Worship Outline and Sermon 

Worship Outline: September 15, 2024, Time after Pentecost (Holy Communion)

Introduction to the day

Three weeks ago we heard Peter’s confession of faith as told in John’s gospel. This week we hear Mark’s version, when Peter says, “You are the Messiah.” In John, the stumbling block is Jesus’ invitation to eat his flesh, given for the life of the world. In Mark too the scandal has to do with Jesus’ words about his own coming death, and here Peter himself stumbles over Jesus’ words. But Jesus is anointed (the meaning of messiah) in Mark only on the way to the cross (14:3); so we are anointed in baptism with the sign of the cross.

(* = please stand, as able)

Quiet Time for Reflection and Prayer

Prelude

Welcome and Announcements

*Confession and Forgiveness

Let us confess our sin and come to God for healing.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Gracious God,

have mercy on us. We confess that we have honored you with our lips, but have harmed our neighbors with our tongues. In our desire to be first we make distinctions among ourselves. In your great mercy, forgive us our sins. Draw near to us with grace in time of need, and turn us to follow in the way of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.        

God promises to forgive our iniquity and to remember our sin no more. By grace you have been saved. In the name of ☩ Jesus Christ, the source of eternal healing, your sins are forgiven.

Amen.

*Opening Song All Are Welcome (#641)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9V0qJmZ7z8

Let us build a house where love can dwell

And all can safely live,

A place where saints and children tell

How hearts learn to forgive.

Built of hopes and dreams and visions,

Rock of faith and vault of grace;

Here the love of Christ shall end divisions:

Refrain:

All are welcome,

All are welcome,

All are welcome in this place.

Let us build a house where prophets speak,

And words are strong and true,

Where all God’s children dare to seek

To dream God’s reign anew.

Here the cross shall stand as witness

And as symbol of God’s grace;

Here as one we claim the faith of Jesus:

Refrain:

Let us build a house where love is found

In water, wine and wheat;

Where peace and justice meet.

Here the love of God, through  Jesus,

Is revealed in time and space;

As we share in Christ the feast that frees us:

Refrain:

Let us build a house where hands will reach

Beyond the wood and stone

To heal and strengthen, serve and teach,

And live the Word they’ve known.

Here the outcast and the stranger

Bear the image of God’s face;

Let us bring an end to fear and danger:

Refrain:

Let us build a house where all are named,

Their songs and visions heard

And loved and treasured, taught and claimed

As words within the Word.

Built of tears and cries and laughter,

Prayers of faith and songs of grace,

Let this house proclaim from floor to rafter.

Refrain:

(Text and music: Marty Haugen. © 1994, GIA Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission under OneLicense.net #A-714392. All rights reserved.)

*Greeting (p. 98)

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.

*Canticle of Praise (p. 101, sung)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMZrlPTt4aI

Refrain:

This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain,

Whose blood set us free to be people of God.

Power and riches, wisdom and strength,

And honour and blessing and glory are his.    

Refrain:

Sing with all the people of God,

And join in the hymn of all creation:

Blessing and honour, glory and might

Be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen.

Refrain:                                                    

For the lamb who was slain has begun his reign. Alleluia.

Refrain:

*Prayer of the Day

Let us pray. 

O God, through suffering and rejection you bring forth our salvation, and by the glory of the cross you transform our lives. Grant that for the sake of the gospel we may turn from the lure of evil, take up our cross, and follow your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

First Reading:  Isaiah 50:4-9a

The image of the servant of the Lord is one of the notable motifs in the book of Isaiah. Today’s reading describes the mission of the servant, whom early Christians associated with Jesus. Like Jesus, the servant does not strike back at his detractors but trusts in God’s steadfast love.

 4The Lord God has given me
  the tongue of a teacher,
 that I may know how to sustain
  the weary with a word.
 Morning by morning he wakens—
  wakens my ear
  to listen as those who are taught.
 5The Lord God has opened my ear,
  and I was not rebellious,
  I did not turn backward.
 6I gave my back to those who struck me,
  and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;
 I did not hide my face
  from insult and spitting.
 7The Lord God helps me;
  therefore I have not been disgraced;
 therefore I have set my face like flint,
  and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
  8he who vindicates me is near.
 Who will contend with me?              
  Let us stand up together.
 Who are my adversaries?
  Let them confront me.
 9aIt is the Lord God who helps me;
  who will declare me guilty?

     The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Hymn Lord, Speak to Us, That We May Speak (# 676)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jhESQfuVQA

Lord, speak to us, that we may speak

In living echoes of your tone;

As you have sought, so let us seek

Your straying children, lost and lone.

Oh, lead us, Lord, that we may lead

The wand’ring and the wav’ring feet;

Oh, feed us, Lord, that we may feed

Your hung’ring ones with manna sweet.

Oh, teach us, Lord, that we may teach

The precious truths which you impart;

And wing our words, that they may reach

The hidden depths of many a heart.

Oh, fill us with your fullness, Lord,

Until our very hearts o’erflow

In kindling thought and glowing word,

Your love to tell, your praise to show.

(Text: Frances R. Havergal, alt. Music: Robert Schumann. Text and music: public domain.)

Second Reading: James 3:1-12

This text uses various images to illustrate how damaging and hurtful the way we speak to and about others can be. Not only are we to control our speech, but what we say and how we say it are to reflect our faith.

  1Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. 3If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. 4Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.                           

How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! 6And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, 8but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. 10From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. 11Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? 12Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

     The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

*Gospel Acclamation (p. 102, sung)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO3nbnAe3Do

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

*Gospel: Mark 8:27-38

The holy gospel according to Mark. Glory to you, O Lord.

This story provides the turning point in Mark’s gospel. Peter is the first human being in the narrative to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, but he cannot accept that as the Messiah Jesus will have to suffer. Moreover, Jesus issues a strong challenge to all by connecting discipleship and the cross.

  27Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

 31Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
 34He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

      The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon – Pastor Matthew

*Hymn of the Day Will You Come and Follow Me (# 798)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJURRVswwEg

“Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?

Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?

Will you let my love be shown,

Will you let my name be known,

Will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?”

“Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?

Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?

Will you risk the hostile stare,

Should your life attract or scare?

Will you let me answer pray’r in you and you in me?”

“Will you let the blinded see if I but call your name?

Will you set the pris’ners free and never be the same?

Will you kiss the leper clean,

And do such as this unseen,

And admit to what I mean in you and you in me?”

“Will you love the you you hide if I but call your name?

Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?

Will you use the faith you’ve found

To reshape the world around,

Through my sight and touch and sound in you and you in me?”

Lord, your summons echoes true when you but call my name.

Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.

In your company I’ll go

Where your love and footsteps show.

Thus I’ll move and live and grow in you and you in me.

(Text: John L. Bell. Music: Scottish traditional,  Arr. by John L. Bell. Text and arr. © 1987, WGRG c/o Iona Community, GIA Publications, Inc., agent. Reprinted with permission under OneLicense.net #A-714392. All rights reserved.) 

*Apostles’ Creed (p. 105)

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come 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.

*Prayers of Intercession

Drawn together in the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray with confidence for the church, God’s good creation, and all who are in need.

A brief silence.

We pray for the church throughout the world. Form us into communities of forgiveness and grace. Guide the members of our synodical and national church councils as they help us to respond to your Word. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

We pray for the earth and all its inhabitants. Protect lands at risk of wildfire and heal dying forests. Where fire brings destruction, raise up new growth. Guide us in tending precarious ecosystems. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

We pray for those who govern nations, tribes, and cities. Open them to the cries of people in need. Direct them in shaping policies that prioritize the health and well-being of all who struggle with hunger and housing insecurity. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

We pray for all who are ill, all who are lonely or anxious, and all who grieve Draw them close to you and soothe them with the promise of your enduring love. Those we remember include … Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

We pray silently for the concerns of our hearts … Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

We remember our beloved dead, who with the great cloud of witnesses bear witness to your saving grace. Accompany us in our pilgrimage of faith, that we too place our hope and trust in you. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

We entrust these and all our prayers to you, holy God, in the name of your beloved child, Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Amen.                                                               

*Peace

The peace of Christ be with you always.

And also with you.

Our Offerings are brought forward (please be seated)

Offerings can be placed in the plate at the entrance to the sanctuary, before or after worship. As the gifts are brought forward, please join in singing:

Offertory Praise My Soul, The God of Heaven (# 864, st. 1 and 4)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Wu__OV1c8

Praise my soul, the God of heaven;

Joyfully your tribute bring.

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,

Evermore God’s praises sing.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Praises everlasting ring!

Angels sing in adoration,

In God’s presence, face to face.

Sun and moon and all creation,

All who dwell in time and space.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Praise with us the God of grace!

(Text: Henry Lyte; all. Walter R. Bouman. Music: John Goss. Text and music: public domain.)

Offering Prayer

Blessed are you, O God, source of every gift of your creation. By these gifts and with our lives, help us to serve one another and all in need, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

*Great Thanksgiving (p.107, sung)

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG49pxojgjk

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.

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 us 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.

Invitation to Communion

Jesus welcomes you to this table. Come, here is your God. The body and blood of Christ given and shed for you.

Communion

If watching online, when the presiding minister says, ‘The body and blood of Christ, given and shed for you,’ we welcome all to take and eat a piece of bread, remembering and giving thanks for the promises given us in Christ Jesus. Please also do so, taking a glass of wine or another beverage. 

During Communion, please join in singing:

Gather Us In (# 532, st. 3,4)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B7FFJDRcRA

Here we will take the wine and the water,

Here we will take the bread of new birth,

Here you shall call your sons and your daughters,

Call us anew to be salt for the earth.

Give us to drink the wine of compassion,

Give us to eat the bread that is you;

Nourish us well, and teach us to fashion

Lives that are holy and hearts that are true.

Not in the dark of buildings confining,

Not in some heaven, light years away –

Here in this place the new light is shining,

Now is the kingdom, and now is the day.

Gather us in and hold us forever,

Gather us in and make us your own;

Gather us in, all peoples together,

Fire of love in our flesh and our bone.

(Text and music: Marty Haugen. © 1982, GIA Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission under OneLicense.net #A-714392. All rights reserved.)

Prayer after Communion

Holy God, you have welcomed us to this meal and fed us with dignity at your table. Send us now to welcome others and to be at peace with one another, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

*Blessing

God all mighty, God most merciful ☩ bless you, keep you, and give you peace. Amen.

*Sending Song Give to Our God Immortal Praise! (# 848)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r53rPXAs9l0

Give to our God immortal praise!

Mercy and truth are all his ways.

Wonders of grace to God belong;

Repeat his mercies in your song.

He sent his Son with pow’r to save

From guilt and darkness and the grave.

Wonders of grace to God belong;

Repeat his mercies in your song.   

Give to the Lord of lords renown;

The King of kings with glory crown.

His mercies ever shall endure

When lords and kings are known no more!

(Text: Isaac Watts. Music: John Hatton. Text and music: public domain.)

*Dismissal

Go in peace.  Follow Jesus.

Thanks be to God.

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