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 28, 2025 Pentecost 15

GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT IS GREAT GAIN

WELCOME

HYMN 452 “Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus” (Please stand for the last stanza)

SERVICE OF THE WORD - pages 38-44 – RED HYMNAL

PRAYER OF THE DAY:

Lord God, you call us to work in your kingdom and leave no one standing idle. Help us to order our lives by your wisdom and to serve you in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Sung) Amen.

FIRST LESSON: Ecclesiastes 5:10-20

King Solomon knew from experience that if you serve money, you will end up sorely disappointed.

10Anyone who loves money is never satisfied with money, and anyone who loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is vanishing vapor. 11 When goods increase, so do those who eat them. What profit, then, does the owner get, except to see these things with his eyes? 12 The worker’s sleep is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but a rich person’s abundant possessions allow him no sleep. 13 I have seen a sickening evil under the sun—wealth hoarded by its owner to his own harm, 14 or wealth that is lost in a bad investment. Or a man fathers a son, but he has nothing left in his hand to give him. 15 As he came out from his mother’s womb, so he will go again, naked as he came. From his hard work he can pick up nothing that he can carry away in his hand. 16 This too is a sickening evil: Just as he came, so he will go. So what does he gain, he who works for the wind? 17 Besides this, during all his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, sickness, and anger. 18 So then, here is what I have seen to be good: It is beautiful to eat, to drink, and to look for good in all a person’s hard work which he has done under the sun, during the few days of his life that God has given him, for that is his reward. 19 Likewise, for everyone to whom God has given wealth and riches, if God has also given him ability to eat from it, to enjoy his reward, and to rejoice in the results of his hard work—this is a gift of God, 20 for the man seldom reflects on the days of his life, since God keeps him busy with the joy in his heart.

P: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

PSALM 67 – page 91 – sung

Let the people praise you, O God. Let all the people praise you.

SECOND LESSON: 1 Timothy 6:6-10,17-19

Saint Paul teaches that serving money will lead to spiritual destruction. But serving God with our money leads to a fulfilling life.

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we certainly cannot take anything out. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be satisfied. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into complete destruction and utter ruin. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evils. By striving for money, some have wandered away from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains….

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

P: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

VERSE OF THE DAY:

Alleluia. My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. 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: Luke 16:1-13

All money belongs to God; he loans it to us to manage for his glory. Through a parable, Jesus teaches us to be shrewd in the way we use money to serve him.

1 Jesus also said to his disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager who was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 The rich man called him in and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you can no longer be manager.’ 3“The manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, since my master is taking away the management position from me? I am not strong enough to dig. I am ashamed to beg. 4I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from my position as manager, people will receive me into their houses.’ 5“He called each one of his master’s debtors to him. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘Six hundred gallons of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write three hundred.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘Six hundred bushels of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and write four hundred and eighty.’ 8“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the children of the light are. 9I tell you, make friends for yourselves with unrighteous mammon, so that when it runs out, they will welcome you into the eternal dwellings. 10 The person who is faithful with very little is also faithful with much. And the person who is unrighteous with very little is also unrighteous with much. 11 So if you have not been faithful with unrighteous mammon, who will entrust you with what is really valuable? 12 If you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you something to be your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters. Indeed, either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.”

P: The Gospel of the Lord.

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

HYMN 421 “All Depends on Our Possessing”

SERMON: 1 Timothy 6:6-10

“Godliness with Contentment”

APOSTLES’ CREED - page 41

PRAYER & LORD’S PRAYER (Traditional)

HYMN 485 “We Give Thee But Thine Own”

PRAYER - page 43 C: (sung) Amen.

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

HYMN 481 “O God, Your Hand the Heavens Made”

ANNOUNCEMENTS & REFRESHMENTS

IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME AT ST. PAUL’S, PLEASE SIGN OUR GUEST BOOK.

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

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.

SUNDAY SCHEDULE

Sunday School & Adult Bible Class – 9 AM

WORSHIP – 10 AM

TUESDAY BIBLE CLASSES

Ladies – TABOO – 10 AM at parsonage

Youth – Luther’s Small Catechism – 5:30 PM at parsonage

Adult - The Wonders of God – 7 PM at Pastor’s home

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