08/24/25

As We Gather

Jesus says, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Luke 12:51). But wait! What about “Peace on earth, goodwill to all”? Is not Jesus the Prince of Peace? Indeed He is, and the kind of peace Jesus brings often makes people uncomfortable. To many people, peace means the absence of conflict. Jesus’ peace is different than that. Jesus’ peace passes all understanding, existing even in the midst of conflict. Jesus gives us His peace, inviting us to let our hearts remain untroubled and unafraid.

Children Activity Bags We value children in our worship services. If needed, there is a family room available for families with children. The family room has a diaper changing table, a closed-circuit TV to watch the worship service, toys and books for children. The family room is located across from the kitchen in the long hallway, the first door on the right, just past the bathrooms. There are “King’s Kids” bags with activities for children to help them worship. They are near the usher’s station on a small rack. Please return the bag to the rack after the service.

Holy Communion The Scripture teaches the Lord’s Supper is a precious gift of God in which Christ gives us His true body and blood (in a miraculous way), together with the bread and wine, for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. Because the Bible teaches that this Sacrament may also be spiritually harmful if misused, and that participation in the Lord’s Supper is an act of confession of faith, we ordinarily commune those who have been instructed in the teachings of our church and who have confessed their faith in these teachings. If you have a question, please speak to Pastor Ralph before the service. For those who prefer a non-alcoholic alternative, there is grape juice at the center of each tray. Those not receiving the Sacrament, including children, are invited to come to the altar, cross their arms over their chest, and receive a special blessing.

It is the Truth Men Persecute  “They do not persecute us for being adulterers, robbers or thieves. In fact, they can tolerate the most desperate scoundrels and criminals in their midst. But they are raising such a hue and cry because we refuse to approve their teachings and life, because we praise nothing but the Gospel, Christ, faith and truly good works, and because we do not suffer for ourselves, but suffer everything for the sake of Christ, the Lord. Therefore we will sing it to the end with them. No matter how hard their head is, ours is still harder. In short, they must let that Man (Christ) alone, whether they like it or not.”    What Luther Says # 3309

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

August 24, 2025

Welcome and Hand of Friendship

Opening Hymn                            Rejoice, O Pilgrim Throng                                LSB  813

Invocation, Confession and Forgiveness  (Psalm 119: 81-88)

P:   We gather in the name and at the invitation of our great and gracious triune God,

C:   In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

P:   My soul faints with longing for your salvation, 

C:   but I have put my hope in your word. 

P:   My eyes fail, looking for your promise; I say, “When will you comfort me?” 

C:   Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget your decrees. 

P:   How long must your servant wait? 

C:   When will you punish my persecutors? 

P:   The arrogant dig pitfalls for me, contrary to your law. 

C:   All your commands are trustworthy; help me, for men persecute me without cause. 

P:   They almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts. 

C:   Preserve my life according to your love, and I will obey the statutes of your mouth.

P:   Loving God,

C:   we confess our alienation from You both by nature and by choice. Help us to know and believe how much You love us. Let us abide in Your love even as You abide in us always. Heal us with forgiveness for Jesus’ sake.

(Silence for meditation)

P:   Our gracious heavenly Father has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. Therefore, as a called and ordained servant of Jesus, and by His authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. 

C:   Amen.

Hymn                                 Sing With All the Saints in Glory           LSB 671   Tune 648

 Prayer of the Day 

All:   Loving God, You have kindled the fire of Your love among all the peoples of the earth. Grant that we who walk by faith in Jesus be kept by His peace in the midst of every tribulation and conflict with our fellow human beings; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns in communion and love with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

O T Lesson           (Ignoring false prophets, we listen to the Word)               Jeremiah 23:16–22

¹⁶ This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. ¹⁷ They keep saying to those who despise me, ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’ And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’ ¹⁸ But which of them has stood in the council of the Lord to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word? ¹⁹ See, the storm of the Lord will burst out in wrath, a whirlwind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. ²⁰ The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand it clearly. ²¹ I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. ²² But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.

N T Lesson                         (The people of God living by faith)                 Hebrews 11:17–26

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸ even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” ¹⁹ Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. ²⁰ By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. ²¹ By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. ²² By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones. ²³ By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. ²⁴ By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. ²⁵ He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. ²⁶ He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 

Gospel Lesson                   (Division and perfect peace)                               Luke 12:49–53 

³⁵ “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. ³⁸ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. ³⁹ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” ⁴¹ Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?” ⁴² The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time?  ⁴³ It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. ⁴⁴ I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk.  ⁴⁶ The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.  ⁴⁷ “That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows.

⁴⁸ But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. ⁴⁹ “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! ⁵¹ Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. ⁵² From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Message Song                         Before the Throne of God Above

Before the throne of God above       I have a strong, A perfect plea,

A great High Priest whose name is “Love.”       Whoever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on His hands,        My name is written on His heart;

I know that while in heaven He stands        No tongue can bid me thence depart,

When Satan tempts me to despair,      And tells me of the guilt within,

Upward I look and see Him there       Who made an end to all my sin.

Because the sinless Savior died,         My sinful soul is counted free;

For God, the Just is satisfied        To Look on Him and pardon me,

Behold Him there! The Risen Lamb,       My perfect, spotless Righteousness;

The great unchangeable I AM,       The King of glory and of grace!

One with Himself I cannot die,      My soul is purchased with His blood;

My life is hid with Christ on high,       With Christ, my Savior and my God,

Words and music by Charitie Lees Bancroft and Vikki Cook.

Used with permission CCLI #11390779

Message                                    When Divisions are Necessary

Division is necessary when

1. The  ____  _____ is at stake.  Remedy: _______________________
2. You are ___    _____ to go against God’s clear Word. Remedy: __________________
3. ___   _____falls and  ___    ____ hangs in the balance.  

Remedy: __________________________________________________________________

Nicene Creed

 C:   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.

Offering 

Offertory                                   We Give Thee But Thine Own                          LSB 781  vs 1, 5

Prayers of the Church  

 After each petition:

 P:  Lord, in your mercy,

 C:  hear our prayer.

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 Lord’s Supper

Preface                                                                      page 194 in the hymnal

P:  The Lord be with you.

C:  ♪ And with thy spirit.

P:  Lift up your hearts.

C:  ♪ We lift them up unto the Lord.

P:  Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C:  ♪ It is meet and right so to do.

P:  It is truly good, right, and salutary …. And with the host of heaven we sing:

Sanctus — Holy, Holy, Holy                                          page 195 in the hymnal

C:  ♪ Ho -ly, ho-ly, ho-ly Lord God of Sa – ba – oth. Heaven and earth are full of Thy   

        glory. Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He, blessed is He, 

        blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna 

        in the highest.

The Words of Institution (Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper)

Pax Domini—The Peace of the Lord                  page 197 in the hymnal

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always.C:  ♪ Amen.

Agnus Dei – Lamb of God                                                                 page 198 in the hymnal                                      

C:  ♪ O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world; 

         have mercy upon us.

         O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world; 

         have mercy upon us.

         O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world; 

         grant us Thy peace.  A – men.

Distribution of Communion

Distribution Hymn             Draw Near and Take the Body of the Lord              LSB  637                                                         

 Nunc Dimittis                                                                                      page 199 in the hymnal        

C: ♪ Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy Word, for mine  

       eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people,

       a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel. 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.

 Post Communion Collect

All:  O God the Father, the fountain and source of all goodness, who in loving-kindness sent Your only-begotten Son into the flesh, we thank You that for His sake You have given us pardon and peace in this Sacrament. We ask You not to forsake Your children but always to rule our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that we may constantly to serve You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Benediction                                                                                       Numbers 6:24–26                                                                                                    

P:   The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and ✠ give you peace.

C:   Amen. Alleluia. Amen!Closing Hymn                          Forth in the Peace of Christ We Go     LSB 920

1. Announcements 

Dismissal

P:   Go in peace as you serve the Lord.      

C:   Thanks be to God!   

Postlude