St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
313 4th St, Manistee, MI 49660-2901
website: stpaulsmanistee.com
facebook.com/SPLCManistee
Telephone: 231-299-1022
Oct 2, 2022 - Pentecost Sunday 17
Sunday Theme -God is Patient
Today we are blessed to have Pastor John Eich from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Alma, MI lead our worship service today. Pastor Eich will also be leading the worship on Monday morning for the Northern Michigan District Pastor Conference being held here at St. Paul’s Manistee. We welcome them all !
Prayer Before Worship - Lord, thank You for patiently applying Your forgiveness to my life every day even though I keep on sinning. Thank You for patiently shaping my life with Your Word even though I revert to my own selfishness too often.
Hymn 392
Service of Word and Sacrament, front of hymnal, page 26
Prayer: Lord, we pray that Your mercy & grace may always go before & follow after us/ that, loving You with undivided hearts,/ we may be ready for every good & useful work; through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,/ who lives & reigns with You & the Holy Spirit,/ one God, now & forever. (Sing) Amen.
Old Testament Lesson: Exodus 32:1-14
Moses asked for God’s patience in response to Israel’s sin. God is faithful to His promises to forgive.
“When the people saw that Moses was so long(He had been gone for a month) in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him." 2 Aaron answered them, "Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me." 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD." 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ 9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” 14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
Verse: Alleluia. (Rom 15:4) For 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! (Sing) Alleluia! front of hymnal, page 30
Epistle: 1 Timothy 1:12-17
God was patient with Paul. He took a blasphemer/ persecutor & turned him into a proclaimer of God’s mercy and unlimited patience.
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn 263 (“gather sheep” reflects parable 1 in Gospel)
Sermon Text: Gospel: Luke 15: 1-10
These parables show the value God places on each individual soul.
15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. 8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Theme: "The Found are Left, the Lost are Found."
Nicene Creed, front of hymnal, page 18
Thankoffering
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, front of hymnal, page 32
Special Prayers, Lord’s Prayer
Continue page 33,front of hymnal
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 the ushers. We would be delighted to help you come to appreciate a “close” relationship with your Lord, with us and with our congregation.
Hymn 339 during distribution
Continue page 36 front of hymnal
Hymn 569