16 July 2023
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Prelude, Welcome, and Information Hymn #520 Dearest Jesus, At Your Word |
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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you. Psalm: Psalm 65: 1-13 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed, O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come. When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions. Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple. By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas. By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might. You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples. Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy. You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy. |
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The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray. Almighty God, we thank you for planting in us the seed of your word. By your Holy Spirit help us to receive it with joy, live according to it, and grow in faith and hope and love, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. |
Reading: Isaiah 55:10-13
A reading from the prophet Isaiah
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
The Word of the Lord
Reading: Romans 8:1-11
A reading from the letter to the Romans
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel Verse:
Alleluia! The word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart. Alleluia! (Deut. 30:14)
Gospel Reading: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
A reading from the Gospel of Matthew
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”
“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon (added at the end of the document)
Hymn #679 For the Fruit of All Creation
Thanks and Offertory
Prayers of the Church:
O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come. With faith and trust in your mercy, we ask you to hear our prayers this day.
God of our salvation, help us to hear your word and to let it shape our lives. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of our salvation, send us your Spirit once again so we may live in that Spirit and welcome your kingdom in every way. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of our salvation, permit your Word to take root in us. Aide us in becoming good soil for the growth of your life in this world, no matter what the yield of that seed might be in our lives. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of our salvation, continue to grant the weather needed for a good harvest for the betterment of so many lives. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of our salvation, you are the giver of peace. Grant peace where war is found, especially in Ukraine, Russia, and Sudan. Bless all those who suffer the terrors and dangers of violence throughout the world. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of our salvation, give healing to all those who struggle with sicknesses of body, mind, or spirit. Protect and uphold those who work for healing in any way. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of our salvation, clear the air around us and extinguish the fires in our province and throughout the nation. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of our salvation, comfort all those who have lost loved ones recently. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of our salvation, today we remember and pray for your people of Peace Christian Church, a Lutheran Fellowship, Chatham, and their interim pastor, Pastor Paul Sodtke. Bless their faithful service. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of our salvation, we ask you to hear our continual prayers for those we care for and for those who have asked for our prayers … * Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. {*Gail Mauer, Deb Kirschner, Rose Gotzmeister, Rick Cerna, Rose Ungar, Marjorie Weber}
O you who answer prayer, we ask you to hear our prayers this day and grant what is best for us in all things as we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hymn ELW#691 Accept, O Lord, the Gifts We Bring
The Lord’s Prayer
Finally let us pray for all things as our Lord would have us ask:
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.
Closing prayer
Merciful God,
in the mystery of the Word made flesh, you embrace our lives with your great love for humanity.
With joy and gladness we ask that we may be for many a sign of that love,
and that we may continue to share in your divine life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Benediction & Sending
May the Lord bless us and keep us.
May the Lord’s face shine upon us with grace and mercy.
May the Lord look upon us with favor and X give us peace.
Amen.
Hymn #551 The Spirit Sends Us Forth to Serve
Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God.
W
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Upcoming Services for July & August: (All services begin at 11:00am) July 23 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Pentecost VII) July 30 YouTube (Pentecost IX) August 6 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Pentecost X) August 13 No Service scheduled August 20 No Service scheduled August 27 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Pentecost XIII) |
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But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.
· This passage from Matthew’s Gospel is one of the few where Jesus actually explains the parable and explains why he speaks in parables. (Unfortunately the “why’s” are left out of today’s reading.)
· There are a few things that don’t come to mind right off. For one, the parable’s sower is not systematic, placing each seed in a pre-dug hole or some prepared furrow. The sower just scatters the seed almost willy-nilly and it falls where it will with varied results, both positive and negative. The sower must have had plenty of seed, to toss it around so wildly. This is a reference to God, who sows everywhere and to everyone. The good news there is that the Word (“the seed”) is available to everyone. There really is no need to go through each example of planting; Jesus does a much better job than I could do!
· It appears that this seed is readily available, since it is sown everywhere. I’m reminded of the passage from Deuteronomy that Paul quotes in the letter to the Romans: No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. (Deut. 30:14) Whether the seed takes full root and grows or not, the seed of God’s Word is everywhere.
· A second point that caught my interest is the varied results from the seed landing of good soil, where it bears fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
· Whatever growth comes up, whatever fruit of the seed is found, seems to be alright with Jesus. The noted yield is actually amazing, thirty, sixty, or one hundred fold! For the farmers of Jesus’ time, such a yield would be incredible. This, of course, is a parable example, not a lesson in crop management.
· In indicating the possible yields, Jesus is acknowledging the condition of his disciples and their own ways. Obviously, we are all different and don’t all show the same growth in the Word. The parable gives the impression that Jesus understands that and is fine with it. After all, the yields mentioned are incredible in any event. None of us can predict how we’ll respond to God’s Word or how the people around us will respond to us and our living faith. What God gives will be what God gives.
· Maybe the thing to avoid is comparison, greedy jealousy, and judgement. Each of us are who we are and the parable carries the good news that Jesus accepts us as we are. It’s not a case of “being better” or “living a holier life.” God gives us what we have according to God’s own ways. This does not require that everything is preordained; the free will of the individual is still in play and it might just be that God accepts our own decisions and directions, using them somehow for the betterment of the world and the furtherance of the Kingdom. It is also beyond us to rate others according to what we’ve each been given.
· Today’s Gospel carries plenty of Good News to us, once we get beyond the possible trap of seeing ourselves caught up in the seed on the path, on the rocky ground, or among the thorns. Those are things to be aware of and it is still our privilege to rejoice in the fruit we might bear for the Gospel, whether it’s thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold.
But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.
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