Hymn: “Oh, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” LSB # 528
1 Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer's praise,
The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace!
2 My gracious Master and my God, Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad, The honors of Thy name.
3 Jesus! The name that charms our fears, That bids our sorrows cease;
'Tis music in the sinner's ears, 'Tis life and health and peace.
4 He breaks the pow'r of canceled sin; He sets the pris'ner free.
His blood can make the foulest clean; His blood avails for me.
5 Look unto Him, ye nations; own Your God, ye fallen race.
Look and be saved through faith alone, Be justified by grace.
6 See all your sins on Jesus laid; The Lamb of God was slain.
His soul was once an off'ring made For ev'ry soul of man.
7 To God all glory, praise, and love Be now and ever giv'n
By saints below and saints above, The Church in earth and heav'n.
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
First Reading (Isaiah 35:1-8a)
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8 And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle Reading (James 2:1-10, 14-18)
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
P: The holy Gospel according to St. Mark the 7th chapter.
C: (Sung) Glory to You, O Lord.
(Mark 7:31-37)
[Jesus] returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: (Sung) Praise to You, O Christ.
Hymn “Praise the Almighty” LSB # 797
1 Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him! Yes, I will laud Him until death;
With songs and anthems I come before Him As long as He allows me breath.
From Him my life and all things came; Bless, O my soul, His holy name.
Allelujah, allelujah!
2 Trust not in rulers; they are but mortal; Earth-born they are and soon decay.
Vain are their counsels at life's last portal, When the dark grave engulfs its prey.
Since mortals can no help afford, Place all your trust in Christ, our Lord.
Allelujah, allelujah!
3 Blessed, oh, blessed are they forever Whose help is from the Lord Most High,
Whom from salvation can nothing sever, And who in hope to Christ draw nigh.
To all who trust in Him, our Lord Will aid and counsel now afford.
Allelujah, allelujah!
4 Penitent sinners, for mercy crying, Pardon and peace from Him obtain;
Ever the wants of the poor supplying, Their faithful God He will remain.
He helps His children in distress, The widows and the fatherless.
Allelujah, allelujah!
5 Praise, all you people, the name so holy Of Him who does such wondrous things!
All that has being, to praise Him solely, With happy heart its amen sings.
Children of God, with angel host Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
Allelujah, allelujah!
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 “Go, My Children, with My Blessing” LSB # 922
1 Go, my children, with my blessing, Never alone.
Waking, sleeping, I am with you; You are my own.
In my love's baptismal river I have made you mine forever.
Go, my children, with my blessing - You are my own.
2 Go, my children, sins forgiven, At peace and pure.
Here you learned how much I love you, What I can cure.
Here you heard my dear Son's story; Here you touched him, saw his glory.
Go, my children, sins forgiven, At peace and pure.
3 Go, my children, fed and nourished, Closer to me;
Grow in love and love by serving, Joyful and free.
Here my Spirit's power filled you; Here his tender comfort stilled you.
Go, my children, fed and nourished, Joyful and free.
4 I the Lord will bless and keep you And give you peace;
I the Lord will smile upon you And give you peace;
I the Lord will be your Father, Savior, Comforter, and Brother.
Go, my children; I will keep you And give you peace.