Service Outline for Sunday, August 23, 2026

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

PRELUDE             “By All Your Saints”                           Christine Sullivan

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                           The Church’s One Foundation                                  #654

 

 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 51:1-6

 ¹ Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
  you who seek the Lord.
 Look to the rock from which you were hewn
  and to the quarry from which you were dug.
 ² Look to Abraham your father
  and to Sarah, who bore you,
 for he was but one when I called him,
  but I blessed him and made him many.
 ³ For the Lord will comfort Zion;
  he will comfort all her waste places
 and will make her wilderness like Eden,
  her desert like the garden of the Lord;
 joy and gladness will be found in her,
  thanksgiving and the voice of song.

 ⁴ Listen to me, my people,
  and give heed to me, my nation,
 for a teaching will go out from me
  and my justice for a light to the peoples.
 ⁵ I will bring near my deliverance swiftly;
  my salvation has gone out,
  and my arms will rule the peoples;
 the coastlands wait for me,
  and for my arm they hope.
 ⁶ Lift up your eyes to the heavens
  and look at the earth beneath,
 for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
  the earth will wear out like a garment,
  and those who live on it will die like gnats,
 but my salvation will be forever,
  and my deliverance will never be ended.

Psalm: Psalm 138

¹ I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with ^| my whole heart;
  before the gods I will ^| sing your praise.
 ² I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your name, because of your steadfast ^| love and faithfulness;
  for you have glorified your name and your word a- ^| bove all things.
 ³ When I called, you ^| answered me;
  you increased my ^| strength within me.
 ⁴ All the rulers of the earth will praise ^| you, O Lord,
  when they have heard the words ^| of your mouth. R
 ⁵ They will sing of the ways ^| of the Lord,
  that great is the glory ^| of the Lord.
 ⁶ The Lord is high, yet cares ^| for the lowly,
  perceiving the haughty ^| from afar.
 ⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you ^| keep me safe;
  you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right ^| hand shall save me.
 ⁸ You will make good your pur- ^| pose for me;
  O Lord, your steadfast love endures forever; do not abandon the works ^| of your hands. R

Second Reading: Romans 12:1-8

¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. ² Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
  ³ For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function, ⁵ so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. ⁶ We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ⁷ ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; ⁸ the encourager, in encouragement; the giver, in sincerity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

 

 GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

 

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20

¹³ Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

SERMON

 HYMN                  My Hope is Built on Nothing Else                         #597

 

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                         O Savior, Precious Savior                                            #820

POST COMMUNION PROCLAMATION AND PRAYER

 

BLESSING

HYMN                                    Congregation’s Choice  

DISMISSAL 

POSTLUDE                          “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”                arr. Robert Hubble

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

Service outline for Sunday, August 16, 2026

 

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

 

PRELUDE           “Healer of Our Every Ill”                           Franklin Ashdown

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                 Oh, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing                                  #886

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 56:1, 6-8

 1 Thus says the Lord:

  Maintain justice, and do what is right,
 for soon my salvation will come
  and my deliverance be revealed.

 6 And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
  to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
  and to be his servants,
 all who keep the Sabbath and do not profane it
  and hold fast my covenant—
 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain
  and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
 their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
  will be accepted on my altar,
 for my house shall be called a house of prayer
  for all peoples.
 8 Thus says the Lord God,
  who gathers the outcasts of Israel:
 I will gather others to them
  besides those already gathered.

Psalm: Psalm 67

 1 May God be merciful to | us and bless us;

  may the light of God’s face | shine upon us.
 2 Let your way be known | upon earth,
  your saving health a- | mong all nations.
 3 Let the peoples praise | you, O God;
  let all the | peoples praise you.
 4 Let the nations be glad and | sing for joy,
  for you judge the peoples with equity and guide all the na- | tions on earth. R
 5 Let the peoples praise | you, O God;
  let all the | peoples praise you.
 6 The earth has brought | forth its increase;
  God, our own | God, has blessed us.
 7 May God | give us blessing,
  and may all the ends of the earth | stand in awe. R

Second Reading: Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

[Paul writes:] 1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2a God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.

  29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so also they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Gospel: Matthew 15:[10-20] 21-28

[10 [Jesus] called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand:11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” 12 Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” 13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16 Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. 19 For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”]

  21 Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that moment.

SERMON

HYMN                                   Healer of Our Every Ill                                          #612

 

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                   One Bread One Body                                                    #496

POST COMMUNION PROCLAMATION AND PRAYER

 

BLESSING

HYMN                                    Congregation’s Choice  

DISMISSAL 

POSTLUDE                          “In Christ there is no East or West”                Charles Callahan

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