Micah - The Minor Leagues
Micah is asking us, ‘’Do you see God? Look, He is taking our hurts, pride, and sins and is turning them into tools for farming fruitfulness.
Micah 3
Rulers and Prophets Denounced
3 And I said:
Hear, you heads of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel!
Is it not for you to know justice?—
2 you who hate the good and love the evil,
who tear the skin from off my people[a]
and their flesh from off their bones,
3 who eat the flesh of my people,
and flay their skin from off them,
and break their bones in pieces
and chop them up like meat in a pot,
like flesh in a cauldron.
4 Then they will cry to the Lord,
but he will not answer them;
he will hide his face from them at that time,
because they have made their deeds evil.
5 Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray,
who cry “Peace”
when they have something to eat,
but declare war against him
who puts nothing into their mouths.
6 Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,
and darkness to you, without divination.
The sun shall go down on the prophets,
and the day shall be black over them;
Micah 4
The Mountain of the Lord
4 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and it shall be lifted up above the hills;
and peoples shall flow to it,
2 and many nations shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,[a]
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore;
4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,
and no one shall make them afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
5 For all the peoples walk
each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
forever and ever.
The Lord Shall Rescue Zion
6 In that day, declares the Lord,
I will assemble the lame
and gather those who have been driven away
and those whom I have afflicted;
7 and the lame I will make the remnant,
and those who were cast off, a strong nation;
and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion
from this time forth and forevermore.
8 And you, O tower of the flock,
hill of the daughter of Zion,
to you shall it come,
the former dominion shall come,
kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem.
Micah 5
The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem
5 [a] Now muster your troops, O daughter[b] of troops;
siege is laid against us;
with a rod they strike the judge of Israel
on the cheek.
2 [c] But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of theLord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
5 And he shall be their peace.
What Happened This Week
![Children’s Ministry at the Beginning of the Year [Photos]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1773366946881-LN5PTFM1X0S3NNO0TA2T/PXL_20260208_173254083.jpg)
![[Sunday] Day 3 - Sprout, The Week](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1772739818994-46A7BUR7TZSNODJYB9WX/The+Week+3a.jpg)
![Guys Night at Millers! [Photos]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/d369b0e8-9922-4094-8ba4-e673c3fbe207/processed_PXL_20260305_233023067.jpg)
Amos - The Minor Leagues
Amos forces us to ask ourselves, “Has our worship become hollow?” His answer is “yes” if our lives have become unfruitful and only self serving.
Amos 2
Judgment on Israel
6 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Israel,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they sell the righteous for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals—
7 those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
and turn aside the way of the afflicted;
a man and his father go in to the same girl,
so that my holy name is profaned;
8 they lay themselves down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge,
and in the house of their God they drink
the wine of those who have been fined.
9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
whose height was like the height of the cedars
and who was as strong as the oaks;
I destroyed his fruit above
and his roots beneath.
10 Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt
and led you forty years in the wilderness,
to possess the land of the Amorite.
Amos 5
Let Justice Roll Down
18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!
Why would you have the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, and not light,
19 as if a man fled from a lion,
and a bear met him,
or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,
and a serpent bit him.
20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light,
and gloom with no brightness in it?
21 “I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves,27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
Acts 7
42 But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:
“‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices,
during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 You took up the tent of Moloch
and the star of your god Rephan,
the images that you made to worship;
and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
44 “Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. 45 Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, 46 who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.[a] 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him. 48 Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,
49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?’
51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
The Stoning of Stephen
54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together[b] at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Matthew 21
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry.19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.
20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
cleaning the temple
23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
What Happened This Week
![[Sunday] Creation Day 4 - Day or Hour, The Week](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1773356947484-4RY25WO3W0HU61E2NMU9/The+Week+4a.jpg)
Hosea - The Minor Leagues
Hosea was a prophet with a rough home life. God has put him in a situation where he has to constantly show forgiveness, even when it is difficult. God has put him there to show us His grace.
Slides From the Sermon
What Happened This Week!
The Church - Believe
In a world which tells us that the individual is the most important thing, the Spirit of God beckons us to come together and experience forgiveness.
Slides From the Sermon
What happened this week!
First Fruits of the Spirit - Believe
How did Israel remember that God had saved them from slavery? They would give of their firstfruits and make sure the poor had food. What does this have to do with Pentecost?
Sermon Slides and resources.
Deuteronomy 16
9 “You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. 10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. 11 And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there. 12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.
Leviticus 23
15 “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. 16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. 17 You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord. 18 And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 19 And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings.20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 And you shall make a proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.
22 “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”
Pentecost - Believe
It seems like we are always trying to ascend to God. We built a tower to God, we want to ascend in our prayer life, and we talk about rising in spirituality. However, throughout the Scriptures we see that God comes down
Slides from Sermon
The King - Believe
It’s popular to say today that Jesus is Lord (King) of your heart. But is that the story in the Bible? Today we are seeing how God became King over all the creation.
Slides from the Sermon
Are you Listening - Believe
White Clouds, mountains, prophets, and priests: all are signs that God is near and speaking. But are you listening?
Consider Creator - Believe
When we say God created the heavens and the earth, does it mean anything specific to us? Do we consider the Creator?
Consider Creator
When we say God created the heavens and the earth, does it mean anything specific to us? Do we consider the Creator?
HE IS - Believe
When Moses saw God through the burning bush, Moses ask who should he tell his people had sent him. He went back to his people and said, “HE IS sent me.”
Check out the Sermon Slides bellow.
Walking with Jesus to Emmaus - Kingdom Life
In the Gospel of Luke we see how Jesus comes alongside us and shows us how it was about Him all along. This is the story of the road to Emmaus.
Charcoal and Fish - Kingdom Life
We see the story of Peter and experience the smell of charcoal on a beach while Jesus is cooking fish. We see that Jesus restores us where we have failed, and from there, He sends us out to where He is already working.
Go Tell Peter: Kingdom Life
We all have that friend, the one who is impulsive, the one who talks before he thinks. Peter is that friend. When Peter really messes up, all things seem lost, but a heavenly messenger from inside the tomb says something profound.
Plots, Perfume, and Palms: Oh My - Kingdom Life
Do we really understand what is happening? People are yelling, “Save us from our Roman oppressors.” The religious leaders are plotting to kill Jesus to keep the Romans happy. And Mary is wasting burial perfume on someone alive.
Plots, Perfume, and Palms: Oh My
John 11 and John 12 are the scriptures today
From Spite to Ashes - Questioning Gods Wisdom
If anybody had a reason to live in a house of spite, with large amounts of animosity and resentment, it was Job. But he prayed for his enemies. So did Jesus. And, by God’s grace, so will we!
Jesus Humbly
Died and Rose for you
He Lives in You
So you can be a Living Sacrifice
For your Friends and Enemies.
Job 1:1-6
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. 2 There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 3 He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. 4 His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed[a] God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.
Job 42:7-10
7 After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. 8 Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job's prayer.
10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Questioning God's Wisdom - God and the Problem of Leveiathan - Book of Job
Job, you have been questioning God. Now God is going to question you.
"Who are you, Job? Were you there at the advent of the universe? Can you keep Leviathan as a pet?"
Sermon Enhancers and Resources.
Job 41
“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord?
Will you play with him as with a bird, or will you put him on a leash for your girls?
Questioning God's Wisdom - With Friends Like These - Book of Job
With Friends like these of Job's, who needs enemies. But who are we, are we the friends or Job?
SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION
Questioning God’s Wisdom: With Friends Like These
March 19, 2017
Grace Lutheran Church
555 SW Cashmere Blvd.
Port St. Lucie, FL 34986-2034
Office: 772-871-6599
Pastor Cris Escher
Email: crisescher@gmail.com
Phone: (770)328-5078
We are so happy that you are here with us today. Our desire is to be like another home for you. We encourage you to register your name on the fellowship pad which you will find at the end of the row where you are sitting. If you are new to Grace or to the area and are looking for a church home, we hope you will consider joining our family here at Grace. A Fellowship Hour is held after the Worship Service, and we invite you to stay for a few minutes so we can get acquainted.
THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION is celebrated in our Worship Service today. This meal is for Christ Followers who recognize their sinfulness and their need for Christ’s forgiveness and strength, and desire to live a new life in Christ. We receive this meal recognizing the presence of Christ in, with, and under the bread and the wine. Children who have not been instructed in the meaning of the Sacrament may come to the Lord’s Table with their parents for a blessing, but are asked to fold their arms across their chests to indicate they are to receive a blessing. All those who commune are asked to indicate their participation by marking the appropriate column in the Red Attendance Books as they are passed at the beginning of the Worship Service.
IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE SACRAMENT, the wine is made available in both the individual glasses and the common cup. Following the distribution of the bread, the individual cups will be offered. Then the common cup will be offered to those who do not have an individual cup in their hand. The acolyte will then gather the individual glasses. For those who have an intolerance to wine, grape juice is lighter colored in the individual communion glasses. Those who find it difficult to walk to the altar can be communed in the pew. Please inform the usher of your need.
ATTENDANCE BOOKS PLEASE BE SURE TO PASS ALONG THE RED ATTENDANCE BOOKS IN YOUR ROW AND ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO SIGN IT. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR MINISTRY OF CARE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.
Questioning God’s Wisdom: The Book of Job
One of the Bible’s greatest wisdom books is the book of Job, but this book can be like trying to pick up sand. We know there is something there, but it just keeps slipping between our fingers. We all suffer—personally and privately. We also suffer in more public ways: a husband loses a job, a child gets divorced, a parent dies. And now, thanks to the media, we can see and experience more and more of the world’s catastrophes and suffering any time of the day. Let’s look and see what Job learns as he Questions God’s Wisdom.
Today: With Friends Like these, who needs enemies? Today we look at Job's friends and see how we might not actually be Job in the story but his terrible friends.
(Asterisks (**) indicate that the People stand)
** THE OPENING HYMN “The Lord is My Salvation”
The grace of God has reached for me, and pulled me from the raging sea.
And I am safe on this solid ground: The Lord is my salvation.
I will not fear when darkness falls, His strength will help me scale these walls.
I’ll see the dawn of the rising sun: The Lord is my salvation.
Refrain
Who is like the Lord our God? Strong to save, faithful in love.
My debt is paid and the victory won, the Lord is my salvation.
My hope is hidden in the Lord, He flow’rs each promise of His Word.
When winter fades, I know spring will come: The Lord is my salvation.
In times of waiting , times of need. When I know loss, when I am week.
I know His grace will renew these days: The Lord is my salvation. (Refrain)
And when I reach the final day, He will not leave me in the grave,
But I will rise Christ will call me home: The Lord is my salvation. (Refrain)
** THE INVOCATION AND CALL TO WORSHIP
Pastor: We believe that Jesus died on the tree of the cross to give us a living hope.
People: We flee to no other refuge,
Pastor: We wash in no other fountain,
People: We build on no other foundation,
Pastor: Nor do we listen to any other voice.
People: Enable us in our pain and disappointment, to find joy in our Savior.
Pastor: Our Lord is too wise to error and too tender to crush us
People: And too merciful to cast us away from His presence.
** THE PASSING OF THE PEACE
Pastor: The peace of the Lord be with you all.
PEOPLE: AND ALSO WITH YOU.
(We greet one another with the handshake of peace and with the words
“The Peace of the Lord be with you.”)
** THE HYMN OF PRAISE “A Simple Word of Grace”
A simple word of grace is all I need,
Flowing from a cross, a cross for me.
A gentle word of love is all I need,
Flowing from a cross, a cross for me. (REFRAIN)
REFRAIN
JESUS, YOU HAVE GIVEN ME
ALL OF YOUR GRACE SO TENDERLY
I LIFT MY HANDS AND PRAISE YOUR NAME
JESUS, YOU HAVE GIVEN ME.
ALL OF YOUR LOVE SO TENDERLY
I LIFT MY HEART INTO YOUR HANDS.
THE CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
During Confession we take time to slow down and realize how we have lost God’s Great Story of goodness. We have served ourselves and our interests above God.
(Take a moment of silent reflection upon our need for God’s forgiveness)
Pastor: O Almighty God,
PEOPLE: WE CONFESS THAT WE HAVE SINNED AGAINST YOU IN OUR THOUGHTS, OUR WORDS, AND OUR ACTIONS. YOU HAVE GIVEN US ALL THE THINGS WE NEED IN THIS LIFE, YET WE DEMAND MORE AND WASTE WHAT YOU HAVE GIVEN TO US. WE HAVE TAKEN CREDIT FOR YOUR GIFTS AND BLESSINGS IN OUR LIVES. WE ASK FOR YOUR FORGIVENESS. FOR OUR SELF-SERVING ACTIONS AGAINST YOU AND OUR NEIGHBORS. FOR THE SAKE OF JESUS CHRIST HAVE MERCY ON US AND FORGIVE US OUR SINS. AMEN.
Pastor: The Story of Jesus………..As your pastor called to this place, God has indeed heard your prayer and in the name and by the command of Jesus Christ Himself, it is my great privilege to announce to you all, your sins are forgiven, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
PEOPLE: AMEN.
** THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we adore You and worship You, for You saw us in our wretched state and sent Christ Jesus to die upon Calvary’s tree so that we might have hope—hope today and hope forever; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
PEOPLE: AMEN.
THE FIRST LESSON Job 19:1-29
Literally, a redeemer “buys back” something that was taken away. In the Old Testament, kinsmen-redeemers are men who buy their relatives out of slavery, buy family property back from creditors, or marry their brothers’ widows to save the women from destitution. |
Then Job answered and said:
“How long will you torment me
and break me in pieces with words?
These ten times you have cast reproach upon me;
are you not ashamed to wrong me?
And even if it be true that I have erred,
my error remains with myself.
If indeed you magnify yourselves against me
and make my disgrace an argument against me,
know then that God has put me in the wrong
and closed his net about me.
Behold, I cry out, ‘Violence!’ but I am not answered;
I call for help, but there is no justice.
He has walled up my way, so that I cannot pass,
and he has set darkness upon my paths.
He has stripped from me my glory
and taken the crown from my head.
He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone,
and my hope has he pulled up like a tree.
He has kindled his wrath against me
and counts me as his adversary.
His troops come on together;
they have cast up their siege ramp[a] against me
and encamp around my tent.
“He has put my brothers far from me,
and those who knew me are wholly estranged from me.
My relatives have failed me,
my close friends have forgotten me.
The guests in my house and my maidservants count me as a stranger;
I have become a foreigner in their eyes.
I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer;
I must plead with him with my mouth for mercy.
My breath is strange to my wife,
and I am a stench to the children of my own mother.
Even young children despise me;
when I rise they talk against me.
All my intimate friends abhor me,
and those whom I loved have turned against me.
My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh,
and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O you my friends,
for the hand of God has touched me!
Why do you, like God, pursue me?
Why are you not satisfied with my flesh?
“Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
Oh that with an iron pen and lead
they were engraved in the rock forever!
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.[b]
And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
yet in[c] my flesh I shall see God,
whom I shall see for myself,
and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
My heart faints within me!
If you say, ‘How we will pursue him!’
and, ‘The root of the matter is found in him,’[d]
be afraid of the sword,
for wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
that you may know there is a judgment.”
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
PEOPLE: THANKS BE TO GOD.
THE SECOND LESSON 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5
Paul brings the situation to life for them: on one side, the rebellious one opposes God by corrupting God’s world, telling lies, and instigating fear; but on the other side, there’s Jesus, who comes from above and rains mercy over the world with His blood |
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored,[b] as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
PEOPLE: THANKS BE TO GOD.
“Return to the Lord”
Re-turn to the Lord, your God,
for He is gracious and merci-ful
slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love,
and abounding in steadfast love.
** THE HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 25:1-13
Jesus provides a picture of the coming reality of the kingdom of heaven. He gives them another image of the same reality to bring the picture into focus. Once they were bridesmaids waiting for their bridegroom; now they are slaves waiting for their Master. |
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Pastor: The Gospel of the Lord
PEOPLE: PRAISE TO YOU, O CHRIST.
“Holy Lamb of God” Worship Team Only
** THE APOSTLES’ CREED
SERMON HYMN “Oh How He Loves You and Me ” Worship Team Only
THE SERMON Pastor Cris Escher
Questioning God’s Wisdom: With Friends Like These
** THE OFFERTORY
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit with-in me.
Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your free Spirit.
** THE PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
(After each petition)
Pastor: . . . Lord, in your mercy,
PEOPLE: HEAR OUR PRAYER.
** THE LORD’S PRAYER
THE ORDER OF HOLY COMMUNION
Pastor: In broken bread and the cup that we share,
PEOPLE: WE REMEMBER YOU, O LORD.
Pastor: In broken bread and the cup that we share,
PEOPLE: WE RECEIVE YOUR FORGIVENESS, O LORD.
Pastor: In broken bread and the cup that we share,
PEOPLE: WE RECEIVE THE TRUE BODY AND BLOOD OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.
Pastor: Come to us now, O Lord, in this bread and cup, that we may taste once again of Your grace and mercy. Strengthen and renew us for service in Your kingdom, that we may show forth Your glory in all the world.
** THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION
THE DISTRIBUTION HYMNS
“Behold the Lamb”
Behold the Lamb who bears our sins away, slain for us—and we remember
The promise made that all who come in faith find forgiveness at the cross.
So we share in this bread of life and we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bond of peace around the table of our King.
The body of our Savior Jesus Christ, torn for you, eat and remember;
The wounds that heal the death that brings us life paid the price to make us one.
So we share in this bread of life and we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bond of love around the table of our King.
The blood that cleanses every stain of sin, shed for you- drink and remember
He drained death’s cup that all may enter in to receive the life of God.
So we share in this bread of life and we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bond of grace around the table of our King.
And so with thankfulness and faith we rise to respond- and to remember
Our call to follow in the steps of Christ as His body here on earth.
As we share in His suffering, we proclaim Christ will come again!
And we’ll join in the feast of heaven around the table of our King.
“Blessed Assurance ”
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
(CHORUS)
THIS IS MY STORY, THIS IS MY SONG,
PRAISING MY SAVIOR ALL THE DAY LONG;
THIS IS MY STORY, THIS IS MY SONG,
PRAISING MY SAVIOR ALL THE DAY LONG.
Perfect submission, perfect delight!
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love. (CHORUS)
Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest;
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love. (CHORUS)
“As the Deer”
As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after Thee.
You alone are my heart’s desire, and I long to worship Thee.
REFRAIN
YOU ALONE ARE MY STRENGTH, MY SHIELD;
TO YOU ALONE MAY MY SPIRIT YIELD.
YOU ALONE ARE MY HEART’S DESIRE,
AND I LONG TO WORSHIP THEE.
You’re my friend and You are my brother even though You are a King.
I love You more than any other, so much more than anything. (REFRAIN)
I want You more than gold or silver, only You can satisfy.
You alone are the real joy giver and the apple of my eye. (REFRAIN)
** THE BLESSING
Pastor: May God be with you and bless you, even when the world and all those around you are tearing you down. May you know that the Lord is our Redeemer and that our Redeemer lives. So go into that world bringing hope of the alive Redeemer to everyone you meet.
PEOPLE: AMEN.
** THE CLOSING HYMN “On What Has Now Been Sown”
On what has now been sown Your blessing, Lord, bestow;
The pow’r is Yours alone to make it sprout and grow.
O Lord, in grace the harvest raise, and Yours alone shall be the praise!
To You our wants are known, from You are all our pow’rs;
Accept what is Your own, and pardon what is ours.
Our praises, Lord, and prayers receive, and to Your word a blessing give.
Oh, grant that each of us, now met before you here,
May meet together thus when You and Yours appear,
And follow You to heav’n, our home. E’en so, amen! Lord Jesus, come!
Pastor: Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
PEOPLE: THANKS BE TO GOD.
Today March 19, 2017
Bible Study and Sunday School 8:45 am
Worship 10:00 am
Grace Quarterly Meeting Immediately following worship
Fellowship 11:15 am
Korean Church Worship 1:00 pm
This Week
Via de Cristo @ Bocks home Monday, 6:30 pm
MOPS Tuesday, 9.00 am
Mah-jongg Wednesday, Noon
Midweek Potluck Wednesday, 5:00 pm
Midweek Service Wednesday, 6:00 pm
Bible Study @Perkin’s Restaurant Thursday, 7:30 am
Worship Team Thursday, 10:00 am
Confirmation Class Thursday, 6:00 pm
Korean Church Prayer Meeting Saturday, 6:00 am
SUNDAY SCHOOL AND ADULT BIBLE CLASS will begin at 8:45. Students from grades 4 through 7 will be together in one class taught by Barbara Ruzicka. We will be using the children’s room. Friends are welcome. And of course, all adults are invited to participate in the Sunday Morning Adult Bible Class.
THE FLOWERS adorning the altar this morning are given to the glory of Jesus, our Savior by Kevin Garber in memory of Andrew.
BIRTHDAY GREETINGS Bill Lemke, 3/24.
ANNIVERSARIES Gerald & Debbie Lindstrom, 3/24 (34)
EASTER DECOR Praise the Lord through your gift of a donation to purchase plants to decorate for our Easter services. The cost of each plant is $13.95. As in the past, you may designate your gift as a memorial or in honor of. Forms are included with your bulletins.
FLOWER CHART A new flower chart is posted on the bulletin board in the narthex. If you would like to order flowers to adorn the altar for a specific Sunday, please write your name on the appropriate line. The cost per Sunday is $27.00. We thank you for your help.
PRAYER LIST If you have family and/or friends you would like our members to include in our prayers, please submit their names in writing by completing one of the forms in the narthex or send an email to the church office at Grace LutheranPSL@gmail.com and title it Prayer List. Thank you.
THURSDAYS, AT 6:00 pm, CONFIRMATION CLASSES are offered in the sanctuary. All are invited. If you would like a refresher course, please feel free to join us.
Lenten Midweek Gatherings Join us on Wednesday evenings until Holy Week at 5:00 for potluck dinner followed by 6:00 worship and study.
FAMILY MEALS EASTER FOOD DRIVE Please donate the following requested items: canned vegetables, dessert mixes, reusable grocery bags, egg dyes; also gift cards. Food drive ends March 31. Items will be picked up here at Grace. Phone: 772/210-0900. Find Family meals on Facebook or http://www.familymealsonc.org/. Email-familymealsfl@gmail.com.
Grace Lutheran Church March 26, 2017
CCLI 1276473 Page
God created the Sun, Moon, and Stars on Day 4 to bring order. But the sun went dark as the Creator took our chaos. You don't have to fix your life in the dark; the Lamb is your light.