Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost 8/23-24
Pentecost 11 8.23-24.25.Alt Set PDF
ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
AUGUST 23-24, 2025
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, WELCOME TO ST. PAUL’S!
Saturday – 5:00 p.m.; Sunday – 10:00 a.m.
✠ ✠ ✠
THE ENTRANCE RITE
PRELUDE “Little” Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 557 J.S. Bach
WELCOME
ENTRANCE HYMN Today Your Mercy Calls Us LSB 915
1 Today Your mercy calls us
To wash away our sin.
However great our trespass,
Whatever we have been,
However long from mercy
Our hearts have turned away,
Your precious blood can wash us
And make us clean today.
2 Today Your gate is open,
And all who enter in
Shall find a Father’s welcome
And pardon for their sin.
The past shall be forgotten,
A present joy be giv’n,
A future grace be promised,
A glorious crown in heav’n.
3 Today our Father calls us;
His Holy Spirit waits;
His blessèd angels gather
Around the heav’nly gates.
No question will be asked us
How often we have come;
Although we oft have wandered,
It is our Father’s home.
4 O all-embracing Mercy,
O ever-open Door,
What should we do without You
When heart and eye run o’er?
When all things seem against us,
To drive us to despair,
We know one gate is open,
One ear will hear our prayer.
INVOCATION
In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
God of all mercy and consolation, come to the aid of your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your Holy Spirit that, attentive to your Word, we may confess our sins, receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Kneel. Silence is observed for reflection and self-examination.
Gracious God,
have mercy upon us. In your compassion, forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things done and left undone. Uphold us by your Spirit so that we may live and serve you in newness of life, to the honor and glory of your holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life.
Amen.
KYRIE (Stand) LSB 944
For the peace from above and for our salvation; and for the peace of the whole world and the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord:
Kyrie Eleison; Christe Eleison; Kyrie Eleison. (Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy.)
For the well-being of the Church of God; and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord:
Kyrie Eleison; Christe Eleison; Kyrie Eleison.
Help, save, comfort and defend us, gracious Lord.
Kyrie Eleison; Christe Eleison; Kyrie Eleison.
HYMN OF PRAISE Splendor and Honor LSB 950
1 Splendor and honor, majesty and power
Are Yours, O Lord God, fount of ev’ry blessing,
For by Your bidding was the whole creation
Called into being.
2 Praised be the true Lamb, slain for our redemption,
By whose self-off’ring we are made God’s people:
A priestly kingdom, from all tongues and nations,
Called to God’s service.
3 To the Almighty, throned in heav’nly splendor,
And to the Savior, Christ our Lamb and Shepherd,
Be adoration, praise, and glory given,
Now and forever.
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. O Lord,
You have called us to enter Your kingdom through the narrow door. Guide us by
Your Word and Spirit, and lead us now and always into the feast of Your Son,
Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
forever. Amen.
✠ ✠ ✠
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST LESSON (Be seated) Isaiah 66:18-23
“For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.
“For as the new heavens and the new earth
that I make
shall remain before me, says the Lord,
so shall your offspring and your name remain.
From new moon to new moon,
and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
declares the Lord.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 50:1-6 (Sung responsively)
The Mighty One, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.
Our God comes; he does not keep silence;
before him is a devouring fire,
around him a mighty tempest.
He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
“Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
SECOND LESSON Hebrews 12:4-24
In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
(10:30) CHILDREN’S SERMON
ALLELUIA VERSE (Stand) LSB 952
Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia!
GOSPEL Luke 13:22-30
The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the 13th chapter.
Glory to You, O Lord.
[Jesus] went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON (Be seated)
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus. Amen. Dear friends in Christ:
I’m guessing you know the following slogan: “The few… the proud… the Marines.” This slogan was introduced in 1977 and has since become one of the most recognized taglines in American advertising, even earning a place on the Advertising Walk of Fame along Madison Avenue.
No doubt a part of this slogan’s appeal is the idea that the Marines are “few.” The word suggests that to be a Marine is to be a part of a small and exclusive group – a suggestion that is most certainly true!
Recalling this slogan can help us as we reflect on the conversation recorded in the Gospel lesson just read. There we hear someone asking Jesus: “will those who are saved be few?”
Looking back at some of the things that Jesus had recently said, we can see why the person may have asked this. Back in chapter seven, Jesus healed a woman and said to her: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (7:50). Then, in chapter nine, he said to his disciples: “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (9:24). These comments show us that salvation was a definite theme of Jesus’ preaching.
At the same time, Jesus was also emphasizing the difficulty of such salvation. Three Sundays ago, we read the section from chapter twelve where Jesus told of a man who was caught up in keeping his wealth. The man’s wealth was so important to him that he never shared any of it; and when he died, God called him a “fool” – since the man’s wealth got the best of him (12:20).
And in the verses right before today’s reading, Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree that was to be cut down for not bearing fruit (13:6-9). The parable’s main intent is to tell of Jesus, who lobbies for the poor tree to be given more time. But the parable also reminds us that God has expectations of how people are to live. And this in turn reminds us that achieving salvation is not easy.
With these teachings of Jesus in mind, we see that the person’s question about the number of people to be saved makes good sense. Jesus clearly shows that not everyone will escape the judgment to come.
However, Jesus chose not to answer this question – at least not directly. And perhaps that’s because words like “few” and “many” are relative. Or perhaps because Jesus feels that we don’t need to know.
Instead of dwelling on the question of numbers, Jesus moves us, instead, to think more personally – something we all need to be doing. He says: “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”
As we ponder this statement, I’d like us to organize our thoughts around two points.
First, let’s explore what Jesus is getting at with his image of a narrow door. Certainly, his point with this image is that the way of salvation is not easy. But again, since “easy” is a relative term, we need to flesh this out.
Doors, as we know, mark the place between “in” and “out.” According to Jesus’ teaching, those who are “in” are saved, while those who are “out” are not.
Reading on in Jesus’ teaching, we see that being “in” specifically means being “in the kingdom of God.” Jesus mentions this kingdom twice (v. 28 and 29).
And here we should recall that God’s kingdom is both the heavenly life to come and the earthly life of faith that exists now. When one enters the kingdom of God here in this world, life in heaven will follow.
As we think about this kingdom being accessed through a “narrow door,” perhaps we could benefit from a more specific picture. The image that may have come to mind in Jesus’ day was that of a walled city – one like Jerusalem. These cities had great walls around them for protection. To enter the city, one needed to go through a gate. These gates were few in number, and only so wide so that they could be better defended.
Entering through such doors was not easy. First, you had to find them. And then you had to fit through – which might be a problem, depending on what you were carrying.
The narrow door image therefore suggests that people often fail to enter God’s kingdom because they haven’t properly sought it out or because they don’t have any urgency to get there. As well, it reminds us that people won’t fit through the door when they’re carrying too much with them – things like accumulated possessions or the weight of forbidden pleasures.
Here Jesus causes us to ponder our own situation. Have we found the door to his kingdom? And have we been able to enter?
Through our hearing of God’s Word, the door to the kingdom has been identified for us. Once we hear what the scriptures say, finding the entrance is no longer a problem.
But entering through the narrow door is another story. For when we examine our lives, we find that we’re not nearly lean and light enough to make it through the door. The sins we commit daily are clear evidence of this. They’re far too much baggage.
But thankfully, we have a Savior. Our Savior is Jesus, who takes our sins upon himself and bears them on our behalf. Through his sacrifice on the cross, Jesus has paid sin’s price and eliminated its penalty. In the eyes of God, they are now gone forever.
Because of this work of the Lord, we can think of the narrow door as Jesus himself. Jesus is the entryway to our salvation. And this identification squares with something he himself once said. In John chapter ten, Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the door; if anyone enters by me he will be saved” (John 10:9).
At the same time, we could also think of the narrow door as Jesus’ cross. For the cross is where Jesus accomplished our salvation. And it indicates well the difficult effort our salvation required.
In today’s Old Testament reading, from the last chapter of Isaiah (66:18-23), God tells his people of a time to come when the nations will be drawn to Israel’s light and he will reveal his glory to them. And this prophecy was fulfilled, when Jesus came into the world. It will be fulfilled a second time as well, when Jesus returns in glory.
Included in this prophecy is mention of a sign. “And I will set a sign among them,” God says. We’re not told what this sign is. But certainly this could allude to both Jesus and his cross.
Furthermore, Jesus echoes this prophecy in today’s reading by telling us that those who go through the door see “Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God.” And he echoes this further by saying: “People will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.” These words indicate both the spread of the Gospel throughout the world and the great banquet to come where all believers will be gathered together.
As an aside, let me just point out here how wonderful it is when our gatherings today reflect this same coming together of people from all nations. How joyful it is to have folks from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America all worshiping together. This is the way it will be in heaven. And when we have such gatherings today, we are certainly reflecting heaven’s glory.
Now let’s look at that second point to be gleaned from Jesus’ answer in today’s reading. We’ve talked about the meaning of the narrow door. But what exactly does Jesus mean by saying we should “strive to enter” it?
The word we translate as “strive” is the Greek word “agonisesthe,” from where we get our English word “agony.” According to this meaning, our striving should be thought of as a struggle, not just a goal. The word gives further evidence that entering the kingdom won’t be easy.
As already mentioned, Jesus, as the door, is the one who’s efforts are the most important in our entrance. He’s the one who has paid for our sins and sent the Holy Spirit to call us to faith.
But according to Jesus’ own words here, we will still need to struggle to maintain our faith. And that’s because many temptations will seek to draw us away from it, and because our sins, which always have consequences, can greatly dishearten us.
In today’s second reading, from Hebrews chapter twelve, we hear a lengthy discourse from the writer on this very subject. Using a form of the same word that Jesus does, the author calls us to “struggle” against our sin and to accept the Lord’s discipline of it. My favorite part of the teaching is where he tells us to “lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.” This makes me think of doing workout “reps,” or physical therapy exercises, as a way to be strengthened for the struggle.
In the same way, the apostle Paul, when speaking to the Corinthian Christians about overcoming temptation, urges them to build their capacity for self-control by doing such spiritual exercises. Using the same word Jesus did, he says: “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:25-27).
Paul urges such training in his other letters too. And all these references may sound a lot like salvation by works but they are not. Rather, such teaching is a theology of the cross. It is a call to endure when things are difficult and to stand up under persecution. It is a call to embrace the true safety of the kingdom and to remember that the way of the cross, though hard, will be vindicated, just as it was for Jesus.
Today’s reading serves as a warning that one must enter the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus. We can’t just sit off to the side and assume that we can make a mad dash for it at some future point. Nor can we claim association through some prior contact.
Those who refuse to follow Christ crucified will ultimately find only “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v. 28), whereas Christ’s disciples, called from all nations, will eat and drink with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God. They will come into “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” – as mentioned in today’s reading from Hebrews (12:22).
Sometimes it can be good to sit outside and wait. I usually wait until the last minute to board an airplane, since I know the space in there will be cramped and the legroom tight, and because I don’t like to pay extra for more room and don’t mind when my bag is checked, and because I know when that door is going to shut.
But when it comes to the kingdom of God, boarding right away is the smart thing to do. That’s because there’s always plenty of room, and the meals are fantastic, the company excellent, and you will have a great flight.
God’s kingdom will take you to places you can’t get on your own. And these will be places of adventure, and of meaning, and of fulfillment.
In our recent readings from the Book of Hebrews, we picked up at chapter eleven. But let me close today with a reading from Hebrews chapter ten – a reading that seems just perfect for our considerations today:
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (10:19-25)
May it be so. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY (Stand) A Multitude Comes from the East and the West LSB 510
1 A multitude comes from the east and the west
To sit at the feast of salvation
With Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the blest,
Obeying the Lord’s invitation.
Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!
2 O God, let us hear when our Shepherd shall call
In accents persuasive and tender,
That while there is time we make haste, one and all,
And find Him, our mighty defender.
Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!
3 All trials shall be like a dream that is past,
Forgotten all trouble and mourning.
All questions and doubts have been answered at last,
When rises the light of that morning.
Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!
4 The heavens shall ring with an anthem more grand
Than ever on earth was recorded.
The blest of the Lord shall receive at His hand
The crown to the victors awarded.
Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!
APOSTLES’ CREED LSB, Back cover
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life ✠ everlasting. Amen.
OFFERING
Offerings support the church’s mission work – both here and through our many partners. Offerings may be placed in the box at the sanctuary entrance or sent to the church through our website or the mail. Fellowship Cards help us welcome new people and track participation. Please fill one out and place it in the offering box following the service.
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
Gracious God, we praise you for your love and mercy which sustain us from day to day. And we ask that you grant us a repentant faith that strives to enter ever more deeply into Your blessings of forgiveness, life and salvation. By the witness of Your saints, keep us in your kingdom and draw many others as well, from all corners of the earth, to join us in your holy presence. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, prosper Your Church, the preaching of the Word, and the work of all pastors and church workers. Guide and strengthen all those who teach Your Word and all those who are learning it, that together we may grow in wisdom and in the knowledge of your salvation. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord God heavenly Father, sanctify and sustain all parents through Your Holy Word, that they would teach their children of your goodness, discipline them in love, and show forth Your own divine care with mercy and forgiveness. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Eternal King, the nations of this world rise and fall while Your Church remains ever before You. Bless our civic leaders in their tasks of justice and order, and guide our work in the church as we pray for the common good of all and reflect your love and faithfulness to our communities. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord God, grant your help and healing to the sick and those who suffer, those troubled in mind or heart, the grieving in their sorrow, and the dying in their last days. We especially pray for all those on our prayer list and for those we name in our hearts at this time… Bless, as well, all those who extend their care and help on behalf of others, that they would be sustained and protected in their work. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Merciful God, bring together all those who come from east and west and from north and south to recline at Your table and feast upon the body and blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ, the Mediator of the New Testament. Strengthen and sustain them in the one true faith and grant them Your abundant blessing in the kingdom of God. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, we give thanks to You for St. Bartholomew and for all Your prophets, apostles and faithful people in every age. Have mercy on us and keep us steadfast in their fellowship to the end. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy and goodness through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
OFFERTORY Create in Me (LSB 956)
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence;
and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;
and uphold me with Thy free spirit. Amen.
✠ ✠ ✠
SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT
PREFACE (Stand)
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 him thanks and praise.
It is truly good, right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to you, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ our Lord… Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify your glorious name, evermore praising you and saying:
SANCTUS (LSB 961)
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth;
heav’n and earth are full of Your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessèd, blessèd, blessèd is He
who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Blessed are you, Lord of heaven and earth. In mercy for our fallen world you gave your only Son, that all those who believe in him should not perish but have eternal life. We give thanks to you for the salvation you have prepared for us through Jesus Christ. Send now your Holy Spirit into our hearts, that we may receive our Lord with a living faith as he comes to us in his holy supper.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD
THE LORD’S PRAYER
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.
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
Amen.
AGNUS DEI (LSB 962)
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;
grant us Your peace,
grant us Your peace,
grant us Your peace.
THE COMMUNION (Be seated)
Those wishing to commune at the foot of the steps should come forward first. Those wishing to commune at the altar rail should come forward after these, front rows first, from both sides of the aisle. After receiving, all should return to their seats. A common dismissal will be given at the end.
DISTRIBUTION HYMN You Are the Way; through You Alone LSB 526
1 You are the way; through You alone
Can we the Father find;
In You, O Christ, has God revealed
His heart and will and mind.
2 You are the truth; Your Word alone
True wisdom can impart;
You only can inform the mind
And purify the heart.
3 You are the life; the empty tomb
Proclaims Your conqu’ring arm,
And those who put their trust in You
Not death nor hell shall harm.
4 You are the way, the truth, the life;
Grant us that way to know,
That truth to keep, that life to win
Whose joys eternal flow.
NUNC DIMITTIS (LSB 937)
1 Lord, bid Your servant go in peace,
Your word is now fulfilled.
These eyes have seen salvation’s dawn,
This child so long foretold.
2 This is the Savior of the world,
The Gentiles’ promised light,
God’s glory dwelling in our midst,
The joy of Israel.
3 With saints of old, with saints to come,
To You we lift our voice;
To Father, Son, and Spirit blest
Be honor, love, and praise.
BENEDICTION
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and T give you peace.
Amen.
Let us go forth in peace,
in the name of the Lord. Amen.
SENDING HYMN All People That on Earth Do Dwell LSB 791
1 All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Him serve with mirth, His praise forthtell;
Come ye before Him and rejoice.
2 Know that the Lord is God indeed;
Without our aid He did us make.
We are His folk, He doth us feed,
And for His sheep He doth us take.
3 O enter then His gates with praise;
Approach with joy His courts unto.
Praise, laud, and bless His name always,
For it is seemly so to do.
4 For why? The Lord our God is good:
His mercy is forever sure.
His truth at all times firmly stood
And shall from age to age endure.
5 To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
The God whom heav’n and earth adore,
From us and from the angel host
Be praise and glory evermore.
ANNOUNCEMENTS (Be seated)
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE All People That on Earth Do Dwell Setting: Piet Post
FLOWERS: In celebration of our 66th Anniversary and Julia’s 3rd birthday.
By Jerry and Jeannie Meyer
FELLOWSHIP CONTRIBUTORS: Board of Evangelism and Community Service
Those serving: 8/23-24
Saturday, 5:00 p.m.:
Greeter: Steve Berg
Comm. assist: Jill Hecht
Reader: Rich Kauzlarich
Sunday, 10:00 a.m.:
Greeter: Jason Starck
Comm. assist: Dede Dixon
Reader: Janice Sebring
Acolyte: Julia Dennis
AV Assistants: Hannes Buuck, Andreas Buuck
Acknowledgments
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2025 Concordia Publishing House.
952 Alleluia — II Text: Traditional Tune: Fintan O’Carroll , d. 1977 Tune: © 1985 Fintan O’Carroll and Christopher Walker, admin. OCP Publications. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 1100053
956 Create in Me Text: Psalm 51:10–12 Tune: Johann Georg Winer, 1583–1651, adapt. Text and Tune: Public domain
961 Sanctus Text: Traditional; tr. International Consultation on English Texts, alt. Tune: Mark L. Bender, 1951 Text: © 1975 International Consultation on English Texts. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
962 Agnus Dei — I Text: Traditional; tr. International Consultation on English Texts, alt. Tune: Paul D. Weber, 1949 Text: © 1975 International Consultation on English Texts. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: © 2001 Paul D. Weber. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
937 Lord, Bid Your Servant Go in Peace Tune: American Tune: Public domain Text (sts. 1–2): James Quinn, 1919–2010; (st. 3): Henry V. Gerike, 1948 Text (sts. 1–2): © 1969, 1989 OCP Publications; (st. 3): © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
915 Today Your Mercy Calls Us Text: Oswald Allen, 1816–78, alt. Tune: Friedrich K. Anthes, 1812–after 1857 Text and tune: Public domain
510 A Multitude Comes from the East and the West Text: Magnus Brostrup Landstad, 1802–80; tr. Peer O. Strömme, 1856–1921, adapt. Tune: Swedish, 1694 Text and tune: Public domain
526 You Are the Way; through You Alone Text: George W. Doane, 1799–1859, alt.
Tune: The CL Psalmes of David, 1615, EdinburghText and tune: Public domain
791 All People That on Earth Do Dwell Text: William Kethe, d. c. 1593, alt. Tune: Trente quatre Pseaumes de David, 1551, Geneva, ed. Louis Bourgeois Text and tune: Public domain
