Hymn “Come, Thou Almighty King” LSB # 905
1 Come, Thou almighty King, Help us Thy Name to sing: Help us to praise;
Father all-glorious, O’er all victorious,
Come and reign over us, Ancient of Days.
2 Come, Thou incarnate Word, Gird on Thy mighty sword; Our prayer attend.
Come and Thy people bless, And give Thy Word success,
And let Thy righteousness On us descend.
3 Come, holy Comforter, Thy sacred witness bear In this glad hour!
Thou, who almighty art, Now rule in ev'ry heart,
And ne’er from us depart, Spirit of pow'r.
4 To Thee, great One in Three, Eternal praises be Hence evermore!
Thy sov'reign majesty May we in glory see,
And to eternity Love and adore.
P: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
P: Our help is in the name of the Lord,
C: who made heaven and earth.
P: If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
C: But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared.
P: Since we are gathered to hear God’s Word, call upon Him in prayer and praise, and receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of this altar, let us first consider our unworthiness and confess before God and one another that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition. Together as His people let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God, our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ, and saying: God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
C: Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to everlasting life. 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 “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word” LSB # 655
1 Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word; Curb those who by deceit or sword
Would wrest the kingdom from Your Son And bring to naught all He has done.
2 Lord Jesus Christ, Your pow'r make known, For You are Lord of lords alone;
Defend Your holy Church that we May sing your praise eternally.
3 O Comforter of priceless worth, Send peace and unity on earth;
Support us in our final strife And lead us out of death to life.
(Sung)
Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.
To God on high be glory and peace to all the earth;
Good will from God in heaven proclaimed at Jesus’ birth!
We praise and bless You, Father; Your holy name, we sing,
Our thanks for Your great glory, Lord God, our heav’nly King.
To You, O sole-begotten, the Father’s Son, we pray;
O Lamb of God, our Savior, You take our sins away.
Have mercy on us, Jesus; Receive our heartfelt cry,
Where You in pow’r are seated at God’s right hand on high.
For You alone are holy; You only are the Lord.
Forever and forever, be worshiped and adored;
You with the Holy Spirit alone are Lord Most High,
In God the Father’s glory. “Amen!” our glad reply.
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Let us pray.
Collect for the day:
Blessed Lord, since You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; 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 (Isaiah 55:10-13)
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 “For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle Reading (Romans 8:12-17)
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
P: The holy Gospel according to St. Matthew the 13th chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
(Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
“Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
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 “Almighty God, Your Word Is Cast” LSB # 577
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.
Sermon
Offering
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.
Closing Hymn “On What Has Now Been Sown” LSB #921
1 On what has now been sown Thy blessing, Lord, bestow;
The pow'r is Thine alone To make it sprout and grow.
Do Thou in grace the harvest raise, And Thou alone shalt have the praise!
2 To Thee our wants are known, From Thee are all our pow'rs;
Accept what is Thine own And pardon what is ours.
Our praises, Lord, and prayers receive, And to Thy Word a blessing give.
3 O grant that each of us, Now met before Thee here,
May meet together thus When Thou and Thine appear
And follow Thee to heav'n, our home. E'en so, amen, Lord Jesus, come!