St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

313 4th Street, Manistee, MI 49660

www.StPaulsManistee.com

facebook.com/SPLCManistee

Pastor Dennis Himm (810) 252-5821

September 20, 2026 Pentecost 16

UNEXPECTED TRUTHS: Forgiveness is for Me

WELCOME – we will be using the RED HYMNAL today

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

- Please stand for the last verse

SERVICE OF THE WORD - pages 38-44

PRAYER OF THE DAY:

Lord, we pray that your mercy and grace may always go before and follow after us that, loving you with undivided hearts, we may be ready for every good and useful work; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Sung) Amen.

FIRST LESSON: Genesis 50:15-21

Joseph was quick to forgive his brothers.

15When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and will pay us back in full for all of the evil that we did to him.” 16 They sent the following message to Joseph: “Before he died your father commanded us, 17 ‘You are to tell Joseph, “Please forgive the offense of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ Now, please forgive the offense of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down in front of him, and they said, “See now, we are your servants.” 19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring this to pass and to keep many people alive, as it is this day. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid. I will nourish you and your little ones.” He comforted them and spoke to them in a kind way.

P: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

PSALM 103 – page 105

I will hear what the Lord proclaims: peace to his people.

SECOND LESSON: Ephesians 4:29-5:2

Kindness, compassion, and forgiveness are marks of God’s Church.

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come from your mouths. Say only what is beneficial when there is a need to build up others, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of every kind of bitterness, rage, anger, quarreling, and slander, along with every kind of malice. 32 Instead, be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven us. 51 Therefore, be imitators of God as his dearly loved children. 2And walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

P: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

VERSE OF THE DAY:

Alleluia. Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Alleluia.

(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 18:21-35

The ability to forgive others comes from the Spirit enabling us to us to understand how much God has forgiven us.

21 Then Peter came up and asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother when he sins against me? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but I tell you as many as seventy-seven times.23 For this reason the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24When he began to settle them, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 Because the man was not able to pay the debt, his master ordered that he be sold, along with his wife, children, and all that he owned to repay the debt. 26 Then the servant fell down on his knees in front of him, saying, ‘Master, be patient with me, and I will pay you everything!’ 27 The master of that servant had pity on him, released him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began choking him, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back!’ 30 But he refused. Instead he went off and threw the man into prison until he could pay back what he owed. 31When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were very distressed. They went and reported to their master everything that had taken place. 32 Then his master called him in and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt when you begged me to. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 His master was angry and handed him over to the jailers until he could pay back everything he owed. 35 This is what my heavenly Father will also do to you unless each one of you forgives his brother from his heart.”

P: The Gospel of the Lord.

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

HYMN 493 Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive

SERMON: “Assumptions and Realities”

APOSTLES’ CREED - page 41

PRAYER & LORD’S PRAYER (Traditional)

HYMN 490 “Love in Christ Is Strong and Living”

PRAYER - page 43 C: (sung) Amen.

BLESSING - page 44 C: (sung) Amen. Amen. Amen.

HYMN 332 "Go My Children, with My Blessing"

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 is Pastor Peter Hagen from Resurrection Lutheran Church in Maumee, OH. He met his wife, Desiree, while vicaring in Mississauga, ON. They have 4 children, Joel, Leland, Warrick & Colette. The Hagans enjoys hiking, literature, artwork, and homeschooling. Thank you for serving us today and God’s blessings!

SUNDAY SCHEDULE

9 am – Sunday School & Adult Bible Class 10 am – WORSHIP

TUESDAY SCHEDULE

10:00 am – Ladies Book Study – The Lutheran Narrow Middle

5:15 pm – Youth Confirmation Class at Pastor Himm’s home

7:00 pm – Adult Bible Class at Pastor Himm’s home

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