The Seventeenth Sunday of the Pentecost Season
Also known as the Fifteenth Sunday after
the Festival of the Holy Trinity – September 13, 2026
A Summer/Fall Study of Philippians:
The Grace of God in Christ is THE Source of our Joy
The Christian’s Goal:
To Live to Serve our LORD
‘Til we Die in Faith in Him
Why am I here? Not just “here” in church, but “here” on earth? What purpose does your life have? What’s your “reason for being?” …..At one time or another almost every person asks him- or herself one of this question, or a similarly worded one?
For some the answer is, “to enjoy life,” or the noble, yet vague, “to make a difference in the world.”
Others, with great frustration and an inner agony of soul — cannot seem to find the answer no matter how hard they try. How empty and purposeless they must feel!
The “Stoics” of ancient Greece felt that man’s purpose in life could be summarized by this self-oriented philosophy: “to eat, to drink, and to be merry…for tomorrow we die.”
Regardless of your age, or your station in life, do you know why you’re here, what your purpose in life is? The answer does matter!
While God’s Word doesn’t give each individual Christian his or her “specific” purpose in life, the Scriptures do provide us with a general direction and purpose for this life that the non-believer cannot appreciate or understand ….apart from the work of God the Holy Spirit in his/her heart. Thank God, then, that the Spirit has spoken to you through His Word — as He will do again today — to regularly remind you – among other truths – of why you are here on earth. For the Christian, the answer is two-fold: 1) to come to faith in the one, true God; and 2) to live, by faith, for that one, true God.
Through our worship service this morning we’ll look at the lives of a few of Scripture’s more prominent individuals who were “called” by God to faith, and subsequently called to faithful service in His name.
We’ll begin by looking at the story of Abram in our Old Testament
Lesson where the great father of the faithful (later called Abraham) was “called” by the LORD at the age of 75 to, sight-unseen, “go to a land I will show you.” In faith, Abram went. And through faith Abram committed himself to the seven-fold promise that God made to Him about how He would use Abram to accomplish His saving purposes….most notably in eventually sending the Messiah through Abram’s descendants.
We also see Peter and Andrew, plus James and John — become
Jesus’ first full- time Apostles….when our Savior called them to devote their lives (not to fishing anymore, but…) to following Him and achieving His purpose for them…. that of being “fishers of men” in our Gospel Lesson for today.
Additionally, in this morning’s Epistle Lesson/Sermon Text, Paul speaks from prison about his desire to be with the Lord in heaven (a desire every believer has), while at the same time recognizing that God still has a purpose for him to remain here on earth: that of continuing to proclaim the life-giving, soul-saving Gospel.
Finally, our Children’s Lesson for today will consider some of the Apostle Paul’s words which, very briefly, explain WHY we live here on earth and WHAT God expects us to become and do for Him. The WHY and WHAT of life are both summed up in I Corinthians 1:23: “We Preach Christ Crucified.” Every Christian’s calling, then, is to GROW in God’s grace through faith in Christ, and then to GO into the world with that grace, by teaching others about Christ, and by living according to the Gospel….all so that God might be glorified, and so that others might see, believe, and receive the same blessing of salvation through faith in Christ that we enjoy today.
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
Prayer Upon Entering Church
Lord Jesus, though but two or three
In Your dear name assembled be,
You will among them show Your face
And bless them with Your saving grace.
In Your dear name again we meet
And worship humbly at Your feet;
You will Your gracious Word fulfill
And cheer us with Your presence still.
Jesus, from Whom all blessings flow,
Your peace and comfort now bestow;
Abide with us till life is o’er
And keep us Yours forevermore. Amen.
Pre-service prayer Pre-worship music
Pre-worship Hymn Singing, beginning at 9:25 a.m.
Let Us Praise The Lord
at the invitation of the Pastor, the Congregation will rise for the invocation
The Invocation
We begin this service in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Opening Prayer
O Lord God, Heavenly Father, + You have prepared for those who love You + blessings that greatly exceed our understanding: + Pour into our hearts such love toward You, + that we may love You above all things, + and lead us, by faith, + to Your eternal promises, + which exceed all that we can desire. + All this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, + Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, + one true God, + now and forever. + Amen.
after which the Congregation will be seated for
Opening Hymn Hymn 195 “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty”
1 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
2 Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
Who was and is and evermore shall be.
3 Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
Only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.
4 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
After which the Congregation will rise
We Make Confession Of Our Sins To God
Pastor Brothers and sisters in Christ: the Word of God urges us to confess to our Lord all our sins of thought, word, and action. This is something that ought to be daily part of our spiritual lives, and should come forth from every heart that is humble and penitent. But we should especially do this when we meet together in His house to thank God for all that He has done for us, to praise Him, and to hear His life-giving Word. Therefore, come with me now, to our Heavenly Father’s throne of grace, and let us confess our sins together.
Congregation Miserable person that I am, + I confess and lament to You, O most holy God, + that I am a weak and` sinful creature, + guilty of every sin, of unbelief, and of blasphemy. + I also confess that Your Word has not brought forth good fruit in me. + I hear it, but do not receive it earnestly. + I do not show works of love toward my neighbor. + I am full of anger, hate, and envy. + I am impatient, greedy, and bent on every evil. + Therefore my heart and conscience are heavy. + Lord, I ask You, free me from my sins, + strengthen my faith, + and comfort my weak conscience by Your divine Word, + that I may obtain Your promised grace.
Pastor Having humbly and sincerely confessed your sins before Almighty God, now 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, rest assured that your sins have been fully covered by the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ your Savior. May the peace of God rest upon all of you. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Now, in the peace of God’s forgiveness, let us together praise our gracious and glorious Lord!
The Congregation responds by singing: (CW 610)
The Lord, my God be praised, To Him with joyful song
My God, Who ever liveth, Our praises we are bringing
To Whom the heavenly host And with the angel throng
All praise and honor giveth. Thrice “Holy” we are singing,
The Lord, my God, be praised, With one united voice
In Whose great name I boast, The Church doth Him adore.
God Father, God the Son, The Lord, my God, be praised
And God the Holy Ghost. Now and forevermore. Amen
The Psalm for Today Psalm 25, selected verses
P: My eyes are always on the Lord, because He frees my feet from the net.
C: Turn to me and be gracious to me, + for I am lonely and afflicted.
P: The distress of my heart increases; Bring me out of my anguish.
C: See my affliction and my trouble + and take away all my sins.
P: Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your mercy, for they are from eternity.
C: Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; + according to Your mercy remember me, + because of Your goodness, O LORD.
P: To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in You I have trusted, O my God.
C: All who hope in You will never be put to shame.
after which, the Congregation will be seated as
We Give Our Attention To God’s Word
The Old Testament Lesson Genesis 12:1-9
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Get out of your country and away from your relatives and from your father’s house and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse anyone who dishonors you. All of the families of the earth will be blessed in you.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him. Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother’s son, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to travel to the land of Canaan. Eventually they arrived in the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land until he came to the Oak of Moreh at the place called Shechem. The Canaanites were in the land at that time. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” Abram built an altar there to the Lord, Who had appeared to him. 8 He moved on from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent there, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 9 Abram pulled out from there and kept traveling toward the Negev.
The Epistle Lesson Philippians 1:12-30
12 I want you to know, brothers, that the things which happened to me actually took place to advance the Gospel. 13 And so it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to all the rest, that I am in chains because of Christ. 14 And, through my chains, the majority of the brothers in the Lord have become much more confident about daring to speak the word of God fearlessly. 15 Some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, and others out of good will. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am placed here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking they can cause trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 What does it matter? Only this, that in every way, whether for outward appearance or for the truth, Christ is being proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 because I know that this will turn out for my deliverance, through your prayer and the support of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 20 This matches my earnest expectation and hope that I will in no way be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, so even now, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 Yes, for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to go on living in the flesh, that will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet which should I prefer? I do not know. 23 I am pulled in two directions, because I have the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far. 24 But, it is more necessary for your sake that I remain in the flesh. 25 And since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and will continue with all of you, for your progress and joy in the faith. 26 And so by my coming to you again, my goal is to give you even more reason to boast in Christ Jesus.
27 Just conduct yourselves in a way that is worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that whether I come to see you or am absent, I may hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, contending together with one soul for the faith of the Gospel, 28 not frightened in any way by the adversaries. This is a sign for them of their destruction and of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been graciously granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, 30 having the same kind of struggle that you saw I was in, and that you now hear I am still experiencing.
after which, out of respect for the words of Christ, the Congregation will rise for
The Gospel Lesson Mark 1:14-20
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. 15 “The time is fulfilled,” He said. “The kingdom of God has come near! Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
16 As Jesus was going along the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. 17 Jesus said to them, “Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately Jesus called them. They left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed Him. 21 Then they went into Capernaum.
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 I Corinthians 1:23
WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED!
“?” The WHY and the WHAT “!” for Each Christian
The Pre-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.
after which, the Congregation will REMAIN SEATED
The Greeting
Grace and peace be yours in abundance, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ, our Lord. May the God of peace fill you with all joy in believing! Amen.
Sermon Text Philippians 1:18-26
(the italicized part of today’s Epistle Lesson)
Our Christian Calling…..
To Live for Christ Here
Until We Live With Christ There
following the Sermon, the Congregation will REMAIN SEATED for the blessing
Pastor 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
The Offering Hymn Hymn 485 “We Give Thee But Thine Own”
1 We give thee but thine own, Whate’er the gift may be;
All that we have is thine alone, A trust, O Lord, from thee.
2 May we thy bounties thus As stewards true receive
And gladly, as thou blessest us, To thee our firstfruits give.
3 Oh, hearts are bruised and dead, And homes are bare and cold,
And lambs for whom the shepherd bled Are straying from the fold.
4 To comfort and to bless, To find a balm for woe,
To tend the lone and fatherless, Is angels’ work below.
5 The captives to release, To God the lost to bring,
To teach the way of life and peace– It is a Christ-like thing.
6 And we believe thy Word Though dim our faith may be:
Whate’er for thine we do, O Lord, We do it unto thee.
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. 6th 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
Today’s Special Prayers
In our prayers today we include:
Jim Taylor, who is recovering from heart bypass surgery this past Friday
and
Celidh and Jeremiah Tabor, who will be celebrating their wedding anniversary
this coming Thursday.
The Prayers of the Church
P Almighty God! All praise and thanks to You for the countless blessings we receive from You every day, though we do not deserve them. We thank You for health of body and soul, for the joys of life, the beauties in the world, and the bounties of the earth. We thank you for the gifts of learning and memory, for the enjoyment of honest work and restful play, for the pleasure of friendship, and for the ability to share laughter and sorrow with others.
C: We thank you especially + for giving us Your precious Word and Sacraments + through which You generate and strengthen saving faith, + comfort our sin-troubled hearts + and build us up to live godly lives + for our good and to Your glory. + We praise you also, gracious Lord, + for making us able and willing to spread the Good News of salvation + throughout our community and into all the earth.
P Great God and Lord! Stand by us in these last days full of trial and tribulation, of nations in turmoil and peoples in distress, of faith dying out and true love growing cold. Give us the strength of faith to face the evils of life with courage, and deliver us according to Your will and in Your own appointed time, from this wicked world, our sinful flesh, and the power of the Evil One.
C: We pray that You will continue to protect and preserve + the good institutions of our society: our families and schools, + our government and laws, + our trades and professions + our means of transportation and communication, + all useful arts, + and especially Your Holy Christian Church on earth.
P: Gracious Father! Be merciful to people in every affliction. Send Your peace to the sick, the aged, the infirm, the broken-hearted, the confused, the troubled, and the lonely. Bring Your healing to our broken homes and sin-ravaged lives.
C: We ask that You fill our hearts with Christian love + not only to forgive those who sin against us, + but also to pray for others in need + and to help them with our own words of encouragement + and our works of kindness.
P: Eternal God! Keep us all in Your saving faith, by which You enable us to overcome all things through the power of and by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. It is in His name that we offer this prayer, and now continue by praying:
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.
We Leave With The Lord’s Blessing
The Closing Salutation
Pastor May the LORD be with you.
Congregation – And also with you.
The Doxology
Pastor Now, to Him Who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy –
Congregation to the only God, our Savior, be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
The Benediction
The LORD bless you and keep you.
The LORD make His face to shine upon You and be gracious unto you,
The LORD look upon you with favor, and grant you His peace. Amen.
The Closing Hymn Hymn 369 “Beautiful Savior”
1 Beautiful Savior, King of creation,
Son of God and Son of Man! Truly I’d love thee,
Truly I’d serve thee, Light of my soul, my Joy, my Crown.
2 Fair are the meadows, Fair are the woodlands,
Robed in flow’rs of blooming spring; Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer; He makes our sorr’wing spirit sing.
3 Fair is the sunshine, Fair is the moonlight,
Bright the sparkling stars on high; Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer, Than all the angels in the sky.
4 Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations,
Son of God and Son of Man! Glory and honor,
Praise, adoration, Now and forevermore be thine!
silent prayer, announcements,
post-service music