Hymn “Today Your Mercy Calls Us” LSB # 915
1 Today Your mercy calls us To wash away our sin.
However great our trespass, Whatever we have been,
However long from mercy Our hearts have turned away,
Your precious blood can wash us And make us clean today.
2 Today Your gate is open, And all who enter in
Shall find a Father's welcome And pardon for their sin.
The past shall be forgotten, A present joy be giv'n,
A future grace be promised, A glorious crown in heav'n.
3 Today our Father calls us; The Holy Spirit waits;
His blessed angels gather Around the heav'nly gates.
No question will be asked us How often we have come;
Although we oft have wandered, It is our Father's home.
4 O all-embracing Mercy, O ever-open Door,
What should we do without You When heart and eye run o'er?
When all things seem against us, To drive us to despair,
We know one gate is open, One ear will hear our prayer.
P: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
P: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
C: But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)
(We reflect on God’s Word and examine ourselves)
P: Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.
C: Most merciful God, we confess that 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: Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. 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.
Hymn “O Christ, You Walked the Road” LSB # 424
O Christ, You walked the road Our wand’ring feet must go.
You faced with us temptation’s pow’r And fought our ancient foe.
No bread of earth alone Can fill our hung’ring hearts.
Lord, help us seek Your living Word, The food Your grace imparts.
No blinding sign we ask, No wonder from above.
Lord, help us place our trust alone In Your unswerving love.
When lures of easy gain With promise brightly shine,
Lord, help us seek Your kingdom first; Our wills with Yours align.
O Christ, You walked the road Our wand’ring feet must go.
Stay with us through temptation’s hour To fight our ancient foe.
Kyrie
(Sung)
P: In peace let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: 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
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
C: Amen.
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
Collect for the day:
P: Let us pray. O Lord God, You led Your ancient people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide the people of your Church that, following our Savior, we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
Scripture Readings
Old Testament Reading (Deuteronomy 26:1-11)
When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there. 3 And you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’ 4 Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God.
5 “And you shall make response before the Lord your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6 And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. 7 Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. 9 And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God. 11 And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle Reading (Romans 10:8b-13)
“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
All: Alleluia, Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia, alleluia.
P: The holy Gospel according to St. Luke the 4th chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
(Luke 4:1-13)
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
and him only shall you serve.’”
9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
to guard you,’
11 and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
Confession of Faith -- Nicene Creed
C: 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.
Hymn of the Day “Christ, the Lord of Hosts, Unshaken” LSB # 521
Christ, the Lord of hosts, unshaken By the devil’s seething rage,
Thwarts the plan of Satan’s minions; Wins the strife from age to age;
Conquers sin and death forever; Slams them in their steely cage.
Michael fought the heavenly battle, Godly angels by his side;
Warred against the ancient serpent, Foiled the beast, so full of pride,
Cast him earthbound with his angels; Now he prowls, unsatisfied.
Long on earth the battle rages, Since the serpent’s first deceit;
Twisted God’s command to Adam, Made forbidden fruit look sweet.
Then the curse of God was spoken: “You’ll lie crushed beneath His feet!”
Jesus came, this word fulfilling, Trampled Satan, death defied;
Bore the brunt of our temptation, On the wretched tree He died
Yet to life was raised victorious; By His life our life supplied.
Swift as lightning falls the tyrant From his heavenly perch on high,
As the word of Jesus’ victory Floods the earth and fills the sky.
Wounded by a wound eternal Now his judgment has drawn nigh!
Jesus, send Your angel legions When the foe would us enslave.
Hold us fast when sin assaults us; Come, then, Lord, Your people save.
Overthrow at last the dragon; Send him to his fiery grave.
Sermon
Prayer of the Church
P: Lord, in Your mercy
C: hear our prayer.
Offertory
What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me? I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call on the name of the Lord. I will take the cup of salvation and will call on the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord, now in the presence of all His people, in the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
The 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
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.
C: Amen.
Closing Hymn “How Great Thou Art” LSB # 801
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed;
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee.
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
When through the woods and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze;
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee.
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
But when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in--
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin;
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee.
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee.
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!