Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost August 21, 2022

Today’s Theme for Worship: The first will be last; the last will be first. Scripture consistently teaches that the one who believes he is the last one God should let into his kingdom and that his only chance of getting in is through the grace of Christ will enter first.

Hymn: 621 Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven

1 Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
to his feet your tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
evermore his praises sing;
Alleluia, alleluia!
praise the everlasting King!

2 Praise him for his grace and favor
to his people in distress.
Praise him, still the same as ever,
slow to chide, and swift to bless,
Alleluia, alleluia!
glorious in his faithfulness!

3 Fatherlike he tends and spares us;
well our feeble frame he knows.
In his hand he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes;
Alleluia, alleluia!
widely yet his mercy flows!

4 Angels, help us to adore him;
you behold him face to face.
Sun and moon, bow down before him;
all who dwell in time and space,
Alleluia, alleluia!
praise with us the God of grace!

Text: Henry F. Lyte, 1793–1847
Text: Public domain

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

Amen.

Confession

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

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

Let us confess our sins to the Lord.

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.

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

In peace let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

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

Lord, have mercy.

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.

Lord, have mercy.

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

Lord, have mercy.

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

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.

The Word

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Prayer of the Day:

Almighty and everlasting God, give us an increase of faith, hope, and love; and that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; 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: Isaiah 66:18–24

¹⁸As for me, because of their works and their thoughts,

the time is coming for me to gather people from all nations and all languages.

They will come, and they will see my glory.

¹⁹Then I will set up a sign among them,

and I will send out survivors from among them to the nations,

to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, to those who are archers,

to Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands,

who have not heard my message and have not seen my glory.

Then they will declare my glory among the nations.

²⁰Then they will bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. They will bring them on horses and chariots and wagons and mules and dromedaries to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, in the same way that the people of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel to the Lord’s house.²¹Even from among these people I will take priests and Levites, says the Lord.

²²For just as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making will remain standing before me, declares the Lord, in the same way your offspring and your name will stand. ²³As often as one new moon follows another and one Sabbath follows another, all flesh will come to worship before me, says the Lord.

²⁴They will go out, and they will see the corpses of the ones who were rebelling against me, for their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched, and all flesh will be horrified by them.

Psalm of the Day: 103A The LORD Is Kind and Merciful

Refrain

The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

Praise the Lord, / my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his / holy name—
who forgives / all your sins
and heals all your dis- / eases,
who redeems your life / from the pit
and crowns you with love and com- / passion,
who satisfies your desires / with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the / eagle’s.

Refrain

The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

The Lord is compassionate and / gracious,
slow to anger, abound- / ing in love.
He does not treat us as our / sins deserve
or repay us according to our in- / iquities.
For as high as the heavens are a- / bove the earth,
so great is his love for those who / fear him;
as far as the east is / from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions / from us.
Glory be to the Father and / to the Son
and to the Holy / Spirit,
as it was in the be- / ginning,
is now, and will be forever. / Amen.

Refrain

The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

Text: Lectionary for Mass
Text: © 1969, 1981, 1997 ICEL. Used by permission: OneLicense no. 703297

Second Reading: Hebrews 12:18–24

¹⁸You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to burning fire, to darkness, to gloom, to a raging storm, ¹⁹to the sound of a trumpet, and to a voice that spoke. Those who heard the voice asked that not one more word be added, ²⁰because they could not endure what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” ²¹The sight was so terrifying that even Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

²²Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God; to the heavenly Jerusalem; to tens of thousands of angels in joyful assembly; ²³to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven; to God, who is the judge of all; to the spirits of righteous people, who have been made perfect; ²⁴to Jesus, the mediator of a new testament; and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better message than the blood of Abel.

Gospel Acclamation: Gospel Acclamation Luke 13:29

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

People will come from east and west and north and south,

and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Luke 13:22–30

²²He went on his way from one town and village to another, teaching, and making his way to Jerusalem. ²³Someone said to him, “Lord, are only a few going to be saved?”

He said to them, ²⁴“Strive to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. ²⁵Once the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open for us!’ He will tell you in reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ ²⁶Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷And he will say, ‘I don’t know where you come from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’ ²⁸There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown outside. ²⁹People will come from east and west, from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰And note this: Some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Hymn of the Day: 698 Seek Where You May to Find a Way

1 Seek where you may to find a way
that leads to your salvation.
My heart is stilled, on Christ I build,
he is the one foundation.
His Word is sure, his works endure;
he overthrows all evil foes;
through him I more than conquer.

2 Seek whom you may to be your stay,
none can redeem another.
All helpers failed; this man prevailed,
the God-man, Christ our brother.
This Servant-Lord our life restored;
we’re justified, for he has died,
the guiltless for the guilty.

3 Seek him alone who did atone,
who did your souls deliver.
O seek him first, all you who thirst
for grace that fails you never.
In ev’ry need seek him indeed;
to ev’ry heart he will impart
his blessings without measure.

4 My heart’s delight, my crown most bright,
O Christ, you are forever.
Not wealth or pride or fortune’s tide
our bond of love shall sever.
You are my Lord; your precious Word
shall light my way each daunting day.
O teach me, Lord, to trust you!

Text: tr. Arthur P. Voss, 1899–1955, alt.; Georg Weissel, 1590–1635, abr.
Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: OneLicense no. 703297

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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The Sacrament

Preface

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

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 promised that wherever two or three come together in his name, there he is with them to shepherd his flock until he comes again in glory. 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.

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.”

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

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; have mercy on us.

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

Distribution

Hymn: 798 I Lay My Sins on Jesus

1 I lay my sins on Jesus,
the spotless Lamb of God;
he bears them all and frees us
from the accursèd load.
I bring my guilt to Jesus
to wash my crimson stains
white in his blood most precious
till not a spot remains.

2 I lay my wants on Jesus,
all fullness dwells in him;
he heals all my diseases,
my soul he does redeem.
I lay my griefs on Jesus,
my burdens and my cares;
he from them all releases,
he all my sorrows shares.

3 I rest my soul on Jesus,
this weary soul of mine;
his right hand me embraces,
I in his arms recline.
I love the name of Jesus,
Immanuel, Christ, the Lord;
like fragrance on the breezes
his name abroad is poured.

4 I long to be like Jesus,
meek, loving, lowly, mild;
I long to be like Jesus,
the Father’s holy child.
I long to be with Jesus
amid the heav’nly throng,
to sing with saints his praises,
to learn the angels’ song.

Text: Horatius Bonar, 1808–1889, alt.
Text: Public domain

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his mercy endures forever.

Whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup,

we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

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.

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.

Amen.

Hymn: 864 A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

1 A mighty fortress is our God,
a trusty shield and weapon;
he helps us free from ev’ry need
that has us now o’ertaken.
The ancient evil foe
now means to work us woe;
deep guile and awful might
are his dread arms in fight;
on earth is not his equal.

2 With might of ours can naught be done,
soon were our loss effected;
but for us fights the valiant one
whom God himself elected.
You ask who this may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he,
the Lord of hosts his name,
from age to age the same,
he holds the field forever.

3 Though devils all the world should fill,
all eager to devour us,
we tremble not, we fear no ill;
they shall not overpow’r us.
The prince of darkness still
may scowl fierce as he will,
his raging harms us none.
He’s judged; the deed is done;
one little word can fell him.

4 The Word they still shall let remain
nor any thanks have for it;
he’s by our side upon the plain
with his good gifts and Spirit.
And should they take our life,
goods, honor, child, and wife,
though all of these be gone,
our victory is won;
the kingdom’s ours forever!

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

Acknowledgments

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