Septuagesima Sunday – The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
February 16, 2025
The portions of God’s Word used in this worship flyer have been taken from The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version Copyright 2019, The Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission Music and lyrics, as needed, are used with permission via OneLicense.net #A712831
God’s Grace…..It doesn’t make sense,
but it’s true, and it’s a blessing for us
I’d like you to join me for just a minute in a moment of fantasy. Just suppose that there was a new law in our land, one that was a nation-binding amendment to our Constitution of our United States. This new law would declare that every person in our country who has a job would receive the same paycheck. From top to bottom, from the corporate executives to the lowest level responsibility employee, from superstar athletes to water boys, from team owners to peanut vendors, from Wall Street brokers and lawyers to all the gophers on their staff, from supervisors to assembly line workers, from teachers to janitors, from farmers to check-out clerks to hamburger flippers–you name it– all employees would get exactly the same paycheck…with no deviations whatsoever. It doesn’t matter how many hours a person would put in on the job, or how long that person would have worked in a particular place — every paycheck for everybody would be precisely the same.
I can imagine that a law like that would cause quite a stir, wouldn’t you? After all, because of the influence of the labor movement in our country important safeguards such as equal pay for equal work, bonus clauses, overtime pay, pension plans, vacation time, and personal days based upon years served have been part of our nation’s employee compensation regulations for years. So have privileges like profit sharing, collective bargaining, labor grievances, salary arbitration, and medical plans. If workers aren’t compensated they way they feel they deserve to be, they have the right in our country to negotiate new compensation, or even to go out on strike in an effort to secure compensation satisfaction. Sometimes that works; sometimes it doesn’t.
But – again – just imagine if everyone received the very same paycheck, regardless of the type of work they did, regardless of their experience and seniority, their education, or how long they worked at a particular business. My guess is that, at least initially, people “on the bottom rungs of the work ladder” would be overjoyed. However, other employees, from those in the middle, certainly to those on the higher rungs (in terms of responsibility, hours on the job, and training/skills required) would be more than just a little bit upset, wouldn’t they? They’d probably be apoplectic. Why would the latter be so upset? You know the reason as well as I do. Because it wouldn’t be fair. Because it would eventually promote laziness and indifference in the workplace. Because a minority of employees would end up doing most of the work, while the majority “rode the real workers’ coattails.” And, finally, because it just wouldn’t be right.
But that’s what God’s grace in Christ to us is…..It doesn’t make sense. It isn’t fair. It can’t be earned by us. But it is real and true, and an incomprehensible blessing for us, through faith. God’s grace is His undeserved love for us and everything that flows from that love: forgiveness, His gift of eternal salvation in heaven apart from our being able to earn it (which we can’t do), and our being enabled to believe through the power of the Holy Spirit.
This morning God’s grace will be on display in all our Scripture lessons and our hymns, but particularly in connection with a story (actually, a parable, recorded in Matthew 20) that Jesus told very shortly before He entered Jerusalem to begin Holy Week….which, of course, culminated in His gracious crucifixion and resurrection for our forgiveness and salvation. Jesus’ parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard is not only very familiar to us, unfortunately it is often misunderstood and mis-applied by many people….from theologians to pastors, to teachers to daily Bible readers…..perhaps even by us on occasion.
Basically the story is about a man needing workers in His vineyard. He begins the day by hiring some mn who agree with him on a specific – and fair – salary for the day’s work. On a couple of occasions later in the day, the owner hires more men – promising them that he will pay them an undefined wage, but one that is fair. Some workers labor part of the day. A few only work one hour. At the day’s end, he pays the last hired first. They get the wage he promised the first ones hired….who had worked the entire day. No doubt those workers assumed the owner was an extremely generous man who was going to pay them much more than the last hired. They were wrong. Everyone received exactly the same pay. Then the first workers hired grumbled and complained that it wasn’t fair….that they had worked all day and deserved to be paid more. The vineyard owner came to them and calmly said that the first hired had agreed to a certain amount of compensation (a denarius….the Jewish equivalent of a fair, full day’s pay), and that if he wanted to be generous with the other men hired, who had worked less hours, that was his business as the owner. End of discussion. End of story.
Except for how to interpret it. As I noted earlier, not everyone gets the true point of this parable. This is not a lesson about socialism and equality when it comes to God’s blessings, nor does it center on the false idea that in order to be saved a person has to accept the Lord’s invitation to believe in Him (since only the Holy Spirit can work faith in our hearts). This isn’t a lesson about the importance of being generous with others…..important though that Christian character trait is. Finally, this isn’t a parable, either, about finding joy in serving our Lord in this life – regardless of how much work we do compared to others. The parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard is all about the generosity (namely, the grace) of the vineyard owner (the LORD). The denarius/day’s wage represents God’s mercy to undeserving sinners like us, because of which He forgives our sins, empowers us with His Spirit to believe, and gives us eternal life in heaven through faith in Jesus. We don’t (and can’t) earn those blessings. Instead, our God gives them to us solely because He is “generous”/gracious. And THAT should be a tremendous comfort and encouragement to us all. In spite of our sins, God loves us and has saved us for heaven. We don’t have to earn it by our efforts and good behavior. He simply gives us salvation through Christ’s redeeming work because He is gracious. All we need to do is believe in and accept His gracious gifts to us.
Septuagesima Sunday as important part
of the End of the Epiphany Season
Septuagesima Sunday, which we are observing today, is a part of the traditional/historic Church Year calendar. It is the ninth Sunday before Easter, as well as the third before Ash Wednesday. This year (2025) it also falls on the sixth Sunday of what is a rather long Epiphany season. The term is sometimes applied, not to a Sunday, but specifically to the seventieth day before Easter (which occurred this past Monday, February 10th). Liturgically and traditionally, the term is used to usher in the 16 day “pre-Lent” period that begins 17 days before Ash Wednesday and concludes on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent formally begins. The other two Sundays in this period of “pre-Lent” are known as Sexagesima (60) Sunday and Quinquagesima (50) Sunday The earliest date on which Septuagesima Sunday can occur is January 18 (with Easter falling on March 22) and the latest day it can begin is February 22 (with Easter falling on April 25….which occurs only during a leap year).
The word Septuagesima comes from the Latin language. As we noted earlier, it means “seventieth.” Similarly, the terms Sexagesima and Quinquagesima mean “sixtieth” and “fiftieth,” respectively. The 16-day period beginning on Septuagesima Sunday was originally intended to be observed as an anticipatory period of Spiritual preparation to get Christians ready for properly observing the season of Lent…..which is itself a 40 day period of Spiritual, penitential preparation (the Sundays aren’t included) for the celebration of Easter. In a number of countries today, Septuagesima Sunday also has a secular connotation associated with it, since it marks the traditional start of the carnival season, which culminates on Shrove Tuesday. That period is known in many locations – including our country — as Mardi Gras.
Apparently, part of the early church’s reasoning behind having a religious observance on the 70th day before Easter had something to do with the 70 years’ of disciplinary captivity in Babylon (606 to 536 B.C.) earned by God’s people because of their abject disobedience and rejection of Him tied to their idolatrous ways. During that disciplinary time the Jews repented of their transgressions and waited for the LORD’s eventual deliverance.
As we think of the Jews enduring 70 years of bondage in Babylon – as the Lord’s discipline for their rejection of Him – we’ll want to reflect upon our own bondage to sin, our need for repentance and God’s deliverance from the curse of our own sins, and the grace of our LORD freely given us through the redeeming work of Christ for us….so that, through faith in Him, we might one day live forever with our Lord in the “Promised Land” of heaven.
Starting with this “Seputagesima Sunday” we are beginning a long journey that will culminate in our Savior’s death for all sin on Good Friday and His resurrection for our salvation on Easter Sunday. As we start out, then, on this road to Jerusalem, we will travel, via Scripture, the path of spiritual discipline, self-denial, and sacrifice which our Savior once trod. And through this journey may every one of us learn to appreciate, even more than we do now, the grace of God for undeserving sinners such as we are, secured for us entirely through the merits, sufferings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
It is that grace of God for undeserving sinners — such as we are — through the merits, sufferings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior to which we specifically turn our attention this morning in those hymns and portions of Scripture which constitute today’s worship service.
Today’s Scripture Lessons
Starting with our Old Testament Lesson from Micah, we’ll consider the “mercy” (the OT term which is the equivalent of our NT term “grace”) which God extended to His frequently rebellious, chosen people. Here the prophet praises the LORD for His patient forgiveness and the way He kept His mercy-filled promises to His people. Our Epistle Lesson (and Children’s Lesson) are the very familiar words of Paul defining “grace” as God’s free gift to all of us undeserving sinners. If God were “fair” in His dealings with us, we would all be eternally dead, headed to hell because of our transgressions and sins. God’s grace is something no one can earn; we don’t deserve it. But He gives it to us freely because of His amazing love for us. Finally today’s Gospel Lesson and Sermon Text (as we noted earlier) is the traditional lesson for Septuagesima Sunday, Jesus’ parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard, from Matthew 20. This parable teaches us that regardless of whether they are believers for their entire lifetimes, or whether they come to faith in the final hour of life, and whether they serve the Lord during the course of their lives of faith either marginally or abundantly or somewhere in between….the same gift of salvation through God’s grace is offered to everyone who believes in Christ as Savior and Lord.
A Few Closing Thoughts
During the 1970s many Lutheran bodies adopted a three-year lectionary (series of Scripture readings for worship services) modeled on the lectionary of the Roman Catholic Church. In so doing, those Lutheran churches eliminated from their calendars the period of pre-Lent, which begins with Septuagesima Sunday. Instead, they continued the observation of the Epiphany season right up until Ash Wednesday. On the other hand, Lutheran congregations that retained the traditional, “historical calendar” of the Church Year continue to observe the period of “Pre-Lent,” with its “-gesima” Sundays. Beginning with Septuagesima Sunday in some congregations “Alleluias” as well as the liturgical hymn “Glory be to the Father” (and its variants) customarily are not sung during Sunday worship until Easter arrives. On the other hand, there are also those congregations that see the Sundays in Lent as less somber and more celebratory in nature. In those churches the practice of using the “Alleluia” and “Glory Be to the Father” is retained.
One last note…..please keep in mind that these liturgical/traditional “rules” and “customs” are – in the final analysis – matters of “adiaphora.” Adiaphora refers to practices and customs, particularly with in the church, that are neither commanded nor forbidden by God in His Word. Some people prefer them. Others might not be interested in them at all. Neither side is wrong. These customs, traditions, preferences and issues are all matters of Christian freedom…..meaning we can employ them (and enjoy them) or choose not to…..and we are not sinning regardless of what direction we choose to go. In other words, if God doesn’t require it in His Word, as His children we are free to use our own judgment (…..with reasonable and loving consideration for the feelings and preferences of others….) when it comes to making use of, or not using, these “Adiaphora.”
Pre-Service Prayer
In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
I thank You, my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ Your dear Son, for keeping me through this night from all harm and danger. Keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. Into Your hands I commit my body and soul and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the Devil may have no power over me. Amen.
Prayer upon entering the sanctuary
Pre-service Music
Let Us Praise The Lord
The Welcoming and Invitation to Worship
following which the Pastor will invite the Congregation to rise for
The Invocation
Pastor We begin this service in the name of the Father
Congregation Who gave us our lives through His almighty power.
P: And of the Son
C: Who redeemed our lives with His precious blood.
P: And of the Holy Spirit
C: Who gave us eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus.
P: Amen.
This Morning’s Call to Worship selected verse of Psalm 116
P: I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice;
C: Because He inclined His ear to me, + therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.
P: The snares of death encompassed me, the anguish of Sheol laid hold of me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I pray, deliver me!”
C: Gracious is the LORD and righteous; + our God is merciful.
P: What shall I render to he LORD for all His benefits to me?
C: I will lift up the cup of salvation + and call on the name of the LORD.
P: I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people.
C: I will offer You the sacrifice of thanksgiving + and call on the name of the LORD. + Praise the LORD.
after which the Congregation will be seated
The Opening Hymn Hymn 609
“We Praise You, O God, Our Redeemer Creator”
1 We praise you, O God, our Redeemer, Creator!
In grateful devotion our tribute we bring:
We lay it before you; we kneel and adore you;
We bless your holy name; glad praises we sing.
2 We worship you, God of our fathers; we bless you.
Through trial and tempest our guide you have been;
When perils o’ertake us, you will not forsake us,
And with your help, O Lord, our battles we win.
3 With voices united our praises we offer;
To you, great Jehovah, glad anthems we raise.
Your strong arm will guide us; our God is beside us.
To you, our great Redeemer, fore’er be praise!
the Congregation will rise to sing the final verse of Hymn 609
We Make Confession Of Our Sins To God
Pastor God, our Heavenly Father, invites us to come into His presence and to worship Him with humble and penitent hearts. Therefore, let us now turn to Him, acknowledging our sinfulness and seeking His forgiveness for all our sins.
Congregation Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful and that I have disobeyed You in my thoughts, words, and actions; I have done what is evil in Your sight and have failed to do what is good. For this I know that I deserve Your punishment, both now and for eternity. But I am truly sorry for all my sins and trusting in the perfect life and innocent death of my Savior, Jesus Christ, I plead: God have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Sung) Lord have mercy on us;
Christ have mercy on us;
Lord, have mercy on us.
Pastor Our gracious Lord and Master has shown us His mercy: He has given His one and only Son to save us from all our sins. And now, having humbly and sincerely confessed your sins before Almighty God, be strengthened in your faith, mindful that our Lord is not willing that anyone should perish eternally, but that everyone should come to repentance, turning from their evil ways and receiving from Him everlasting life. God has commanded His ministers to declare His forgiveness of sins to all who are penitent. Therefore, addressing you as a called servant of Christ, and according to His command and under His authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. May the peace of God rest upon all of you. Amen.
(Sung) Glory be to God on high
and on earth peace good will to men.
We praise You, we bless You, we worship You.
We glorify You, we give thanks to You for Your great glory.
O Lord God heavenly King, God the Father almighty.
O Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ,
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
You take away the sin of the world. Have mercy on us.
You take away the sin of the world. Receive our prayer.
You sit at the right hand of God the Father.
Have mercy on us.
For You only are holy. You only are the Lord.
You only, O Christ, with the Holy Spirit.
Are most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen
after which the Congregation may be seated
The Prayer for Today
O LORD, God + We beg You to favorably hear and bless our prayers + so that, even though we deserve to be punished for our sins — both those intentional and those done in ignorance, + we will instead receive the benefits + of Your boundless grace: + namely the full forgiveness of all our sins + Your steadfast love + and everlasting life in heaven with You — not because of our works or personal worthiness — but because of the merits of Jesus Christ, + Your Son, our Savior, + Who lives and rules with You and the Holy Spirit, + as the One, true God, + forever and ever. + Amen.
After which the Congregation may be seated
Feed Us, Lord
The Old Testament Lesson Micah 7:14-20
14 Shepherd Your people with Your staff, the flock that is Your inheritance, the flock which dwells by itself in a forest, in the middle of fertile pastureland. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in days of old. 15 As I did in the days you came out from the land of Egypt, I will show you wonderful miracles. 16 The nations will see and be ashamed of their lack of strength. They will place their hand over their mouth. Their ears will be deaf. 17 They will lick up dust like a snake, like the things that creep on the earth. They will come from their hiding places, shaking with fear. They will come trembling to the Lord our God, and they will be afraid in your presence. 18 Who is a God like You, Who forgives guilt, and Who passes over the rebellion of the survivors from His inheritance? He does not hold onto His anger forever. He delights in showing mercy. 19 He will have compassion on us again. He will overcome our guilty deeds. You will throw all their sins into the depths of the sea. 20 You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from days of old.
The Epistle Lesson Ephesians 2:1-10
You were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked when you followed the ways of this present world. You were following the ruler of the domain of the air, the spirit now at work in the people who disobey. 3 Formerly, we all lived among them in the passions of our sinful flesh, as we carried out the desires of the sinful flesh and its thoughts. Like all the others, we were by nature objects of God’s wrath. 4 But God, because He is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! 6 He also raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. 7 He did this so that, in the coming ages, He might demonstrate the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.
following which the Congregation will rise, out of respect
for the words of Christ, as we hear our Gospel Lesson
The Gospel Lesson 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. 2 After agreeing to pay the workers a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 He also went out about the third hour[a] and saw others standing unemployed in the marketplace. 4 To these he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will give you whatever is right.’ So they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6 When 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.’ 8 When 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. 10 When those who were hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But they each received a denarius too. 11 After 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!’ 3 “But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not make an agreement with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go. I want to give to the last one hired the same as I also gave to you. 15 Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 In the same way, the last will be first, and the first, last.”
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. + And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; + Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost; + Born of the Virgin Mary; + Suffered under Pontius Pilate; + Was crucified, dead and buried; + He descended into hell; + The third day He rose again from the dead; + He ascended into heaven + And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; + From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. + I believe in the Holy Ghost; + The Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; + The forgiveness of sins; + The resurrection of the body; + And the life everlasting. Amen.
The Children’s Lesson Ephesians 2:8
Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves. It is the gift of God,
GRACE: “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense”
— It’s Not “Fair.” Instead, it’s God’s Free Gift to You –
Hymn of the Day Hymn 379 “Amazing Grace, How Sweet The Sound”
1 Amazing grace — how sweet the sound–
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
2 The Lord has promised good to me;
His Word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
3 Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come;
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
4 When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.
after which the Congregation will rise for
The Pre-Sermon Salutation
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ, our Lord! May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
The Sermon Text based on Matthew 20:1-16
today’s Gospel Lesson
The Parable of the Gracious Vineyard Owner
after the Sermon, the Congregation will REMAIN SEATED for
The Post-Sermon Blessing
May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, Who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, now encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. Amen.
We Offer Our Gifts and Prayers to the Lord
We offer you the following suggestions for providing God with Your thank-offerings through our ministry:
1) Those in the chapel can place their offerings in the offering plates
2) You can send a check (no cash) in the mail to Grace Lutheran Church (415 N. 6th Place, Lowell, AR 72745)
3) Or, go online to our website (www.gracelutherannwa.com) and use the giving option there.
Our Offerings of Love to our Lord
after the offerings are brought forward, the Congregation will rise for
Special Prayers for the Day
We include in our prayers this morning:
A Prayer of Intercession on behalf of brother in Christ, Murray Mansch, who is continuing his recovery from heart bypass surgery; and for
our sister in Christ, Carol Ruiz, who is recovering from recent surgery; also for
our brother and sister in Christ, Tim and Diane Pfortmiller, who are each dealing with a number of health problems;
and a Special Prayer
on behalf of our sister and brother in Christ, Katie and James Boatright, who are anticipating in the coming days the birth of their son, Theodore
The Prayers for the Church
Master of the vineyard, look kindly on Your Church as we gather around Your Word and Sacrament today, that we might faithfully respond to Your grace by living fruitful lives for You here, until we live with You one day in heaven. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: Please hear our prayer.
Master of the vineyard, You have called us by Your grace to work and live as citizens of Your kingdom. We humbly pray that You would graciously work to preserve and grow all of us in the saving faith that Your Spirit has established in our hearts. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: Please hear our prayer.
Master of the vineyard, You have established all of the authorities on this earth. Bless all our public servants, especially our nation’s president, our senators and representative, our governor, our state legislators, and all our local governmental authorities……that they would fulfill their offices with wisdom and compassion, serving You faithfully through their service to us. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: Please hear our prayer.
Master of the vineyard, we implore You to graciously give us all a spirit of contentment, so that we might truly be grateful for whatever blessings You choose to give us in Your infinite wisdom and mercy. We thank You for always doing what is right and best for us. Please give us the confident faith to know that You are always working, in all things, for our earthly and everlasting good. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: Please hear our prayer.
Master of the vineyard, You have called us by grace to labor for You in Your vineyard. Give each of us the strength to labor well, and the joy to gladly serve You and others, keeping us ever mindful of the coming end of this world, when You will return to bless Your Church with relief from its labors, release from our sins, and thee reward of everlasting life in heaven. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: Please hear our prayer.
Into Your hands we commend ourselves and all others for which we pray. Grant that we would look to You for every blessing and to Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, for our salvation. Deliver us from all adversity, and preserve us in faith until the very end. Please hear us also, gracious LORD, as we take a few moments to silently offer You our personal petitions and praises.
A Moment for Silent Prayer
And finally, with all our prayers being offered in Jesus’ name, we also join in that special prayer which has been given to us by our Savior:
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 for ever and ever. Amen.
We Celebrate the Lord’s Supper
Pastor – The Lord be with you.
Congregation (Sung) And also with You
Pastor – Lift up your hearts.
Congregation (Sung) We lift them up unto the Lord
Pastor – Let us give thanks unto the Lord, our God.
Congregation (Sung) It is good and right so to do.
Pastor – It is truly good and right that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. In the past He spoke to us through the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, Who is thee radiance of His glory. Therefore with angels and archangel, and all the company of heaven, we praise Your holy name and join their glorious song:
(Sung) Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of heavenly hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of Your glory
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He, Blessed is He, Blessed is He
Who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.
Consecration of the Elements
Pastor – The peace of the Lord be with you always.
Congregation – (Sung) Amen.
O Christ, Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;
Have mercy on us.
O Christ, Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;
Have mercy on us.
O Christ, Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;
Grant us peace. Amen.
The Exhortation Regarding the Lord’s Supper (Pastor)
(Please read the following if you have not spoken with
our Pastor about taking communion. Thank you.)
TO OUR GUESTS AND FRIENDS We ask that only “Confirmed, Communicant” members of this congregation, or of one of our Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod congregations come forward to receive the Lord’s Supper at this time.
We believe, according to Scripture, that only those who are “one,” that is, in complete doctrinal agreement, united in a common public confession of faith, are to commune together at the same altar (see I Corinthians 10:17 and I Corinthians 1:10).
To be “in communion” means to share and to hold in common. By eating and drinking at our Lord’s Table, we are not only sharing in, with, and under the bread and wine, Jesus’ very body and blood…we are also publicly declaring that we hold in common a specific confession of faith. In other words, as a result of having comprehensively studied the Scriptures together all of our communicants have agreed to accept and proclaim the same Biblical doctrines and practices.
Through membership in a particular church body (for us, that church body is the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod), each person makes a public statement that he/she is in full agreement with the teachings and practices of that body. Because not every church body or Lutheran Synod teaches and practices the same things, we in the WELS
want to be honest in our recognition of the doctrinal differences that, here on earth, separate us from other church bodies. Please bear in mind that we are not, in any way, judging the legitimacy of your Christian faith. Still, we ask that if you have not (upon study of the Word with us) declared yourself to be in full doctrinal agreement with us, you would respectfully not join us in the Lord’s Supper this afternoon.
It is our prayer that our Scripture-based practice of “Close Communion” will encourage anyone among us today who is not presently in full fellowship with us to seriously examine the teachings and practices of his/her church in order to determine if those teachings and practices are really in full agreement with God’s Word.
And if you are guest among us today, we want you to know that it is our earnest desire that you might become familiar with the Biblical doctrines our congregation confesses, in order that you might one day join with us at the Lord’s altar in this public expression of full unity of doctrine and practice. Until then, please know that we are most grateful for your participation as a fellow Christian in this worship service, and that we appreciate your understanding and respect of our Communion practice.
The Distribution of the Sacrament
First Distribution Hymn Hymn 390 “Salvation Unto Us Has Come”
1 Salvation unto us has come
By God’s free grace and favor.
Good works cannot avert our doom;
They help and save us never.
Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone,
Who did for all the world atone;
He is the one Redeemer.
2 What God does in his law demand
And none to him can render
Brings wrath and woe on ev’ry hand
For man, the vile offender.
Our flesh has not those pure desires
The spirit of the law requires,
And lost is our condition.
3 It is a false, misleading dream
That God his law has given
That sinners can themselves redeem
And by their works gain heaven.
The law is but a mirror bright
To bring the inbred sin to light
That lurks within our nature.
4 Yet as the law must be fulfilled
Or we must die despairing,
Christ came and has God’s anger stilled,
Our human nature sharing.
He has for us the law obeyed
And thus the Father’s vengeance stayed
Which over us impended.
5 Since Christ has full atonement made
And brought to us salvation,
Each Christian therefore may be glad
And build on this foundation.
Your grace alone, dear Lord, I plead;
Your death is now my life indeed,
For you have paid my ransom.
6 All blessing, honor, thanks, and praise
To Father, Son, and Spirit,
The God who saved us by his grace–
All glory to his merit!
O Triune God in heav’n above,
You have revealed your saving love;
Your blessed name be hallowed!
Second Distribution Hymn Hymn 309 “Draw Near and Take The Body of the Lord”
1 Draw near and take the body of the Lord,
And drink the holy blood for you outpoured.
Offered was he for greatest and for least,
Himself the victim and himself the priest.
2 He that his saints in this world rules and shields
To all believers life eternal yields,
With heav’nly bread makes them that hunger whole,
Gives living waters to the thirsty soul.
3 Come forward, then, with faithful hearts sincere,
And take the pledges of salvation here.
Before your altar, Lord, your servants bow;
In this your feast of love be with us now.
At the pastor’s invitation, the Congregation will rise for
The Song of Simeon
Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace, according to Your Word.
For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
which You have prepared for every people.
A Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people, Israel.
We Leave With The Lord’s Blessing
The Closing Prayer
The Benediction
The LORD bless you and keep you.
The LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen.
Closing Hymn Hyumn 323 “Almighty Father, Bless the Word”
1 Almighty Father, bless the word
Which through your grace we now have heard.
Oh, may the precious seed take root,
Spring up, and bear abundant fruit.
2 We praise you for the means of grace
As homeward now our steps we trace.
Grant, Lord, that we who worshiped here
May all at last in heav’n appear.
Silent Prayer,
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Post-service music