St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
313 4th St, Manistee, MI 49660-2901
website: stpaulsmanistee.com
facebook.com/SPLCManistee
Telephone: 231-299-1022
Pentecost 14 - Sept 11, 2022 Theme: Love Speaks Precisely
Prayer Before Worship: Lord Jesus, please let me love those around me by speaking Your truth precisely to them.
Hymn 544
M: It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”
C: With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.
M: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage—
C: with great patience and careful instruction.
M: I Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
C: “Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”
M: But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
C: Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Hymn 245 replaces “ O, come let us sing….
Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, give us an increase of faith, hope, and love; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 66:18-24
The great dichotomy is clear. Those who see God’s sign will give him glory in eternity, but those who rebel against him will know the undying worm and unquenched fire. As we speak, love for souls leads us to speak precisely.
18 “And I, because of their actions and their imaginations, am about to come and gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see my glory. 19 “I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations— to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 And they will bring all your brothers, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the LORD—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,” says the LORD. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the LORD in ceremonially clean vessels. 21 And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites,” says the LORD. 22 “As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the LORD, “so will your name and descendants endure. 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,” says the LORD. 24 “And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
Verse: Alleluia. Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Alleluia. (Sing) Alleluia, pg 18.
Epistle: Romans 9:1-9
The Jewish nation had all the benefits, all the advantages, but not faith. All the emotions in the world cannot save, and Paul spoke clearly and precisely as to why. His love for them could not help but speak.
I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. 6 It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary,
“It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 8 In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9 For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will
return, and Sarah will have a son.”
Hymn 356
Sermon Text: Gospel: Luke 13:22-30
Love speaks with precision about the Narrow Door.
22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don't know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”
Sermon Theme: Love Speaks Precisely that there is a Narrow Door
It lets some in
John 10: 7 - “I am the gate for the sheep.” 9 - “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.”
John 14:6 - “I am the way;. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
II. –It keeps some out
Hymn 570
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: M: Dear Father in heaven, with your gift of a Savior you restored hope for our fallen world and brought glory to your name. We thank you for the good news that you reconciled the world to yourself through your Son.
C: Be with us as you give us opportunities to proclaim your glorious name of salvation in Jesus Christ our Savior.
M: O Jesus, Lamb of God, we praise you for offering yourself as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of all. On the cross you declared the sacrifice for sins completed. At the open tomb, you assured the world that sinners are reconciled to God.
C: Be with us as you have promised, so that we may be bold and confident witnesses to our family members and friends.
M: Holy Spirit, blessed Counselor, use your Word of Truth and power to break down the barriers to our witness, including fallen mankind’s natural hatred for God and Satan’s wicked work among us.
C: Empower us by your gospel, and encourage us to speak precisely as we witness to the people among whom we live and work.
M: Hear us, Lord, as we bring you our private petitions.
Silent prayer
M: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, send us by the power of your Word into the mission fields beyond the walls of our church. Give us hearing ears and seeing eyes that seize the opportunities you set before us to be your witnesses.
C: Guide us, strengthen us, and bless us as we declare Christ to our world. Amen.
Lord’s Prayer Blessing page 51, front of hymnal
Hymn 518