Seventh Sunday after Pentecost July 16, 2023
WELCOME to each of you gathered for worship this morning. Please take a moment to complete the attendance sheet and place it in the offering plate when it is passed.
| 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 |
Love Lutheran e-mail addresses: lovelutheran68@gmail.com Love Lutheran Website: www.lovelutheran.org
Love Lutheran is a Member of the ELCA
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America website at: www.elca.org Follow us on Facebook: Love Lutheran Church New Orleans
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PRESIDING AT WORSHIP: Rev Nancy Day
LECTOR: Amy Hilton
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IN OUR PRAYERS
Congregation Prayers: Mary Sanders
Melissa Gallant Sharon Steele Dianne Revuelta Lyn Weixel Robert Onsgard Kevin Trimble
Ken and Sandy Flora Phillip Brubaker Denise Daigrepont Roy Ila Duncan
Jamie Johnson Hans Heinemann
Rick and Gabe Lyons Laurie Smith Andrew Douglas Arlene Ogg
Elaina Cannon and Children Leya and Aaliyah
Wayne Prayers: Sarah Steele Charlie Steele Dirk Anderson Joyce Barber Jodee James
Lu Carrigan Janice Bela Dixie Adkins Alex Adkins Adam Adkins Julien Adkins Alisha Adkins
Dixie Prayers: Sarah Steele Charlie Steele Dirk Anderson Joyce Barber
Jo Ellen Smith Nursing Home
Elaine Prayers: Elaine Teague
David and Kim Teague Joshua Teague
David Teague Jr. Steven Teague Terri Marino Jackie Pavur Shirley Lyons Louis Mayer Lane Wise
Paul Steele
Pastor Lisa Prayers: Community and World
For the Steele family as we mourn the loss of Bob Steele
For the Gamble family as we mourn the loss of Kathy Gamble
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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Seventh Sunday after Pentecost July 16, 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 634 “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name!”
(printed in the back of the worship bulletin)
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: Almighty God, we thank you for planting in us the seed of your
word. By your Holy Spirit help us to receive it with joy, live
according to it, and grow in faith and hope and love, through
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
(You may be seated)
First Reading: Isaiah 55:10-13
God’s word to Israel’s exiles is as sure and effective as never-failing
precipitation. Their return to the Holy Land in a new exodus is cheered on by
singing mountains and by trees that clap their hands.
10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return
there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that
goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall
accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and
the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall
clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead
of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the LORD for a
memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Psalm: Psalm 65:[1-8] 9-13
Your paths overflow with plenty. (Ps. 65:11)
1 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed,
2 O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come.
3 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions.
4 Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your
courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.
6 By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded
with might.
7 You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of
the peoples.
8 Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for
joy.]
9 You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full
of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it
with showers, and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with
richness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves
with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves
with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.
Second Reading: Romans 8:1-11
There is no condemnation for those who live in Christ. God sent Christ to
accomplish what the law was unable to do: condemn sin and free us from its
death-dealing ways. The Spirit now empowers proper actions and values in
our lives and gives us the promise of resurrected life.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law
of sin and of death.
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the
flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 so that the just
requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the
flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who live according to the flesh
set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the
Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
6 To set the mind on the
flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
7 For this
reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit
to God’s law–indeed it cannot,
8 and those who are in the flesh cannot
please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the
Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ
does not belong to him.
10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead
because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 If the Spirit of
him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from
the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells
in you.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
(Stand as you are able)
Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
The Holy Gospel according to Matthew Glory to you, O Lord.
In Matthew’s gospel, both Jesus and his disciples “sow the seed” of God’s word by proclaiming the good news that “the kingdom of heaven is near.” Now, in a memorable parable, Jesus explains why this good news produces different results in those who hear.
1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such
great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away.
7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears listen!”
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches
away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
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 679 “For the Fruit of All Creation”
(printed in the back of the worship bulletin)
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: Guide your church, O God, to sow seeds of forgiveness and righteousness on good soil. Direct your people to proclaim your love in this congregation and throughout the world. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.
A: Sustain your creation, O God, by sending favorable weather, causing trees and fields to grow, protecting waterways from pollution, and instilling in all people the need to be good stewards. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.
A: Maintain peace among all people, O God, and raise up lawyers to work for justice in the courts, advocates to speak for the downtrodden, and politicians to work on behalf of the common good. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.
A: Heal those who are sick, O God (especially…). Guide health care workers to care for those who suffer, scientists to conduct lifesaving research, and counselors to care for victims of sexual abuse and exploitation. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.
A: Answer the prayers of those gathered in worship, O God. Protect those who travel near and far, accompany visitors to this congregation, and nurture our faith. 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: Inspire us by the faithful departed, O God, examples of your embodied love, whose confidence in the resurrection guides us in living lives worthy of the gospel. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.
P: 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: All glory and honor be yours always and everywhere, mighty creator, ever-living God, who called us into life.
You do not abandon us on our way, and you hear us when we cry to you. You once led your people Israel through the wilderness.
Today you accompany the church in the power of your Spirit.
Your Son prepares us the road through this time to the joy of eternal life. Therefore we join all the angels and saints in singing the praise of your glory:
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”
(printed on the following page)
(Stand as you are able)
COMMUNION HYMN: #ELW 646 “The Peace of the Lord”
(printed in the back of the worship bulletin)
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
A: 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 BENEDICTION
P: 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 547 “Sent Forth by God’s Blessing”
(printed in the back of the worship bulletin)
DISMISSAL
P: Go in peace. Share the harvest.
C: Thanks be to God.
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Readings are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible with Apocrypha. Copyrighted elements of Revised Common Lectionary, liturgical texts, and liturgical music used by permission of Augsburg Fortress under license number SB144485. All music and portions of the liturgical music reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-705233. All rights reserved. Clipart and images as reprinted from Churchart.com license.
Scripture Next Sunday: Eighth Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 44:6-8;
Psalm 86:11-17;
Romans 8:12-25;
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Hymns
For the Fruit of All Creation
Sent Forth by Gods Blessing
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.
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.
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Daily devotional website as suggested by Pastor Lisa Gaye https://www.luthersem.edu/godpause/
Meditation on the Lessons – Take Home Prayer:
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.
- Identify a passage from scripture today that touches your life.
- 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?
