St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

313 4th Street, Manistee, MI 49660

website: StPaulsManistee.com

facebook: SPLCManistee

Pastor Dennis Himm (810) 252-5821

August 2, 2026 Pentecost 9

CHRISTIANS SEEK SPIRITUAL WEALTH

WELCOME – We will be using the red hymnal today.

HYMN 399 “To God be the Glory” – please stand for last stanza SERVICE OF WORD & SACRAMENT - page 26

PRAYER OF THE DAY:

O Lord, your ears are always open to the prayers of your humble servants, who come to you in Jesus’ name. Teach us always to ask according to your will that we may never fail to obtain the blessings you have promised; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Sing) Amen.

FIRST LESSON: 1 Kings 3:5-12

When the Lord offered Solomon anything he wanted, Solomon chose spiritual wealth.

5 The LORD appeared to Solomon in Gibeon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 6Solomon said, “You have shown great mercy and faithfulness to your servant, my father David, just as he walked before you in truth, righteousness, and uprightness of heart toward you. You have shown this great mercy and faithfulness to him and have given him a son who is seated on his throne to this very day. 7 O LORD my God, now you have made your servant king in the place of my father David, but I am a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And I, your servant, am among your people whom you have chosen, a great people, who cannot be counted or numbered because they are so many. 9 Now give to your servant a perceptive heart to judge your people, to distinguish between good and evil, for who is able to judge this great people of yours?” 10 In the eyes of the LORD, Solomon’s request was good. 11 So God said to him, “Because you have asked for this, and you have not asked for a long life, nor have you asked for riches, nor have you asked for the lives of your enemies, but you have asked for discernment to reach just verdicts, 12 therefore I will act according to your words. Yes, I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you before you, nor

will anyone like you rise up after you.

P: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

SECOND LESSON: 1 Timothy 6:17-21

Paul warns against arrogance and false hope, sins that commonly go with worldly wealth.

17 Instruct those who are rich in this present age not to be arrogant or to put their hope in the uncertainty of riches, but rather in God, who richly supplies us with all things for our enjoyment. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they are storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. 20 O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, turning away from godless, empty talk and the contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge.” 21 By professing it, some have veered away from the faith. Grace be with you. Amen.

P: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

VERSE OF THE DAY:

P: Alleluia. Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia.

ALLELUIA RESPONSE (sung)

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

These words are written that we may believe

that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

GOSPEL: Matthew 13:44-52

A series of parables about the value of spiritual wealth.

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again. In his joy, he goes away and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls. 46When he found one very valuable pearl, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When the net was filled, they pulled it onto the shore. They sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw the bad ones away. 49 That is how it will be at the end of the world. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous who are among them. 50 And they will throw the wicked into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 51 Jesus said to them, “Did you understand all these things?” They answered him, “Yes.” 52 He said to them, “Therefore every expert in the law who has been trained as a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure both new things

and old things.”

P: The Gospel of the Lord.

C: (sung) Praise be to you, O Christ!

HYMN 355 “Take the World, but Give Me Jesus”

SERMON: 1 Kings 3:5-12

The Christian Seeks Spiritual Wealth.

NICENE CREED – page 31

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

LORD’S PRAYER – page 32

COMMUNION LITURGY - pages 33-35

Because God’s Word clearly teaches us about the Real Presence and the fellowship connected with the Lord’s Supper, we kindly ask that only WELS and ELS repented communicant members come forward to receive the Lord’s body and blood in this Sacrament. Pastor Himm offers a free class so you can become a communicant member.

COMMUNION DISTRIBUTION

THANK THE LORD & PRAYER - pages 36

BLESSING pages 37 (sung) Amen. Amen. Amen.

HYMN 477 “What Is the World to Me”

ANNOUNCEMENTS & REFRESHMENTS

THANKOFFERING BASKET BY DOOR

The members of St Paul's & the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) have joined together to do the Lord’s work here and around the world. Our guests may but are not expected to participate in this offering which supports our church’s ministry. The basket is located next to the water dispenser.

PLEASE SIGN OUR GUEST BOOK IF YOU ARE VISITING.

It’s located in the entryway by the stairs going to the basement.

SERVING US TODAY: Pastor Brian Diring is a second-career pastor (he served in the military and as a DOD civilian), a former Roman Catholic, and something of a "citizen of the world" (he has lived in Italy, Australia, Ukraine, Czechia and other countries he cannot name.) He was born and raised in Wisconsin. While a seminary student, he accepted an emergency call to teach biblical

Greek at our sister seminary in Ukraine. There he met and married his wife, Oksana, who worked at the seminary. The Diring children, Danilo and Yesenia, were born while they served Our Shepherd Lutheran Church in Lancaster, California. They have lived and served St. James, North Branch, MI, since September of 2021, and Brian has served the vacancy at St. Paul, Mayville since July of 2024. It’s nice to have them back again. May the Lord continue to bless the Dirings and his work.

COUNCIL MEETING TODAY: The Church Council will meet after refreshments to conduct the ministry and plan for the future of St. Paul’s. Please keep them in your prayers.

All Scripture readings are from the NIV 2011. Used by permission.