Welcome to worship at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church!
PRELUDE “At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing”
Edwin T. Childs
Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God,
the God of manna, the God of miracles, the God
of mercy.
Amen.
Drawn to Christ and seeking God’s abundance, let us confess our sin.
Silence is kept for reflection.
God, our provider,
help us.
It is hard to believe there is enough to share.
We question your ways when they differ from the
ways
of the world in which we live.
We turn to our own understanding
rather than trusting in you.
We take offense at your teachings and your ways.
Turn us again to you.
Where else can we turn?
Share with us the words of eternal life
and feed us for life in the world.
Amen.
Beloved people of God:
in Jesus, the manna from heaven, you are fed and
nourished.
By Jesus, the worker of miracles, there is
always more than enough.
Through Jesus,+ the bread of life, you are
shown God’s mercy:
you are forgiven and loved into abundant life.
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
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Children's message
2 The whole congregation of the Israelites
complained against Moses and Aaron in the
wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to
them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots
and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to
kill this whole assembly with hunger.” 4 Then the Lord said to
Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for
you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In
that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.”
9 Then Moses said to
Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to
the Lord, for he has heard
your complaining.’ ” 10 And as Aaron
spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the
wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared
in the cloud. 11 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 12 “I have heard the
complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At
twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of
bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your
God.’ ”
13 In the evening quails
came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew
around the camp. 14 When the
layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky
substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the Israelites saw
it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. Word of
the Lord. Thanks be to God
Psalm 78:23-29
23 So God commanded the | clouds above and
opened the | doors of heaven,
24 raining down manna
upon | them to eat and giving them | grain from
heaven.
25 So mortals ate the | bread of angels;
God provided for them | food enough.
26 The Lord caused the east wind to
blow | in the heavens and powerfully led out | the
south
wind,
27 raining down flesh
upon | them like dust and flying birds like the sand | of the seas,
28 letting them fall in
the midst | of the camp and round a- | bout the dwellings.
29 So the people ate
and | were well filled, for God gave them | what they craved.
Second Reading: Ephesians 4:1-16
1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you
to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and
gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to
maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one
Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, 6 one God and
Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. 7 But each of us was given
grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it is said,
“When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to
his people.”
9 (When it says, “He
ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower
parts of the earth? 10 He who
descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he
might fill all things.) 11 The gifts he gave were that some would be
apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for
the work of
ministry, for
building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full
stature of Christ. 14 We must no
longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of
doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful
scheming. 15 But speaking the truth
in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into
Christ, 16 from whom
the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is
equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in
building itself up in love.
Word of the
Lord. Thanks be to God
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Gospel: John 6:24-35
The Holy Gospel according to Saint John the 6th
chapter. Glory to you O Lord.
24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor
his disciples were [beside the sea,] they themselves got into the
boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 When they found him on
the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come
here?” 26 Jesus
answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you
saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food
that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of
Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his
seal.” 28 Then they
said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him,
“What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe
you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the
wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 Then Jesus said to them,
“Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven,
but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is
that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir,
give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never
be thirsty.”
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O
Christ.
SERMON
HYMN What Feast of Love #487
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 Let Us Break Bread Together #471
BLESSING
HYMN Congregations ChoiceDISMISSAL
POSTLUDE Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer arr. Donald Hustad
