October 8, 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 |
3730 MacArthur Blvd.
New Orleans, La 70114
504-362-1967
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
Gulf Coast Synod website at: www.gulfcoastsynod.org
Follow us on Facebook: Love Lutheran Church New Orleans
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PRESIDING AT WORSHIP: Rev Lisa Gaye
LECTOR: Elaine Teague
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IN OUR PRAYERS
Congregation Prayers:
Mary S.
Melissa G.
Sharon S.
Dianne R.
Lyn W.
Robert O.
Kevin T.
Ken and Sandy F.
Phillip B.
Denise D. R.
Jamie J.
Hans H.
Rick and Gabe L.
Laurie S.
Andrew D.
Arlene O.
Elaina C. and Children
Leya and Aaliyah
Jean F.
Trish F.
Terrie and Willie C.
Wayne Prayers:
Sarah S.
Joyce B.
Jodee J.
Lu C.
Janice B.
Dixie A.
Alex A.
Adam A.
Julien A.
Alisha A.
Loretta W.
Ron P.
Dixie Prayers:
Sarah S.
Joyce B.
Jo Ellen Smith Nursing Home
Elaine Prayers:
David and Kim T.
Joshua T.
David T. Jr.
Steven T.
Terri M.
Jackie P.
Shirley L.
Louis M.
Lane W.
Paul S.
Pastor Lisa Prayers:
Community and World
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. |
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost October 8, 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 803 “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
(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: Beloved God, from you come all things that are good. Lead us by the inspiration of your Spirit to know those things that are right, and by your merciful guidance, help us to do them, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
(You may be seated)
First Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7
The prophet sings a sad, parable-like love song about the relationship between God and Israel. In this song Israel is compared to a promising vineyard. Despite God’s loving care, the vineyard that is Israel has brought forth “wild grapes” of injustice and distress, when fine grapes of justice and righteousness were expected.
1 Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. 3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 5 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Psalm: Psalm 80-7-15
Look down from heaven, O God; behold and tend this vine. (Ps. 80:14, 15)
7 Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches;
11 it sent out its branches to the sea, and its shoots to the River.
12 Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that your right hand planted.
Second Reading: Phillippians 3:4b-14
Paul reviews some of his supposed credentials, which no longer have any bearing in comparison to the right relationship he has been given through the death of Christ. The power of Christ’s resurrection motivates him to press on toward the ultimate goal, eternal life with Christ.
[Paul writes:] 4b If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
(Stand as you are able)
Gospel: Matthew 21:33-46
The Holy Gospel according to Matthew Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus tells a parable to the religious leaders who are plotting his death, revealing that their plans will, ironically, bring about the fulfillment of scripture.
[Jesus said to the people:] 33 “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34 When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. 35 But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ 39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. 44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46 They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.
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 342 “There in God’s Garden”
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: Trusting in the transformative power of God’s loving Spirit, let us pray for the church, the world, and all in need.
(A brief silence)
A: God of all grace, you are the source of life and joy. Strengthen the resolve of your church throughout the world, that together we press on toward the goal of your heavenly call in Jesus Christ. God of grace,
C: hear our prayer.
A: God of all creation, you plant and nourish the earth as your own precious vineyard. Bless fields and orchards and the hands of those who labor in them, that your people are fed with an abundant harvest of good fruit. God of grace,
C: hear our prayer.
A: God of all the earth, you desire peace and justice between nations and peoples. Guide leaders of nations, states, provinces, and cities, that they faithfully govern your people with wisdom, integrity, and compassion. God of grace,
C: hear our prayer.
A: God of all compassion, in Christ, you lovingly poured yourself out like wine for your people. Have mercy on all who mourn, who struggle with their mental health, who cry out for justice, who hunger, and all in any need (especially…). God of grace,
C: hear our prayer.
A: God of all steadfastness, you set Christ as the cornerstone and foundation of the church. Build up this congregation as living stones, that it stands in the community as a witness to your enduring faithfulness and love. God of grace,
C: hear our prayer.
(Here other intercessions may be offered spoken aloud or in our hearts.)
(After each petition we respond:)
A: God of grace,
C: hear our prayer.
A: God of all hope, the saints who came before us lived and died with their hearts fixed on you. We give you thanks for their faithful witness, and we wait with hope for the great day when we join their voices in praise. God of grace,
C: hear our prayer.
P: Gracious God, into your hands we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your unending love and amazing grace; through 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, who has 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: Let us pray:
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:
the congregation sings “Lamb of God”
(printed on the following page)
(Stand as you are able)
COMMUNION HYMN: #ELW 595 “Jesus Loves Me!”
(printed in the back of the worship bulletin)
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
A: Let us pray.
Blessed be your name, O God, for we have feasted on your Word, Christ Jesus, the joy and delight of our hearts. Strengthened by this food, send us to gather the world to your banquet, where none are left out and all are satisfied. In Jesus’ name we pray.
C: Amen.
THE BENEDICTION
P: The God of glory, (+) Jesus Christ, name above all names, and the Spirit who lives in you, bless you now and forever.
C: Amen.
SENDING HYMN: #ELW 832 “My Lord of Light”
(printed in the back of the worship bulletin)
DISMISSAL
P: Go in peace. God is at work in you.
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: Twentyteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 25:1-9;
Psalm 23;
Phillippians 4:1-9;
Matthew 22:1-14
Hymns
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, 15 October 2023 – Guest Preacher, NOLA Fire Chaplain Rev. Joshua Holder, bagpipes, honoring our First Responders. Reception following service. Wednesday, 18 October 2023 – Church Council, 6:00 PM |
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.
The Gulf Coast Synod seeks individuals from the Bayou Conference to serve on the Lutheran Disaster Relief Team. Let Pastor know if you are interested in serving on this team.
Registration for the ELCA Youth Gathering 2024 in New Orleans is now open. July 16th to 20th of 2024, gathering@elca.org
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Last modified: November 1, 2023
