Service outline for Sunday, August 2, 2026

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

PRELUDE                 “O Rest in the Lord”                           Felix Mendelssohn

CONFESSION AND FORGIVNESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity,+ one God,

whose compassion endures forever.

Amen.

Let us confess our sin to God.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Compassionate God,

we confess to you all our sins.

Our burden is heavy, and we cannot free ourselves.

In your mercy, call us back to you.

Your yoke is easy and your burden is light.

Restore us to dwell in your peace.

In Christ’s name we pray,

Amen.

Jesus says, “Come to me,

all you who are weary

and are carrying heavy burdens,

and I will give you rest.”

In the name of God,

Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit,

your sins are forgiven.

Rest in God’s love.

Amen.

HYMN                 Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing                                  #807

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 55:1-5

 ¹ Hear, everyone who thirsts;
  come to the waters;
 and you who have no money,
  come, buy and eat!
 Come, buy wine and milk
  without money and without price.
 ² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread
  and your earnings for that which does not satisfy?
 Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
  and delight yourselves in rich food.
 ³ Incline your ear, and come to me;
  listen, so that you may live.
 I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
  my steadfast, sure love for David.
 ⁴ See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
  a leader and commander for the peoples.
 ⁵ Now you shall call nations that you do not know,
  and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
 because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
  for he has glorified you.

Psalm: Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21

 ⁸ The Lord is gracious and full ^| of compassion,
  slow to anger and abounding in ^| steadfast love.
 ⁹ Lord, you are ^| good to all,
  and your compassion is over ^| all your works. R
 ¹⁴ The Lord upholds all ^| those who fall
  and lifts up those who ^| are bowed down.
 ¹⁵ The eyes of all wait upon ^| you, O Lord,
  and you give them their food ^| in due season.
 ¹⁶ You open ^| wide your hand
  and satisfy the desire of every ^| living thing.
 ¹⁷ You are righteous in ^| all your ways
  and loving in ^| all your works. R
 ¹⁸ You are near to all who ^| call upon you,
  to all who call up- ^| on you faithfully.
 ¹⁹ You fulfill the desire of ^| those who fear you;
  you hear their ^| cry and save them.
 ²⁰ You watch over all ^| those who love you,
  but all the wicked you ^| shall destroy.
 ²¹ My mouth shall speak the praise ^| of the Lord;
  let all flesh bless God’s holy name forev- ^| er and ever. R

Second Reading: Romans 9:1-5

¹ I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit—² I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³ For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood. ⁴ They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; ⁵ to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21

¹³ Now when Jesus heard [about the beheading of John the Baptist,] he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. ¹⁵ When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” ¹⁷ They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” ¹⁸ And he said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ And all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. ²¹ And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

SERMON

HYMN                           Let Us Talent and  Tongues Employ                                             #674

 

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                   You Satisfy the Hungry Heart                                           #484

POST COMMUNION PROCLAMATION AND PRAYER

 

BLESSING

HYMN                                    Congregation’s Choice  

DISMISSAL 

POSTLUDE                          “Lord, Whose Love In Humble Service”                David Maxwell

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

Service Outline for Sunday, July 26, 2026

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

PRELUDE                       “In Thee is Greatness”                           arr. Walter Pelz

CONFESSION AND FORGIVNESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity,+ one God,

whose compassion endures forever.

Amen.

Let us confess our sin to God.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Compassionate God,

we confess to you all our sins.

Our burden is heavy, and we cannot free ourselves.

In your mercy, call us back to you.

Your yoke is easy and your burden is light.

Restore us to dwell in your peace.

In Christ’s name we pray,

Amen.

Jesus says, “Come to me,

all you who are weary

and are carrying heavy burdens,

and I will give you rest.”

In the name of God,

Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit,

your sins are forgiven.

Rest in God’s love.

Amen.

HYMN                                   God of Grace, God of Glory                                        #705

 

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: 1 Kings 3:5-12

⁵ At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” ⁶ And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you, and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. ⁷ And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. ⁸ And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. ⁹ Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil, for who can govern this great people of yours?”
  ¹⁰ It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. ¹¹ God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or for the life of your enemies but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, ¹² I now do according to your word. Indeed, I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you, and no one like you shall arise after you.”

Psalm: Psalm 119:129-136

 ¹²⁹ Your de- ^| crees are wonderful;
  therefore I obey them with ^| all my heart.
 ¹³⁰ When your word is opened ^| it gives light;
  it gives understanding ^| to the simple.
 ¹³¹ I open my ^| mouth and pant
  because I long for ^| your commandments.
 ¹³² Turn to me and be gra- ^| cious to me,
  as you always do to those who ^| love your name. R
 ¹³³ Order my footsteps ^| in your word;
  let no iniquity have dominion ^| over me.
 ¹³⁴ Rescue me from those ^| who oppress me,
  and I will keep ^| your commandments.
 ¹³⁵ Let your face shine up- ^| on your servant
  and teach ^| me your statutes.
 ¹³⁶ My eyes shed ^| streams of tears,
  because people do not ^| keep your teaching. R

Second Reading: Romans 8:26-39

²⁶ The Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And God, who searches hearts, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
  ²⁸ We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

  ³¹ What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³² He who did not withhold his own Son but gave him up for all of us, how will he not with him also give us everything else? ³³ Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? It is Christ who died, or rather, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. ³⁵ Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,
 “For your sake we are being killed all day long;
  we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”
³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than victorious through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

 

Gospel: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

³¹ [Jesus] put before [the crowds] another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field;³² it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

  ³³ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

  ⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
  ⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; ⁴⁶ on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
  ⁴⁷ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; ⁴⁸ when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. ⁴⁹ So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous ⁵⁰ and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

  ⁵¹ “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” ⁵² And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

SERMON

HYMN                       Be Thou My Vision                                                #793

 

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                      How Great Thou Art                                                    #856

 POST COMMUNION PROCLAMATION AND PRAYER

 

BLESSING

HYMN                                    Congregation’s Choice  

DISMISSAL 

POSTLUDE                          “Whatever God Ordains Is Right”                       David Cherwein

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