The Ninth Sunday of the Pentecost Season

Also known as the Seventh Sunday after

the Festival of the Holy Trinity – July 19, 2026

Major Messages from the Minor Prophets

Nahum:

The Lord promises Nineveh is doomed, which is a curse for Assyria,

but a comfort for Judah

The Assyrians were both awesome and awful. Their empire dominated the Fertile Crescent region of the Middle East for over three centuries, from 911-609 BC. During their heyday, Assyria’s armies were technologically advanced and very successful. Their culture was a model of organization and efficiency. Assyria’s capital city, Nineveh, was the world’s largest – at that time. But there was also a very dark side to this empire. Most historians rate the Assyrians just below Adolf Hitler and Genghis Khan in terms of their cruelty, violence and savagery. It is a criticism well-deserved. For example, it was the Assyrians who invented the practice of crucifixion (although the Romans eventually would “perfect” it). Those who resisted Assyria, and especially any vassals that rebelled against the empire, were often ruthlessly, vindictively slaughtered. Survivors were taken captive and then forcibly relocated, with the intent that they would become servants of and assets to the empire. In matters of religion, the Assyrians were idolaters, with their principal god being a deity known as Ashur. They absorbed the different gods and religious practices of the people that they conquered into the worship of Ashur, who could be recognized by many names, but who was expected to be revered by all the empire’s residents as the one universal deity.

It shouldn’t surprise us, then, that 150 years before Nahum served as one of God’s prophets, Jonah was less than enthusiastic about going to Nineveh to preach God’s Word to them. And we shouldn’t be surprised that that Jonah wanted to see them suffer – rather than be brought to repentance and spared God’s wrath. They had oppressed the nation of Israel for many years. Nevertheless, the LORD gave Jonah a message of patience and mercy for the people of Nineveh (and so Assyria) around 780 B.C., and the people of Nineveh miraculously repented.

Approximately 150 years later, about 630 B.C., the LORD gave Nahum (the prophet we’re going to listen to this morning) a very different message from the one Jonah brought to Nineveh. It was a message of firm and final judgment. God’s patience with Assyria had expired. His wrath was about to be poured upon the empire that had savaged so many nations – but they especially had oppressed God’s chosen people. And while the Lord had permitted the Assyrians to succeed for a time, because He employed them as His instrument to discipline wayward, idolatrous Israel and Judah, the Assyrians’ day of reckoning for all their evils had finally arrived. In 607 B.C., roughly 20 years after Nahum prophesied against Nineveh, the Assyrian empire ceased to exist – defeated and destroyed by a coalition of nations led by Babylon. Nineveh was so thoroughly devastated and demolished that it was never rebuilt. In fact, its ruins remained undiscovered for 24 centuries, even though they lay directly across the Tigris river from the modern city of Mosel, Iraq.

The Author The name “Nahum“ means comfort or consolation. The only thing we know about Nahum personally is found in 1:1 which tells us that he came from Elkosh. Unfortunately, we don’t know the precise location of Elkosh, since it is never mentioned anywhere else in the Bible, and since archaeology has yet to uncover its remains. Interestingly, some scholars suggest that Elkosh became known as the town of Capernaum in Galilee. That’s because Capernaum, in Hebrew, means “village of Nahum.” Perhaps in honor of the prophet Nahum its residents changed the name of the city from Elkosh to Capernaum. That sort of thing still happens. Take what happened to Machunk, Pennsylvania, for example. Over a century ago (in 1912) a world-famous athlete from that town competed and won two gold medals in the Olympics. He later played professional football and baseball, and is still widely recognized as the greatest athlete America has ever produced. Machunk’s residents changed the name of their town to Thorpe, Pennsylvania in order to honor their favorite son – Jim Thorpe. So, it’s possible that Elkosh’s name was also changed to Capernaum, in honor of the prophet Nahum, but we can’t know that for certain. Of course it’s also possible that the town of Elkosh was located somewhere else. However, we can say that Nahum would have been much a more popular prophet than most of his peers, since his preaching was directed exclusively against the Assyrians and not toward either the people of Israel or Judah. (One thing we do know about Capernaum is that it served as the headquarters of an even greater Prophet six centuries after Nahum: Jesus Christ, our Savior.)

The Date and Recipients of this Prophecy It’s difficult to determine a specific date for Nahum’s ministry. However, we do know that his book was written before 607 B.C., since that was when Nineveh was totally destroyed by the Babylonians. (Except, of course, for those liberal Bible critics who deny any possibility/reality of predictive prophecy.) We can also be reasonably sure that Nahum’s prophecy was given some time after 663 B.C., since Nahum 3:8-10 compares the destruction of Nineveh with the destruction of No-amon (or Thebes) in Egypt – which was destroyed in 663 B.C. Consequently, Nahum’s prophecy was recorded between 663 and 607 BC….most likely around 630 B.C.

While some words in this book are addressed specifically to Judah (see 1:12–13,15), the vast majority were addressed to Nineveh (see 1:11,14; 2:1,13; 3:5–17,19) or its king (3:18). The book, however, was meant for Israelite readers living in Judah, so that they might be encouraged by God’s promise to deal with the Assyrians for their (Judah’s) benefit.

Theological Themes in Nahum The focal point of the book is the Lord’s judgment on Nineveh for her oppression, cruelty, idolatry and wickedness. The book ends with a description of the eventual destruction of the city. According to Romans 11:22, God is not only kind, He is also stern. In Nahum, God is not only “slow to anger” (1:3) and “a refuge . . . for those who trust in Him” (1:7), He is also the One Who “will not leave the guilty unpunished” (1:3). God’s righteous and just kingdom will ultimately triumph, while worldly kingdoms built on wickedness and tyranny God will eventually fall, just as Assyria did. In addition, Nahum declares the universal sovereignty of the true God. Our almighty God is the LORD of history and of all nations; and as such, He controls the destinies of everyone and every nation.

Nineveh’s History Nineveh was founded by Nimrod (Gen. 10:8-12). It had a long history as one of antiquity’s greatest cities. Nineveh was located along the east bank of the Tigris river (in modern day Iraq). Its remains lie across the river from the modern city of Mosel. The Tigris river served as the western and southern boundaries of the city. In addition, a wall that extended for eight miles formed the northern and eastern boundaries. Nineveh, proper, was approximately three miles wide and eight miles long within its walls. However its suburbs extended some 14 miles to the north and 20 miles to the south. When Jonah referred a visit to Nineveh requiring a three day walk (Jonah 3:3), it was no exaggeration.

The city was destroyed by a coalition of Babylonians, Medes and Scythians in 607 B.C. According to the ancient historian, Diodorus Siculus, their combined armies laid siege to the city for over two years. In the third year, the Khosr River, which ran through the city flooded, broke down the floodgates and part of the wall – thus allowing the enemy to finally, successfully enter the city and overcome it. This fulfilled part of Nahum’s prophesy regarding Nineveh’s fall/destruction in 1:8; 2:6 and 3:13. We should note that, like most ancient historians, Diodorus Siculus had a tendency to exaggerate. The Babylonian chronicles, for instance, indicate that Nineveh’s siege lasted only a few months. Of course royal chroniclers also were prone to exaggerate national conquests. So, the truth regarding the length of Nineveh’s siege is probably somewhere in between a few months and a year and a half. It’s safe for us, however, to rely on the statement that a flood significantly factored into Nineveh’s defeat, since the Lord inspired Nahum to predict the same. Archaeologists also have subsequently confirmed that a flood destroyed part of the city’s walls.

The city was destroyed so throughly by its enemies that when Alexander the Great fought the battle of Arbela nearby in 331 B.C., he did not even know previously there had been a city there. Nineveh was never rebuilt, which confirms Nahum’s prophesy in 1:9 that “distress will not rise up twice.“ In fact, it wasn’t until 1850 that Nineveh even was discovered by archaeologists. (By the way, it’s interesting to read liberal commentaries written before 1850. They universally rejected the historicity of the books of Jonah and Nahum because – they claimed – there was no record outside the Bible [whose reliability they denied] of Nineveh ever having existed.)

Thanks to the work of those archaeologists, today even the most liberal of Bible critics has to acknowledge the historicity of Nineveh, the capitol city of the ancient Assyrian empire – which was one of the most barbaric empires of all time. Consequently the story of the annihilation of Nineveh and Assyria would brought great comfort to the many nations the Assyrians had so ruthlessly oppressed. Israel and Judah were just two of those brow-beaten countries. Israel had been totally destroyed in 722 BC by the Assyrians, but Judah still remained as a nation – although it was but a shell of its former self by the time Nahum prophesied.

Today’s Scripture Lessons

Our Old Testament Lesson for today comes from the book of the prophet Jeremiah. King Zedekiah and his people made a covenant to release all their slaves – in accord with God’s law. But shortly afterward, they re-nigged on their vow and re-enslaved their slaves. The LORD, through Jeremiah, calls them to account for their deliberate failure to keep their vow. They’ve sinned against Him by breaking that promise, and the LORD promises that He will severely punish them for it. He is going to destroy their city. The point for us is that God is serious about the vows we make to Him….and we need to be serious about them too! Today’s Epistle Lesson offers the comforting reassurance that, as our ultimate High Priest, Jesus is, in every way, superior to the ordinary priests that minister in the temple. After all, He sacrificed Himself for our sins….establishing an enduring covenant with us based, not on the Law (which we cannot keep faithfully), but on God’s forgiving, redeeming grace. In this morning’s Gospel Lesson, we have Jesus inaugurating the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday. As He institutes it, our Savior promises that His very real blood and body – in, with and under the wine and bread – is received in this comforting Sacrament of grace and forgiveness that He will put into effect in the coming days through His death and resurrection. Next, the Children’s Lesson for today comes from Genesis 15, where God promises to give Abram a son – even though he is old and his wife is beyond the age of child-bearing. In fact, promises God, Abraham’s descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Those descendants were not merely the ethnic children of Israel, or even the Arab peoples that also descend from Abraham. Those descendants include you and me and all who share the faith of Abraham. Finally, this morning’s Sermon is based on the words of Nahum 1, especially verses 12-15. We’ll talk about the meaning of Nahum’s name, “comfort,” and how – even as He spoke words of judgment for God against Nineveh – Nahum offered a message of comfort and encouragement to God’s people in Judah, assuring them that He was working for their earthly and eternal good.

A Children’s Nursery is available to assist parents with small children during worship. We encourage parents to bring children into the chapel whenever possible. This helps them learn why we come here each week: to praise God and to learn from Him. We also know that the power of God the Holy Spirit in the written and spoken Word blesses the hearts and souls of little children, no less than adults. But for very young children the nursery is, at times, a necessity. When situations occur where a child becomes uncomfortable during the service, we the her parent to consider bringing that child into the nursery so that he/ she can again become settled and relaxed. Once that happens, please do return to the sanctuary to continue to worship with us. The Nursery is in the first room along the north wall in our rear seating area.

A Word Of Welcome To Our Guests . . . Good morning and welcome to Grace Lutheran Church. We’re grateful that you’ve chosen to be a part of our worshiping assembly this morning. Whether you are a guest today or a member of our Church family, your presence at this service is genuinely appreciated. It is our desire that the time you spend here will be enjoyable and spiritually edifying, and so we want to serve you in the best way we can. If there is anything that we can do to assist you in your worship today, please speak with one of our ushers or our Pastor. They will be pleased to serve you in any way they can.

Following our worship service this morning, we invite you to join those around you for some coffee, refreshments, and conversation in our gymnasium/fellowship hall – which is the building just to the east of this chapel. If you are able, we would also be honored to have you remain after today’s fellowship time so that you might further hear and study the Scriptures with us in our Bible Class or our Sunday School. Finally, please come back soon to again worship the Lord with us. May God bless you and your worship of Him today.

Pre-Service Prayer – O God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in Whose name I am baptized and into Whose fellowship I have been received, bless my faith this morning as I meditate on Your holy Word. Heavenly Father, thank You for all the blessings You have given me; especially for sending Your Son to die for my sins and save my soul. Dear Lord Jesus, I praise You for having redeemed me from my sins by sacrificing Yourself for my sake. And Holy Spirit, for having sanctified me by bringing me into the true faith and safeguarding me in this faith, I gratefully worship You today. O Triune God, through Your almighty power, graciously enable me always to believe and obey, and to faithfully worship and confess You as my Creator, my Redeemer, and my Sanctifier — the all-glorious and eternal One true God. Amen.

The portions of God’s that are 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

Pre-service music Pre-service prayer

We Praise Our God

Service Introduction and Invitation to Worship

after which the Congregation will rise for

The Invocation

Pastor We begin this service in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today’s Psalm Psalm 116

P: I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.

C: The snares of death encompassed me; + the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; + I suffered distress and anguish. + Then I called on the name of the Lord: + “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

P: Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, He saved me.

C: Return, O my soul, to your rest; + for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

P: For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

C: I believed, even when I spoke: “I am greatly afflicted”; + I said in my alarm, “All mankind are liars.”

P: What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people.

C: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.

P: O Lord, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds.

C: I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. + I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people, + in the courts of the house of the Lord, + in Your midst, O Jerusalem. + Praise the Lord!

after which the Congregation will be seated for

The Opening Hymn Hymn 226 “To Your Temple I Draw Near”

Verse 1 – Entire Congregation

Verse 2 – Pulpit Side Verse 3 – Lectern Side

Verse 4 – Entire Congregation

Verse 5 – Men and Boys Verse 6 – Women and Girls

Verse 7 – Entire Congregation

+ + + + + + + + + + + +

1 To your temple I draw near; Lord, I love to worship here.

Here are sacrament and Word; Here believers meet their Lord.

2 I through Christ am reconciled; I through Christ become your child.

Abba, Father, give me grace In your courts to seek your face.

3 While your glorious praise is sung, Touch my lips, unloose my tongue,

That my joyful soul may bless Christ the Lord, my righteousness.

4 While the prayers of saints ascend, God of love, to mine attend.

Hear me, for your Spirit pleads; Hear, for Jesus intercedes.

5 While I listen to your law, Fill my soul with holy awe

Till your gospel brings to me Life and immortality.

6 While your ministers proclaim Peace and pardon in your name,

Through their voice, by faith, may I Hear you speaking from the sky.

7 From your house, when I return, May my heart within me burn,

And at evening let me say, “I have walked with God today.”

after which the Congregation will rise as

The Confessional Order of Service

Pastor O LORD, Open my lips.

Congregation – (sung) And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.

Pastor Hasten, O God, to deliver me.

Congregation – (sung) Hasten to help me, O Lord.

Pastor The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.

Congregation – (sung) A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

(sung) Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.

We Confess our Sins to the LORD

Pastor – I now ask you before God, who searches your heart, do you confess that you have sinned against God and deserve His wrath and punishment? If so, then declare so by saying, “I do confess.

Congregation – “I do confess.”

Pastor – Truly you should confess, for the Holy Scriptures say, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

Second, do you, with all your heart, repent of all your sins, committed in thought, word and deed? If so, then declare so by saying, “I do repent.”

Congregation – “I do repent.”

Pastor – Truly, you should repent, as other penitent sinners have done: King David, who prayed for a contrite heart; Peter, who wept bitterly; the sinful woman, the prodigal son, and others.

Third, do you sincerely believe that God, by grace, for Jesus’ sake, will forgive you all your sins? If so,

then declare so by saying, “I do believe.”

Congregation – “I do believe.”

Pastor – Truly you should so believe, for the Holy Scriptures say, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Fourth, do you promise that with the help of the Holy Ghost, you will, from this time forward, reform

your sinful life? If so, then declare it by saying, “I do promise.”

Congregation – “I do promise.”

Pastor – Truly, you should so promise, for Christ, the Lord says: “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Finally, do you believe that through me, a called servant of God, you will receive from God the

forgiveness of all your sins? If so, then declare it by saying, “I do believe.

Congregation – “I do believe.”

Pastor – Upon this, your confession, I, because of my office as a called and ordained servant of God’s Word, announce the grace of God to all of you. And, in the place of, and according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Peace be with you. Amen.

After which the Congregation will be seated

Our Prayer for This Morning

O Precious Savior, Lord Jesus Christ, + You in Whom the Fullness of the eternal God dwells in bodily form, + We thank and praise You for Your amazing, steadfast love for sinners like us! + Though we deserve rejection – not reconciliation with Your Father, + You chose to become one of us – human in every way. + You chose to live sinlessly under Your own divine Law – and then You credited us with Your righteousness, + so that we are freed from the Law’s demands and curse, + and regarded as sinless people and heaven’s heirs….for Your sake! + Then, through a sacrificial love we cannot comprehend, + You took sole responsibility for all our sins. + You endured for us Your Father’s rejection of us and our transgressions. + You died the death of hell that we deserve. + And now, because of Your sinless life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection + we are fully forgiven and heirs of everlasting life in heaven – through faith in You, our LORD and Savior. + We now pray that You will increase our faith in You, through Your Holy Spirit, as we meditate on Your Word this morning, + so that we might love You more completely + and serve You more faithfully all our days. + We ask this in Your name, dear Savior, + For, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, + You reign as the One, True, and Only God, + now and forever. + Amen.

After which the Congregation will be seated

We Hear God’s Word

The Old Testament Lesson Jeremiah 34:8-22

8 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem proclaiming freedom for the slaves. 9 Everyone was to free his Hebrew slaves, male and female. No one was to keep a fellow Jew in slavery. 10 All the officials and all the people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would set their male and female slaves free, and that no one would keep them in slavery anymore. They obeyed the agreement and set them free. 11 But after this they changed their minds. They took back the slaves they had set free, and they made them serve as male and female slaves once again. 12 It was after this that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

13 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says. I made a covenant with your fathers on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of slavery. I said that 14 every seven years you are to set free any fellow Hebrew who has sold himself to you. After he has served you six years, you are to set him free. But your fathers did not listen to me or pay attention to Me. 15 Now, after you repented and did what is right in My sight, each of you proclaimed freedom for his neighbor. You made a covenant before Me in the house that bears My name, 16 but you have turned around and profaned My name. Each of you has taken back and enslaved his male and female slaves, whom you had set free to go where they wished. You forced them back into slavery, to serve as your male and female slaves.

17 Therefore this is what the Lord says. You have not listened to Me by proclaiming freedom for your brothers and your neighbors. So I am proclaiming freedom to you, says the Lord. Freedom to fall by the sword, plague, and famine! I will make you a horror among all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 I am going to make the men who walked between the covenant pieces, but who did not keep the terms of the covenant that they had made in My presence, just like the calf they cut in two and then walk between its pieces. 19 The officials of Judah and the officials of Jerusalem, the government ministers, the priests, and all the people of the land who walked between the parts of the calf, 20 I will hand over to their enemies, to those who seek their lives. Their corpses will be food for the birds in the sky and the wild animals in the land.

21 I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials to those who seek their lives and to the army of the king of Babylon, which has withdrawn from you. Watch, I will give a command, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down. I will make the cities of Judah desolate so that no one can live there.

The Epistle Lesson Hebrews 8

The main point of what we are saying is this: We have the kind of High Priest Who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven. 2 He is the Minister in the Holy Place, which is the true sanctuary, which the Lord set up, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices, and for that reason this priest also needed to have something that he offered.

4 If this Priest were on earth, He would not even be a priest, because there are priests who are designated by the law to offer gifts. 5 They serve at a place that is a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, a place exactly like that about which Moses was told when he was about to complete the tent. For God said, “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain.”

6 But now, Jesus has obtained a ministry that is as much superior as the covenant that He mediates is better, because it has been established on the basis of better promises. 7 Indeed, if that first covenant were without fault, there would have been no reason to look for a second. 8 But because God found fault with the people, He said:

Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 9 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their forefathers at the time when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt. Because they did not remember My covenant, I ignored them, says the Lord. 10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put My laws into their mind, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. 11 Never again will a man teach his fellow citizen or his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful in regard to their unrighteousness, and I will not remember their sins any longer.

13 When God said “new,” He made the first covenant obsolete, and something that is obsolete and growing old is going to disappear.

After which the Congregation will please rise,

out of respect for the words of Christ

The Gospel Lesson Luke 22:14-20

14 When the hour had come, Jesus reclined at the table with the twelve apostles. 15 He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, 16 for I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

17 He took a cup, gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves, 18 for I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

19 He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 In the same way, He took the cup after the supper, saying, “This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is being poured out for you.

The Apostles’ Creed to the melody of “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You”

I believe in God the Father, Maker of the heav’ns and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, our Savior, God’s own Son, of human birth.

Virgin born, the Lord incarnate, Whom the Spirit did conceive,

Suffered under Pontius Pilate; Our salvation to achieve.

Crucified, was dead and buried, Down to hell in victory;

From the dead He rose the third day; Up to heav’n triumphantly.

There at God’s right hand He’s ruling, By His will the world is led.

He will come to judge the nations, Both the living and the dead.

I believe in God the Spirit, In His Church, His chosen band.

They are joined in close communion, Holy in His sight they stand.

I believe in sins forgiven; That the dead will rise again;

I believe in life eternal. Amen! Amen! A – – men!

after which the Congregation will be seated for

The Children’s Lesson Genesis 15:1-6

After these events the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. He said, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your Shield, your very great Reward.”

2 Abram said, “Lord God what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram also said, “Look, You have given me no offspring, so a servant born in my house will be my heir.”

4 Just then, the word of the Lord came to him. God said, “This man will not be your heir, but instead one who will come out of your own body will be your heir.” 5 The Lord then brought him outside and said, “Now look toward the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He said to Abram, “This is what your descendants will be like.” 6 Abram believed in the Lord, and the Lord credited it to him as righteousness.

When God Makes A Promise…He Always Keeps It

The Sermon Hymn Hymn 488 “Savior, Thy Dying Love”

1 Savior, thy dying love Thou gavest me;

Nor should I aught withhold, Dear Lord, from thee.

In love my soul would bow, My heart fulfill its vow,

Some off’ring bring thee now, Something for thee.

2 O’er the blest mercy seat, Pleading for me,

My feeble faith looks up, Jesus, to thee.

Help me the cross to bear, Thy wondrous love declare,

Some song to raise or prayer, Something for thee.

3 Give me a faithful heart, Likeness to thee,

That each departing day Henceforth may see

Some work of love begun, Some deed of kindness done,

Some wand’rer sought and won, Something for thee.

4 All that I am and have, Thy gifts so free,

In joy, in grief, through life, Dear Lord, for thee!

And when thy face I see, My ransomed soul shall be

Through all eternity Something for thee.

The Greeting

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.

Sermon Text Nahum 1

A threatening oracle against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum from Elkosh. 2 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God. The Lord takes vengeance and displays His anger. The Lord takes vengeance against His adversaries. He will maintain His rage against his enemies. 3 The Lord is slow to anger, yet great in power. The Lord will certainly not let the guilty go unpunished. He marches out in the whirlwind and in the storm. Storm clouds are like dust stirred up by His feet. 4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry up. He makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel are completely withered. The buds of Lebanon are completely withered. 5 The mountains quake in front of Him. The hills melt away. The earth in front of him rises up, the whole world and all who live in it. 6 Who can withstand His anger? Who can resist His fury? His rage is poured out like fire, and the rocks are torn down by Him.

7 The Lord is good. He is a place of safety in the day of distress. He knows those who seek safety in Him, 8 but He will bring this place to a complete end by an overwhelming flood. He will drive His enemies into darkness. 9 No matter what you plot against the Lord, He will destroy your plot completely. Disaster will not need to strike them twice, 10 because like tangled thorns, like the liquor of drunkards, like fully dried stubble, they will be consumed. 11 Someone who plots evil against the Lord has gone out from you, but his wicked plans are worthless. 12 This is what the Lord says. Even though they are at full strength and are numerous, nevertheless they are sure to be cut off, and they will disappear. Even though I have humbled you, I will not humble you any longer. 13 Now I will break their yoke from your neck. I will tear apart the shackles that are on you.

14 The Lord has issued a decree against you: There will be no descendants to carry on your name. I will put an end to the carved idols and molten images in the temple of your gods. I will dig your grave because you are cursed.

15 Look! A herald is coming over the mountain to proclaim this good news: Peace! Celebrate your sacred festivals, Judah! Fulfill your sacred vows to praise God! For never again will wickedness overwhelm you. It has been completely destroyed.

Nahum’s Message Is True to His Name….

One of Comfort and Assurance to Us

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

Our Offerings of Love to our Lord

We will be passing an offering plate through our chapel at this point. For those unable to worship with us in person, if you would like to participate in this offering, we offer you the following suggestions for providing God with Your thank-offerings through our ministry:

1) You can send a check (no cash) in the mail to Grace Lutheran Church (415 N. 6^th Place, Lowell, AR 72745)

2) Or, go online to our website (www.gracelutherannwa.com) and use the giving option there.

as the offerings are brought forward, the Congregation will rise for

Give Online

The Prayers for this Day

The Lord’s Prayer 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.

We Celebrate the Lord’s Supper

P: The Lord be with you.

C: (Sung) And also with you.

P: Lift up your hearts.

C: (Sung) We lift them up unto the Lord.

P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God

C: (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, Who promised that wherever two or three come together in His name, there He is with them to shepherd His flock until He comes again in all 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.

(Sung) 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 offer the Lord’s Supper this morning only to those individuals

who are confirmed, communicant members of Grace Lutheran congregation, or of a member congregation of our Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod or our “sister synod,” the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. To our Guests this morning, we genuinely appreciate your presence among us and celebrate the faith in Christ which we share with you. However, we ask that you will please respect our communion practice (see above). A brochure further explaining the Biblical basis for our Communion practice is available on the tract rack in the church entryway. We encourage you both to examine it – especially the Biblical references within it, and also to speak with our Pastor after the service (at your convenience) so that you might better understand and appreciate our Biblically-based “Close Communion” practice. Thank you for your understanding, your patience, and for your presence here among us today.

Distribution Hymn Hymn 310 “I Come, O Savior, To Your Table“

verses 1-5

verses 6-10; verses 11-15

1 I Come, O Savior, To Your Table,

For Weak And Weary Is My Soul;

O Jesus, You Alone Are Able

To Satisfy And Make Me Whole: