Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
July 9th, 2023
The Rev. Joshua Heimbuck, Pastor
WELCOME
Welcome to all who have gathered to worship as we celebrate God’s continued presence in our lives and world. We pray that in this hour of worship, God would strengthen us through Word and Sacrament so that we might give witness to all he has promised in his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Guests and visitors, please honor us by signing our Guest Book in the entrance hall of the church as you leave this morning’s worship. If you have no church home of your own, we invite you to make Grace Lutheran Church the center of your worship, learning, fellowship, and service. After this morning’s worship, join us for a cup of coffee and let us become better acquainted with you as you get to know us better. Come to worship with us again and often!
AS WE GATHER
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.” When we hear these words of the prophet Zechariah in the season of Advent, we are evermore ready to rejoice, especially as Christmas approaches. But to hear these words now in the middle of summer may strike us as a little more challenging. The pressures and doldrums of daily life can wear away momentary joys. In fact, the call to rejoice can seem pointless echoing against the hard walls of a prison of our own making. No matter how many Christmases we have celebrated, like the apostle Paul, we may continue to feel trapped by our unrelenting sinfulness. True joy comes only as we receive the comforting words of our Lord, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Herein is the goal of Christmas. Here today by means of the Word of God and the receiving of His body and blood, God gives you faith to believe and to receive eternal salvation. By God’s Word, even today “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” For here is where true joy is found.
+ THE ORDER of CELEBRATING +
WELCOME
INVOCATION
In the name of the Father and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Romans 7:15; Matthew 11:28
With the apostle Paul today we admit, “I do not understand my own actions.
For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
At the invitation of God our Savior, let us bring our weariness and burdens to Him, that His forgiveness may rescue us and restore to us the joy of His salvation.
For if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.
Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean and cannot free ourselves. Even though we rejoice at the joy of Christmas, daily our sins of thought, word, and deed cause us grief. We have forgotten You even when we needed You the most. Our love for our neighbors has faded. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, we come at His invitation seeking the true rest of the forgiveness of our sins. Amen
“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Upon this, your confession, I by virtue of my office as a called and ordained servant of the Word announce the grace of God to you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
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.”]
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray. Gracious God, our heavenly Father, Your mercy attends us all our days. Be our strength and support amid the wearisome changes of this world, and at life’s end grant us Your promised rest and the full joys of Your salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen
OLD TESTAMENT READING Zechariah 9:9–12
The coming messianic king will inaugurate an era of disarmament and prosperity. Because of God’s covenant with Israel, the people are designated as “prisoners of hope.”
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
today I declare that I will restore to you double.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
EPISTLE Romans 7:14–25a
Life captive to sin is a catch-22 existence in which we know good but do not do it and do things we know to be wrong. Through Jesus Christ, God has set us free from such a futile existence.
We know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
So, I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 11:25–30
The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the eleventh chapter.
Glory to You, O Lord.
Jesus thanks the Father that wisdom and intelligence are unnecessary to receive the gift of salvation in Christ, who takes our burdens upon himself and carries our sorrows to the cross.
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, O Christ.
Text: William C. Dix, 1837–98, alt.
SERMON Burden Bearer Text: The Gospel Lesson Pastor Josh
NICENE CREED
I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,
whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life ☩ of the world to come. Amen
OFFERING
OFFERING PRAYER
God of field and forest, sea and sky, you are the giver of all good things. Sustain us with these gifts of your creation, and multiply your graciousness in us, that the world may be fed with your love, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen
PREFACE
The Lord be with you.
And also, with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD
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.”
PROCLAMATION OF CHRIST
As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
O Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, in giving us Your body and blood to eat and to drink, You lead us to remember and confess Your holy cross and passion, Your blessed death, Your rest in the tomb, Your resurrection from the dead, Your ascension into heaven, and Your coming for the final judgment. So, remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:
LORD’S PRAYER
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
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
Amen
POST-COMMUNION THANKSGIVING
Let us pray.
O God the Father, the fountain and source of all goodness, who in loving-kindness sent Your
only-begotten Son into the flesh, we thank You that for His sake You have given us pardon and peace in this Sacrament, and we ask You not to forsake Your children but always to rule our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that we may be enabled constantly to serve You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
BENEDICTION
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! Amen
SILENT PRAYER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
With Great Joy…Tell Everyone What He Has Done!
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Grace Notes
THE PRESENCE of CHRIST is celebrated in The Lord’s Supper. He comes to us in a real and present way with his life-giving body and blood in the bread and wine of The Sacrament to assure us of our forgiveness and to strengthen us in faith and service. All who trust and believe the words “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” are welcome. Come, receive Christ’s presence in the meal prepared for you. Enjoy his presence. Children are encouraged to come forward with their parents and/or grandparents and receive a blessing.
WEEKEND OF FELLOWSHIP - Zion Lutheran Church, LCMS has invited us for a weekend of fellowship and worship at their annual camping trip to Lakeview, Oregon, September 1st through the 4th of 2023. If interested, contact Zion Lutheran Church at (541) 884-6793.
GET YOUR COPY – The July/August Portals of Prayer, July Calendar and birthdays are available now. Pick up your copy on the table by the front door.
THIS WEEK AT GRACE
JULY 10TH – JULY 16TH
Monday, July 10th @ 5:00 PM
SOU Campus Ministries/Engage Summer Project Training (Fireside Room)
Tuesday, July 11th @ 12:30 PM
Lay Ministry Meeting
Wednesday, July 12th @ 12:30 PM
Church Council Meeting
Sunday, July 16th @
10:00 AM
11:00 AM
Mite Box Sunday
Worship
Coffee Hour