31 Aug Bulletin – Sunday, August 31, 2025
WELCOME to MESSIAH & ST. PETER LUTHERAN CHURCHES
The Reverend Nancy Brody, Pastor
Greta Wright, Organist
Sunday, August 31, 2025
Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE
ORDER OF CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
In the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Baptized into Christ, let us confess our sin.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Merciful God, you free us to love others, but we neglect our neighbors and follow our own way. You lead us by the Spirit of joy and peace, but we turn away from the abundant life you offer. You surround us with patience, kindness, and generosity, but we grow weary in doing what is right. In your mercy, forgive us. Do not give up on us. Heal us, break our bonds, and show us the path of life. Amen.
You belong to Christ Jesus and you are God’s children through faith. In the cross of ☩ Christ, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, your sins are forgiven. Clothed with Christ, you are a new creation.
Amen.
GATHERING HYMN
Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty #250
APOSTOLIC GREETING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
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.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
O God, you resist those who are proud and give grace to those who are humble. Give us the humility of your Son, that we may embody the generosity of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
FIRST READING PROVERBS 25:6-7a
Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.
PSALM 112
Hallelujah! Happy are they who fear the Lord and have great delight in God’s commandments!
Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches will be in their house, and their righteousness will last forever.
Light shines in the darkness for the upright; the righteous are merciful and full of compassion.
It is good for them to be generous in lending and to manage their affairs with justice.
For they will never be shaken; the righteous will be kept in everlasting remembrance.
They will not be afraid of any evil rumors; their heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Their heart is established and will not shrink, until they see their desire upon their enemies.
They have given freely to the poor, and their righteousness stands fast forever; they will hold up their head with honor.
The wicked will see it and be angry; they will gnash their teeth and pine away; the desires of the wicked will perish.
SECOND READING HEBREWS 13:1-8, 15-16
Let mutual affection continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them, those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?” Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
🎶Alleluia, Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia. Alleluia.
The Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke, the 14th chapter.
🎶Glory to you, O Lord.
GOSPEL LUKE 14:1, 7-14
On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, they were watching him closely. When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host, and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers and sisters or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
🎶Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON
HYMN of the DAY
Blest Be the Tie that Binds #370
PROFESSION of FAITH Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He decended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life-everlasting. Amen.
PRAYERS of INTERCESSION
Hallelujah! God is near and listening, willing and ready to respond so let us pray for the church, creation, and the whole world. A brief silence.
For every member, guest and friend of the church, we pray. Inspire those who lead and attend with a passion for sharing the word of God. Equip all the baptized to offer grace. Happy are they who fear the Lord and delight greatly in God’s commandments.
For the well-being of creation, we pray. Sustain all who labor in fields to grow food. Revive plains and pastures, providing for all creatures who rely on the land for sustenance. Make their descendants mighty in the land; may every generation be blessed.
For the leaders of boroughs and townships, cities, counties, states, and nations, we pray. Guide them to be generous and manage affairs with justice. Bring about fair compensation for all. Give wealth to those who are merciful and full of compassion.
For those who lives have been shaken, who are afraid, or of shrinking heart, we pray. Provide for the needs of all the vulnerable: the unemployed, debt-ridden, or struggling. Accompany all in need of reassurance, especially those on our prayer list, of your steadfast love and tender care. Help them stand in righteousness forever, and hold their heads up with honor.
For the faith and resilience of our congregations, we pray. Give us strength of purpose and a strong desire to fulfill your will, O Lord. Help us feed and nourish others with whatever we receive from you. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
For all saints and sinners who have passed on, we pray. Give them peace and rest in you. We offer praise and thanksgiving, O God, for your great mercies upon us and desire that no one should perish.
Take heart, little flock. Be confident in our Lord’s presence and promises. Trust your prayers to the Three-in-One God, who always receives, responds, and gives according to the wisdom of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit [+] who accompany each and every one of us along life’s journey. Amen.
EXCHANGE OF PEACE
OFFERING
OFFERATORY
🎶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.
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.
BLESSING
CLOSING HYMN
Give to Our God Immortal Praise! #520
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE