Everything you need for September 4 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.”
CONFESSION OF SINS AND FORGIVENESS
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Congregation: Amen.
Dear friends, let us approach God with a true heart and confess our sins, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us.
Lord of life, I confess that I am by nature dead in sin. For faithless worrying and selfish pride, For sins of habit and sins of choice, For the evil I have done and the good I have failed to do, You should cast me away from your presence forever. O Lord, I am sorry for my sins. Forgive me, for Jesus’ sake.
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. In his great mercy, God made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our sins. Hear the word of Christ through his called servant: I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
For the well-being of all people everywhere, that they may receive from you all they need to sustain body and life, hear our prayer, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the spread of your life-giving gospel throughout the world, that all who are lost in sin may be brought to faith in you, hear our prayer, O Christ.
Christ, have mercy.
For patience and perseverance in this life, that we may not lose the hope of heaven as we await your return, hear our prayer, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord of life, live in us that we may live for you.
Amen.
LESSON – PHILEMON 1, 7-21
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon, our dear friend and coworker, 7For I have received great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother. 8For that reason, even though I have plenty of boldness in Christ to order you to do what is proper, 9I am appealing to you, instead, on the basis of love, just as I, Paul, am an old man and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. 10I am appealing to you on behalf of my child Onesimus. I became his father while I was in chains. 11There was a time when he was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me. 12I have sent him (who is my very heart) back to you. Welcome him. 13I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might serve me in your place while I am in chains for the gospel. 14But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your kindness would not be the result of compulsion, but of willingness. 15Perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while: so that you would have him back forever, 16no longer as a slave, but as more than a slave, as a dear brother. He certainly is dear to me, but he is even more of a dear brother to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18And if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19I, Paul, have written this with my own hand: I will repay it—not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20Yes, brother, I am asking for a favor from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. 21Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
GOSPEL – LUKE 14:25-35
25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus. He turned and said to them, 26“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28For which of you, if he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, everyone who sees it will begin to ridicule him, 30saying, ‘This fellow began to build, but was not able to finish.’ 31Or what king, as he goes out to confront another king in war, will not first sit down and consider if he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32And if he is not able, he sends out a delegation and asks for terms of peace while his opponent is still far away. 33So then, any one of you who does not say farewell to all his own possessions cannot be my disciple. 34Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its flavor, how will it become salty again? 35It is not fit for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. The one who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
DEVOTION – DEUTERONOMY 30:15-20
NICENE CREED
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became fully human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
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 God, our King, You counted the terrible cost of our salvation and sent Your Son to give His life on the cross.
Inspire our hearts to trust fully in His sacrificial victory, that we would follow in His way through death and into eternal life.
Divine Shepherd, You give life to Your Church through Your Holy Word.
Grant Your people always to walk in Your way and receive Your blessings as they serve You in this world and in the life to come.
O Lord, give the strength of the Spirit to all who are suffering or in any kind of need, and especially to those we have been asked to remember, including Ben Dunlap’s coworker who is in remission with his cancer, and Moe and Cindy Morales who are traveling.
Lead all to have the courage and will to take up their crosses and follow the Savior through suffering into the joys of life everlasting.
Almighty God, You have set before us life and death, blessing and curse in Your Holy Word. Through that Word, Your Son sets before us forgiveness, life, and salvation.
Grant that all who hear might rejoice in your gifts for Jesus’ sake.
Lord Jesus, you have commissioned us to seek the lost and have powerfully equipped us with your gospel in Word and sacraments. You promise that you are able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine according to your power that is at work within us. Confident of these truths, our national church body set a goal of starting 100 new home missions and enhancing 75 existing ministries over the next decade. We recognize this goal can be reached only by your grace. We humbly and boldly ask for your rich blessing upon this initiative. Bless the recruitment and training of our future missionaries and bless our missionaries and the fields where they serve. Through your people, please provide ample financial resources. Thwart the efforts of Satan and others who try to hinder our work. Grant wisdom, strength, perseverance, and joy to our synod’s leaders, our pastors, and our congregations as we face challenges.
In all we do, move us to participate in spreading the gospel so that more may know your saving peace.
Preserve us, O Lord, from all temptation and grant us faith, that we may rest all our prayers and the desires of our hearts in Your merciful arms, for the sake of Your Son, 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.
THE LORD’S BLESSING
Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another. Serve the Lord with gladness.
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace. Amen.