Seventh Sunday after Pentecost July 24, 2022

Today’s Theme for Worship: Focused prayer claims what God wants for us, not what we want from him. Prayer is the opportunity to bring our will into conformity with God’s will, not the other way around.

Hymn: 878 Christ Alone the World’s Redeemer

1 Christ alone the world’s Redeemer,
Christ, God’s own begotten Son,
Christ, the sacrifice for sinners,
by his death salvation won.
Christ alone our mediator,
Christ alone our great High Priest,
in his righteousness he clothes us.
Christ alone is our true peace.

2 Word alone, inspired and holy,
Word revealing Christ our Lord,
living, active voice of Jesus,
sharper than a two-edged sword,
Word to teach and to admonish,
Word to comfort and to heal—
God’s own Word endures forever
all his counsel to reveal.

3 Grace alone, and not our working,
brings salvation unto all.
Grace alone! Your gifts you give us
as we hear your gentle call.
Unimagined love—exchanging
all our sin for righteousness,
grace on grace thro’ Christ receiving,
clothed in his own holiness.

4 Faith alone from God the Spirit
can God’s gracious gift receive;
not by human works or effort,
God is calling to believe.
Faith is living, busy, active,
ever seeking ways to care,
in the least, the lost, the needy,
seeking Jesus ev’rywhere.

5 Unto God be praise and glory,
to the Father, and the Son,
and to God the Holy Spirit;
glory to the Three in One.
Hymned by saints of earth and heaven
and by angels at his throne,
all creation joins to praise him:
glory be to God alone!

Text: Steven P. Mueller, b. 1964
Text: © 2017 Steven P. Mueller. Used by permission: OneLicense no. 703297

Invocation

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 and Absolution

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.

In the peace...

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

O taste and see that the Lord is good.
Blessèd are they who take refuge in him.
Your Word, O Lord, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.
Your faithfulness continues forever.
O taste and see that the Lord is good.
Blessèd are they who take refuge in him.

Text: n/a
Text: Public domain

Prayer of the Day:

Let us pray.

O Lord, your ears are always open to the prayers of your humble servants who come to you in Jesus’ name. Teach us always to ask according to your will that we may never fail to obtain the blessings you have promised; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

First Reading: Genesis 18:20–32

²⁰So the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very flagrant, ²¹I will go down now and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has come to me. If not, I will know.”

²²The two men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. ²³Abraham approached him and said, “Will you really sweep away the righteous along with the wicked? ²⁴What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep them away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? ²⁵You would never do such a thing, killing the righteous along with the wicked, treating the righteous the same as the wicked. You would never do such a thing. The Judge of all the earth should do right, shouldn’t he?”

²⁶The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people within the city of Sodom, then I will spare the entire place for their sake.”

²⁷Abraham answered, “See now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it on myself to speak to my Lord. ²⁸What if there are five fewer than fifty righteous? Will you destroy the entire city if the number is five short?”

He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

²⁹He spoke to him yet again and said, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”

³⁰He said, “Please, do not be angry, my Lord, but I will speak again. What if thirty are found there?”

He said, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.”

³¹He said, “See now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to my Lord. What if there are twenty found there?”

He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”

³²He said, “Please, do not be angry, my Lord, but I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?”

He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”

Psalm of the Day: 138A Your Praises, God, I’m Bringing

1 Your praises, God, I’m bringing;
my heart with joy is singing
its thanks for gifts outpoured.
Now, in your presence kneeling,
again for grace appealing,
in quietness I wait your word.

2 When deepest need had felled me,
your steadfast love upheld me;
my urgent prayer you heard.
When trouble sore assailed me,
your mercy never failed me.
You strengthened me and I endured.

3 Though you, O God, are holy,
yet you regard the lowly
and raise them from the dust.
Your promise holds forever:
“I will forsake you never!”
My God, my rock, in you I trust.

4 All peoples shall acclaim you,
and worshiping shall name you
the God of time and space.
And I will join my praises
with hymns the whole world raises
to you, the God of boundless grace!

Text: Herman G. Stuempfle
Text: © 1997 GIA Publications, Inc. Used by permission: OneLicense no. 703297

Second Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1–7

First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all those who are in authority, in order that we might live a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. For this testimony, I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I speak the truth; I am not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Verse of the Day Luke 11:9

Alleluia. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you. Alleluia.

Gospel: Luke 11:1–13

On another occasion, Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.”

²He said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. ³Give us each day our daily bread. ⁴Forgive us our sins, as we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’”

⁵He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and tell him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶because a friend of mine who is on a journey has come to me, and I do not have anything to set before him.’ ⁷And the one inside replies, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give it to you.’ ⁸I tell you, even if he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his bold persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

⁹“I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks receives. The one who seeks finds. And to the one who knocks, it will be opened.

¹¹“What father among you, if your son asks for bread, would give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, would give him a snake instead of a fish? ¹²Or if he asks for an egg, would give him a scorpion? ¹³If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

Hymn: 720 Our Father, Throned in Heaven Above

Our Father, throned in heav’n above,

you bid us all to live in love

as members of one family

and pray to you in unity—

teach us no thoughtless words to say,

but from our inmost hearts to pray.

Give us today our daily bread,

And let us all be clothed and fed.

From hardship, war, and earthly strife,

From sickness, famine, spare our life.

Let selfishness and worry cease

That we may live in godly peace.

From evil, Lord, deliver us;

The times and days are perilous.

Redeem us from eternal death,

And, when we yield our dying breath,

Console us, grant us calm release,

And take our souls to you in peace.

Amen, that is, so shall it be.

Make strong our faith in you that we

may never doubt you but believe

that what we ask we shall receive.

Thus in your name and at your word

we say, “Amen, O hear us, Lord!”

Text: tr. composite; Martin Luther, 1483–1546
Text: Public domain

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 of the Church

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.

Hymn: 723 When in the Hour of Utmost Need

1 When in the hour of utmost need
we know not where to look for aid,
when days and nights of anxious thought
no help or counsel yet have brought,

2 Then is our comfort this alone
that we may meet before your throne;
to you, O faithful God, we cry
for rescue in our misery.

3 For you have promised, Lord, to heed
your children’s cries in time of need
through him whose name alone is great,
our Savior and our advocate.

4 And so we come, O God, today
and all our woes before you lay;
be with us in our anguish still,
free us at last from ev’ry ill,

5 So that with all our hearts we may
to you our glad thanksgiving pay,
then walk obedient to your Word
and now and ever praise you, Lord.

Text: tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–1878, alt.; Paul Eber, 1511–1569, abr.
Text: Public domain

Prayer

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.

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.

Amen.

Hymn: 721 What a Friend We Have in Jesus

1 What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
ev’rything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
oh, what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
ev’rything to God in prayer!

2 Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged—
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness—
take it to the Lord in prayer.

3 Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
In his arms he’ll take and shield you;
you will find a solace there.

Text: Joseph M. Scriven, 1819–1886, alt.
Text: Public domain

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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