Service Outline for Sunday, August 31, 2025

                                Welcome to worship at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church!

PRELUDE            “If You But Trust in God to Guide You”                    Paul Manz

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.

Most merciful God,

we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name.

Amen.

In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the  Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

HYMN                  Gather Us In                                              #532

 GREETING

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

And also with you.

 

KYRIE

HYMN OF PRAISE                              

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Children's message

First Reading: Proverbs 25:6-7a

⁶ Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great, ^7a for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God  

Psalm 112

¹ Hallelujah! Happy are they who ^| fear the Lord

       and have great delight in ^| God’s commandments!
² Their descendants will be mighty ^| in the land;
  the generation of the upright ^| will be blessed. 
³ Wealth and riches will be ^| in their house,
  and their righteousness will ^| last forever.
⁴ Light shines in the darkness ^| for the upright;
  the righteous are merciful and full ^| of compassion.
⁵ It is good for them to be generous in lending and to manage their affairs with justice.
⁶ For they will never be shaken;
  the righteous will be kept in everlasting remembrance.
⁷ They will not be afraid of any ^| evil rumors; their heart is steadfast, trusting ^| in the Lord.
⁸ Their heart is established and ^| will not shrink,
  until they see their desire upon their enemies.
⁹ They have given freely to the poor, and their righteousness stands ^| fast forever;
   they will hold up their ^| head with honor.
¹⁰ The wicked will see it and be angry; they will gnash their teeth and ^| pine

away; the desires of the wicked will perish. 

 

Second Reading: Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

¹ Let mutual affection continue. ² Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. ³ Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them, those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. ⁴ Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. ⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” ⁶ So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”  ⁷ Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. ¹⁵ Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. ¹⁶ Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.                                                                                  Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

 

 Gospel: 14:1, 7-14

The Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke the 14th chapter.  Glory to you O Lord.

¹ On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, they were watching him closely. ⁷ When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. ⁸ “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host, ⁹ and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. ¹¹ For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” ¹² He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers and sisters or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴ And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. 

SERMON

HYMN                   As We Gather at Your Table                                       #522

 APOSTLES 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, PEACE, OFFERING, COMMUNION PRAYER

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

 

DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION

HYMN                   Blessed Assurance                                        #638

 

POST COMMUNION PROCLAMATION AND PRAYER

BLESSING

HYMN                                             Congregations Choice                           

DISMISSAL 

POSTLUDE                            “Son of God, Eternal Savior”           Camille Smith

 Liturgy and hymns printed and streamed with permission through OneLicense. A-710659

Service Outline for Sunday, August 24, 2025

Welcome to worship at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church!

PRELUDE          “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”                arr. Stephen Johnson

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.

Most merciful God,

we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name.

Amen.

In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the  Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

HYMN                        Morning Has Broken                                            #556

 

GREETING

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

And also with you.

 

KYRIE

 HYMN OF PRAISE                              

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Children's message

First Reading: Isaiah 58:9b-14

^9b If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, ¹⁰ if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. ¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your needs in parched places and make your bones strong, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never fail. ¹² Your     ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in. ¹³ If you refrain from trampling the Sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests or pursuing your own affairs; ¹⁴ then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God  

Psalm 103:1-8

¹ Bless the Lord, ^| O my soul, and all that is within me, bless God’s ^| holy name.
² Bless the Lord, ^| O my soul, and forget not ^| all God’s benefits—
³ who forgives ^| all your sins and heals all ^| your diseases;
⁴ who redeems your life ^| from the grave and crowns you with steadfast ^| love and  mercy; 
⁵ who satisfies your desires ^| with good things so that your youth is renewed ^| like an  eagle’s.

⁶ O Lord, you provide ^| vindication and justice for all who ^| are oppressed.
⁷ You made known your ^| ways to Moses and your works to the children of Israel.
⁸ Lord, you are full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and abounding  in ^| steadfast love. 

Second Reading: Hebrews 12:18-29

¹⁸ You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, ¹⁹ and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. ²⁰ (For they could not endure the   order that was given, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.” ²¹ Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”) ²² But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, ²³ and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴ and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. ²⁵ See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking, for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! ²⁶ At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.” ²⁷ This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what is shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. ²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe, ²⁹ for indeed our God is a consuming fire.

Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

 Gospel: Luke 13:10-17

The Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke the 13th chapter.  Glory to you O Lord.

¹⁰ Now [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹ And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” ¹³ When he laid his hands on her,        immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. ¹⁴ But the leader of the           synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured and not on the Sabbath day.” ¹⁵ But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it to water? ¹⁶ And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” ¹⁷ When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame, and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things being done by him.

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. 

SERMON

HYMN                   Have No Fear Little Flock                                       #764

APOSTLES 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, PEACE, OFFERING, COMMUNION PRAYER

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

 

DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION

HYMN                        There Is a Balm in Gilead                                        #614

 

POST COMMUNION PROCLAMATION AND PRAYER

BLESSING

HYMN                                             Congregations Choice                           

DISMISSAL 

POSTLUDE                            “Center of My Life”               P. Inwood, arr. Lynn Trapp

 Liturgy and hymns printed and streamed with permission through OneLicense. A-710659