This Week's Bulletin

Micah declares God’s condemnation of those who abhor justice. Jesus warns against hypocrisy. Paul urges the Thessalonians to lead a life worthy of God. Called to be humble servants, we gather for worship, seeking justice and welcoming all people to share the banquet of life.

We worship in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Confession and Forgiveness

Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, who creates, redeems, and sustains us and all of creation. Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.

Faithful God,
have mercy on us. We confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We turn from your loving embrace and go our own ways. We pass judgment on one another before examining ourselves. We place our own needs before those of our neighbors. We keep your gift of salvation to ourselves. Make us humble, cast away our transgressions, and turn us again to life in you through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

God hears the cries of all who call out in need, and through his death and resurrection, Christ has made us his own. Hear the truth that God proclaims: Your sins are forgiven in the name of ☩ Jesus Christ. Led by the Holy Spirit, live in freedom and newness to do God’s work in the world.
Amen.

 
Gathering Hymn
ELW 427- For All Thy Saints O Lord
(vs. 1) For all your saints, O Lord,
           Who strove in you to live,
           Who followed you, obeyed, adored,
           Our grateful hymn receive.
       
(vs. 2)For all your saints, O Lord,
          Who strove in you to die,
          Who counted you their great reward,
          Accept our thankful cry.

(vs. 5)To God, the Father, son,
          And Spirit, ever blest,
          The One in Three, the Three in One,
          Be endless praise addressed.

Greeting
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the love of God and communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
 
Prayer of the Day
O God, generous and supreme, your loving Son lived among us, instructing us in the ways of humility and justice. Continue to ease our burdens, and lead us to serve alongside of him, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

First Reading: Micah 3:5-12

Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets
  who lead my people astray,
 who cry “Peace”
  when they have something to eat,
 but declare war against those
  who put nothing into their mouths.
 Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,
  and darkness to you, without revelation.
 The sun shall go down upon the prophets,
  and the day shall be black over them;
 the seers shall be disgraced,
  and the diviners put to shame;
 they shall all cover their lips,
  for there is no answer from God.
 But as for me, I am filled with power,
  with the spirit of the Lord,
  and with justice and might,
 to declare to Jacob his transgression
  and to Israel his sin.

 Hear this, you rulers of the house of Jacob
  and chiefs of the house of Israel,
 who abhor justice
  and pervert all equity,
 who build Zion with blood
  and Jerusalem with wrong!
 Its rulers give judgment for a bribe,
  its priests teach for a price,
  its prophets give oracles for money;
 yet they lean upon the Lord and say,
  “Surely the Lord is with us!
  No harm shall come upon us.”
 Therefore because of you
  Zion shall be plowed as a field;
 Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,
  and the mountain of the house a wooded height.

Word of God, Word of life.

Psalm: Psalm 43

Give judgment for me, O God, and defend my cause against an un- | godly people;
  deliver me from the deceitful | and the wicked.
 For you are the God of my strength; why have you re- | jected me,
  and why do I wander in such gloom while the enemy op- | presses me? 
 Send out your light and your truth, that | they may lead me,
  and bring me to your holy hill and to your | sanctuary;
 that I may go to the altar of God, to the God of my | joy and gladness;
  and on the harp I will give thanks to you, O | God my God.
 Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, and why are you so disquiet- | ed within me?
  Put your trust in God, for I will yet give thanks to the one who is my help | and my God. 

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers. As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
  We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.

Word of God, Word of life.

 
Gospel Acclamation - Setting 8
 
Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12
This is the holy gospel according to Matthew the 23rd chapter.
 

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

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

 
Sermon
 
Hymn of the Day

ELW 807-Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing
(vs. 1) Come, thou Fount of ev'ry blessing,
           tune my heart to sing thy grace;
           streams of mercy, never ceasing,
           call for songs of loudest praise.
           While the hope of endless glory
           fills my heart with joy and love,
           teach me ever to adore thee;
           may I still thy goodness prove.

(vs. 3) Oh, to grace how great a debtor
           daily I'm constrained to be;
           let that grace now like a fetter
           bind my wand'ring heart to thee.
           Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
           prone to leave the God I love.
           Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it;
           seal it for thy courts above.

Prayers of Intercession
Longing for Christ’s reign to come among us, we pray for the outpouring of God’s power on the church, the world, and all in need.

Gracious God, you invite those who feel most unworthy of love to a seat at the head of your table. Through the humility, vulnerability, and repentance of your church, bring a compassionate welcome to all in need of your grace. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
 
Sustaining God, guide all people of the earth through harsh extremes in the cycles of creation—drought and monsoon, blistering heat and freezing cold. Hold in your mercy all places where lives have been disrupted by natural disasters (especially). Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
 
Sovereign God, gather our country around a shared table this week during our national election. Open fruitful dialogue between people of every political party, place, age, and socio-economic status so that we may discern the common good you desire for us. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.

Merciful God, protect those whose human dignity has been denied and oppressed in our nation (especially). Raise the voices of those who have been silenced and bring justice where power has been abused for personal gain. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
 
Loving God, accompany those in new and unfamiliar places who need an invitation to community. We pray especially for those who have recently moved to start their first year of college, a new job, or a missionary position in another land. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
 
[Click here to see our Congregational Prayer List]

 
Eternal God, you unite all the faithful in a banquet of your abundance. This day we remember all who now feast in your eternal presence, especially all who have died in the past year (here the names of those who have died in the previous year may be read). Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

Receive our prayers in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior, until that day when you gather all creation around your throne where you will reign forever and ever. Amen.
 
The Lord’s Prayer
Lord remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray.
Our Father, Who art in heaven
Hollowed by 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.
 
Blessing
Mothering God, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you and lead you into the way of truth and life. Amen.
 
Sending Hymn
ELW 543- Go My Children With My Blessing
(vs. 1) Go, my children, with my blessing, never alone.
           Walking, sleeping, I am with you, you are my own.
           In my love’s baptismal river
           I have made you mine forever.
           Go, my children, with my blessing, you are my own.

(vs. 3) Go, my children, fed and nourished, closer to me.
           Grow in love and love by serving, joyful and free.
           Here my Spirit’s power filled you,
           Here my tender comfort stilled you.
           Go, my children, fed and nourished, joyful and free
   
Dismissal
Go in peace. Remember the poor.
Thanks be to God.