September Worship 2024 – Redeemer Lutheran Church

September 15, 2024 – 17^th Sunday after Pentecost

Three weeks ago we heard Peter’s confession of faith as told in John’s gospel. This week we hear Mark’s version, when Peter says, “You are the Messiah.” In John, the stumbling block is Jesus’ invitation to eat his flesh, given for the life of the world. In Mark too the scandal has to do with Jesus’ words about his own coming death, and here Peter himself stumbles over Jesus’ words. But Jesus is anointed (the meaning of messiah) in Mark only on the way to the cross (14:3); so we are anointed in baptism with the sign of the cross.

PRELUDE

PROCESSIONAL Be Still and Know Redeemer Choir

GREETINGS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

CALL TO WORSHIP God’s Word is Our Great Heritage Redeemer Choir

Redeemer’s Mission is to Grow in Faith.

The Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God.

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, who forgives all our sin, whose mercy endures forever.

C: Amen.

P: Let us confess our sin and come to God for healing.

Silence is kept for reflection.

P: Gracious God,

C: have mercy on us. We confess that we have honored you with our lips, but have harmed our neighbors with our tongues. The cravings at war within us cause conflicts and disputes. In our desire to be first we make distinctions among ourselves. We place the needs of the poor and the suffering last. In your great mercy, forgive us our sins. Draw near to us with grace in time of need, and turn us to follow in the way of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

P: God promises to forgive our iniquity and to remember our sin no more. By grace you have been saved. In the name of Jesus Christ, the source of eternal healing, your sins are forgiven.

C: Amen.

GATHERING HYMN O Jesus, I Have Promised ELW 810

SALUTATION AND PRAYER OF THE DAY

P: The Lord be with you.

C: And also with you.

P: O God, through suffering and rejection you bring forth our salvation, and by the glory of the cross you transform our lives. Grant that for the sake of the gospel we may turn from the lure of evil, take up our cross, and follow your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

C: Amen.

Redeemer’s Mission is to Proclaim Jesus Christ.

God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching and song

from the Old Testament, Psalms, and the New Testament.

FIRST READING Isaiah 50:4-9a

The image of the servant of the Lord is one of the notable motifs in the book of Isaiah. Today’s reading describes the mission of the servant, whom early Christians associated with Jesus. Like Jesus, the servant does not strike back at his detractors but trusts in God’s steadfast love.

⁴The Lord God has given me
the tongue of a teacher,
that I may know how to sustain
the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens—
wakens my ear
to listen as those who are taught.
⁵The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious,
I did not turn backward.
⁶I gave my back to those who struck me,
and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;
I did not hide my face
from insult and spitting.

⁷The Lord God helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
⁸he who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
Let us stand up together.
Who are my adversaries?
Let them confront me.
^9aIt is the Lord God who helps me;
who will declare me guilty?

The reader concludes: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

PSALM (responsively) Psalm 116:1-9

SECOND READING James 3:1-12

This text uses various images to illustrate how damaging and hurtful the way we speak to and about others can be. Not only are we to control our speech, but what we say and how we say it are to reflect our faith.

¹Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. ²For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. ³If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. ⁴Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. ⁵So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.

How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! ⁶And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. ⁷For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, ⁸but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. ¹⁰From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. ¹¹Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? ¹²Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

The reader concludes: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Celtic Alleluia ELW 174

P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the eighth chapter.

GOSPEL Mark 7:27-38

This story provides the turning point in Mark’s gospel. Peter is the first human being in the narrative to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, but he cannot accept that as the Messiah Jesus will have to suffer. Moreover, Jesus issues a strong challenge to all by connecting discipleship and the cross.

²⁷Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” ³⁰And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

³¹Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³²He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

³⁴He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. ³⁶For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? ³⁷Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? ³⁸Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

P: The Gospel of the Lord.

MESSAGE David Allman, Pastor

HYMN Lift High the Cross ELW 660

APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Redeemer’s Mission is to Love All People.

Prayers on behalf of others

Drawn together in the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray with confidence for the church, God’s good creation, and all who are in need.

A brief silence.

We pray for the church throughout the world. Form us into communities of forgiveness and grace. Help us to notice where you are calling us into new relationships, and give us courage to embrace the uncomfortable and unfamiliar. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

We pray for the earth and all its inhabitants. Protect lands at risk of wildfire and heal dying forests. Where fire brings destruction, raise up new growth. Guide us in tending precarious ecosystems. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

We pray for those who govern nations, tribes, and cities. Open them to the cries of people in need. Direct them in shaping policies that prioritize the health and well-being of all who struggle with hunger and housing insecurity. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

We pray for all who are ill, all who are lonely or anxious, and all who grieve, especially those who have lost an unborn baby. Draw them close to you and soothe them with the promise of your enduring love. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

We pray for teachers, professors, librarians, school administrators, staff, and all who support the education of young people. Sustain them as they shape learning communities, rooted in equity and authenticity. We pray for children of all ages in their learning. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

Here other intercessions may be offered.

We remember our beloved dead, who with the great cloud of witnesses bear witness to your saving grace. Accompany us in our pilgrimage of faith, that we too place our hope and trust in you. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

We pray that you remember those of our congregation who may be suffering physically, emotionally or spiritually. Please bring healing, peace and comfort to all those that we name in our hearts and minds. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

We pray that you watch over our first responders and military personnel and keep them safe, whether they are at home or overseas. Hold them in your loving hands and protect them as they protect us. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

P: We entrust these and all our prayers to you, holy God, in the name of your beloved child, Jesus Christ, our Savior.

C: Amen.

OFFERING Leaning on the Everlasting Arms Redeemer Choir

OFFERTORY RESPONSE – Create In Me a Clean Heart

OFFERING PRAYER

P: Blessed are you, O God, source of every gift of your creation. By these gifts and with our lives, help us to serve one another and all in need, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

C: Amen.

The Meal

God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ. All baptized Christians are invited to receive Holy Communion.

INVITATION TO COMMUNION

Speak to us, O Lord, in the breaking of the bread, and make us one with you.

WORDS OF INSTITUTION

P: 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 in 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 in remembrance of me.

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.

DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION

P: The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.

C: Amen.

SENDING OF COMMUNION

P: O God of tender compassion, as you healed the sick and welcomed the stranger, bless those who leave this assembly to share the gifts of

this table with our sisters and brothers who are sick, homebound, or imprisoned. May they be sustained by the love and prayers of this community, and by the Bread of life that satisfies all hunger, Jesus Christ our Lord.

C: Amen.

BENEDICTION

P: The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face shine on us and be gracious to us. The Lord look on us with favor and give us peace. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

C: Choral Amen.

SENDING HYMN I Love to Tell the Story ELW 661

Redeemer’s Mission is to Proclaim Jesus Christ.

P: Go in peace. Follow Jesus.

C: Thanks be to God.

September 8, 2024 – 16^th Sunday after Pentecost

James tells us to stop showing favoritism in the assembly, treating the rich visitor with more honor than the poor one. Jesus himself seems to show partiality in his first response to the Syrophoenician woman in today’s gospel. Was he testing her faith in saying Gentiles don’t deserve the goods meant for God’s children? Or was he speaking out of his human worldview, but transcended those limits when she took him by surprise with her reply? Either way, the story tells us that God shows no partiality. Everyone who brings a need to Jesus is received with equal honor as a child and heir.

PRELUDE

PROCESSIONAL Surely It is God Who Saves Me Redeemer Choir

GREETINGS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

CALL TO WORSHIP The Steadfast Love Redeemer Choir

Redeemer’s Mission is to Grow in Faith.

The Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God.

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, who forgives all our sin, whose mercy endures forever.

C: Amen.

P: Let us confess our sin and come to God for healing.

Silence is kept for reflection.

P: Gracious God,

P: God promises to forgive our iniquity and to remember our sin no more. By grace you have been saved. In the name of Jesus Christ, the source of eternal healing, your sins are forgiven.

C: Amen.

GATHERING HYMN ELW 620

How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds

SALUTATION AND PRAYER OF THE DAY

P: The Lord be with you.

C: And also with you.

P: Gracious God, throughout the ages you transform sickness into health and death into life. Open us to the power of your presence, and make us a people ready to proclaim your promises to the whole world, through Jesus Christ, our healer and Lord.

C: Amen.

BLESSING OF THE QUILTS & PRAYER SHAWLS

Please be seated.

Redeemer’s Mission is to Proclaim Jesus Christ.

God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching and song

from the Old Testament, Psalms, and the New Testament.

FIRST READING Isaiah 35:4-7a

These verses are a word of hope to the exiles in Babylon. Isaiah 34 portrays God’s vengeance on Edom, Israel’s age-old enemy, which makes the path from Babylon to Zion safe for the exiles’ return. The desert itself will flow with water to give drink to the returning exiles.

⁴Say to those who are of a fearful heart,

“Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.”
⁵Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
⁶then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
^7athe burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water.

The reader concludes: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

PSALM (responsively) Psalm 146

¹Hal- ^| lelujah!
Praise the Lord, ^| O my soul!
²I will praise the Lord as long ^| as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I ^| have my being.
³Put not your ^| trust in rulers,
in mortals in whom there ^| is no help.
⁴When they breathe their last, they re- ^| turn to earth,
and in that day ^| their thoughts perish.
⁵Happy are they who have the God of Jacob ^| for their help,
whose hope is in the ^| Lord their God;
⁶who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that ^| is in them;
who keeps promis- ^| es forever;
⁷who gives justice to those who are oppressed, and food to ^| those who hunger.
The Lord sets the ^| captive free.
⁸The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord lifts up those who ^| are bowed down;
the Lord ^| loves the righteous.
⁹The Lord cares ^| for the stranger;
the Lord sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way ^| of the wicked.
¹⁰The Lord shall ^| reign forever,
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. ^| Hallelujah!

SECOND READING James 2:1-17

Faithful Christians do not show partiality to the rich and powerful of the world, especially at the expense of the poor and weak. Likewise, faith does not pay mere lip service to God’s will. Instead, a living Christian faith expresses itself in acts of compassion and mercy for those in need.

¹My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? ²For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, ³and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” ⁴have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? ⁵Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? ⁶But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? ⁷Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

⁸You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ⁹But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. ¹¹For the one who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹²So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. ¹³For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? ¹⁵If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? ¹⁷So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

The reader concludes: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

Please stand, if able, to welcome the Gospel.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Celtic Alleluia ELW 174

P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the seventh chapter.

GOSPEL Mark 7:24-37

In Mark’s gospel, encounters with women usually signify turning points in Jesus’ ministry. Here, a conversation with a Syrophoenician woman marks the beginning of his mission to the Gentiles.

²⁴[Jesus] set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice,²⁵but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. ²⁶Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁸But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” ²⁹Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” ³⁰So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

³¹Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. ³²They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. ³³He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. ³⁴Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” ³⁵And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. ³⁶Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. ³⁷They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

P: The Gospel of the Lord.

Please be seated.

MESSAGE David Allman, Pastor

HYMN OF THE DAY We Give God Thanks for Those Who Knew Sheet 128

Please stand, if able, for the Apostles’ Creed.

APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

OFFERING Come Taste the Goodness Redeemer Choir

Please join in singing the offertory response.

OFFERTORY RESPONSE – Create In Me a Clean Heart

OFFERING PRAYER

P: Jesus, Bread of life, you have set this table with your very self, and called us to the feast of plenty. Gather what has been sown among us, and strengthen us in this meal. Make us to be what we receive here, your body for the life of the world.

C: Amen.

Redeemer’s Mission is to Love All People.

Prayers on behalf of others.

Drawn together in the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray with confidence for the church, God’s good creation, and all who are in need.

A brief silence.

Awaken in our communities of faith a spirit of radical hospitality. Encourage our churches to celebrate and embrace people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. Deepen our commitment to ecumenical and interreligious partnerships. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

Bring forth water to nourish plants and animals in places suffering from drought. Renew our commitments to protect rivers, lakes, and streams, and make us good stewards of water in our homes and communities. Preserve wetland habitats and the creatures that make their homes there. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

Inspire leaders of cities, nations, and tribes to lead with wisdom and humility. Bring peace among peoples in conflict and strengthen global commitments to nonviolent solutions. Guide all who seek refuge from war to a safe haven. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

Comfort all who live with chronic illness. Surround them in your tender embrace and sustain all who provide ongoing care and support. Bring hope and healing to people struggling with addiction and nourish the spirits of all who are in recovery. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

Nurture in all people the gift of your creating Spirit. Inspire artists and musicians, woodworkers and quilters, poets and dancers. Revive those whose artistic wells have run dry and enliven all who doubt their creative talents. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

Here other intercessions may be offered.

We give you thanks for all who have died and now find their rest in you. May their faithful witness guide us in our daily life with you. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

P: We entrust these and all our prayers to you, holy God, in the name of your beloved child, Jesus Christ, our Savior.

C: Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

GRACE, LOVE, & FELLOWSHIP

To be sung by the congregation

May the Grace of Christ, our Savior, and the love of God, our Father and the fellowship of the Spirit be with us.

May the Grace of Christ, our Savior, and the love of God, our Father and the fellowship of the Spirit be with us, forever and ever for evermore. Amen.

BENEDICTION

P: The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face shine on us and be gracious to us. The Lord look on us with favor and give us peace. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

C: Choral Amen.

SENDING HYMN God, Whose Almighty Word ELW 673

Redeemer’s Mission is to Proclaim Jesus Christ.

P: Go in peace. Follow Jesus.

C: Thanks be to God.

September 1, 2024 – 15^th Sunday after Pentecost

Jesus protests against human customs being given the weight of divine law, while the essence of God’s law is ignored. True uncleanness comes not from external things, but from the intentions of the human heart. Last week Jesus told us “the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). Now James says God has given us birth by the word of truth. We who were washed in the word when we were born in the font return to it every Sunday to ask God to create in us clean hearts.

PRELUDE

PROCESSIONAL My Country Tis of Thee Redeemer Choir

GREETINGS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

CALL TO WORSHIP Heritage of Faith Redeemer Choir

Redeemer’s Mission is to Grow in Faith.

The Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God.

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, who forgives all our sin, whose mercy endures forever.

C: Amen.

P: Let us confess our sin and come to God for healing.

Silence is kept for reflection.

P: Gracious God,

P: God promises to forgive our iniquity and to remember our sin no more. By grace you have been saved. In the name of Jesus Christ, the source of eternal healing, your sins are forgiven.

C: Amen.

GATHERING HYMN This is My Song ELW 887

SALUTATION AND PRAYER OF THE DAY

P: The Lord be with you.

C: And also with you.

P: O God our strength, without you we are weak and wayward creatures. Protect us from all dangers that attack us from the outside, and cleanse us from all evil that arises from within ourselves, that we may be preserved through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

C: Amen.

Redeemer’s Mission is to Proclaim Jesus Christ.

God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching and song

from the Old Testament, Psalms, and the New Testament.

FIRST READING Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-9

The Israelites believed the law was a divine gift that provided guidelines for living out the covenant. Moses commands the people to obey the law and to neither add to nor subtract from it. The Israelites are also to teach the law to their children and their children’s children.

¹So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. ²You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you.

⁶You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!” ⁷For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? ⁸And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?

⁹But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children.

The reader concludes: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

PSALM (responsively) Psalm 15

¹Lord, who may dwell in your ^| tabernacle?
Who may abide upon your ^| holy hill?
²Those who lead a blameless life and do ^| what is right,
who speak the truth ^| from their heart;
³they do not slander with the tongue, they do no evil ^| to their friends;
they do not cast discredit up- ^| on a neighbor.
⁴In their sight the wicked are rejected, but they honor those who ^| fear the Lord.
They have sworn upon their health and do not take ^| back their word.
⁵They do not give their money in hope of gain, nor do they take bribes a- ^| gainst the innocent.
Those who do these things shall never be ^| overthrown.

SECOND READING James 1:17-27

The letter of James was intended to provide first-century Christians with instruction in godly behavior. Here Christians are encouraged to listen carefully and to act on what they hear, especially by caring for those least able to care for themselves.

¹⁷Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. ¹⁸In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

¹⁹You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. ²¹Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

²²But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. ²³For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; ²⁴for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. ²⁵But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.

²⁶If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

The reader concludes: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Celtic Alleluia ELW 174

P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the seventh chapter.

GOSPEL Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23

Mark’s gospel depicts Jesus as challenging traditional ways in which religious people determine what is pure or impure. For Jesus, the observance of religious practices cannot become a substitute for godly words or deeds that spring from a faithful heart.

¹Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around [Jesus], ²they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. ³(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; ⁴and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) ⁵So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” ⁶He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
⁷in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines.’
⁸You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

¹⁴Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: ¹⁵there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.

²¹“For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, ²²adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. ²³All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

P: The Gospel of the Lord.

MESSAGE David Allman, Pastor

HYMN Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways ELW 772

APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Redeemer’s Mission is to Love All People.

Prayer on behalf of others

Drawn together in the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray with confidence for the church, God’s good creation, and all who are in need.

A brief silence.

God of every generation, give the church a sense of purpose and belonging. Sustain and build up leaders and lay people as we accompany one another in our life with Christ. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

God of creation, you named humans as co-creators with you. Where the earth cries out in pain, bring wholeness. Guide governments and industry, that environmental laws and practices seek to heal and not harm. Bring relief and justice to people and places suffering from climate catastrophe. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

Sovereign God, we pray for local communities of every kind: rural and urban; established and new. Lead those in authority to seek the good of all through their words and actions and to mentor others in honest and generous ways. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

Healing God, you draw near to all who are hurting. Be with all who desire relief from chronic and acute illness, cancer, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Strengthen health care workers, therapists, and caregivers. Tend to those who are close to our hearts. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

On this Labor Day weekend we remember and give thanks for all who have fought for workers’ rights around the world. Continue to improve working conditions and establish fair wages so that all people may thrive. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

Here other intercessions may be offered.

Comforting God, console us as we mourn our departed. We hold fast to the promise that death has been defeated by our Savior Jesus Christ. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

P: We entrust these and all our prayers to you, holy God, in the name of your beloved child, Jesus Christ, our Savior.

C: Amen.

OFFERING Change My Heart Redeemer Choir

OFFERTORY RESPONSE – Create In Me a Clean Heart

OFFERING PRAYER

P: Blessed are you, O God, source of every gift of your creation. By these gifts and with our lives, help us to serve one another and all in need, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

C: Amen.

The Meal

God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ. All baptized Christians are invited to receive Holy Communion.

INVITATION TO COMMUNION

Speak to us, O Lord, in the breaking of the bread, and make us one with you.

WORDS OF INSTITUTION

THE LORD’S PRAYER

DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION

P: The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.

C: Amen.

SENDING OF COMMUNION

P: O God of tender compassion, as you healed the sick and welcomed the stranger, bless those who leave this assembly to share the gifts of

C: Amen.

BENEDICTION

P: The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face shine on us and be gracious to us. The Lord look on us with favor and give us peace. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

C: Choral Amen.

SENDING HYMN Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory ELW 890

Redeemer’s Mission is to Proclaim Jesus Christ.

P: Go in peace. Follow Jesus.

C: Thanks be to God.