Hymn “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus” LSB # 821
1 Alleluia! Sing to Jesus; His the scepter, His the throne;
Alleluia! His the triumph, His the victory alone.
Hark! The songs of peaceful Zion Thunder like a mighty flood:
"Jesus out of ev'ry nation Has redeemed us by His blood."
2 Alleluia! Not as orphans Are we left in sorrow now;
Alleluia! He is near us; Faith believes, nor questions how.
Though the cloud from sight received Him When the forty days were o'er,
Shall our hearts forget His promise: "I am with you evermore"?
3 Alleluia! Bread of heaven, Here on earth our food, our stay;
Alleluia! Here the sinful Flee to You from day to day.
Intercessor, Friend of sinners, Earth's Redeemer, hear our plea
Where the songs of all the sinless Sweep across the crystal sea.
4 Alleluia! King eternal, Lord omnipotent we own;
Alleluia! Born of Mary, Earth Your footstool, heav'n Your throne.
As within the veil You entered, Robed in flesh, our great High Priest,
Here on earth both priest and victim In the eucharistic feast.
5 Alleluia! Sing to Jesus; His the scepter, His the throne;
Alleluia! His the triumph, His the victory alone.
Hark! The songs of peaceful Zion Thunder like a mighty flood:
"Jesus out of ev'ry nation Has redeemed us by His blood."
P: In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
P: Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. Our help is in the name of the Lord,
C: who made heaven and earth.
P: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord,
C: and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
(We reflect on God’s Word and examine ourselves)
P: O almighty God, merciful Father,
C: I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You, and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.
P: Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of 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.
C: Amen.
The Introit is read…
(Sung)
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
The Antiphon is read…
(Sung)
Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us.
(Glory be to God on high)
…and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory. O Lord God, heav’nly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sin of the world, receive our prayer. Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us. For Thou only art holy; Thou only art the Lord. Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Let us pray.
Collect of the Day:
P: Almighty God, whom to know is everlasting life, grant us to know Your Son, Jesus, to be the way, the truth, and the life that we may boldly confess Him to be the Christ and steadfastly walk in the way that leads to life eternal; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
Hymn “I Know My Faith Is Founded” LSB # 587
1 I know my faith is founded On Jesus Christ, my God and Lord;
And this my faith confessing, Unmoved I stand on His sure Word.
Our reason cannot fathom The truth of God profound;
Who trusts in human wisdom Relies on shifting ground.
God's Word is all-sufficient, It makes divinely sure;
And trusting in its wisdom, My faith shall rest secure.
2 Increase my faith, dear Savior, For Satan seeks by night and day
To rob me of this treasure And take my hope of bliss away.
But, Lord, with You beside me, I shall be undismayed;
And led by Your good Spirit, I shall be unafraid.
Abide with me, O Savior, A firmer faith bestow;
Then I shall bid defiance To ev'ry evil foe.
3 In faith, Lord, let me serve You; Though persecution, grief, and pain
Should seek to overwhelm me, Let me a steadfast trust retain;
And then at my departure, Lord, take me home to You,
Your riches to inherit As all You said holds true.
In life and death, Lord, keep me Until Your heav'n I gain,
Where I by Your great mercy The end of faith attain.
Scripture Readings
Old Testament Reading (Isaiah 21:1-6)
“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
that I might bless him and multiply him.
3 For the Lord comforts Zion;
he comforts all her waste places
and makes her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.
4 “Give attention to me, my people,
and give ear to me, my nation;
for a law will go out from me,
and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.
5 My righteousness draws near,
my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will judge the peoples;
the coastlands hope for me,
and for my arm they wait.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and they who dwell in it will die in like manner;
but my salvation will be forever,
and my righteousness will never be dismayed.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle Reading (Romans 11:33-12:8)
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
P: The holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the 16th chapter.
C: (sung) Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
(Matthew 16:13-20)
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: (sung) Praise be to Thee, O Christ.
Confession of Faith -- 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.
Hymn “Built on the Rock” LSB #645
1 Built on the Rock the Church shall stand Even when steeples are falling.
Crumbled have spires in ev'ry land; Bells still are chiming and calling,
Calling the young and old to rest, But above all the soul distressed,
Longing for rest everlasting.
2 Surely in temples made with hands God, the Most High, is not dwelling;
High above earth His temple stands, All earthly temples excelling.
Yet He who dwells in heav'n above Chooses to live with us in love,
Making our bodies His temple.
3 We are God's house of living stones, Built for His own habitation.
He through baptismal grace us owns Heirs of His wondrous salvation.
Were we but two His name to tell, Yet He would deign with us to dwell
With all His grace and His favor.
4 Here stands the font before our eyes, Telling how God has received us.
Th'altar recalls Christ's sacrifice And what His Supper here gives us.
Here sound the Scriptures that proclaim Christ yesterday, today, the same,
And evermore, our Redeemer.
5 Grant, then, O God, Your will be done, That, when the church bells are ringing,
Many in saving faith may come Where Christ His message is bringing:
"I know MY own; My own know Me. You, not the world, My face shall see.
My peace I leave with you. Amen."
Sermon
Prayer of the Church
P: Lord, in your mercy,
C: Receive 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
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And with thy spirit.
P: Bless we the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
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 “We Are Called to Stand Together” LSB # 828
1 We are called to stand together With the saints of ages past,
With the patriarchs and prophets In the faith they once held fast;
Promises and hopes they treasured Now we find fulfilled at last!
2 Those whom Jesus called apostles Journeyed with Him side by side,
Heard His teaching, felt His power, Saw the way He lived and died;
Then the news of resurrection They delivered far and wide.
3 Through the intervening ages Round the world the Gospel spread:
Faithful heralds took the message, Guided where the Spirit led;
So the body grew in stature, Serving Christ, the living head.
4 Now in many tongues and cultures Songs of celebration ring;
Millions who confess our Savior Honor Him as Lord and King
And, for courage, grace and guidance Ev’ry day their prayers they bring.
5 To each coming generation Tell the truth, persuade, explain,
Till the time when time is ended, Till the Savior comes again—
Till the saints are all united Under Christ’s eternal reign!