SEVENTH SUNDAY after PENTECOST

July 19, 2020

Confession and Absolution

Hymn of Invocation ~ 892 Come Ye Thankful People, Come

1 Come, ye thankful people, come; / Raise the song of harvest home. All be safely gathered in / Ere the winter storms begin; God, our maker, doth provide / For our wants to be supplied. Come to God’s own temple, come; / Raise the song of harvest home.

2 All the world is God’s own field, / Fruit unto His praise to yield; Wheat and tares together sown, / Unto joy or sorrow grown. First the blade and then the ear, / Then the full corn shall appear. Lord of harvest, grant that we / Wholesome grain and pure may be.

3 For the Lord, our God, shall come / And shall take His harvest home, From His field shall in that day / All offenses purge away, Give His angels charge at last / In the fire the tares to cast, But the fruitful ears to store / In His garner evermore.

4 Even so, Lord, quickly come / To Thy final harvest home; Gather Thou Thy people in, / Free from sorrow, free from sin, There, forever purified, / In Thy garner to abide: Come with all Thine angels, come, / Raise the glorious harvest home. Text: Public domain

Elder: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. People: Amen. Elder: Our help is in the name of the Lord, People: who made heaven and earth. Elder: If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? People: But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared.

Elder: Since we are gathered to hear God’s Word, call upon Him in prayer and praise, let us first consider our

unworthiness and confess before God and one another that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition. Together as His people let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God, our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ, and saying: God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

People: Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to everlasting life. Amen. Elder: Almighty God, merciful Father, in Holy Baptism You declared us to be Your children and gathered us into Your

one, holy Church, in which You daily and richly forgive us our sins and grant us new life through Your Spirit. Be in our midst, enliven our faith, and graciously receive our prayer and praise; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

People: Amen.

Service of the Word

Introit Psalm 86:11–15; antiphon: v. 6

Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. O God, insolent men have risen up against me; a band of ruthless men seek my life, and they do not set you before them. But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace.  

Kyrie ~ Lord, Have Mercy LSB 204

Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.

Gloria in Excelsis ~ Glory to God in the Highest LSB 204

1 To God on high be glory / And peace to all the earth; Goodwill from God in heaven / Proclaimed at Jesus’ birth! We praise and bless You, Father; / Your holy name, we sing— Our thanks for Your great glory, / Lord God, our heav’nly King.

2 To You, O sole-begotten, / The Father’s Son, we pray; O Lamb of God, our Savior, / You take our sins away. Have mercy on us, Jesus; / Receive our heartfelt cry, Where You in pow’r are seated / At God’s right hand on high—

3 For You alone are holy; / You only are the Lord. Forever and forever, / Be worshiped and adored; You with the Holy Spirit / Alone are Lord Most High, In God the Father’s glory. / “Amen!” our glad reply.

Salutation and Collect of the Day

Elder: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you.

Elder: Let us pray. O God, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that, ever mindful of Your final judgment,

we may be stirred up to holiness of living here and dwell with You in perfect joy hereafter; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

People: Amen.

Old Testament Reading ~ Isaiah 44:6-8

After the reading: Elder: This is the Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God.

Psalm 119:57–64 57The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep your words. 58I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. 59When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies; 60I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments. 61Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law. 62At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your just and righteous decrees. 63I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts. 64The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes!

Epistle ~ Romans 8:18–27 After the reading: Elder: This is the Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God.

Alleluia and Verse

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Holy Gospel ~ Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Elder: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the thirteenth chapter. People: Glory to You, O Lord.

After the reading: Elder: This is the Gospel of the Lord. People: Praise to You, O Christ.

Apostles’ Creed I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life + everlasting. Amen.

Devotional Message ~ “What About the Weeds?” Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Hymn of the Day ~ 772 In Holy Conversation

1 In holy conversation We speak to God in prayer, And at His invitation Our deepest thoughts we share. We come, His will obeying, As children bringing needs; And to support our praying, His Spirit intercedes.

2 These holy conversations Begin in childlike ways; We bring our supplications And words of thanks and praise. With care our Father listens To ev’ry thought expressed, Then answers our petitions In ways He knows are best.

3 As holy conversation, In silence or by word, In ev’ry situation Through Jesus, we are heard. So let us pray securely, Expressing hopes and fears With confidence that surely Our Father ever hears.

Text: © 2004 Gregory J. Wismar. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005264

Offering ~ Online giving is available at www.faithlutheranstephenville.com

Prayer of the Church After each petition: Elder: Lord, in Your mercy, People: hear our prayer.

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 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.

Benediction Romans 8:15–16 Elder: You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” People: The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Elder: Our heavenly Father, His + Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and the Holy Spirit bless you and keep you now and

forever. People: Amen.

Dismissal   Elder: Go in peace as you serve the Lord. People: Thanks be to God!

Hymn to Depart ~ 827 Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling

1 Hark, the voice of Jesus calling, “Who will go and work today? Fields are white and harvests waiting— Who will bear the sheaves away?” Loud and long the Master calleth; Rich reward He offers thee. Who will answer, gladly saying, “Here am I, send me, send me”?

2 Some take up His task in morning,

To their Lord responding soon; Some are called in heat of midday, Others late in afternoon; Even as the sun is setting, Some are sent into the fields, There to gather in the bounty That God’s Word so richly yields.

3 For as rain and snow from heaven

Water seeds in dusty soil, Causing them to bud and flower, Giving bread to those who toil; So the Lord sends forth His promise, Words of life and joy and peace— Never void to Him returning, Bearing fruit with great increase.

4 Hearken to the Lord whose coming

Marks the time when grace shall end, When with His angelic reapers He in glory shall descend. Soon the night, the final harvest; Soon the time for work shall cease. Then the souls His grace has garnered Shall enjoy His Sabbath peace.

Text (st. 1): Public domain Text (sts. 2–4): © 2001 Stephen P. Starke, admin. Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005264

Acknowledgments Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2018

Concordia Publishing House

Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series A, Quarter 3. Copyright © 2020 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission.