St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
313 4th Street, Manistee, MI 49660
www.StPaulsManistee.com
facebook.com/SPLCManistee
Pastor Dennis Himm (810) 252-5821
2024 3rd Sunday after Pentecost
From the Tiniest Seed Grows the Largest Kingdom
Prayer Before Worship – Lord, thank you for planting the seed of Your Word into my life. Thank you for using people in my life to do that. Help me to realize that I need to be using your Word regularly on my own and with my brothers and sisters in the faith otherwise my growth as Your child will stop.
WELCOME
HYMN 255 “Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty”
(Please stand for last stanza)
SERVICE OF THE WORD - pages 38-44
PRAYER OF THE DAY:
O God, protector of all the faithful, you alone make strong; you alone make holy. Show us your mercy and forgive our sins day by day. Guide us through our earthly lives that we do not lose the things you have prepared for us in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
(Sing) Amen.
FIRST LESSON: Ezekiel 17:22-24
Through the prophet Ezekiel, the LORD promised that the kingdom of God would grow large and strong and provide safety and shelter for God’s people.
22 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. 24 All the trees of the forest will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.’”
P: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
PSALM 92 – page 101
Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
SECOND LESSON: 1 Corinthians 3:5-9
Planters & waterers are all headed for the same goal: Having God produce faith to grasp eternal life & godliness to point others to Him.
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
P: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
VERSE OF THE DAY:
Alleluia. May your priests be clothed with righteousness; may your saints sing for joy. Alleluia. (Sing) Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
These words are written that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
GOSPEL: Mark 4:26-34
The kingdom grows when the seed is sown. The Word works.
26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” 30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” 33With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
P: The Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise be to you, O Christ!
HYMN 568 “Good News of God Above”
SERMON: 1 Corinthians 3:5-9
Who’s Who
1. Planters
➢ LORD Jesus, thank you for the people who were planters in my life.
LORD Jesus, help me be a planter.
2. Waterers
➢ LORD Jesus, thank you for people who are waterers in my life.
LORD Jesus, help me be a waterer.
3. Producer
➢ LORD Jesus, make things grow.
APOSTLES’ CREED - page 41
PRAYER & LORD’S PRAYER
HYMN 324 “Almighty God, Your Word Is Cast”
PRAYER - page 43 C: (sung) Amen.
BLESSING - page 44 C: (sung) Amen. Amen. Amen.
HYMN 327 “God Be with You till We Meet Again”
ANNOUNCEMENTS & REFRESHMENTS
THANKOFFERING BASKET BY DOOR
The members of St Paul's have joined together to do the Lord’s work in this area and around the world. Our guests may but are not expected to participate in this offering which supports our church’s ministry.
VISITORS, PLEASE SIGN OUR GUEST BOOK
GUEST PASTOR: It is good to have Pastor Kieth Kuschel and his wife, Karen in our midst again. Pastor Kuschel served St. Paul’s for 3 months before Pastor Himm retired. Pastor Kuschel has served many congregations as a retired vacancy pastor. Thank you for your faithful service.
NEXT SUNDAY: Pastor Brad Krause from Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Appleton, WI, will be our guest pastor.
Service of Word © 1993 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved.
All Scripture readings are from the NIV 2011. Used by permission.