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Grace Lutheran Church Companion Congregation: Msindo Parish in Tanzania

Welcome to Worship Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

September 2, 2018

9:00 a.m.

Liturgical worship with piano

Eclectic Setting

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OUR STATEMENT OF MISSION

Grace Lutheran Church is a community of faith, centered in worship, held in grace, strengthened in love, sent forth in mission, in Jesus’ name.

Welcome! If this is your first time worshipping at Grace, you picked an exciting time to

join us! We will be holding worship in Grace Hall while our main entrance, Gathering Hall and Sanctuary are being renovated. Please join us for coffee, tea, and donuts after the service. We apologize for any inconvenience during these renovations.

If you are interested in finding out more about membership at Grace, please contact Pastor Mike at Mike@gracedm.org, 515-276-6873. We worship together in many ways: Standing, sitting, singing, speaking, listening. You are invited to worship in as many (or few) ways as you are comfortable and able. When following along in the bulletin, the congregation is invited to read the items in bold (often marked with a C:) aloud. Here at Grace we worship in two alternating styles, organ-led liturgy or piano-led liturgy. The style for today, as well as which liturgical setting is used, is listed on the front cover of your bulletin. Large print bulletins are available from the ushers. Please sign the Attendance Registration sheets which are found in each pew. Children belong and are welcome in worship! Children’s bulletins are available from the ushers, and activity bags are available outside the doors to the sanctuary.

Communion – We welcome all people to the Lord’s table to receive Holy Communion. Children ages 3 and above are welcome at the parents’ discretion, after meeting for instruction with the pastor. Children not instructed are invited to come forward for a blessing. If you are not able to come forward to take communion, please notify an usher before the service. Then try to sit by the aisle and the pastor will commune you in your pew.

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Prelude “River Flows In You” Yiruma Welcome

Please stand as you are able Confession and Forgiveness P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, the one who fashions us, the one who heals us, the one who reforms us again and again.

C: Amen.

P: Let us confess our sin, calling for God's transforming power.

Pause for silence and reflection.

P: Source of all life,

C: we confess that we have not allowed your grace to set us free.

We fear that we are not good enough. We hear your word of love freely given to us, yet we expect others to earn it. We turn the church inward, rather than moving it outward. Forgive us. Stir us.

Reform us to be a church powered by love, willing to speak for what is right, act for what is just, and seek the healing of your whole creation. Amen.

P: In the mercy of almighty God... the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen.

Gathering Hymn “Lord, Be Glorified” #744

Please be seated

Centering Ourselves in Prayer

Please stand as you are able

Greeting

P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

C: And also with you.

Kyrie

Opening Hymn We are a “singing church,” so we follow the advice of the apostle Paul to teach and admonish “one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).

Kyrie In Mark 10 we hear of Jesus’ journey through Jericho to Jerusalem where he encounters

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Bartimaeus, a blind man, who hears this is Jesus and shouts, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” From that time to the present, Jesus’ followers have prayed that same prayer to God: “Kyrie Eleison” (“Lord, have mercy”). We are totally depend-ent upon God, so we pray for mercy in every aspect of life.

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Canticle of Praise

P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you.

Prayer of the Day

P: Let us pray,

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C: O God our strength, without you we are weak and wayward creatures. Protect us from all dangers that attack us from the out-side, and cleanse us from all evil that arises from within ourselves, that we may be preserved through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Please be seated

Reading James 1:17-27

17Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. 19You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. 22But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. 26If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. L: The Word of the Lord

C: Thanks be to God

Psalm 15 1Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle? Who may abide upon your holy hill? 2Those who lead a blameless life and do what is right, who speak the truth from their heart; 3they do not slander with the tongue, they do no evil to their friends; they do not cast discredit upon a neighbor. 4In their sight the wicked are rejected, but they honor those who fear the Lord. They have sworn upon their health and do not take back their word. 5They do not give their money in hope of gain, nor do they take bribes against the innocent. Those who do these things shall never be overthrown.

Reading Notes The letter of James was intended to pro-vide first-century Christians with in-struction in godly be-havior. Here, Chris-tians are encouraged to listen carefully and to act on what they hear, especially by caring for those least able to care for them-selves.

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Please stand as you are able

Gospel Acclamation

Gospel Acclamation

P:The Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark the Seventh Chapter.

C: Glory to you, O Lord.

Gospel Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

1Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around [Jesus], 2they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. 3(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; 4and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) 5So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6He said to them, “Isaiah prophe-sied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; 7in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ 8You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” 14Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: 15there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” 21For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, 22adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. 23All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

P: The Gospel of the Lord

C: Praise to you, O Christ

Please be seated

Sermon “Hallelujah”

Pastor Mike and Allison

Gospel The Gospel Lesson is a selection from the accounts of the life of our Lord recorded by the four evangelists, St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John. Because Christ is with us in the Gospel reading, we stand to honor his presence. We also sing short verses before and after the reading of the Gospel.

Gospel Notes Mark’s gospel depicts Jesus as challenging traditional ways in which religious peo-ple determine what is pure or impure. For Jesus, the observance of religious practices cannot become a substitute for godly words or deeds that spring from a faithful heart.

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Please stand as you are able

Hymn of the Day “Just As I Am, without One Plea” #592 Creed I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of the People

P: Lord, in your mercy, C: hear our prayer.

P: Into your wide embrace, gracious God, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your boundless mercy through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. C: Amen. All: God of love, have mercy on us. Pour out your Spirit upon us. Center us in worship. Hold us in grace. Strengthen us in love. Send us forth in mission. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen. Passing of the Peace P: The peace of the Lord be with you all, C: And also with you! Please be seated Announcements The Offering Offertory “My Jesus I Love You” arr. Doran

Creed The Creed is our response to God's speaking to us. Martyrs and saints have been confessing this creed since 325 A.D. The word "creed" comes from the Latin "credo" which means, "I believe!"

Prayers of the People This prayer in the ser-vice follows the di-rective of the Apostle Paul to young Timo-thy, a pastor: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, in-tercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for Kings and all those in authority, that we may live in peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

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Please stand as you are able Offering Prayer P: God of life, you give us these gifts of the earth, these resources of our life and our labor. Take them, offered in great thanksgiving, and use them to set a table that will heal the whole creation; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Light. C: Amen Great Thanksgiving

Preface Holy, Holy, Holy

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Thanksgiving at the Table P: In the night in which he was betrayed… P: Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray. 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

Invitation to Communion P: Speak to us, O Lord, in the breaking of the bread, and make us one with you.

Please be seated

Lamb of God

Distribution Hymns 472(3x), 466, 474, 528(3x), 616(3x)

Please stand as you are able

Prayer after Communion

P: Holy and compassionate God, in bread and wine you give us gifts

that form us to be humble and courageous. May your words come to

We will receive by intinction this morn-ing: Receive the host (wafer). Dip the host into the chalice (cup) to receive wine (red) or grape juice (clear); depart by the side aisle. Gluten free wa-fers and a separate glass chalice are available by request.

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life in our serving and in our witness, that we might speak a living voice

of healing and justice to all the world, through Jesus Christ, our rock and our redeemer. C: Amen

Blessing

P: The Lord bless you… in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

Sending Hymn “My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less” #596

Dismissal

P: Go in peace. Sound the good news.

C: Thanks be to God. Postlude “Every Time I Feel The Spirit” arr. Carter

Blessing Here as we leave to continue our journey through the wilder-ness to the Promised Land, God uses the pastor to say words that were said first through Aaron in the wilderness more than 3,000 years ago.

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Welcome to Grace!

Ministers —the people of Grace

Pastor –

The Rev. Michael Schmidt ............................ mike@gracedm.org

Minister for Worship and Music –

Emma Stammer ........................................... emma@gracedm.org

Minister for Youth and Family –

Ellen Rothweiler ............................................. ellen@gracedm.org

Organist –

Rich Snyder ...................................................... rich@gracedm.org

Grace Kids’ Care Director – Brooke Howsare……………………………brooke@gracedm.org

Minister for Administration –

Denise Friesth ............................................... denise@gracedm.org

Minister for Communications –

Michelle Voelker ..................................... michelle@gracedm.org

Office Assistant for Worship

Jessica Flannery…..………………………..jessica@gracedm.org

Custodian – Todd Haugen

Ushers – Mark Stumme, Aaron Brandsfield, Norm Iverson, & Jay Wangerin

Acolyte –

Liturgist – Mary Helt

Lector – Karen Taylor

Altar Guild – Loree Nelson & Carol Woodruff

Counters – Mark Stumme & Bill Jensen

Coffee – Karen Taylor

Grace Lutheran Church 5201 Urbandale Avenue

Des Moines, Iowa 50310

Office hours: Mon-Fri 9 a.m. – 3p.m.

Pastor Michael Schmidt

515-276-6873

mike@gracedm.org

www.gracedm.org