September 24 online worship

Preparations for Worship:

• Do your best to eliminate distractions like the phone, TV, etc.
• Worship actively! Whether you are by yourself or with others, try reading the parts of the service aloud (responses, lessons, and prayers).
• This service is for children too. Help them participate. Ask those who have that ability to read a prayer or lesson aloud. Take a moment to describe what’s happening. Ask questions. Encourage little ones to draw what they are hearing while you all listen. Unlike our more typical Sunday worship at church, you can pause at any time for questions and discussion.
• Before you begin, load each of the videos below. (You might first have to get past a distracting ad.)
• Pause for a moment of quiet meditation. Then pray:
  “Heavenly Father, I have come to worship you. Draw near to me in your gracious Word, and assure me of your loving kindness. Curb my wandering thoughts, that with undivided attention I may hear your voice and speak your praise. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.”

INVOCATION

O Lord, open my lips. And my mouth shall declare your praise.

Hasten to save me, O God. O Lord, come quickly to help me.

The glory of Christ is revealed: let us worship him.

Lord, we pray that your mercy and grace may always go before and follow after us that, loving you with undivided hearts, we may be ready for every good and useful work; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Lord God, you call us to work in your kingdom and promise to reward us according to your grace. Help us to rid our minds of worldly expectations and rejoice that you freely pour out the blessings of salvation to all people; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

LESSON – ROMANS 9:6-16

⁶This does not mean that God’s word has failed, because not all who are descended from Israel are really Israel, ⁷and not all who are descended from Abraham are really his children. On the contrary, “Your line of descent will be traced through Isaac.” ⁸This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are counted as his descendants. ⁹For this is what the promise said: “I will arrive at this set time, and Sarah will have a son.”

¹⁰Not only that, but Rebekah also had children by one man, our forefather, Isaac. ¹¹Even before the twins were born or did anything good or bad, in order that God’s purpose in election might continue—¹²not by works but because of him who calls us—it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” ¹³Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

¹⁴What will we say then? Does this mean that God is unjust? Absolutely not! ¹⁵For God says to Moses:

I will show mercy to whom I show mercy,

and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. ¹⁶So then, it does not depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

GOSPEL – MATTHEW 20:1-16

“Indeed the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ²After agreeing to pay the workers a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³He also went out about the third hour and saw others standing unemployed in the marketplace. ⁴To these he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will give you whatever is right.’ So they went. ⁵Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and did the same thing. ⁶When he went out about the eleventh hour, he found others standing unemployed. He said to them, ‘Why have you stood here all day unemployed?’

⁷“They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’

“He told them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ ⁸When it was evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last group and ending with the first.’

⁹“When those who were hired around the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius. ¹⁰When those who were hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But they each received a denarius too. ¹¹After they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner: ¹²‘Those who were last worked one hour, and you made them equal to us who have endured the burden of the day and the scorching heat!’

¹³“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not make an agreement with me for a denarius? ¹⁴Take what is yours and go. I want to give to the last one hired the same as I also gave to you. ¹⁵Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ ¹⁶In the same way, the last will be first, and the first, last.”

DEVOTION – JONAH 3:10-4:11

OFFERING

Offerings may be given on-line at tithe.ly/risensavior, mailed to the church, or dropped off at the church.

Our members have joined together in faith and love to do the Lord’s work in this community and around the world.  Guests need not feel obligated to participate in this offering which supports our ministry.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

O Lord, grant that we would rejoice in the light of Christ and His salvation, and that sinners would find refuge in His mercy and comfort in His forgiveness.

Father, embolden our congregation and all sister churches throughout the world to confess the truth steadfastly and to witness boldly to our only Savior.

Merciful Lord, we give You humble thanks for instituting the estate of holy marriage and for the blessing of family.

Grant that these gifts would be cherished and honored in our society and especially within the household of faith.

Almighty Lord, bless this nation and all people in their rightful callings.

Grant that we may serve our neighbors in love, and that all authorities would exercise their callings with humility and wisdom on behalf of the defenseless.

Loving God, we thank You for the gift of health. Hear our prayers on behalf of the sick, the aged, the infirm, the mourning or the dying.

Grant them healing in accord with Your will and grace to sustain them in their need.

Savior Jesus, you call us to go and make disciples of all nations. We thank you for leading the Board for Home Missions to approve nine new mission requests earlier this year. We pray specifically for the new home mission efforts in Panama City Beach.  Bless the core group from Amazing Grace, as they seek to connect with the growing population in their area to pursue multi-site ministry.

Use their gospel message, by the Spirit’s power, to bring more people into your kingdom.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the witness of the faithful who lived and died in Christ.

Grant that at the last we, too, may be joined with them in the marriage supper of the Lamb in His kingdom.

Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy; through Jesus Christ who taught us to pray…

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.

BLESSING

Let us praise the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.