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 15, 2024 16th Sunday after Pentecost

FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST

SEE THE TRUE PURPOSE OF HIS POWER

WELCOME

HYMN 235 “Praise the Almighty; My Soul, Adore Him”

(Please stand for last stanza)

SERVICE OF THE WORD - pages 38-44

PRAYER OF THE DAY:

Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Sung) Amen.

FIRST LESSON: Isaiah 35:4-7a

Through the prophet Isaiah God promised that he would come, making the blind see and the lame leap. But the ultimate purpose of his coming was to save us.

4say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.

P: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

PSALM 146 – page 120

I will praise your name forever; my King and my God.

SECOND LESSON: Acts 3:1-10

Christ gave his follower Peter the power to heal a man who was lame from birth. When healed, the man does not go first to family and friends but to the temple to praise God.

1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

P: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

VERSE OF THE DAY:

Alleluia. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 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: Mark 7:31-37

Mark 7:31-37 – Jesus uses his power not to elicit praise from the crowd but to demonstrate his love for a man who was deaf and mute.

31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. 33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were over-whelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

P: The Gospel of the Lord.

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

HYMN 353 “Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness”

SERMON: Mark 7:31-37

Followers of Christ Know His True Power

APOSTLES’ CREED - page 41

PRAYER & LORD’S PRAYER (Traditional)

HYMN 520 “Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old”

PRAYER - page 43 C: (sung) Amen.

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

HYMN 585 “While Yet the Morn is Breaking”

ANNOUNCEMENTS & REFRESHMENTS

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.

PLEASE SIGN OUR GUEST BOOK IF YOU ARE VISITING.

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

GUEST PASTOR: We thank Pastor John Eich for serving us today. Pastor Eich serves Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Alma, MI. As our Circuit Pastor, Pastor Eich shared his written sermons with us while Pastor Himm was serving in Las Vegas last winter. He and Susan were married in 1983. The Lord blessed their marriage with three boys.

SUNDAY SCHOOL & ADULT BIBLE CLASS is held before worship at 9 am. You and your family are always invited to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord as we study his living Word.

All Scripture readings are from the NIV 2011. Used by permission.