08 Jul BULLETIN – SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023
WELCOME to MESSIAH & ST. PETER LUTHERAN CHURCHES
Reverend Nancy Brody, Pastor
Greta Wright, Music Director
Sunday, July 9, 2023
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE
CONFESSION and FORGIVENESS Page 56
ENTRANCE HYMN
My Faith Looks Up to Thee #479
APOSTOLIC GREETING Page 57
KYRIE and HYMN OF PRAISE Pages 57-59
PRAYER OF THE DAY
You are great, O God, and greatly to be praised. You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Grant that we may believe in you, call upon you, know you, and serve you, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
FIRST READING ZECHARIAH 9:9-12
Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.
PSALM 145:8-14
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Lord, you are good to all, and your compassion is over all your works.
All your works shall praise you, O Lord, and your faithful ones shall bless you.
They shall tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your power,
that all people may know of your power and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; your dominion endures throughout all ages. You, Lord, are faithful in all your words, and loving in all your works.
The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up those who are bowed down.
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
SECOND READING ROMANS 7:15-25a
I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Page 62
GOSPEL MATTHEW 11:16-19, 25-30
[Jesus spoke to the crowd saying:] “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
SERMON
HYMN of the DAY
What a Friend We Have in Jesus #439
PROFESSION of FAITH
APOSTLES’ CREED Page 65
PRAYERS of INTERCESSION
Confident that God receives our joys and concerns, we offer our prayers for the church, those in need, and all of creation. A brief silence.
God of the covenant, through the institution of your church on earth, you call ministers to proclaim the gospel of grace each week. Inspire every pastor, deacon, church musician, council member, elder and lay person to follow you in word and deed. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
God of all creation, you reveal marvels within all that you have made, from microscopic protozoa to the largest sea creatures, from the smallest stars to the largest galaxies. The genius of your designs has no limit or boundaries. Help humans understand that by preserving and protecting other species, they will insure their own survival, too. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
God of the nations, you desire all peoples of the world to live in peace. Guide governing leaders at all levels—national, state/province, and local—to work for justice, mercy, and reconciliation. Help them propose and enforce laws that’ll keep evil at bay without creating new problems . Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
God of compassion, you bring healing to those who are sick, consolation to those who are grieving, and well-being to those who are distraught. Send skilled caregivers to all in need (especially those on our prayer list), and make your presence known among all who suffer. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
God of all faithfulness, through the witness of the faithful departed you reveal love in action. Embolden us by their example to build up the beloved community in all the contexts we encounter. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Into your hands, O God, we commend all for whom we pray, in the name of the one who reconciled all creation to himself, Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
EXCHANGE of PEACE
OFFERING & OFFERTORY
Create in me… Page 75
LORD’S PRAYER
BENEDICTION Page 74
CLOSING HYMN
On What Has Now Been Sown #261
DISMISSAL Page 74
POSTLUDE