Announcements
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
the Word who spoke life into being,
the Wind stirring the waters.
Amen.
Let us turn in confession to the one who knows us completely.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Mighty God, lover of justice,
you call us to life in community,
but we have served our own interests
at the expense of our neighbors.
We have sown deceit where honesty was needed.
We say the right words,
but our hearts are far from you.
Turn us to seek your face.
Knit us together and give us the mind of Christ,
that we may do justice, love mercy,
and walk humbly with you, our God.
Amen.
The former things have passed away,
and new things God now declares:
Like a spring of water that never fails,
God covers you in the righteousness of Christ,
and forgives your sin in ☩ Jesus’ name.
May the Spirit give you strength to live for others,
and bless you with the gift of peace.
Amen.
Opening Hymn
ELW 532 - Gather Us In (vs. 1 & 2)
Greeting
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
Prayer of the Day
Lord God, with endless mercy you receive the prayers of all who call upon you. By your Spirit show us the things we ought to do, and give us the grace and power to do them, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
First Reading: Isaiah 58:1-9a
1 Shout out; do not hold back!
Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Announce to my people their rebellion,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet day after day they seek me
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments;
they want God on their side.
3 “Why do we fast, but you do not see?
Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day
and oppress all your workers.
4 You fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today
will not make your voice heard on high.
5 Is such the fast that I choose,
a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush
and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9a Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, “Here I am.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 112
Light shines in the darkness for the upright. (Ps. 112:4)
1 Hallelujah! Happy are they who | fear the Lord
and have great delight in | God’s commandments!
2 Their descendants will be mighty | in the land;
the generation of the upright | will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches will be | in their house,
and their righteousness will | last forever.
4 Light shines in the darkness | for the upright;
the righteous are merciful and full | of compassion. R
5 It is good for them to be gener- | ous in lending
and to manage their af- | fairs with justice.
6 For they will nev- | er be shaken;
the righteous will be kept in everlast- | ing remembrance.
7 They will not be afraid of any | evil rumors;
their heart is steadfast, trusting | in the Lord.
8 Their heart is established and | will not shrink,
until they see their desire up- | on their enemies.
9 They have given freely to the poor, and their righteousness stands | fast forever;
they will hold up their | head with honor.
[ 10 The wicked will see it and be angry; they will gnash their teeth and | pine away;
the desires of the wick- | ed will perish. R
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:1-12
1 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the testimony of God to you with superior speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4 My speech and my proclamation were made not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.
6 Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are being destroyed. 7 But we speak God’s wisdom, a hidden mystery, which God decreed before the ages for our glory 8 and which none of the rulers of this age understood, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
10 God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For what human knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation
ELW Setting 8
Gospel: Matthew 5:13-20
This is the holy gospel according to Matthew the 5th chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.
[Jesus said:] 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Hymn of the Day
ELW 715 - Christ, Be Our Light (vs. 1 & 2)
The Apostle's Creed
Prayers of Intercession
As God’s beloved children united in Christ, let us pray for the church, the whole human community, and the well-being of the earth, our home.
A brief silence.
Your church does ministry in many and various ways. Keep the baptized true to the mind of Christ, that our works and witness bring hope to a troubled world. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
Your marvelous creation cries out to you. Restore polluted air, soil, and water sources to wholeness. Guard honeybees, elephants, great whales and songbirds from harm, and renew the face of the earth. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
Your people in every nation suffer injustice, poverty, and the threat of violence. Guide those in authority to govern with compassion, and bring peace to war zones (areas of conflict may be named). We pray for our enemies. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
Your blessings are poured out for all in need. Help and heal any who experience trauma, discrimination, disease, hunger, abuse, or persecution. Comfort those who are sick or grieving (especially). Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
Your wisdom guides this congregation and its ministries. Sustain our ordained leaders, staff, lay leaders, and volunteers. Form us to be salt and light for the neighbors we serve, following the example of Christ. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
Your saints rejoice at your heavenly banquet. We give thanks for their lives of faith, trusting that we also will be embraced by your eternal love. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
Confident that the Holy Spirit receives our prayers and answers us, we commend all for whom we pray to God’s loving-kindness made known to us in Christ Jesus our Savior.
Amen.
The Passing of Peace
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.
Anthem
For by Grace You Have Been Saved (ELW 598)
Offertory Hymn
ELW 296 - What Child is This (vs. 3)
Offertory Prayer
God of majesty,
no eye has seen, no ear has heard
what you have prepared for those who love you,
yet in this meal you reveal the wideness of your mercy.
Use what we have gathered
to feed us with the reign of God come near,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
The Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all
times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty
and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ. Fulfilling the
promise of the resurrection, you pour out the fire of your Spirit,
uniting in one body people of every nation and tongue.
And so, with Mary Magdalene and Peter and all the witnesses of
the resurrection, with earth and sea and all their creatures, and
with angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, we praise
your name and join their unending hymn:
WOV Setting 8
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of pow’r and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory, full of your glory.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Thanksgiving at the Table
Holy God, our Maker, Redeemer, and Healer, in the harmonious
world of your creation, the plants and animals, the seas and stars
were whole and well in your praise.
When sin had scarred the world, you sent your Son to heal our ills
and to form us again into one.
In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Remembering, therefore, his acts of healing, his body given up,
and his victory over death, we await that day when all the
peoples of the earth will come to the river to enjoy the tree of
life.
Send your Spirit upon us and this meal: as grains scattered on
the hillside become one bread, so let your Church be gathered
from the ends of the earth, that all may be fed with the Bread of
life, your Son.
Through him all glory and honor is yours, Almighty Father,
with the Holy Spirit, in your holy Church, both now and forever.Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Lord remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray:
Our Father, Who art in heaven,
Hollowed by 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.
God feeds us with tender mercy.
Come to the table.
Lamb of God
ELW Setting 8
Communion Hymns
ELW 717 - Let Justice Flow like Streams
ELW 712 - Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service
ELW 801 - Change My Heart, O God
The Table Blessing
Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Come to the table; taste and see.
Post Communion
ELW 200 - Now, Lord
Prayer After Communion
Radiant God,
we have seen your glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
In the sacrament of his body and blood
you have drawn us to your heart.
Send us from this table with delight,
that our lives may reflect the beauty of your love,
and bear witness to all we have seen and heard,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Blessing
May the triune God,
who has put a new song in your mouth
and tuned your heart for praise
☩ bless you now and forever.
Amen.
Sending Hymn
ELW 677 - This Little Light of Mine (all)
Dismissal
Go in peace. Do justice. Love mercy.
Thanks be to God.
Photo by Erika Giraud on Unsplash
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