17 Sep BULLETIN – SUNDAY, SPETEMBER 17, 2023
WELCOME to MESSIAH & ST. PETER LUTHERAN CHURCHES
Reverend Nancy Brody, Pastor
Greta Wright, Music Director
Sunday, September 17, 2023
Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE
CONFESSION and FORGIVENESS
Blessed be God, the one who forms us, ☩ Jesus who bears the cross, the Spirit who makes our joy complete.
Amen.
Let us bow before God in humility, confessing our sin. Silence is kept for reflection.
Steadfast and faithful God, you have revealed the ways of justice, yet we fail to follow you. We are overwhelmed by the world’s violence and suffering. We are afraid to risk what we have for the sake of others. For the harm we have caused, known and unknown, forgive us. For the unjust demands we place on others and your creation, forgive us. For the ways we turn away from you and our neighbor, forgive us. Lead us back to you and set us on the right path; in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
Beloved in Christ, God’s justice stretches beyond all understanding. God’s compassion is beyond compare. In Jesus, God is always making a new way for us. In ☩ Christ, you are already and always forgiven.
Amen.
ENTRANCE HYMN
You Servants of God #252
APOSTOLIC GREETING Page 57
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 Pages 57-59
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 Pages 58-59
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.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
O Lord God, merciful judge, you are the inexhaustible fountain of forgiveness. Replace hearts of stone with hearts that love and adore you, that everyone may delight in doing your will, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
FIRST READING GENESIS 50:15-21
Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?” So they approached Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died, ‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, “We are here as your slaves.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.
PSALM 103:[1-7] 8-13
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless God’s holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all God’s benefits—
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases;
who redeems your life from the grave and crowns you with steadfast love and mercy;
who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.
O Lord, you provide vindication and justice for all who are oppressed.
You made known your ways to Moses and your works to the children of Israel.
Lord, you are full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love;
you will not always accuse us, nor will you keep your anger forever.
You have not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is your steadfast love for those who fear you.
As far as the east is from the west, so far have you removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children, so you have compassion for those who fear you, O Lord.
SECOND READING ROMANS 14:1-12
Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand. Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God. We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” So then, each of us will be accountable to God.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Page 62
Alleluia, Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia. Alleluia.
GOSPEL MATTHEW 16:21-35
Peter came and said to [Jesus], “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
SERMON
HYMN of the DAY
Where Charity and Love Prevail #126
PROFESSION of FAITH Apostles’ Creed Page 65
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
Remembering the caring and generous works of God, we pray for the church, creation, and the needs of our neighbors.
A brief silence.
We pray for the well-being of the church at large and for our two sister congregations. Bless its members and friends. Uplift the good news of salvation in ways that can be understood and will prove beneficial to all. Lord, you are full of compassion, mercy, and abounding in steadfast love.
We pray for all aspects of creation, the animate and inanimate. Restore balance to the atmosphere and heal nature so that amounts of moisture and degrees of temperature help preserve habitats and life within them. Neutralize the effect of all damaging misuse of our planet and universe. Lord, you are full of compassion, mercy, and abounding in steadfast love.
We pray for all who attempt to govern well. Encourage competence in positions of authority, as well as empathy. Help those in power practice understanding and forgiveness for those in their care. Lord, you are full of compassion, mercy, and abounding in steadfast love.
We pray for our neighbors who face struggle of any kind, especially those on our prayer list. For those who are strained financially or living with chronic pain, mental illness, the disease of addiction, are otherwise afraid or in harm’s way, we ask for your protection and mercy. As a father has compassion for his children, so you love those who respect and revere you, O Lord.
Give everyone what he or she needs to live within his or her means, be satisfied, and not incur debt. Change the cost of healthcare so no one loses everything due to treatments deemed medically necessary. We need your grace to forgive each other, to practice patience and be in relationship. As a father has compassion for his children, so you love those who respect and revere you, O Lord.
We give thanks for those who died in faith, who showed us how to live and love. Help us live with confidence in communion with all the saints. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, forget not all God’s benefits. Yes, God. You redeem our lives from the grave and crown the saints with steadfast love and mercy.
Yes, Lord. Remember us according to your steadfast love as we offer these and the prayers of our heart. With awe-filled respect and deepest reverence, we trust your compassion made known through Jesus Christ. Amen.
EXCHANGE of PEACE
OFFERING & OFFERTORY Page 75
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.
BENEDICTION Page 74
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.
Amen.
CLOSING HYMN
Lord, Dismiss Us with Your Blessing #259
DISMISSAL Page 74
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE