Hymn “Blessed Jesus, at Your Word” LSB # 904
1 Blessed Jesus, at Your Word We are gathered all to hear You.
Let our hearts and souls be stirred Now to seek and love and fear You,
By Your teachings, sweet and holy, Drawn from earth to love You solely.
2 All our knowledge, sense, and sight Lie in deepest darkness shrouded
Till Your Spirit breaks our night With the beams of truth unclouded.
You alone to God can win us; You must work all good within us.
3 Gracious Savior, good and kind, Light of Light, from God proceeding,
Open now our heart and mind; Help us by Your Spirit’s pleading.
Hear the cry Your Church now raises; Hear and bless our prayers and praises.
4 Father, Son, and Spirit, Lord, Praise to You and adoration!
Grant that we may trust Your Word, Confident of our salvation,
While we here below must wander, Till we sing Your praises yonder.
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 “Savior, like a Shepherd Lead Us” LSB #711
1 Savior, like a shepherd lead us; Much we need Your tender care.
In Your pleasant pastures feed us, For our use Your fold prepare.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, You have bought us; we are Yours.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, You have bought us; we are Yours.
2 We are Yours; in love befriend us, Be the guardian of our way;
Keep Your flock, from sin defend us, Seek us when we go astray.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Hear us children when we pray.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Hear us children when we pray.
3 You have promised to receive us, Poor and sinful though we be;
You have mercy to relieve us, Grace to cleanse, and pow'r to free.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Early let us turn to You.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Early let us turn to You.
4 Early let us seek Your favor, Early let us do Your will;
Blessed Lord and only Savior, With Your love our spirits fill.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, You have loved us, love us still.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, You have loved us, love us still.
(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:
O God, from whom all good proceeds, grant to us, Your humble servants, Your holy inspiration, that we may set our minds on the things that are right and, by Your merciful guiding, accomplish them; 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 (Ezekiel 33:7-9)
“So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8 If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 9 But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle Reading (Romans 13:1-10)
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
P: The holy Gospel according to St. Matthew the 18th chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
(Matthew 18:1-20)
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
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 “Shepherd of Tender Youth” LSB # 864
1 Shepherd of tender youth, Guiding in love and truth
Through devious ways; Christ, our triumphant king,
We come Your name to sing And here our children bring
To join Your praise.
2 You are our holy Lord, The all-subduing Word,
Healer of strife. Yourself You did abase
That from sin's deep disgrace You so might save our race
And give us life.
3 You are the great High Priest; You have prepared the feast
Of holy love; And in our mortal pain
None calls on You in vain; Our pleas do not disdain;
Help from above.
4 O ever be our guide, Our shepherd, and our pride,
Our staff and song. Jesus, O Christ of God,
By your enduring Word Lead us where You have trod;
Make our faith strong.
5 So now, and till we die, Sound we Your praises high
And joyful sing: Infants, and all the throng,
Who to the Church belong, Unite to swell the song
To Christ, our king!
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.
Hymn “Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways” LSB # 707
1 Oh, that the Lord would guide my ways To keep His statutes still!
Oh, that my God would grant me grace To know and do His will!
2 Order my footsteps by Thy Word And make my heart sincere;
Let sin have no dominion, Lord, But keep my conscience clear.
3 Assist my soul, too apt to stray, A stricter watch to keep;
And should I e'er forget Thy way, Restore Thy wand'ring sheep.
4 Make me to walk in Thy commands--'Tis a delightful road--
Nor let my head or heart or hands Offend against my God.