ELEVENTH SUNDAY after PENTECOST
August 21, 2022
The Rev. Joshua Heimbuck, Pastor
WELCOME
A warm welcome to all who worship here this morning, especially to our guests and visitors. May this hour of worship make us eager to share in the proclamation of the Good News of God’s love in Christ as we enter another week of witness and service. Guests and visitors, if you are worshiping with us for the first time, please honor us by signing our Guest Book in the entrance hall of the church as you leave. Do join us for a cup of coffee after this morning’s worship and let us become better acquainted with you as you get to know us better. Come to worship with us again and often!
THE OPEN DOOR
AS WE GATHER
The Gospel of Christ is God’s invitation to salvation and eternal life. Cards or letters of invitation occasionally end with the eloquent phrase from the French language abbreviated only with the letters RSVP, signaling that the sender wishes to know for how many to plan in attendance. (Of course, we may presume God already knows that final number!) But to receive an RSVP invitation requires a response. Today, Jesus issues the invitation to the Kingdom asking all to “strive to enter.” Surprisingly, the response or effort required is simply to receive the benefit of our Lord’s own work on our behalf. You enter the open, narrow door through Baptism into the death of Christ. The baptismal life is a striving to die and rise daily by faith in the way of the cross of Christ. Through the door of the Eucharist we are nourished and faith is strengthened and sustained by Christ’s body and blood. This eating and drinking is necessary for the struggle of faith. Here today you continue your RSVP, entering the door who is Christ by the power of your Holy Baptism.
+ THE ORDER of CELEBRATING +
PRE-SERVICE MUSIC
WELCOME
PRELUDE Tatsiana Asheichyk, Piano
SONG Out in The Wilderness (See back of worship folder)
INVOCATION
P In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES Psalm 46:1; 50:1
P God is our refuge and strength,
C a very present help in trouble.
P The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth
C from the rising of the sun to its setting.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
P Invited by the grace of God, as His baptized children, we entreat His mercy confessing our sins and receiving His forgiveness.
C O merciful Father, hear our plea for Your constant help in the struggle of living in the strength of our Baptism into the death and resurrection of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We lay our sins on His own atoning death. Raise us in the assurance of Your forgiveness and Your power to create a new and contrite heart, that we may serve You in holiness and forever sing Your praises both now and forever. Hear us for the sake of Jesus, our Lord and our eternal King. Amen.
P The almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given you the new birth of water and the Spirit, strengthen you with His grace. In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus 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 Amen.
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
SALUTATION
P The Lord be with you.
C And also with you.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
P Let us pray.
O Lord, You have called us to enter Your kingdom through the narrow door. Guide us by Your Word and Spirit, and lead us now and always into the feast of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Isaiah 58:9–14
God promises those who have returned from exile that where justice and mercy prevail, the ruins will be rebuilt and light will rise in the darkness. It is a day for new beginnings.
9Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
11And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
12And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in.
13“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing your pleasure on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;
14then you shall take delight in the Lord,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
L This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
EPISTLE Hebrews 12:18–29
Using images of Moses, the writer presents a striking vision of the new covenant of God made possible in Christ. There is no longer fear; only awe in the new promise in Christ into which we are invited.
18For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,24and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29for our God is a consuming fire.
L This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
SPECIAL MUSIC You Are Mine — By David Haas, arr. by Mark Hayes
Alice Turner, Soloist
Debra Harris, Flute and Tatsianna Asheichyk, Piano.
HOLY GOSPEL Luke 13:10–17
P The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the thirteenth chapter.
C Glory to You, O Lord.
Jesus heals a woman on the sabbath, offering her a new beginning for her life. When challenged by a narrow reading of the sabbath command, Jesus responds by expanding “sabbath work” to include setting people free from bondage.
10Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11And there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. 14But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C Praise to You, O Christ.
SONG OF THE DAY Praise to You, O God of Mercy (See back of worship folder)
SERMON “Sabbath Salvation” Pr. Josh Text: The Gospel Reading
APOSTLES’ CREED
C 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 Christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life + everlasting. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
OFFERING
Offering Prayer
God of abundance:
you have set before us a plentiful harvest.
As we feast on your goodness,
strengthen us to labor in your field,
and equip us to bear fruit for the good of all,
in the name of Jesus. Amen.
SACRAMENT
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
L The Lord be with you.
C And also with you
L Lift up your hearts
C We will lift them up to Him
L Let us give thanks always to the Lord our God.
C It is right, it is just, it is well
L Father, it is our duty and our salvation, always
and everywhere to give you thanks through your
beloved Son, Jesus Christ
C Holy, holy, holy, Lord
L For our sake He opened His arms on the cross,
He put an end to death and revealed the resurrection
C Holy, holy, holy, Lord
L 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:
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
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.”
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
P The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C 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 HYMN Broken for Me (See back of worship folder)
C Life-giving God,
Through this meal you have bandaged our wounds
and fed us with your mercy.
Now send us forth to live for others,
both friend and stranger,
that all may come to know your love.
This we pray in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
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.
SONG Blessed Assurance (See back of worship folder)
Announcements
Dismissal
P Go in peace. Love your neighbor.
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
VOTER’S MEETINIG – Please plan to stay after Worship today for the Voter’s Meeting where we will be electing church officers. A light lunch will be served.
COFFEE CONNECTION — Are you willing to host, assist in serving, or provide treats for our Coffee Connection time? There’s a sign-up sheet on the refrigerator in the kitchen that has a space for YOUR name. For further details, please speak with either Pearl, Nan, or Mary.
LUTHERAN LIFE — The Summer issue of Lutheran Life magazine is available at the table in the main entryway. This issue focuses on finding balance between faith, family, and technology.
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.
THIS WEEK AT GRACE
THURSDAY the 25th: Church League Golf 5:30 pm
SUNDAY the 28th: Bible Study 9:00 am
Worship 10:00 am
Pastor Josh
Tuesday — Thursday
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Friday and Saturday Off
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