St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

313 4th Street, Manistee, MI 49660

www.StPaulsManistee.com

facebook.com/SPLCManistee

Pastor Dennis Himm (810) 252-5821

August 30, 2026 Pentecost 13

GRACE WINS!

The object of saving faith is not ourselves, our decisions, or our works. It is Jesus Christ. God has revealed his righteousness in the life, death, and resurrection of his Son. By faith we receive the forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life that Christ has won for us. our faith does not save because it is strong; it saves because it clings to the perfect Savior.

WELCOME – All responses will be spoken today. Hymns from the Red Hymnal HYMN 255 “Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty” (Please stand for last stanza)

INVOCATION & CALL TO WORSHIP

P: We gather in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen.

P: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who comforts us in our troubles, C: So that we can comfort others in their troubles with the same comfort we ourselves have received from God.

P: For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives,

C: So also through Christ our comfort overflows to others.

P: Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. C: One generation will commend Your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.

P: Our God is a God who saves.

C: He does not treat us as our sins deserve.

P: For God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us,

C: So that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. P: Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, and therefore all died.

C: And He died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

P: May His Spirit inspire our giving thanks for all His blessings,

C: And make us able to serve Him throughout our lives.

P: Let us pray.

PRAYER OF THE DAY:

Lord God, in mercy receive the prayers of your people. Grant them the wisdom to know the things that please you and the grace and power always to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

FIRST LESSON: Genesis 12:1-3

God calls Abraham and reveals that through Abram’s offspring – Jesus – all nations will be blessed.

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Get out of your country and away from your relatives and from your father’s house and go to the land that I will show you. 2I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse anyone who dishonors you. All of the families of the earth will be blessed in you.”

P: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

SECOND LESSON: Romans 3:21-31

God reveals to us that he provides a righteousness apart from the Law through Christ.

21 But now, completely apart from the law, a righteousness from God has been made known. The Law and the Prophets testify to it. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all and over all who believe. In fact, there is no difference, 23 because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God 24 and are justified[c]freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God publicly displayed as the atonement seat through faith in his blood. God did this to demonstrate his justice, since, in his divine restraint, he had left the sins that were committed earlier unpunished. 26 He did this to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so that he would be both just and the one who justifies the person who has faith in Jesus. 27What happens to boasting then? It has been eliminated. By what principle—by the principle of works? No, but by the principle of faith. 28 For we conclude that a person is justified by faith without the works of the law. 29 Or is he only the God of the Jews? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, also of the Gentiles, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised person by faith and the uncircumcised person through the very same faith. 31 So are we doing away with the law by this faith? Absolutely not! Instead, we are upholding the law.

P: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

VERSE OF THE DAY:

Alleluia. Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia. Please stand for the Gospel.

GOSPEL: John 3:14-18

Jesus reveals God’s love and grace to Nicodemus and to us.

14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 The one who believes in him is not condemned, but the one who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.

P: The Gospel of the Lord.

C: Praise be to you, O Christ!

HYMN 579 “Lift High the Cross”

SERMON: “Grace wins through Faith” Romans 3:21-31 APOSTLES’ CREED - page 41

PRAYER & LORD’S PRAYER

HYMN 384 “By Grace I’m Saved”

PRAYER C: Amen.

BLESSING C: Amen.

HYMN 238 “Oh, Bless the Lord, My Soul”

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.

PLEASE SIGN OUR GUEST BOOK IF YOU ARE VISITING. It’s located in the entryway by the stairs going to the basement.

SERVING US AGAIN TODAY is Pastor Brad Wright, another son of the congregation. After serving 32 years in ministry across Colorado, Wisconsin, and Ohio, Brad & Susan

retired to Arizona. Since retiring he continues to serve in the public ministry, spending 4 months with a congregation in Sacramento and the past 9 months serving Peace in Gilbert, Arizona. Brad and Susan are blessed with three children and four grandchildren. May the Lord bless you and watch over your travels.

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version ® (EHV ®)