St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
313 4th St
Manistee, MI 49660-2901
Kieth Bernard Kuschel, pastor
Pastor’s cell phone 262-765-2328
Pentecost 18 Theme–Humility
Prayer Before Worship – Lord, please destroy in me the spirit of pride. Make me realize the seriousness of my sins. Lead me to throw myself humbly on Your mercy. Keep me from exalting myself above others. Enable me out of thanks toYou for forgiving my sins to excel in serving You & others.
Hymn 230
(vs 1 "in true devotion bow" = humbly acknowledge our need for the LORD
Service of the Word, front of hymnal page 38
Prayer: Lord, You call us to work in Your kingdom/ & leave no one standing idle. Help us to order our lives by Your wisdom/ & to serve You in willing obedience; 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 12:1-15
Lack of humility got Miriam and Aaron into lots of trouble.
Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this. 3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.) 4 At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them came out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, 6 he said, “Listen to my words: “When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams.7 But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them. 10 When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam—leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy; 11 and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.” 13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “O God, please heal her!” 14 The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.
Hymn 566
(Gospel Lesson: Pride disrupts our unity to carry out our mission)Epistle: James 3:13-18
Gentleness and unselfish service are virtues which imitate Jesus. Selfish ambition and jealousy hinder the proclamation of the Gospel. Disorder and strife crowd out the peace of God.
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
Hymn 472 ( vs 3 "Pride and sin lurk within"= Epistle & Gospel)
Gospel & Sermon Text: Mark 9:30-37
{30}They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, {31} because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." {32} But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. {33} They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" {34} But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. {35} Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." {36} He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, {37} "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."
Sermon Text: Mark 9:30-37
Theme: Can Important People be Humble?
Humility submits to God’s will
Prayer after part 1: Lord Jesus, lead us to be humble like You: willing to submit to the Father’s will in our lives.
Humility is willing to serve
Humility is nondiscriminatory
Prayer after sermon: LORD Jesus, thanks for considering me to be important. Please make me humble.
Apostles' Creed, front of hymnal, page 41
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, front of hymnal, page 42
Special Prayers
Lord’s Prayer, page 43
Hymn 427
(Humility acknowledges that we belong to the LORD, not to ourselves)
Continue page 43 front of hymnal
Hymn 321 – (vs 1:"lowly bending" = humble ourselves before the LORD)