Worship Service for Pentecost 24
Rev. Gregory Mech | November 15, 2020 | SERMON: Equipped for Faithful Service | Divine Service with Holy Communion | Immanuel Lutheran Church ONLINE and IN-PERSON – Joplin, Missouri | 8:00 and 10:30 am
Use these Easy Devotions and Daily Scripture Readings with your family! Taking Faith Home.
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Special thanks to all who helped to make this broadcast possible today:
Rev. Gregory Mech, DCE Jason Glaskey, organist Betty Lingenfelter, the COVID Committee and Board of Elders.
‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
The words of Jesus from “The Parable of the Talents,” found in Matthew 25:14-30, one of the readings assigned for The Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost. “Equipped for Faithful Service” is the title of Pastor Mech’s sermon today. May God richly bless you as you hear His Word! Welcome to Immanuel Lutheran Church.
Equipped for Faithful Service
November 15, 2020 – Pentecost 24 – Divine Service with Holy Communion
INVOCATION, CONFESSION and ABSOLUTION p. 184
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. Matthew 28:19b
Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. Hebrews 10:22
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth. Psalm 124:8
I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD,
And You forgave the iniquities of my sin. Psalm 32:5
Almighty God, our maker and redeemer, we poor sinners confess unto You that we are by nature sinful and unclean and that we have sinned against You by thought, word, and deed. Wherefore we flee for refuge to Your infinite mercy, seeking and imploring Your grace for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
O most merciful God, who has given Your only-begotten Son to die for us, have mercy upon us and for His sake grant us remission of all our sins; and by Your Holy Spirit increase in us true knowledge of You and of Your will and true obedience to Your Word, to the end that by Your grace we may come to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, has had mercy upon us and has given His only Son to die for us and for His sake forgives us all our sins. To those who believe on His name He gives power to become the children of God and has promised them His Holy Spirit. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Grant this, Lord, unto us all.
Amen.
Psalm 90:1-12, antiphon: v. 17
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!
Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of Adam!”
For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.
You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.
For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!
♫ GLORIA, KYRIE and GLORIA IN EXCELSIS pp. 186-189
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.
♫ Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us.
♫ Glory be to God on high:
And on earth peace, good will toward men.
We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee,
We glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee, for Thy great glory.
O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father almighty.
O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ;
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.
Thou that takest away the sin of the world, receive our prayer.
Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.
For Thou only art holy; Thou only art the Lord.
Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
♫ SALUTATION and COLLECT OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And with Thy spirit.
Let us pray. Almighty and ever-living God, You have given exceedingly great and precious promises to those who trust in You. Dispel from us the works of darkness and grant us to live in the light of Your Son, Jesus Christ, that our faith may never be found wanting; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT Zephaniah 1:7-16
Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near;
the Lord has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests.
And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice—
“I will punish the officials and the king’s sons
and all who array themselves in foreign attire.
On that day I will punish everyone who leaps over the threshold,
and those who fill their master’s house with violence and fraud.
“On that day,” declares the Lord, “a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,
a wail from the Second Quarter, a loud crash from the hills.
Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar! For all the traders are no more;
all who weigh out silver are cut off.
At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will he do ill.’
Their goods shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste.
Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them;
though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them.”
The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;
the mighty man cries aloud there.
A day of wrath is that day,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness,
a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
EPISTLE 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
♫ TRIPLE ALLELUIA p. 190
Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 25:14-30
The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the twenty-fifth chapter.
♫ Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
“He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.
“Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’
But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
♫ Praise be to Thee, O Christ.
NICENE CREED
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
♫ HYMN 833 “Listen, God Is Calling”
Listen!
Listen, God is calling, Through the Word inviting,
Offering forgiveness, Comfort, and joy.
Listen!
Listen, God is calling, Through the Word inviting,
Offering forgiveness, Comfort, and joy.
Jesus gave His mandate:
Share the Good News
That He came to save us,
And set us free.
Listen!
Listen, God is calling, Through the Word inviting,
Offering forgiveness, Comfort, and joy.
Listen!
Listen, God is calling, Through the Word inviting,
Offering forgiveness, Comfort, and joy.
Let none be forgotten
Throughout the world.
In the Triune name of God
Go and baptize.
Listen!
Listen, God is calling, Through the Word inviting,
Offering forgiveness, Comfort, and joy.
Listen!
Listen, God is calling, Through the Word inviting,
Offering forgiveness, Comfort, and joy.
Help us to be faithful,
Standing steadfast,
Walking in Your precepts,
Led by Your Word.
Listen!
Listen, God is calling, Through the Word inviting,
Offering forgiveness, Comfort, and joy.
Listen!
Listen, God is calling, Through the Word inviting,
Offering forgiveness, Comfort, and joy.
SERMON “Equipped for Faithful Service”
♫ OFFERTORY Psalm 51:10-12 p. 192
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right spirit in 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.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
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.
SALUTATION, BENEDICAMUS and BENEDICTION p. 201
The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.
Bless we the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The LORD bless you and keep you.
The LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
The LORD lift His countenance upon you and give you peace.
Amen. Amen. Amen.
Those not partaking of the Sacrament of the Lord’s Table are dismissed with this blessing. Thank you for joining us before God’s altar in fellowship today.
SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT
Distribution of the Sacrament will be by family groups, at the direction of the usher. Children may come forward for a contactless blessing. Once you have received the body and the blood of our Lord Christ, depart in peace.
♫ DISTRIBUTION HYMN “O Lord, We Praise Thee” LSB 617
O Lord, we praise Thee, bless Thee and adore Thee,
In thanksgiving bow before Thee,
Thou with Thy body and Thy blood didst nourish
Our weak souls that they may flourish: O Lord, have mercy!
May Thy body, Lord, born of Mary,
That our sins and sorrows did carry,
And Thy blood for us plead
In all trial, fear, and need: O Lord, have mercy!
Thy holy body into death was given,
Life to win for us in heaven.
No greater love than this to Thee could bind us;
May this feast of that remind us! O Lord, have mercy!
Lord, Thy kindness did so constrain Thee
That Thy blood should bless and sustain me.
All our debt Thou hast paid;
Peace with God once more is made: O Lord, have mercy!
May God bestow on us His grace and favor
That we follow Christ our Savior
And live together here in love and union
Nor despise this blest Communion! O Lord, have mercy!
Let not Thy good Spirit forsake us;
Grant that heavenly minded He make us;
Give Thy Church, Lord to see
Days of peace and unity: O Lord, have mercy!
DISTRIBUTION HYMN “For the Fruits of His Creation” LSB 894
For the fruits of His creation,
Thanks be to God.
For His gifts to every nation,
Thanks be to God.
For the plowing, sowing, reaping,
Silent growth while we are sleeping,
Future needs in earth’s safe-keeping,
Thanks be to God.
In the just reward of labor,
God’s will is done.
In the help we give our neighbor,
God’s will is done.
In our world-wide task of caring
For the hungry and despairing,
In the harvest we are sharing,
God’s will is done.
For the harvests of the Spirit,
Thanks be to God.
For the good we all inherit,
Thanks be to God.
For the wonders that astound us,
For the truths that still confound us,
Most of all, that love has found us,
Thanks be to God.
DISTRIBUTION HYMN “Sent Forth by God’s Blessing” LSB 643
Sent forth by God’s blessing,
Our true faith confessing,
The people of God from His dwelling take leave.
The Supper is ended.
O now be extended
The fruits of this service in all who believe.
The seed of His teaching,
Receptive souls reaching,
Shall blossom in action for God and for all.
His grace did invite us,
His love shall unite us
To work for God’s kingdom and answer His call.
With praise and thanksgiving
To God ever-living,
The tasks of our everyday life we will face.
Our faith ever sharing,
In love ever caring,
Embracing His children of each tribe and race.
With Your feast You feed us,
With Your light now lead us;
Unite us as one in this life that we share.
Then may all the living
With praise and thanksgiving
Give honor to Christ and His name that we share.
A Prayer of Thanksgiving after Receiving the Sacrament
Almighty and everlasting God, I thank and praise You for feeding me the life-giving body and blood of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Send Your Holy Spirit that, having with my mouth received the holy Sacrament, I may by faith obtain and eternally enjoy Your divine grace, the forgiveness of sins, unity with Christ, and life eternal; through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.
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