EIGHTH SUNDAY after PENTECOST
18 July 2021
Grace Lutheran Church
Ashland, Oregon
The Rev. James A. Kabel, Intentional Interim
+ EIGHTH SUNDAY after PENTECOST +
A Shepherd’s Compassion
WELCOME
A warm welcome to all who have gathered for worship this morning, especially to our
guests and visitors. Today we gather around Word and Sacrament through which God equips, directs, and support his people in the mission and ministry of his Kingdom. All
that God promised in his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, comes together by the power of
the Spirit as we worship. Guests and visitors, please honor us by signing our Guest
Book in the entrance hall of the church as you leave. If you have no church home of
your own in the area, we invite you to make Grace Lutheran Church the center of your worship, learning, fellowship, and service. Pastor Jim or this morning’s lay assistant
will be happy to answer any questions you may have concerning our parish. Come to worship with us again and often!
AS WE GATHER Come with Me and Rest
Mark’s gospel makes clear how great the press of the crowd was, with its countless needs to be met, on Jesus and his disciples. Yet in today’s gospel Jesus advises his disciples to get away and rest, to take care of themselves. Sometimes we think that
when others are in great need we shouldn’t think of ourselves at all; but Jesus also honors the caregivers’ need. We are sent from Christ’s table to care for others and for ourselves.
PRAYER BEFORE WORSHIP
O God, you see how busy we are with many things. Turn us to listen to your teachings and lead us to choose the one right thing which will not be taken away from us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ THE ORDER of CELEBRATING +
PRE-SERVICE MUSIC
SERVICE CHIMES
WELCOME
PRELUDE My Shepherd Will Supply My Need—Tracey McKibben
Tatsiana Ascheichyk, Piano
INVOCATION & CONFESSION
In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“As I live,” says the Lord, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that
the wicked turn from their ways and live.”
If we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Today we invited to consider the Lord as our Shepherd … and ourselves as his sheep.
Most merciful God, we confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. We are like sheep without a shepherd, wandering dangerously alone. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.
The Lord is our righteousness. We who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. As a called and ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Forgiven and reconciled by God, let us be reconciled with one another and share
the peace of the Lord as we greet each other.
PASSING of PEACE
APOSTOLIC GREETING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you.
GLORY TO GOD Refrain: Glory to God, glory to God,
Glory to God in the Highest
And peace to his people on earth
- Lord God, heavenly King, Almighty God, and Father, we worship
you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.Refrain
- Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.You are
seated at the right hand of the Father; receive our prayer.Refrain
- For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy
Spirit in the glory of God the Father.
Refrain: Glory to God, glory to God,
Glory to God in the Highest
And peace to his people on earth.
Amen, Amen, Amen
PRAYER of THE DAY
O God, powerful and compassionate, you shepherd your people, faithfully leading and protecting us. Heal each of us, and make us a whole people,
that we may embody the justice and peace of your Son, Jesus Christ, our
Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and forever. Amen.
FIRST LESSON Jeremiah 25:1-6
[Jeremiah prophesied before the exile in 587 BC. In this passage, he uses the metaphor of a shepherd to describe the bad kings who have scattered the “flock” of Israel. God promises to gather the flock and to raise up a new king from David’s line to save Israel and Judah.]
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to your evil doings, says the LORD.. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The LORD is our righteousness.”
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
PSALM 23 (Read responsively)
Refrain: The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me besides quiet waters. Refrain
He restores my soul; he guides me in paths of
righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Refrain
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my
life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Refrain
SECOND LESSON Ephesians 2:11-22
[The author of this letter reminds his audience that originally they were not part of God’s chosen people. Through Jesus’ death, however, they are included in God’s household of faith, whose cornerstone is Jesus Christ.]
Remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called the “uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision” —physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands—
remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
SPECIAL MUSIC Just A Closer Walk to Thee—Lloyd Larsen
GOSPEL Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
The Holy Gospel according to Mark, the 6th chapter.
ALLELUIA [Sung before the reading of the Gospel]
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Give the glory and the honor to the Lord!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Give the glory and the honor to the Lord
[When Jesus sent his disciples out to teach and heal, they ministered among large numbers of people. Their work was motivated by Christ’s desire to be among those in need.]
The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by them-selves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe on his cloak; and all who touched
it were healed.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
HYMN of THE DAY Lord, Whose Love through Humble Service LSB 848
HOMILY Compassion and Rest—Pr. Jim Text: The Gospel Lesson
Compassion & Rest
+ In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. +
“The people, the people, sir, is a beast!” declared Alexander Hamilton in one of his more candid moments. His remark revealed a consistent pattern in his life as he opposed the other founding fathers of our country on several points. Perhaps agoraphobic, it’s enough to note that Hamilton didn’t trust crowds … didn’t like crowds … preferred to avoid crowds … and simply chose to close the door for some peace and quiet when the clamor outside got too noisy.
Today’s Gospel tells us a story from Jesus’ ministry that teaches us about how we all need solitude from time to time … a time to close the door when the clamor outside … or inside … gets too noisy … some quiet time and place to get it together and have what it takes to deal with people and do ministry.
The disciples had just returned from their first mission tour. They were stoked … to say the least. They had seen the power of God’s kingdom at work. Each was eager to tell his story. “Hey guys, you wouldn’t believe what happened to me on my mission trip ….” We all know something of that kind of excitement. It begins in childhood, when all a youngster needs is an audience to listen to the latest—something that can’t wait. It often starts out with “You know what?” And then out it spills.
That’s just what the disciples were doing … having those “You know what” kind of conversations with each other and Jesus. At the same time the demanding crowds insisted on having Jesus all for themselves and wouldn’t let Him rest with their coming and going.
So, Jesus invites the disciples to come with Him to a lonely place on the other side of the lake where they might have some peace and quiet for a little while. It’s a hint about the necessity of maintaining a rhythm in life. Living out life in Christ means a continuing coming into the presence of God … as we do in worship and daily prayer … followed by a going out into the presence of people. It’s like the rhythm of sleep and work. You can’t do your best unless you are well rested … and sleep will not come unless we have worked until we are tired.
Note two dangers here. One is the danger of constant activity. “No work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” goes the old saying. It’s just a part and parcel of life … no one can work without some “R&R” … and no one can live out one’s life in Christ unless there are quiet times for resting in God. It may well be that the whole trouble with our lives is that we don’t give God any quiet spaces in our hearts and lives to enable Him to slow us down and catch us up to His loving kindness and tender mercies. In the midst of summer, it’s time to stop … marvel … look … and listen to the beauty of God’s creation that surrounds you. To give God time and place to recharge you. And to do that, you have to make the time for it to happen. That’s why you and I are here in the quiet of worship this morning … to rest and enjoy the peace and quiet of Christ’s presence in Word and Sacrament.
To be honest, how can we really shoulder life’s responsibilities and burdens if we don’t prepare ourselves by waiting on the Lord with prayer and attention to His presence through His Word? First, the Father’s loving arms then the Father’s loving work. There’s no substitute for that balance.
And then there’s the danger of too much withdrawal. Devotion without service is not real prayer. We have no business seeking fellowship with God in order to avoid the messy demands of serving others in Jesus’ Name. Prayer and worship are needed to equip us for following our crucified and risen Lord into the world for which He gave His all. The rhythm of our lives as God’s people is the pattern of meeting God in the secret places of prayer and serving others in the marketplace of life.
But, as the text notes, the rest and solitude that Jesus sought for Himself and the disciples didn’t work out. The crowds saw Jesus and the disciples going away. And when they stepped out of the boat on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, the very crowds they had left on the opposite side chased them around the lake and were there waiting for them. It must have been frustrating and annoying to say the least. Anyone would have looked for a way out. In spite of Jesus’ and the disciples’ fatigue, note Jesus’ response:
…he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a
shepherd and he began to teach them many things.
He was moved to compassion … He was moved from deep down inside … from the very inner core of His being, says the Greek text.
Good people of God, it is that same compassion that feeds you and me. It heals us. It forgives us our un-payable debt to God. It does so at the cost of the Cross. He gave Himself for us, that we might live—even when we are overburdened, overstretched, over-matched, in every way.
Divine compassion nurses the hurt and the broken … welcoming them home … restoring each and every one of us to a place of honor. On this 8th Sunday after Pentecost, our Lord doesn’t let his love and compassion remain something that is isolated and remote. His command is: Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. With him at our side, we share his love and compassion with a desperate world still full of “sheep without a shepherd.” And so, we pray …
Stay with us, Lord. We’re up against it and we can’t do it without you. Weary though You are with the world You look upon daily, we’re back again in Your presence to ask for Your strength. Show us Your love again and again in the face of our Savior. Give us Your compassion. And as we receive your grace and love, help us share it in a world that’s dying without it.
+ In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. +
APOSTOLIC CREED
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.
And 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 sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life + everlasting. Amen
Confident in God’s steadfast love through Jesus Christ, and guided by the Holy Spirit, let us pray for the Church, the world, and all those in need.
Tend your Church, O God. Encourage bishops, pastors, missionaries, and deacons in their proclamation of the gospel. Raise up new leaders and encourage those pursuing a call to ministry. Give us patience during the ongoing call process and keep us mindful that in your time you will provide us with a pastor yet unknown to us but known and loved by you. Embolden us to embody your love and justice in word and deed. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Restore your creation, O God. Sustain croplands and pastures. Preserve lakes, rivers, and streams that offer refreshment. Provide the needed rains and weather conditions to bring all wildfires under control. Revive lands recovering from natural disasters and fires. Protect all firefighters and first responders as they seek to manage further devastation caused by the current burns. Sustain the families of all those who are deployed to fight and gain control of the forest fires. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Reconcile the nations, O God. Break down the walls that make us strangers to one another and unite us as one human family. Equip all leaders to deal wisely with civil unrest and conflict. Guide diplomats as they seek peaceful solutions that all people may live in harmony with one another. Protect those who speak difficult truths when it is risky to do so. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Bring healing to your people, O God. Look with compassion on all who are in need this day especially Shari, Bert, Marguerite (MaryAnn’s mother), those suffering from COVID-19 and its variants, together with those we name in our hearts that they may receive hope, healing, and the mercies rendered by us as your servant people. Be close to those who are lonely or home-bound, especially Sharon, Richard & Doris, Dottie, Bonnie, Vernia, Elma, and those we name in our hearts that they may be assured of your loving presence in our compassion, prayers, and care for them. Comfort The Saunders Family who mourn the death of Rusty. Sanctify their tears and even now uplift their eyes to the joys of eternal life promised to all who live and die in Christ. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Nourish this congregation, O God. Prepare a table where we receive food for our hungering spirits. Renew our commitment to provide for one another and revitalize our sense of community and our ministries of feeding and caring for our hungry neighbors. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
You lead and guide us home, O God. We give thanks for the faithful who have gone before us with the sign of faith and pointed us toward you. Strengthen us by their example that we may at last be reunited with one another at your feast which knows no end. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We raise our prayers to you, O God, trusting in your never-ending goodness and mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Offerings Are Brought Forward
OFFERING PRAYER
Heavenly Father, through your goodness you have blessed us with these
gifts. Receive what we have to offer, that others might know that life through
the gifts you give to us to use and to share in the Name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We will lift them up to him.
Let us give thanks always to the Lord our God.
It is right, it is just, it is well.
Father, it is our duty and our salvation, always
and everywhere to give you thanks through your
beloved Son, Jesus Christ
Holy, holy, holy, Lord
For our sake He opened His arms on the cross,
He put an end to death and revealed the resurrection
Holy, holy, holy, Lord
In this He fulfilled your will and won for you a holy people. And so,
we join the angels and the saints in proclaiming your glory as we sing:
[Sing] Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might
Heaven and earth are full of your glory
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest
WORDS of INSTITUTION
PAX DOMINI
The peace of the Lord be with you always. And also with you.
LORD’S PRAYER
Lord, remember us in your Kingdom and teach us to pray:
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.
AGNUS DEI
O Lamb of God
You take away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us, have mercy on us.
O Lamb of God
You take away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us, have mercy on us.
O Lamb of God
You take away the sins of the world,
Grant us peace.
DISTRIBUTION
Join in singing Come unto Me, Ye Weary LSB 684
DISMISSAL
PRAYER of THANKSGIVING
O God of love, you bind us to yourself in this sacrament, and strengthen
us through this meal for service to the world. Guide us by your Spirit that
we may forever give witness to the Name of Jesus Christ, the Lord of life. Amen.
BLESSING
SONG Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow LSB 805
SILENT PRAYER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
+ With Great Boldness … Tell Everyone What He Has Done! +
GRACE NOTES
COFFEE CONNECTION …THE FELLOWSHIP
WINDOW is open again for coffee and goodies!
We encourage everyone to participate in this very welcome hospitality ministry by signing up to either host or help serve in the kitchen, provide goodies, or both! For further details, please speak with either Pearl, Nan, or Mary.
TODAY IS BETHESDA SUPPORT SUNDAY … The Women of Grace (LWML) invite you to join them in supporting Bethesda Auxiliary-OR group home in Portland and its ministry to the developmentally challenged. The Women of Grace annually support this ministry during their Advent Luncheon. Your suggested donation of $10.00 can be made either by check or in cash enclosed in an envelope and placed in the offering plate. Checks should be made out to Grace Lutheran Church, with Bethesda Support noted on the memo line.