St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
Alliance, Ohio
Sunday, November 19, 2023
9:30 AM
PRELUDE My
God, How Wonderful Thou Art Gabrieson
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be God, the one
who forms us, ☩ Jesus who bears the cross,
the Spirit who makes our
joy complete.
Amen.
Let us bow before God in humility, confessing our sin.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Steadfast and faithful God, you have revealed the ways of justice, yet we fail to follow you.
We are overwhelmed by the
world’s violence and suffering. We are afraid to risk what we have for the sake
of others. For the harm we have caused, known and unknown, forgive us. For the
unjust demands we place on others and your creation, forgive us. For the ways
we turn away from you and our neighbor, forgive us. Lead us back to you and set
us on the right path; in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.
Beloved in Christ, God’s justice stretches beyond all understanding. God’s compassion is beyond compare. In Jesus, God is always making a new way for us. In ☩ Christ, you are already and always forgiven.
Amen.
HYMN For the Fruit of All
Creation #679
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.
HYMN OF PRAISE
PRAYER OF THE DAY
CHIldren’s Sermon
First Reading: Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18
7Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is at hand; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, he
has consecrated his guests. 12At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who
say in their hearts, “The Lord will
not do good, nor will he do harm.” 13Their wealth shall be plundered, and their
houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them;
though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them. 14The great day of
the Lord is near, near
and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter, the warrior cries aloud there. 15That day will be a day of
wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of
darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16a day of trumpet blast
and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. 17I will bring such
distress upon people that they shall walk like the blind; because they have
sinned against the Lord,
their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. 18Neither their silver nor
their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath; in the fire of his passion
the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a terrible end he will make of all the
inhabitants of the earth.
The Word of
the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Psalm: Psalm 90:1-8 [9-11] 12
1Lord, you have | been our refuge
from one generation | to another.
2Before the mountains were
brought forth, or the land and the | earth were born, from age
to age | you are God.
3You turn us back to
the | dust and say, “Turn back, O child- | ren of earth.”
4For a thousand years in
your sight are like yesterday when | it is past and like
a watch | in
the night;
5you sweep them away | like a dream, they
fade away suddenly | like the grass:
6in the morning it
is | green and flourishes; in the evening it is dried | up and withered.
7For we are consumed | by your anger; we
are afraid because | of your wrath.
8Our iniquities you
have | set before you, and our secret sins in the light | of your
countenance.
9When you are angry, all
our | days are gone; we bring our years to an end | like a sigh.
10The span of our life is
seventy years, perhaps in strength | even eighty; yet
the sum of
them is but labor and sorrow, for they pass away quickly and | we are gone.
11Who regards the
power | of your wrath? Who rightly fears your | indignation?
12So teach us to number our
days that we may apply our | hearts to wisdom.
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
1Now
concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to
have anything written to you. 2For you yourselves know very well that the day
of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3When they say, “There is
peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor
pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! 4But you, beloved, are not
in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; 5for you are all children
of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. 6So then let us not fall
asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; 7for those who sleep sleep
at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to
the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for
a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For God has destined us not for wrath but for
obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us, so that
whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 11Therefore encourage one
another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30
The
Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew the 25th
chapter. Glory to you, O Lord.
[Jesus said
to the disciples:] 14“For it is as
if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to
them; 15to one he gave
five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability.
Then he went away. 16The one who
had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made
five more talents. 17In the same
way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18But the one who had
received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his
master’s money. 19After a long
time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20Then the one who had received
the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you
handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ 21His master said to him,
‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few
things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your
master.’ 22And the one
with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me
two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ 23His master said to him,
‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few
things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your
master.’ 24Then the one
who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that
you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you
did not scatter seed; 25so I was
afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is
yours.’ 26But his
master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap
where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27Then you ought to have
invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what
was my own with interest. 28So take the talent from him, and give it to the
one with the ten talents. 29For to all those who have, more will be given,
and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what
they have will be taken away. 30As for this worthless slave, throw him into the
outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Gospel
of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON
HYMN God, Whose Giving Knows no Ending (tune Ode to Joy) #678
1 God, whose giving knows no ending,
from your rich and endless store:
nature's wonder, Jesus' wisdom,
costly cross, grave's shattered door,
gifted by you, we turn to you,
off'ring up ourselves in praise;
thankful song shall rise forever,
gracious donor of our days.
2 Skills and time are ours for pressing
toward the goals of Christ, your Son:
all at peace in health and freedom,
races joined, the church made one.
Now direct our daily labor,
lest we strive for self alone;
born with talents, make us servants
fit to answer at your throne.
3 Treasure, too, you have entrusted,
gain through pow'rs your grace conferred;
ours to use for home and kindred,
and to spread the gospel word.
Open wide our hands in sharing,
as we heed Christ's ageless call,
healing, teaching, and reclaiming,
serving you by loving all.
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 Intercession, PEACE,
OFFERING
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 Christ, Be Our Light #715
PRAYER, BLESSING
HYMN I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light #815
DISMISSAL
POSTLUDE All Things Bright and Beautiful Kolander
Liturgy and hymns
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