25 Oct Bulletin – Sunday, October 25, 2026
WELCOME to MESSIAH & ST. PETER LUTHERAN CHURCHES
ELCA Minister of Word and Service, Deacon Kristen Barnes
Greta Wright, Organist
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Reformation Sunday
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE
ORDER OF CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, who pours love into our hearts and healing upon the earth. Amen. Confident that God justifies us by grace through faith, let us confess our sin. Silence is kept for reflection.
Compassionate God, we confess that we struggle to embody your goodness in the world and in our own hearts. Creation groans from overuse. Jealousy and bitterness strain our relationships. Indifference keeps us from seeking justice. Divisions disrupt your call to show genuine love to others. Turn our hearts back to you. Restore our world and reconcile us to one another. Renew us to live as your holy people, following the way of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Hear this good news: We have peace with God through ☩ Jesus Christ, in whom there is no condemnation, but only forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. Receive freely this healing gift of grace. Amen.
ENTRANCE HYMN
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God #229
KYRIE
In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For this holy house, and for all who offer here and online their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us gracious Lord.
Amen.
HYMN OF PRAISE
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly king, almighty God and Father: we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God: You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us. You are seated at the right hand of the Father; receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And Also with you.
Let us pray:
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Almighty God, gracious Lord, we thank you that your Holy Spirit renews the church in every age. Pour out your Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep them steadfast in your word, protect and comfort them in times of trial, defend them against all enemies of the gospel, and bestow on the church your saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
FIRST READING Jeremiah 31:31-34
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD, for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.
PSALM 46
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, and though the mountains shake in the depths of the sea;
though its waters rage and foam, and though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be shaken; God shall help it at the break of day.
The nations rage, and the kingdoms shake; God speaks, and the earth melts away.
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Come now, regard the works of the LORD, what desolations God has brought upon the earth;
behold the one who makes war to cease in all the world; who breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, and burns the shields with fire.
“Be still, then, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.”
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
SECOND READING Romans 3:19-28
Now we know that, whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For no human will be justified before him by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed and is attested by the Law and the Prophets, the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to demonstrate at the present time his own righteousness, so that he is righteous and he justifies the one who has the faith of Jesus. Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. Through what kind of law? That of works? No, rather through the law of faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
🎶Alleluia, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia. Alleluia.
The Holy Gospel according to Saint John, the 8th chapter.
🎶Glory to you, O Lord.
GOSPEL John 8:31-36
Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”
🎶Glory to you, O Christ.
SERMON
HYMN OF THE DAY
erusalem, My Happy Home #331
PROFESSION OF FAITH Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the virgin Mary and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
PRAYERS of INTERCESSION
Seeking the Spirit of God who makes all things new, we pray for the church and the world. A brief silence.
As we celebrate Reformation Sunday, we remember the witness of Martin Luther and the reformers of the church in every generation. Empower us to continue the work of reform and renewal in our own day. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
We pray for the healing of natural places despoiled by pollution and human greed (local places may be named). Give all living creatures access to safe land, water, and air. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
We pray for our criminal justice systems and all those whose lives are affected by them. Give wisdom and discernment to police, probation officers, judges, and attorneys; give courage and peace to prisoners and the formerly incarcerated. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
We ask your blessing upon all people who have been harmed by the church and its leaders, that the truth may make them free. We pray for the relief of all those who are sick or suffering (especially those on our prayer list). Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
We give thanks for those exploring or returning to a life of faith. Encourage and guide them, that they may find their hope in you. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
With gratitude, we remember those disciples who paved the way for us and all of our beloved dead. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Trusting in your boundless grace, O God, we lift up these spoken prayers and those in our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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 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.
EXCHANGE of PEACE
OFFERING
OFFERTORY
🎶Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with your free Spirit.
BLESSING
CLOSING HYMN
Blessing and Honor #525
DISMISSAL
POSTLUDE
Revised Common Lectionary copyright © 1992 Consultation on Common Texts. Used by permission. Prayers adapted from Sundays and Seasons, copyright © 2019, Augsburg Fortress. Used with permission. Psalm readings from Lutheran Book of Worship, copyright © 1978. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual Subscription #SB160715 Other quotations from Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, National Council of Churches in Christ in the United States of America. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
Altar flowers at St. Peter are presented by Don and Rhonda Hentz in memory of all loved ones.