Fourth SUNDAY after PENTECOST
July 3, 2022
The Rev. Joshua Heimbuck, Pastor
Freedom in Christ
As We Gather
As we again celebrate our nation’s independence, we will hear much about freedom. As citizens, we give thanks for the blessings we have and for the many who fought for and paid the price for our liberties. Yet as Christians, we do not need an annual holiday to recognize true freedom. Daily we hold fast to the wonderful news that the battle has been fought and the price has been paid by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we may have freedom from sin, eternal death, and the devil. Today we hear the Spirit-inspired words of the apostle Paul in Galatians and learn more about what real freedom is, receiving guidance for lives lived in that freedom and the fruits freely given to us through the Holy Spirit.
PRE-SERVICE MUSIC
WELCOME
PRELUDE Sweet Hour of Prayer — W.B. Bradbury, Tatsiana Asheichyk, Organ
Invocation
P In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
Opening Sentences Genesis 1:1–10, 20–21; Galatians 5:1, 16, adapted
P For freedom Christ has set us free;
C stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
P Walk by the Spirit,
C and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
P In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
717 Eternal Father, Strong to Save st. 1
P And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
717 Eternal Father, Strong to Save st. 2
P And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven.
717 Eternal Father, Strong to Save st. 3
Confession and Absolution Galatians 5:1, 16
P Eternal Father, strong to save, in the beginning You created all things good: the sea, the land, the air, the creatures in their rightful place, and the crown of Your creation, humanity, which was very good and intended for a perfect relationship with You. Sin ceased the perfect world, and because of that we come to You in confession of our faults and failings.
C We are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. 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.
P Our eternal Father is strong to save and has done that in giving His only-begotten Son into this once-perfect world to be the only needed sacrifice for our sins so we and all creation may be renewed, redeemed, and restored in relationship with Him. As a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
P For freedom Christ has set us free;
C stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
P Walk by the Spirit,
C and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
717 Eternal Father, Strong to Save st. 4
Forgiven and reconciled by God, let us be reconciled with one another and share the peace of the Lord.
THE PASSING OF PEACE
[The congregation is encouraged to share the peace of Christ and greet one another with
the words: “The Lord’s peace be with you.” The response: “And also with you.”]
Salutation
P The Lord be with you.
C And also with you.
Prayer of the Day
P Let us pray.
God of all nations, we thank You for our free land and the liberties we treasure. Guide Your people by Your Spirit that this nation may set an example to the world of justice and freedom. From the blessings of the past to the present, grant all future prosperity according to Your will. Give all peoples of all lands and nations faith in You that glory may be brought to Your name and eternal blessings to all people throughout Your created world; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
Old Testament Reading Deuteronomy 8:7–18
7For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, 8a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, 9a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.
11“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, 12lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 15who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, 16who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. 17Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
L This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Epistle Romans 13:1–10
1Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
8Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
L This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
SPECIAL MUSIC Sinfonia — J. S. Bach, Tatsiana Ascheichyk, Organ
Holy Gospel Matthew 5:43–48
P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the fifth chapter.
C Glory to You, O Lord.
43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C Praise to You, O Christ.
966 Before You, Lord, We Bow
Sermon “Godly Government” Pr. Josh From the Epistle Lesson
953 We All Believe in One True God
Prayer of the Church
Offering
781 We Give Thee But Thine Own sts. 1–2, 5–6
SACRAMENT
Preface
P The Lord be with you.
C And also with you.
P Lift up your hearts.
C We lift them to the Lord.
P Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
P Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth. Even when creation rebelled against You, You gave Your only-begotten Son into death that we might be saved and set free from the lasting consequences of sin and eternal death. By Your Spirit, prepare our hearts to receive the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in faith.
C Amen.
The Words of Our Lord
P Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My + body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”
In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My + blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
Catechism The Fourth Petition
P As we receive the life-giving bread Christ has given to us by His own body, we give thanks to You for the daily bread also provided for us out of Your grace. As we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” what does this mean?
C God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
P What is meant by daily bread?
C Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.
P Lord, remember us in Your kingdom, and teach us to pray:
Lord’s Prayer
C 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.
Pax Domini
P The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C Amen.
Distribution Hymns
715 Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me
Post-Communion Thanksgiving
P Let us pray.
We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift. As Christ has forgiven us and set us free, we rejoice in our independence from all we ever need fear. Grant Your holy and life-giving Spirit that we may serve You as we seek to end divisions, overcome prejudice, and seek justice. Grant that we live in peace with one another through the peace You have restored in our relationship with You; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C Amen.
Closing Sentences Galatians 5:1, 16
P For freedom Christ has set us free;
C stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
P Walk by the Spirit,
C and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Benediction
P The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and + give you peace and may you be a blessing to others!
C Amen.
965 God Bless Our Native Land
ANNOUNCEMENTS
DISMISSAL
P Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
C Thanks be to God!
Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series C, Quarter 3. Copyright © 2022 Concordia Publishing House.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Acknowledgments
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2022 Concordia Publishing House.
Grace Notes
CHANGE OF PLANS — The Fellowship event scheduled for Sunday, July 17th has been changed to Sunday, July 24th and we’ve planned for a delicious barbecue. Watch for details coming soon!
WEBSITE AUDIO MESSAGES — We are not loading audio messages onto the Grace Lutheran website at this time. We hope to have the audio available by early Fall.
COFFEE CONNECTION — is a time for fellowship and catching up with one another following this
morning’s worship. We encourage everyone to participate in this very welcome hospitality ministry by signing up to either host, assist with serving or provide treats. There is a signup sheet on the refrigerator in the kitchen. For further details, please speak with either Pearl, Nan, or Mary.
THIS WEEK AT GRACE
MONDAY the 4th: Independence Day
THURSDAY the 7th: Church League Golf 5:30 pm
SUNDAY the 10th: Bible Study 9:00 am
Worship 10:00 am
SUMMER OFFICE HOURS — As our summer days heat up, and to take advantage of the cool morning hours to work in our yards, walk dogs, run errands, etc., Pastor Josh and Margaret’s office hours, July 1st through August 31st, will be:
Pastor Josh
Monday — Thursday
12:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Days Off — Friday and Saturday
Margaret Bohn
Administrative Assistant
Tuesday — Thursday
12:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Grace Lutheran Church
660 Frances Lane
Ashland, OR 97520
541-482-1661
Pastor Joshua Heimbuck — heimbuck@me.com