Hymn “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” LSB # 940
1 Holy God, we praise Thy name; Lord of all, we bow before Thee.
All on earth Thy scepter claim, All in heav'n above adore Thee.
Infinite Thy vast domain, Everlasting is Thy reign.
2 Hark! the glad celestial hymn Angel choirs above are raising;
Cherubim and seraphim, In unceasing chorus praising,
Fill the heav'ns with sweet accord: Holy, holy, holy Lord!
3 Lo, th'apostles' holy train Join Thy sacred name to hallow;
Prophets swell the glad refrain, And the white-robed martyrs follow,
And from morn to set of sun Through the Church the song goes on.
4 Thou art King of glory, Christ; Son of God, yet born of Mary.
For us sinners sacrificed, As to death a Tributary,
First to break the bars of death, Thou hast opened heav'n to faith.
5 Holy Father, holy Son, Holy Spirit, three we name Thee;
Though in essence only one, Undivided God we claim Thee
And, adoring, bend the knee While we own the mystery.
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: O Lord, almighty and everlasting God, You have commanded us to pray and have promised to hear us. Mercifully grant that Your Holy Spirit may direct and govern our hearts in all things that we may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of Your name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
Hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” LSB # 686
1 Come, Thou Fount of ev'ry blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.
While the hope of endless glory Fills my heart with joy and love,
Teach me ever to adore Thee; May I still Thy goodness prove.
2 Here I raise my Ebenezer, Hither by Thy help I've come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wand'ring from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood.
3 Oh, to grace how great a debtor Daily I'm constrained to be;
Let that grace now, like a fetter Bind my wand'ring heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; Prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.
4 Oh, that day when freed from sinning, I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in the bloodwashed linen, How I'll sing Thy wondrous grace!
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry; Take my ransom'd soul away;
Send Thine angels soon to carry Me to realms of endless day.
Scripture Readings
Old Testament Reading (Genesis 32:22-30)
5 The same night [Jacob] arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. 24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle Reading (2 Timothy 3:14-4:5)
As for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
P: The holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the 18th chapter.
C: (sung) Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
(Luke 18:1-8)
[Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
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 “The Gospel Shows the Father’s Grace” LSB # 580
1 The Gospel shows the Father's grace, Who sent His Son to save our race,
Proclaims how Jesus lived and died That we might thus be justified.
2 It sets the Lamb before our eyes, Who made the atoning sacrifice,
And calls the souls with guilt oppressed To come and find eternal rest.
3 It brings the Savior's righteousness To robe our souls in royal dress;
From all our guilt it brings release And gives the troubled conscience peace.
4 It is the pow'r of God to save From sin and Satan and the grave;
It works the faith which firmly clings To all the treasures which it brings.
5 It bears to all the tidings glad And bids their hearts no more be sad;
The weary, burdened souls it cheers And banishes their guilty fears.
6 May we in faith its message learn Nor thanklessly its blessings spurn;
May we in faith its truth confess And praise the Lord, our righteousness.
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
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!