St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
313 4th St, Manistee, MI 49660-2901
Kieth Bernard Kuschel, pastor
Pastor’s cell phone 262-765-2328
website: stpaulsmanistee.com
facebook.com/SPLCManistee
Pentecost 19 Theme– Servants
Prayer Before Worship – Lord, please make it possible for me to
consider myself a servant. Serving You, my Lord and King, seems like a
privilege. But serving other humans sometimes seems degrading. Help
me to realize that service is not degrading. After all, that’s what You
have done for me.
Hymn 471 (Gospel Lesson)
Common Service, page 15
Prayer: Mercifully grant, O God,/ that Your Holy Spirit
may in all things/ direct & rule our hearts,/ for without
Your help we are unable to please You; through Your Son
Jesus Christ, our Lord,/ who lives & reigns with You & the
Holy Spirit,/one God , now & forever.
(Sing) Amen
Old Testament Lesson – Numbers 11:16, 24-29
We are humble servants of the Lord. We share in that work with Jesus
and with each other. The Holy Spirit enables us to do it. We share in
Jesus’ mission because we want God glorified.
(16) The LORD said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who
are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them
come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you.
(24) So Moses went out and told the people what the LORD had said. He
brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the
Tent. {25} Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him,
and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy
elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not
do so again. {26} However, two men, whose names were Eldad and
Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but
did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they
prophesied in the camp. {27} A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad
and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” {28} Joshua son of Nun, who
had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord,
stop them!” {29} But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I
wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the LORD would
put his Spirit on them!”
Psalm 51b, front of hymnal, page 87
With a clean heart we have joy in salvation and the desire to serve God.
Epistle: James 4:7-12
We ought to lament the crosses we impose on one another, when our
jealousy and pride produce strife and faultfinding. True repentance means
humility that serves with a pure heart.
(7) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you. {8} Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash
your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. {9}
Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy
to gloom. {10} Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you
up. {11} Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks
against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it.
When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment
on it. {12} There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to
save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
Verse: Alleluia! At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father
(Phlp 2:10,11) Alleluia! (Sing) Alleluia.......(pg 18 front of hymnal)
Gospel: Mark 9:38-50
Jesus puts a quick end to personal pride. Humble service to His glory in
accord with His Word is the important thing. Honestly we would have to
amputate everything – tainted with sin. It all gets in the way of our path-
way to heaven and our service to others. Thanks to God for His mercy.
38 “Teacher” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name
and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”{39} “Do not
stop him” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the
next moment say anything bad about me, {40} for whoever is not against
us is for us. {41} I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of
water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his
reward. {42} “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe
in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a
large millstone tied around his neck. {43} If your hand causes you to sin,
cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to
go into hell, where the fire never goes out. {45} And if your foot causes
you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have
two feet and be thrown into hell. {47} And if your eye causes you to sin,
pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye
than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, {48} where their worm
does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”{49} Everyone will be salted
with fire. {50} “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you
make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each
other.”
Nicene Creed, front of hymnal, page 18
Hymn 469 (reflects thoughts of the Epistle lesson)
Sermon Text: Psalm 51:10-12
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast
spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take
your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your
salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.
Theme: LORD, I offer myself to You
1. You have to make my heart pure
Prayer after part one: “LORD, I want to give myself to You.
Help me do that. Make my heart pure.”
2. You have to motivate me
Prayer after part two: “LORD, I want to give myself to You.
Help me do that. Don’t take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.”
3. You have to strengthen me
Prayer after part three: “Lord, I want to give myself to You.
Help me do that. {10}Renew a steadfast within
me.{12}Grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.”
Prayer at end of sermon: “LORD, I want to thank You for all
that You have done for me. Here is my life as a thank-You
offering. I want You to have it. I want to serve You with it.
Please create in me a pure heart. Don’t cast me from Your
presence. Don’t take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore
to me the joy of Your salvation. Renew a steadfast spirit
within me. Grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.”
“Create in me….front of hymnal, page 20
Thank offering
The members of St Paul’s have joined together to do the Lord’s work in
this area & around the world. Visitors need not feel obligated to
participate in this offering which supports our church’s ministry.
Prayer of the church, page 127
Continue p 21
Distribution of Lord’s Supper to the members of St Paul’s & other
WELS or ELS congregations who by their membership have indicated
they are qualified to examine themselves (1 Cor 11:27-29) & to express
oneness in faith ( 1 Cor 10:17). If you are a guest today & haven’t yet had
the chance to express your agreement with us & would like to receive the
Lord’s Supper together with us in the future, please speak with Pastor
after worship or during the week. We would be delighted to help you
come to appreciate a “close” relationship with your Lord, with us and
with our congregation.
Hymn 305 (Reflects thoughts in Epistle James 4:8-10)
Continue, front of hymnal, page 24 (second prayer)
Hymn 462 (Reflects the thoughts of the Epistle lesson)
All our guests are welcome to worship Jesus the Savior with us again
Graciously receive the greetings & introductions of our church family.