Tenth Sunday after Pentecost August 14, 2022

Today’s Theme for Worship: We want peace, but God’s Word divides. Those who embrace the gospel in faith will inevitably face hostility and opposition. Following Jesus will come at a price, yet he promises us our perseverance will be rewarded.

Opening Hymn: 876 Fight the Good Fight

1 Fight the good fight with all your might;
Christ is your strength and Christ your right.
Lay hold on life, and it shall be
your joy and crown eternally.

2 Run the straight race through God’s good grace;
lift up your eyes and seek his face.
Life with its way before us lies;
Christ is the path and Christ the prize.

3 Cast care aside, lean on your guide;
his boundless mercy will provide.
Lean, and the trusting soul shall prove
Christ is its life and Christ its love.

4 Faint not nor fear, his arms are near;
he changes not, and you are dear.
Only believe, and you will see
that Christ is Lord eternally.

Text: John S. B. Monsell, 1811–1875, alt.
Text: Public domain

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

C: Amen.

Confession of Sins

P: Beloved in the Lord, let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins to God our Father, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.

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.

Lord Have Mercy

Kyrie

C: (sung) Lord, have mercy on us, Christ, have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us.

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: (sung) Amen.

Prayer and Praise

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

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.

Prayer of the Day

P: The Lord be with you.

C: (sung) And also with you.

P: Let us Pray.

Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your gift of grace that we come into your presence and offer true and faithful service. Grant that our worship on earth may always be pleasing to you, and in the life to come give us the fulfillment of what 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. C:(sung) Amen.

First Reading: Jeremiah 23:23-29

²³Am I a God who is only nearby, declares the Lord,

and not a God far away?

²⁴Can anyone hide in secret places

so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord.

Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.

²⁵I have heard what the prophets who prophesy lies in my name have said. They say, “I have had a dream! I have had a dream!” ²⁶How long will this be in the hearts of these lying prophets? These prophets proclaim the fantasies of their own hearts. ²⁷They think they can make my people forget my name with the dreams each one tells his neighbor, the way their fathers forgot my name because of Baal. ²⁸Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream. But let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully.

What has chaff to do with grain? declares the Lord. ²⁹Is not my word like a fire? declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

Song of Praise: 776 With the Lord Begin Your Task

1 With the Lord begin your task;
    Jesus will direct it.
For his aid and counsel ask;
    Jesus will perfect it.
Ev’ry morn with Jesus rise,
    and, when day is ended,
in his name then close your eyes;
    be to him commended.

2 Let each day begin with prayer,
    praise and adoration.
On the Lord cast ev’ry care;
    he is your salvation.
Morning, evening, and at night
    Jesus will be near you,
save you from the tempter’s might,
    with his presence cheer you.

3 With your Savior at your side
    foes need not alarm you;
in his promises confide
    and no ill can harm you.
All your trust and hope repose
    in the mighty Master,
who in wisdom truly knows
    how to stem disaster.

4 If your task is thus begun
    with the Savior’s blessing,
safely then your course will run,
    naught your soul distressing.
Good will follow ev’rywhere
    while you here must wander;
you at last the joy will share
    in the mansions yonder.

Text: tr. W. Gustave Polack, 1890–1950, alt.; Morgen- und Abend-segen, Waldenburg, 1734, abr.
Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: OneLicense no. 703297

Second Reading: Hebrews 12:1-13

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us get rid of every burden and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with patient endurance the race that is laid out for us. ²Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is the author of our faith and the one who brings it to its goal. In view of the joy set before him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of God’s throne. ³Carefully consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinful people, so that you do not grow weary and lose heart.

⁴You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood in your fight against sin. ⁵Have you also forgotten the encouragement that addresses you as sons?

My son, do not regard the Lord’s discipline lightly,

and do not become weary of his correction.

⁶For the Lord disciplines the one whom he loves,

and he corrects every son he accepts.

⁷Endure suffering as discipline. God is dealing with you as sons. Is there a son whose father does not discipline him? ⁸If you are not disciplined (and all of us have received it), then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ⁹In addition, we have earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not submit even more to the Father of the spirits and live? ¹⁰They disciplined us for a little while, according to what seemed best to them, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may have a share in his holiness. ¹¹No discipline seems pleasant when it is happening, but painful, yet later it yields a peaceful harvest of righteousness for those who have been trained by it.

¹²Therefore strengthen your weak hands and feeble knees, ¹³and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but rather healed.

Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:58
P: Alleluia. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. Alleluia.

C: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

GOSPEL: Luke 12:49-53

C: ♬ Glory be to you, O Lord!
⁴⁹“I came to throw fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already ignited. ⁵⁰But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is finished! ⁵¹Do you think that I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. ⁵²Yes, from now on there will be five divided in one household: three against two, and two against three. ⁵³They will be divided: father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
C: ♬ Praise be to you, O Christ!

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.

Hymn of the Day: 590 O Holy Spirit, Enter In

1 O Holy Spirit, enter in
and in our hearts your work begin,
    your dwelling place now make us.
Sun of the soul, O Light divine,
around and in us brightly shine,
    to joy and gladness wake us
        that we may be
    truly living,
    to you giving
        prayer unceasing
and in love be still increasing.

2 Give to your Word impressive pow’r
that in our hearts from this good hour
    as fire it may be glowing,
that in true Christian unity
we faithful witnesses may be,
    your glory ever showing.
        Hear us, cheer us
    by your teaching;
    let our preaching
        and our labor
praise you, Lord, and serve our neighbor.

3 O mighty Rock, O Source of life,
let your dear Word, in doubt and strife,
    in us be strongly burning
that we be faithful unto death
and live in love and holy faith,
    from you true wisdom learning.
        Your grace and peace
    on us shower;
    by your power
        Christ confessing,
let us see our Savior’s blessing

Text: Michael Schirmer, 1606–1673, abr., adapt.; (sts. 1, 3): tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–1878, alt.; (st. 2): tr. The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941, alt.
Text: Public domain

Sermon

Cre-ate in me a clean heart, O God,

and re-new a right spir-it with-in me.

Cast me not a-way from your pres-ence,

and take not your Ho-ly Spir-it from me.

Re-store un-to me the joy of your sal-va-tion,

and up-hold me with your free Spir-it. A-men.

Offering Prayer

You can give your offerings from your smartphone with the new Vanco Mobile 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. If you have any questions about any of these options, please contact Dave Vogel at financialsecretary@holytrinity-wels.net or 616-808-6320.

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: 838 The Will of God Is Always Best

1 The will of God is always best
    and shall be done forever;
and they who trust in him are blest;
    he will forsake them never.
        He helps indeed
        in time of need;
he chastens with forebearing.
        They who depend
        on God, their friend,
shall not be left despairing.

2 God is my comfort and my trust,
    my hope and life abiding,
and to his counsel, wise and just,
    I yield, in him confiding.
        The very hairs,
        his Word declares,
upon my head he numbers.
        By night and day
        God is my stay;
he never sleeps nor slumbers.

3 Lord, this I ask, O hear my plea,
    deny me not this favor:
when Satan sorely troubles me,
    then do not let me waver.
        O guard me well,
        my fear dispel,
fulfill your faithful saying:
        all who believe
        by grace receive
an answer to their praying.

4 When life’s brief course on earth is run
    and I this world am leaving,
grant me to say, “Your will be done,”
    your faithful Word believing.
        My heav’nly Friend,
        I now commend
my soul into your keeping,
        o’er sin and hell
        and death as well
in you the vict’ry reaping.

Text: tr. The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941, alt.; Albrecht von Preussen, 1490–1568
Text: Public domain

Prayer and Blessing

P: Almighty god, grant to your Church the Holy Spirit and the wisdom that comes from above. Let nothing hinder your Word from being freely proclaimed to the joy and edifying of Christ’s holy people, so that we may serve you in steadfast faith and confess your name as long as we live, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: (sung) A-men.

P: 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: A-men. A-men. A-men.

Closing Hymn: 874 Preserve Your Word, O Savior

1 Preserve your Word, O Savior,
    to us this latter day,
and let your kingdom flourish;
    enlarge your Church, we pray.
O keep our faith from failing,
    keep hope’s bright star aglow;
let nothing turn us from you
    while wand’ring here below.

2 Preserve your Word and preaching,
    the truth that makes us whole,
the mirror of your glory,
    the pow’r that saves the soul.
Oh, may this living water,
    this spring of heav’nly grace,
sustain us while here living
    until we see your face.

3 Preserve in wave and tempest
    your storm-tossed little flock;
assailed by wind and weather,
    may it endure each shock.
Come take the helm, our pilot,
    and set the course aright;
then we will reach the harbor
    in your eternal light.

Text: tr. William J. Schaefer, 1891–1976, alt.; Andreas Gryphius, 1616–1664, abr.
Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: OneLicense no. 703297