September 3 online worship

Preparations for Worship:

• Do your best to eliminate distractions like the phone, TV, etc.
• Worship actively! Whether you are by yourself or with others, try reading the parts of the service aloud (responses, lessons, and prayers).
• This service is for children too. Help them participate. Ask those who have that ability to read a prayer or lesson aloud. Take a moment to describe what’s happening. Ask questions. Encourage little ones to draw what they are hearing while you all listen. Unlike our more typical Sunday worship at church, you can pause at any time for questions and discussion.
• Before you begin, load each of the videos below. (You might first have to get past a distracting ad.)
• Pause for a moment of quiet meditation. Then pray:
  “Heavenly Father, I have come to worship you. Draw near to me in your gracious Word, and assure me of your loving kindness. Curb my wandering thoughts, that with undivided attention I may hear your voice and speak your praise. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.”

CONFESSION OF SINS

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear friends, let us approach God with a true heart and confess our sins, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us.

Lord of life, I confess that I am by nature dead in sin.  For faithless worrying and selfish pride, For sins of habit and sins of choice, For the evil I have done and the good I have failed to do, You should cast me away from your presence forever.  O Lord, I am sorry for my sins. Forgive me, for Jesus’ sake.

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. In his great mercy, God made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our sins.  Hear the word of Christ through his called servant: I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In peace, let us pray to the Lord. For the well-being of all people everywhere, that they may receive from you all they need to sustain body and life, hear our prayer, O Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For the spread of your life-giving gospel throughout the world, that all who are lost in sin may be brought to faith in you, hear our prayer, O Christ. Christ, have mercy.

For patience and perseverance in this life, that we may not lose the hope of heaven as we await your return, hear our prayer, O Lord. Lord, have mercy.

Lord of life, live in us that we may live for you. Amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Almighty God, your Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption. Grant us courage to take up our cross daily and follow him wherever he leads; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

LESSON – JEREMIAH 15:15-21

¹⁵O Lord, you understand.  Remember me and care for me.  Take vengeance for me on those who persecute me.  You are slow to anger.  Do not take me away.  Keep in mind that for your sake I bear disgrace.  ¹⁶Your words came to me, and I devoured them.  Your words became my joy, the delight of my heart, because I bear your name, O Lord God of Armies.  ¹⁷I did not sit with the band of partygoers, nor did I celebrate with them.  I sat alone, because your hand was upon me.  You filled me with indignation.  ¹⁸Why is my pain unending?  Why is my wound incurable, refusing to heal?  Will you be as deceptive as an intermittent stream to me, like a source of water that a person can’t depend on?  ¹⁹Therefore this is what the Lord says.  If you repent, I will take you back, so that you may stand before me.  If what you say is worthwhile and not worthless, you will be my spokesman.  They must turn to you, but you must not turn to them.  ²⁰I will make you like a bronze wall to this people.  They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, because I am with you to save you and to rescue you, declares the Lord.  ²¹I will rescue you from the hand of the wicked, and I will deliver you from the grasp of the ruthless.

GOSPEL – MATTHEW 16:21-26

²¹From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised again.

²²Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “May you receive mercy, Lord! This will never happen to you.”

²³But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a snare to me because you are not thinking the things of God, but the things of men.”  

²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. ²⁵In fact whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶After all, what will it benefit a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what can a person give in exchange for his soul?

DEVOTION – ROMANS 8:18-25

CONFESSION OF FAITH – NICENE CREED

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became fully human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.  Amen.

OFFERING

Offerings may be given on-line at tithe.ly/risensavior, mailed to the church, or dropped off at the church.

Our members have joined together in faith and love to do the Lord’s work in this community and around the world.  Guests need not feel obligated to participate in this offering which supports our ministry.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Almighty Avenger, teach Your faithful ones to trust so fully in Your fatherly care that they seek not vengeance but mercy.

Stoke our zeal to bless those who curse us, and so heap holy coals upon their heads.

O Lord, You have made us feast on Your Word to the delight of our hearts.

Keep us from the worldly company of revelers who despise Your Word, and inspire the pastors of Your Church to brazenly proclaim what is precious: the Gospel of Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father, open wide the hearts of Christians to one another, especially within the home and between neighbors. Let love be genuine, speech truthful and patience constant.

Let us commend ourselves in everything as those known by God’s love and, therefore, unashamed to serve one another.

Great Physician, heal and restore.

Give them Your holy care and strength to bear their crosses, that they may endure to see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.

Lord Jesus, we praise you working through WELS to carry out your ministry—the proclamation of your salvation to the world. We thank you for a successful synod convention last month that featured mission efforts, the declaring and affirming of fellowship with other church bodies, theological training at home and abroad, and the election of synod leaders.

Help each individual and church across our synod to share your love as you guide us in your kingdom work.

Rise up, O Lord, and avenge those who are persecuted for the name of Your Son, Jesus.

In communion with all Your saints, grant us endurance to bear our crosses as Christ bore His for us.

All these things and whatever else You know that we need, grant us, Father, for the sake of Him who taught us to pray…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.  Amen.

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