Prelude      America from A Fugue in Five Voices      Eugene Thayer                Edited by Dale K. Tucker

 

Welcome & Announcements

 

*Confession & Forgiveness

Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God, source of hope in every nation, rest for the weary, glory and peace to the ends of the earth.

Amen.

Let us bring every burden to God.

Silence is kept for reflection.

 

God of all mercy, we have sinned against you, our neighbors, and your creation. Within ourselves and our communities, our desire to do what is good is at war with the evil that dwells in us. We lament the evil that holds us captive. We repent of the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf. Rescue us, forgive us, and restore us for lives of compassion and courage through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

All-merciful, Almighty God forgive you all your sins

through the grace of + Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit’s power

strengthen you in doing what is good. Amen.

Gathering Hymn O Beautiful, for Spacious Skies

*Prayer of the Day

Lord of all the worlds, guide this nation by your Spirit to go forward in justice and freedom. Give to all living in these lands the blessings of well-being and harmony, but above all things give us faith in you, that our nation may bring glory to your name and blessings to all peoples, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

 

Old Testament Reading Zechariah 9:9-12

 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. 11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. 12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.

 

Word of God, Word of Life. Thanks be to God.

 

Psalm 145:8-14

 

 8 The Lord is gracious and full | of compassion,

  slow to anger and abounding in | steadfast love.

 9 Lord, you are | good to all,

  and your compassion is over | all your works. R

 10 All your works shall praise | you, O Lord,

  and your faithful | ones shall bless you.

 11 They shall tell of the glory | of your kingdom

  and speak | of your power,

 12 that all people may know | of your power

  and the glorious splendor | of your kingdom.

 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; your dominion endures through- | out all ages.

  You, Lord, are faithful in all your words, and loving in | all your works.

 14 The Lord upholds all | those who fall

  and lifts up those who | are bowed down. R

 

The Epistle Lesson  Romans 7:15-25a

15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17 But in fact it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that the good does not dwell within me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do the good lies close at hand, but not the ability. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me.

  21 So I find it to be a law that, when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, 23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched person that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25a Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

 

Word of God, Word of Life. Thanks be to God.

 

*Gospel Acclamation

 

*Gospel    Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30  Glory to you O Lord

Jesus spoke to the crowd saying: 16 “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, 17 ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ 18 “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; 19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

  20 Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. “For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.”

  25 At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

  28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

The Gospel of the Lord.   Praise to you, O Christ.

 

Sermon         Pastor Kurt Christenson

 

*Hymn of the Day My Country ’Tis of Thee

*Prayers of Intercession

Response to each petition: God of grace, hear our prayer.

 

*Apostle’s Creed

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

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come 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.

 

*Exchange of Peace

The peace of the Lord be with you. And also with you.

 

Offering

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Offering Music   Por Una Cabeza  Alfredo Le Pera- Carolos Gardel  

arr. David Scott 

 

*Offering Prayer

Blessed are you, O God, for waves of grain and harvesters, fruitful vines and winepresses, for our labor and our rest, for the gifts of your hand in this land. Transform us and what we offer into the banquet of your compassion, serving your love without limits through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

 

*The Great Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.

 

*Thanksgiving at the Table

Holy God, you alone are Majesty, you alone are Excellency, you alone are Sovereign….we declare the revolutionary mystery of faith:

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

 

God, shed your grace on us…the humble glory, now and forever.

Amen.

 

Invitation to Communion

Citizens of the commonwealth of heaven: Taste and know that God is good to all.

 

Agnus Dei verses 1,3, and final

Communion Distribution

 

Communion Hymn  Commonwealth Is God’s Commandment

      Choir

Commonwealth is God’s commandment; common goods are meant to share.

Tables set and doors wide open welcome angels unaware.

 

Refrain: Plead for the peace of all creation.

 

Pray for a place where grace is found. Shanti, pax, shalom, maslaha:

common good is holy ground. Sharing lavish gifts and blessings,

love that not one mite withholds, stretch out arms to friends and strangers: God has sheep of many folds.

 

Genders, races, tribes, and nations, hear the Holy One who calls,

bidding all to work together, bridging lives and breaching walls.

 

Text: Mary Louise Bringle

Music: RESTORATION; Walker’s Southern Harmony, 1835

 

*Post Communion Blessing and Prayer

We thank you, God of heaven and earth, that you fill our deepest need with the very gift of Jesus Christ, broken and poured out for us. Pour us out into a broken world. Channel our common life toward the common good, following the way our Savior leads us now and forever. Amen.

 

*Sending Hymn This is My Song

*Affirmation of Christian Vocation in Civic Life

People of God you are chosen and named as God’s beloved. You have received the gift of Christian vocation, a holy calling lived out in various dimensions of your life, your relationships and communities, your work and your rest. Daily and richly we live in the promises of holy baptism, sustained by grace to trust God, proclaim Christ through word and deed, care for others and the world God made, and work for justice and peace. I ask you, therefore: Will you endeavor to pattern your life on Jesus Christ, in gratitude to God and in service to others?

I will, and I ask God to help me.

 

Will you strive to pursue the common good in public life, nurturing mutual care among neighbors near and far?

I will, and I ask God to help me.

 

Will you pledge to bear witness in word and action, commending what is true and right, renouncing what is unjust and harmful, and working to mend what is flawed?

I will, and I ask God to help me.

 

Sovereign God, your Son Jesus lived within the structures of society even as he spoke truth to those in power and challenged systems of oppression. Give to your servants courage, patience, and vision in their commitment to serve in Christ’s name. Empower us all in our Christian vocation to be courageous disciples and responsible citizens. Grant that our life in the public realm be grounded in love for our neighbors, care for the most vulnerable, and respect for the common life we share, through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

 

*Blessing & Dismissal

The Author of life, the Word of salvation, the Breath of new birth,

+ one God, bless you and equip you for living and serving, today and every day. Amen.

Go in peace. Seek liberty and justice for all.

Thanks be to God.

 

Postlude      Brandenburg Concerto #2, 2nd Movement      J.S. Bach