God by grace.
Let us sing for joy and gladness,
    seeing what our God has done;
let us praise the true Redeemer,
    praise the one who makes us one.

Text: Rusty Edwards, b. 1955, alt.

Acknowledgments

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, New International Version^®, NIV^®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.^TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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