Hymn: “Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty” LSB # 901
1 Open now thy gates of beauty; Zion, let me enter there,
Where my soul in joyful duty Waits for Him who answers prayer.
Oh, how blessed is this place, Filled with solace, light, and grace!
2 Gracious God, I come before Thee; Come Thou also unto me.
Where we find Thee and adore Thee, There a heav'n on earth must be.
To my heart, O enter Thou; Let it be Thy temple now!
3 Here Thy praise is gladly chanted; Here Thy seed is duly sown.
Let my soul, where it is planted, Bring forth precious sheaves alone,
So that all I hear may be Fruitful unto life in me.
4 Thou my faith increase and quicken; Let me keep Thy gift divine,
Howsoe'er temptations thicken; May Thy Word still o'er me shine
As my guiding star through life, As my comfort in the strife.
5 Speak, O God, and I will hear Thee; Let Thy will be done indeed.
May I undisturbed draw near Thee While Thou dost Thy people feed.
Here of life the fountain flows; Here is balm for all our woes.
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.
Matins (sung)
P O Lord, open my lips,
C and my mouth will declare Your praise.
P Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
C make haste to help me, O Lord.
C Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Praise to You, O Christ, Alleluia. (Common response)
Psalmody (Psalm 95) (sung)
P: Blessed be God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
C: O come, let us worship Him.
O come, let us sing to the Lord.
Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving,
Let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise.
For the Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods.
The deep places of the earth are in His hands;
The strength of the hills is His also.
The sea is His, for He made it, and His hand formed the dry land.
O come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.
For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture
And the sheep of His hand.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
P: Blessed be God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
C: O come, let us worship Him.
Scripture Readings
Old Testament Reading (Zechariah 9:9-12)
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.
10 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.
11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
today I declare that I will restore to you double.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle Reading (Romans 7:14-25a)
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 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. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 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. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
P: The holy Gospel according to St. Matthew the 11th chapter.
C: (Sung) Glory to You, O Lord.
(Matthew 11:25-30)
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; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 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. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: (Sung) Praise to You, O Christ.
Hymn of the Day “Entrust Your Days and Burdens” LSB # 754
1 Entrust your days and burdens To God's most loving hand;
He cares for you while ruling The sky, the sea, the land.
For He who guides the tempests Along their thund'rous ways
Will find for you a pathway And guide you all your days.
2 Rely on God your Savior And find your life secure.
Make His work your foundation That your work may endure.
No anxious thought, no worry, No self-tormenting care
Can win your Father's favor; His heart is moved by prayer.
3 Take heart, have hope, my spirit, And do not be dismayed;
God helps in ev'ry trial And makes you unafraid.
Await His time with patience Through darkest hours of night
Until the sun you hoped for Delights your eager sight.
4 Leave all to His direction; His wisdom rules for you
In ways to rouse your wonder At all His love can do.
Soon He, His promise keeping, With wonder-working pow'rs
Will banish from your spirit What gave you troubled hours.
5 O blessed heir of heaven, You’ll hear the song resound
Of endless jubilation When you with life are crowned.
In your right hand your maker Will place the victor’s palm,
And you will thank Him gladly With heaven’s joyful psalm.
6 Our hands and feet, Lord, strengthen; With joy our spirits bless
Until we see the ending Of all our life’s distress.
And so throughout our lifetime Keep us within Your care
And at our end then bring us To heav’n to praise You there.
Sermon
Te Deum (Sung)
We praise You, O God; we acknowledge You to be the Lord.
All the earth now worships You, the Father everlasting.
To You all angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the pow'rs therein.
To You cherubim and seraphim continually do cry:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
heaven and earth are full of the majesty of Your glory.
The glorious company of the apostles praise You.
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise You.
The noble army of martyrs praise You.
The holy Church throughout all the world does acknowledge You.
The Father of an infinite majesty; Your adorable, true, and only Son;
also the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. You are the king of glory, O Christ;
You are the everlasting Son of the Father.
When You took upon Yourself to deliver man,
You humbled Yourself to be born of a virgin.
When You had overcome the sharpness of death,
You opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You sit at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father.
We believe that You will come to be our judge.
We therefore pray You to help Your servants,
whom You have redeemed with Your precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with Your saints in glory everlasting.
O Lord, save Your people and bless Your heritage.
Govern them and lift them up forever. Day by day we magnify You.
And we worship Your name forever and ever.
Grant, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, let Your mercy be upon us, as our trust is in You.
O Lord, in You have I trusted; let me never be confounded.
Prayer of the Church
P: Lord, in Your mercy,
C: Hear our prayer.
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.
Hymn “Be Still, My Soul” LSB # 752
1 Be still, my soul; the Lord is on your side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In ev'ry change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; your best, your heav'nly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
2 Be still, my soul; your God will undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.
3 Be still, my soul, though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then you will better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe your sorrows and your fears.
Be still, my soul; your Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.
4 Be still, my soul; the hour is hast'ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.