Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

OUR MISSION STATEMENT “Sharing God’s love and His promise for tomorrowEngaging with God’s children to carry the light ofJesus Christ from the altar through the door.” Louis Sanders – Council PresidentVacant – Vice-PresidentDr. Eric Hahn – SecretaryAnni Hahn – Treasurer

  IN OUR PRAYERS

 

 

For those who work and live in nursing homes

Staff of United Churches of Algiers Emergency Fund

Our military serving here and abroad

 

We pray also for Love Lutheran Church and for all those in need of healing power of God’s love.

 

Ask and it will be given to you:  Our Lord invites us to bring all our cares and concerns to him and trust in his mercy and grace.  If you have prayer concerns please let Pastor Gaye know by noon on Wednesday so that your prayer request may be included in the prayers of the people at Sunday worship.  Please inform Pastor Gaye if your prayer request needs to be extended longer than two weeks.

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LOVE LUTHERAN CHURCH   Interim Clergy: Rev. Lisa Gaye                       Adult Bible Study:  9:00 A.M. Office: 504-362-1967                                               Worship:  10:00 A.M.

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost                                           July 23, 2023

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS(Stand as you are able)

BRIEF ORDER FOR CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

P:  In the name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

C:  Amen.

P:  Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

C:  Amen.

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

(Silence is kept for reflection)

P:  Most merciful God,

C:  We confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves.  We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.  We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.  For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.  Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name.  Amen.

P:  In the mercy of Almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for you, and for his sake God forgives you all your sins.  As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ and by his authority.  I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all of your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

C:  Amen.

OPENING HYMN:  #ELW 817 “You Have Come Down to the Lakeshore”

THE GREETING

P:  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

C:  And also with you.

THE KYRIE

THE HYMN OF PRAISE:  “Now the Feast and Celebration”

PRAYER OF THE DAY

P:  Let us pray.

C:  Faithful God, most merciful judge, you care for your children with firmness and compassion.  By your Spirit nurture us who live in your kingdom, that we may be rooted in the way of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Amen.

(You may be seated) First Reading:  Isaiah 44:6-8

There are no other gods besides God: the word of the Lord does not fail to come to pass.  We can trust in God, through whom Israel—and we—are redeemed. ⁶ Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.  ⁷ Who is like me?  Let them proclaim it, let them declare and set it forth before me.  Who has announced from of old the things to come?  Let them tell us what is yet to be.  ⁸ Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it?  You are my witnesses!  Is there any god besides me?  There is no other rock; I know not one.

The Word of the Lord.                   Thanks be to God.

Psalm:  Psalm 86:11-17

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth. (Ps. 86:11) 

¹¹ Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name.

¹² I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.

¹³ For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

¹⁴ O God, the insolent rise up against me; a band of ruffians seeks my life, and they do not set you before them.

¹⁵ But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant; save the child of your serving girl.

¹⁷ Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

 Second Reading:  Romans 8:12-25For Paul, true spirituality means that we experience the reality of the Spirit, which enables us to pray as God’s children, keeps us in solidarity with creation, and gives us unseen hope that God will liberate us and creation from bondage to death and decay.

 

¹² So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — ¹³ for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.       ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.  ¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption.  When we cry, “Abba! Father!”  ¹⁶ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ–if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.  ¹⁸ I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.  ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; ²⁰ for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  ²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; ²³ and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.  ²⁴ For in hope we were saved.  Now hope that is seen is not hope.  For who hopes for what is seen?  ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

The Word of the Lord.                   Thanks be to God.

(Stand as you are able)

Gospel:  Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew           Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus tells a parable about the coexistence of good and evil in this world.  God’s judgment will remove all evildoers and causes of sin, but not until the end of human history.

²⁴ He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; ²⁵ but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away.  ²⁶ So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well.  ²⁷ And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?  Where, then, did these weeds come from?’  ²⁸ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’  The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’  ²⁹ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them.  ³⁰ Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'”

³⁶ Then he left the crowds and went into the house.  And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”  ³⁷ He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; ³⁸ the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.       ⁴⁰ Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.  ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, ⁴² and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  Let anyone with ears listen!

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

(You may be seated)

SERMON

(Stand as you are able)

HYMN OF THE DAY:  #ELW 693 “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”P:  God has made us his people through our Baptism in Christ.  Living together in hope, we confess our faith.

 THE APOSTLES’ CREED

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 into hell.

   On the third day he rose again;

   He ascended into heaven,

   And 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 Christian church.

   The communion of saints

   The forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,

   And life everlasting. Amen.

(You may be seated)

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

A:  Confident that God receives our joys and concerns, let us offer our prayers for the church, those in need, and all of creation.

(A brief silence)

A:  O God, you call your church to announce the gospel of reconciliation and truth both near and far.  Guide your church as it seeks your wisdom and shares it, trusting your Spirit bearing witness among us.  Hear us, O God.

C:  Your mercy is great.

A:  You brought forth all creation and called it good.  Direct policymakers to protect lands and seas.  Bring rain to sun-parched fields and protect areas impacted by natural disasters.  Hear us, O God.

C:  Your mercy is great.

A:  You desire peace among nations and peoples.  Guard our neighborhoods from hatred, watch over police officers and firefighters, and teach us to advocate for those who live in fear.  Hear us, O God.

C:  Your mercy is great.

A:  You are gracious and merciful, comforting those who suffer any affliction (especially…).  Sustain your people living with diseases, provide shelter for all who are unhoused, and release any who are unjustly imprisoned.  Hear us, O God.

C:  Your mercy is great. A:  You name each of us as your children.  Guide our hospitality ministry to welcome all, our education ministry to equip us for faithful living, and our social ministry to enact the gospel in our community.  Hear us, O God.

C:  Your mercy is great.

(Here other intercessions may be offered spoken aloud or in our hearts.)

(After each petition we respond:)

 

A:  Hear us, O God.

C:  Your mercy is great.

 

A:  You send faithful people to proclaim freedom from bondage and to renew your church. Encourage us by the witness of the faithful departed (including Birgitta of Sweden, whom the church commemorates today), so that we live into that same hope. 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.

C:  Amen.

P:  Lord Jesus, you said to your apostles: I leave you my peace, my peace I give you.  Look not on the sins, but on the faith of your church, and grant us peace and unity of your kingdom where you live forever and ever.

C:  Amen.

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always.

C:  And also with you.

(You may be seated)

THE OFFERING(Stand as you are able)

THE OFFERTORY:  “As the Grains of Wheat”

THE OFFERTORY PRAYER

A:  Let us pray, Merciful God,

C:  everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you.  We joyfully release what you have entrusted to us.  May these gifts be signs of our whole lives returned to you, dedicated to the healing and unity of all creation, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING

P:  The Lord be with you.

C:  And also with you.

P:  Lift up your hearts.

C:  We lift them to the Lord.

P:  Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C:  It is right to give him thanks and praise.

THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

PROPER PREFACE

P:  It is truly good, right, and salutary, that we should at all times, and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who ascended above the heavens and, sitting at Your right hand, poured out on this day, as He had promised, the Holy Spirit on the chosen disciples.  At this the world rejoices with exceeding joy.

     Therefore with angels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:

THE SANCTUS:WORDS OF INSTITUTION

P:  “Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was betrayed,

     took bread and when He had given thanks,

     He broke it and gave it to His disciples saying:

    ‘Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you.

     Do this in remembrance of Me.’

    “In the same way also, He took the cup after supper, gave thanks,

     and gave it to them saying: ‘Drink of it all of you;

     this cup is the New Testament in My blood,

     which is shed for you and for many, for the remission of sins.

     Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

     With this bread and cup we remember our Lord’s Passover from death to life as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

P:  We say together

C:  Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.  Amen

P:  We pray together THE LORD’S PRAYER

C:  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.

THE COMMUNION

P:  The gifts of God for the people of God, feed on them in your heart with thanksgiving.

C:  Amen

(You may be seated)

The Communion follows:During the communing of Pastor and Assistant the congregation sings “Lamb of God”)(Stand as you are able) COMMUNION HYMN:  #ELW 550 “On What Has Now Been Sown”

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNIONA:  Let us pray.We thank you, generous God, for the refreshment we have received at your banquet table.  Send us now to spread your generosity into all the world, through the one who is our dearest treasure, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.C:  Amen.

THE BENEDICTIONP:  The God who calls across the cosmos and speaks in the smallest seed (+) bless, keep, and sustain you now and to the end of the age.

C:  Amen.

SENDING HYMN:   #ELW 604 “O Christ, Our Hope” DISMISSAL

P:  Go in peace.  Share the harvest.

C:  Thanks be to God.

+ + Scripture Next Sunday: Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

1 Kings 3:5-12;Psalm 119:129-136;Romans 8:26-39;Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Hymn

ANNOUNCEMENTS

In the event of an emergency you may contact Pastor Gaye at the church office (504) 362-1967.

Cell Phones:  We are requesting that members and visitors please silence your cell phones to “off” while in the sanctuary and we are in worship service.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Sunday, 23 July 2023 – Viewing the movie “Luther” at Elaine Teague’s house after service 11:30 am

Please consider a donation to the Memorial Engelbracht Guest Musician Fund.  Donation envelopes can be found in the rear of the church.

If you wish to help to aid in the recovery of victims of disaters, donations can be made through Lutheran Disaster Relief at LDR.com.+ + +

Daily devotional website as suggested by Pastor Lisa Gaye

https://www.luthersem.edu/godpause/Meditation on the Lessons – Take HomePrayer:

O Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest your word, that we may embrace and hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

1.  Identify a passage from scripture today that touches your life.

2. Pray for the Holy Spirit as you write: “From what I’ve heard and shared, what do I believe God wants me to do or be?  Is God inviting me to change in any way?

Last modified: August 21, 2023