Prelude
Bells, Welcome, Announcements and Sharing
á Hymn Spirit of Gentleness (#396)
James K. Manley
á Confession and Forgiveness
P Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, who forgives our sin, heals every illness, saves us from death, enfolds us with tender care, and crowns us with steadfast love.
C Amen.
P Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Silence for reflection and self-examination.
P God of abundant mercy,
C we confess that we are more ready to be forgiven than to forgive others.
We hold too closely your gifts to us. We trample your vineyard, our good earth. Have mercy, O God; turn us again to you and toward others; and grant that we may live for you and die in you, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our redeemer and Lord.
Amen.
P God is generous and faithful, forgiving sins without number, welcoming all to the feast, giving us a place among the saints. Through the humble obedience of ☩ Christ Jesus, who went to the cross for our sake, you are forgiven and made whole. The Spirit of God is at work in you, enabling you to live for one another.
C Amen.
Hymn Be Thou My Vision (#793)
Eleanor H. Hull, Mary E. Byrne
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art:
thou my best thought both by day and by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tow’r,
raise thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.
Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise,
thou mine inheritance, now and always:
thou and thou only, the first in my heart,
great God of heaven, my treasure thou art.
Light of my soul, after victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, O heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
Greeting
P Grace and peace from our God and Father, hope in our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the consolation of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C And also with you.
P Let us pray…
C God of strength,
In David you chose a king with a big heart. Create clean and willing hearts in us, and choose us to do your work. Amen.
Gospel John 7:24
L The Holy Gospel from John in the 7th Chapter
C Glory to you, O Lord
24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
L This is the Gospel of our Lord
C Praise to You O Christ
Kids in the Kingdom
Responsive Reading Psalm 51
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
Reading
The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.”
4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.”
11 Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” 12 He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
L This is the Word of the Lord
C Thanks be to God
Sermon Brendan Johnston
á Hymn The King of Love My Shepherd Is (ELW 502 vs 1,2,4,6)
Baker
1 The King of love my shepherd is,
whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am his
and he is mine forever.
2 Where streams of living water flow,
my ransomed soul he leadeth
and, where the verdant pastures grow,
with food celestial feedeth.
4 In death’s dark vale I fear no ill,
with thee, dear Lord, beside me,
thy rod and staff my comfort still;
thy cross before to guide me.
6 And so, through all the length of days,
thy goodness faileth never.
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
within thy house forever.
WE RESPOND TO THE WORD OF GOD
á Camp Creed
Holy Love, Beginning and End, beyond all Names; gift of food and drink, clothing and warmth, love and hope: life in all its goodness – We praise and adore you.
Jesus Christ, Wisdom and Word; lover of outcast, friend of the poor, one of us, yet one with God; crucified and risen; life in the midst of death – We praise and adore you.
Holy Spirit, Storm and Breath: building bridges, breaking chains, waking the oppressed, making us one, unseen and unexpected, untamable energy of life – We praise and adore you.
Holy Trinity, forever One, whose nature is community, unbounded dance of love, in whom we live, and grow, and know our neighbor, life in all its fullness, making all things new – We praise and adore you.
As Offering plates are brought forward,
additional plates are available for you to use as you depart.
Offering Prayer
P Merciful God,
C we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us—our selves, our time, and our possessions, signs of your gracious love. Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Prayers of Bethlehem
During the prayers, there will be an opportunity for you to lift up a thanksgiving, a prayer concern, the name of someone on your mind today. All are encouraged to join in this time of public prayer.
L … Hear us O God …
C … Your mercy is great.
Meal
God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ
Words of Institution
á Lord’s Prayer
C 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.
L Come, you that are blessed by God.
Come to the banquet.
C Thanks be to God
Distribution of Holy Communion
We believe that Jesus is truly present in the elements of communion – and all are welcome to receive Jesus in this food and drink.
Communion in the Pews
Prepackaged communion will be available in pews and as you enter worship. Please open and receive this sacrament after the Words of Institution.
Communion at the Table
Those who wish to receive Holy Communion at the tables in front of the sanctuary will be invited to come forward using the pulpit side aisle, and return to their seat using the piano side aisle.
As you come forward, one at a time, there will be two tables prepared for you. Wafers will be placed on plates on the first table for you to pick up and receive the Body of Christ. Cups of wine or grape juice will be placed on the second table for you to receive the Blood of Christ. Cups can then be placed in a bin.
Children not communing may come forward for a blessing.
á Post Communion Prayer
P Let us pray… God our shepherd,
C you have gathered us again from scattered places
and nourished us with rich food in word and sacrament.
Go with us now, that we may seek the lost,
bind up the injured, and strengthen the weak,
until you gather us and all the saints into your eternal feast
with Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen
LEAVE TO LIVE THE WORD
á Blessing
P The peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
☩ guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
á Hymn The King of Love My Shepherd Is (ELW 502 vs 1,2,4,6)
Baker
1. We are marching in the light of God,
we are marching in the light of God.
We are marching in the light of God,
we are marching in the light of God.
We are marching, (marching, we are marching, marching,)
we are marching in the light of God.
We are marching, (marching, we are marching, marching,)
we are marching in the light of God.
2. We are dancing . . .
3. We are praying . . .
4. We are singing . . .
Dismissal
P Go in peace. Christ is with you.
C Thanks be to God!