16 Jul BULLETIN – SUNDAY, JULY 16, 2023
WELCOME to MESSIAH & ST. PETER LUTHERAN CHURCHES
Reverend Nancy Brody, Pastor
Greta Wright, Music Director
Sunday, July 16, 2023
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
ANNOUNCEMNTS
PRELUDE
CONFESSION and FORGIVENESS Page 56
ENTRANCE HYMN
Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty #250
APOSTOLIC GREETING Page 57
KYRIE and HYMN OF PRAISE Pages 57-59
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Almighty God, we thank you for planting in us the seed of your word. By your Holy Spirit help us to receive it with joy, live according to it, and grow in faith and hope and love, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
FIRST READING ISAIAH 55:10-13
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
PSALM 65:[1-8] 9-13
You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; to you shall vows be fulfilled.
To you, the one who answers prayer, to you all flesh shall come.
Our sins are stronger than we are, but you blot out our transgressions.
Happy are they whom you choose and draw to your courts to dwell there! They will be satisfied by the beauty of your house, by the holiness of your temple.
Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness, O God of our salvation, O hope of all the ends of the earth and of the oceans far away.
You make firm the mountains by your power; you are girded about with might.
You still the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the clamor of the peoples.
Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your marvelous signs; you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.
You visit the earth and water it abundantly; you make it very plenteous; the river of God is full of water. You prepare the grain, for so you provide for the earth.
You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.
You crown the year with your goodness, and your paths overflow with plenty.
May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, and the hills be clothed with joy.
May the meadows cover themselves with flocks, and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; let them shout for joy and sing.
SECOND READING ROMANS 8:1-11
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Page 62
GOSPEL MATTHEW 13:1-9, 18-23
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” “Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
SERMON
HYMN of the DAY
For the Fruit of All Creation #760 (WOV)
PROFESSION of FAITH/APOSTLES’ CREED Page 65
PRAYERS of INTERCESSION
God cares enough to respond to both our joys and concerns, therefore let us offer our prayers for the church, those in need, and all of creation with confidence. A brief silence.
Guide your church, O God, to sow seeds of mercy, forgiveness and compassion. Help us act righteously to clear and till good soil. Inspire faith to proclaim your love here among us and throughout the world. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Sustain your creation, O God. Send favorable weather to sustain natural habitats and the creatures that depend on them. Restore, protect and renew the world’s water and air quality. Help all creatures under stress to adjust and evolve without harming each other. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Create and preserve peace among all people and nations, O God. Raise up defenders of justice in the courts, advocates that speak for the downtrodden, and politicians to work on behalf of the common good, not private or corporate interests. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Heal those who are sick, O God (especially those on our prayer list). Guide providers of healthcare in their efforts. Guide scientists toward ethical research and practice. Protect workers serving the public, who aim to deliver goods, educate or keep people safe, who deal with multiple risks and hazards. Assist those suffering from any disorder, disease, or distress. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Answer the unspoken prayers of those gathered in worship, O God. Bring those who travel near and far, there and back. Bring visitors to this church home and give us more opportunities to be of help, appealing and/or hospitable. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Inspire us by the faith of those we love who are now departed, O God. We give thanks for people who served as examples of your embodied love. Give us so much confidence in you that our words and deeds sow the gospel and grow the kingdom. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Into your hands, O God, we lay our hearts, minds, bodies and souls. We hand over to you all for which and for whom we pray in the precious name of he who handed over himself to you for us, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
EXCHANGE of PEACE
OFFERING & OFFERTORY
Create in me… Page 75
LORD’S PRAYER
BENEDICTION Page 74
CLOSING HYMN
Abide With Me #272
DISMISSAL Page 74
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 have been presented by Bruce and Diane Keister in memory of James Keister.
Altar flowers at Messiah have been presented by Shana Rummel.