Sermon March 29, 2020 - The Fifth Sunday in Lent

I’m sure if I start, you can finish with me:

‘Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put Humpty together again.’

It’s one of the oldest nursery rhymes in the English language. It’s also incredibly versatile – so versatile that it’s been used to illustrate the second law of thermodynamics, which states that the total entropy of an isolated system can never decrease over time, and is constant if and only if all processes are reversible. Or, as I understand it, that you can’t put Humpty together again. Lower entropy is order, solidity, and stability. Maximum entropy is chaos, dissolution, destruction. I’m pretty sure I’m right, but if I’m not, someone will correct me.

But it doesn’t take a theoretical physicist to understand that once the logs have been reduced to ash, you can’t burn them again;, and that you can’t unspill milk, so you shouldn’t cry over it, and that when Humpty Dumpty has a great fall, all the king’s horses and all the king’s men will be of no help at all.

Service of the Word - March 29, 2020

A Service of the Word will be livestreamed Sunday, March 29 at 10:30 a.m. on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ststephenpittsburgh.

You need not have a Facebook account to access the livestream.

The order of service is printed below.

SERVICE OF THE WORD – St. Stephen Lutheran Church

March 29, 2020 – The Fifth Sunday in Lent

HYMN            My Faith Looks Up to Thee                    Lutheran Book of Worship 479

                                                                                                                             

1      My faith looks up to thee,

        thou Lamb of Calvary,

        Savior divine!

        Now hear me while I pray,

        take all my guilt away,

        oh, let me from this day

        be wholly thine!

2      May thy rich grace impart

        strength to my fainting heart,

        my zeal inspire;

        as thou hast died for me,

        oh, may my love to thee

        pure, warm, and changeless be,

        a living fire!

3      While life's dark maze I tread

        and griefs around me spread,

        be thou my guide;

        bid darkness turn to day,

        wipe sorrow's tears away,

        nor let me ever stray

        from thee aside.

4      When ends life's transient dream,

        when death's cold, sullen stream

        shall o'er me roll;

        blest Savior, then, in love

        fear and distrust remove;

        oh, bear me safe above,

        a ransomed soul!

Evening Prayer - March 25, 2020 7 p.m.

Go to Evening Prayer

Here is the order of service for tonight. It may be printed, opened in another browser window or on another device, or simply not used. You may instead wish to use your Lutheran Book of Worship, if you have one at home. Evening Prayer can be found on page 142 in the front of your book.

EVENING PRAYER

Vespers

L          Jesus Christ is the Light of the world,

C         the light no darkness can overcome.

L          Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening,

C         and the day is almost over.

L          Let your light scatter the darkness,

C         and illumine your Church.

L          Joyous light of glory:

C         of the immortal Father;

                        heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ.

            We have come to the setting of the sun,

                        and we look to the evening light.

            We sing to God, the Father, Son,

                        and Holy Spirit:

            You are worthy of being praised

                        with pure voices forever.

            O Son of God, O Giver of life:

                        The universe proclaims your glory.

L          Blessed are you, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who led your people Israel by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night: Enlighten our darkness by the light of your Christ; may his Word be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path; for you are merciful, and you love your whole creation, and we, your creatures, glorify you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

C         Amen

The PSALMODY begins with this song for forgiveness and protection.

C         Let my prayer rise before you as incense;

                        the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

I           O Lord, I call to you; come to me quickly;

                        hear my voice when I cry to you.

II         Let my prayer rise before you as incense;

                        the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

I           Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord,

                        and guard the door of my lips.

II         Let not my heart incline to any evil thing;

                        let me not be occupied in wickedness with evildoers.

I           But my eyes are turned to you, Lord God;

                        in you I take refuge. Strip me not of my life.

II         Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;

I                       as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

C         Let my prayer rise before you as incense;

                        the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Silence for meditation.

L          Let the incense of our repentant prayer ascend before you, O Lord, and let your lovingkindness descend upon us, that with purified minds we may sing your praises with the Church on earth and the whole heavenly host, and may glorify you forever and ever.

C         Amen

Hymn              Savior of the Nations, Come                 Lutheran Book of Worship 28

Savior of the Nations, come,

show the glory of your Son;

Every people stand in awe,

praise the perfect Son of God.

Not of human seed or worth,

but of God’s own mystic breath.

Fruit in Mary’s womb begun

when God breathed the Word, his Son.

Wondrous birth! O wondrous child,

of the Virgin undefiled!

Mighty God and man in one,

Eager now his race to run!

God the Father is his source,

Back to God he runs his course;

Down to death and hell descends,

God’s high throne he reascends.

He leaves heaven to return;

traveling where dull hellfires burn;

Riding out, returning home

As the Savior who has come.

God the Father’s precious Son

Girds himself in flesh to run

For the trophies of our souls,

Longer than this round earth rolls.

Shining stable in the night,

Breathing vict’ry with your light;

Darkness cannot hide your flame,

Shining bright as Jesus’ name.

Readings

Response

L          In many and various ways God spoke to his people of old by the prophets.

C         But now in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.

The GOSPEL CANTICLE is sung.

C         My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

            my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

            for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

            From this day all generations will call me blessed.

                        The Almighty has done great things for me,

                        and holy is his name.

                        He has mercy on those who fear him

                        in every generation.

            He has shown the strength of his arm;

            he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

            He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

            and has lifted up the lowly.

            He has filled the hungry with good things,

            and the rich he has sent away empty.

            He has come to the help of his servant Israel,

            for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

            the promise he made to our fathers,

            to Abraham and his children forever.

            Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;

                        as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

The Litany is sung, and the people respond, ‘Lord, have mercy.’

The following prayer is sung:

L          For the faithful who have gone before us and are at rest, let us give thanks to the Lord.

C         Thanks be to God.

L          Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

Silence for meditation.

L          Rejoicing in the fellowship of all the saints, let us commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to Christ, our Lord.

C         To you, O Lord.

Prayer of the Day for the Annunciation

Prayer for time of pandemic

Prayer for peace

C         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

L          Let us bless the Lord.

C         Thanks be to God.

L          The almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve us.

C         Amen

March 25, 2020

Two things this morning: 

1. Here is a link to the Allegheny County COVID-19 site, which also includes a rumor control link. Very necessary to control the 'outbreak,' if you will, of false information.

2. Vespers will be livestreamed at 7 pm this evening from St. Stephen, marking the Feast of the Annunciation of our Lord. Only nine months until Christmas! 

Please visit https://www.facebook.com/ststephenpittsburgh/.

Stay in and stay faithful!

Living without that which we cannot live without

Most of you know by now that Allegheny County is under a stay-at-home order. Only life-essential travel is permitted. However, one of the few exceptions to this order is religious institutions. We are not closed because we have to be. We could, if we desired, still hold public worship services, and it is perfectly legal. Some churches are still holding worship.

I know that many of us would be uncomfortable coming to church at this time. But some are asking: why should the church close if people feel they need in this time of crisis to worship and pray together? Should those who desire it be barred from the Holy Communion, the sure and certain sign of God's love for us in Christ? Is this bread of life and medicine for the soul not more essential even than food and medicine for the body? And if we are not forced by law to close, why then are we closing? Is it out of fear of illness or death?

It's important for us to understand that if government would try to force us to cease gathering to worship God for whatever reason, however laudable, it would be wrong. We might well decide, at that point, that 'we should obey God rather than men' (Acts 5:29). And we also would not close simply out of fear for the safety of our staff or parishioners. Christians do not fear death, and so this cannot be a reason for ceasing to worship together. Neither is it because no one would come to church, because we do not hold worship to draw crowds.

Why, then, are we suspending services? We are doing so out of our Christian freedom, for the sake of others. Our Lord Jesus tells us to 'love our neighbors as ourselves' (Matthew 22:39). In love for our neighbors, we are freely sacrificing, for a time, that which cannot be sacrificed - the gathering of our faith family, the singing of God's praise together, the proclamation of God's Word of grace and forgiveness, the hugs and handshakes at the peace, the eating of the one bread and drinking of the one cup.

We do so because any of us who would gather could have the coronavirus - even if we did not feel sick. Perhaps it would be fine if it were just us taking the risk. But if we were to hold worship, and thereby provide another conduit for the pandemic to spread, we might well be not only putting each other at risk but putting our neighbors outside the church at grave risk. We might be contributing to the exponential spread of this disease that threatens to overload our system of public health, overwhelm our institutions, destroy our economy, and kill many people, both our fellow Americans and people of all nations. 

Thus, we should understand our suspension of worship not as something forced upon us but as a fast - perhaps as a Lenten fast. This particular Lenten fast may well last beyond Lent. But it is a fast of love, a time when we live without that which we cannot live without, for the sake of others. It is also a loving act when we stay home and do not make unnecessary trips. For a disciple, everything a Christian does is related to his or her discipleship.

And perhaps it is a fast of repentance of well. For in the Ash Wednesday liturgy we confessed 'our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us.' These words apply to your pastor as well, for there are routines of personal prayer and worship in which I have been negligent. If we, in this time when we must fast from worship, feel the need to be in worship and cannot do so, then maybe when we can gather again we will not take the gift so lightly.

Blessings to you as you live without that which cannot be lived without, for the sake of your neighbor. Christ protect and guard you.

Pastor Frontz 

Sermon March 22 - Fourth Sunday in Lent

Here is the text of the sermon on March 22, 2020.

You can also hear it in the archived worship service on our Facebook page.

Grace and peace from God our Father and from Christ Jesus, our Lord. 

‘I am the light of the world,’ Jesus says to his disciples, and it was true then and it is true now. For without becoming too dramatic, the pandemic which has brought our society to a halt shows us once again that life can change, seemingly in an instant. The systems we have created for ourselves, the comforts we can accumulate, and the seemingly settled courses of our lives are fragile and transitory. If we are to look for anything permanent, anything life-giving, we must look somewhere else.

At the same time, the pandemic and its accompanying effects can lead us face to face with darkness. We may see the darkness become evident when we see politicians and professional opinion givers trying to blame their opponents and promote conspiracy theories about the outbreak of an epidemic. We see people hoarding necessary items and perhaps trying to resell them at a higher price.

But if we are honest with ourselves, the events of these days and the threat of the days to come can also lead us deep into our hearts to the darkness that dwells there. Fear, hatred, envy, despair, bravado, self-pity, desire, and other raw emotions and impulses may co-exist with our other more rational responses and bubble up to the surface when we least expect it. An unplanned tirade at a family member, a seemingly irrational urge to panic-buy, a stubborn insistence on our rights, or a sidelong glance at someone of another race or country of origin taking what we view to be ‘ours’ may disturb our illusions of being immune, if you will, from the madness infecting the world.

Into this world, into our hearts, the light of the world comes. He comes with the gift of sight, the sight of the soul. Into this world he comes and lays bare the irrationality of the world and the darkness which still dwells in our hearts. Into a world of spiritual and moral chaos, where everything is without form and void, he brings a light that does not dazzle, that brings order to our spiritual lives, into the state of being able to distinguish what is and what is not. In his light we can judge between right and wrong, truth and falsehood, need and want.  

We are given light to see who we are and whose we are. We are not at our core victims of a pandemic; we don’t have to be simply opinion givers and fearmongers and self-pitiers. We are God’s, and God is ours. For those who receive the light of Christ see themselves in his light and in his light only. We are sinners, yet we are forgiven; we are oppressed by the evil one, yet while we have God’s word, we are not crushed; we will no doubt die, yet we have the promise of new and eternal life.

There will be more darkness in the days ahead. Let us live in the light of God’s love in Christ. Let us live confidently. Let us live not blaming others, not nursing our anger, not wallowing in self-pity, but let us live with forgiveness and love and faith in the future. When the darkness of fear bubbles forth from the depths of our hearts, let us remember words we hear in 1 John: ‘There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear.’ Let us live so that we may reflect that light to others. For in the letter to the Ephesians we find these words: ‘Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light – for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.’

Many of us must remain at home except for rare trips outside for essentials. Many of us who have direct responsibility for others must continue to work in a world of an unseen enemy. Whatever our calling in this time, this time is God’s. We dare not simply use it for ourselves. We must use our time, our creativity, and whatever we have been given in order that we may be reflections of Christ, those who reflect his light to others. The opportunities to do so will be given to us in multiple and perhaps unexpected ways in the days to come.

Into this world, the light has shined. May you rejoice in it and let us bear it forward into the darkness, until we emerge into the new world God has prepared for us.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

     

Worship service online: March 22, 2020

Please join the St. Stephen Faith Family today at 10:30 a.m. for online worship! 

The service will be broadcast on our Facebook page. Even if you do not have Facebook, you can watch the broadcast. 

The order of service is below. You may wish to print it out, or, alternately, to have it handy on another device or in another window on your computer as you watch the broadcast. Or you may simply follow along without the order of service.

May God bless you!

SERVICE OF THE WORD – St. Stephen Lutheran Church

Fourth Sunday in Lent - March 22, 2020

HYMN            O God, Our Help in Ages Past          Lutheran Book of Worship 320

                                                                                                                             

1              O God, our help in ages past,

                our hope for years to come,

                our shelter from the stormy blast,

                and our eternal home:

2              Under the shadow of your throne

                your saints have dwelt secure;

                sufficient is your arm alone,

                and our defense is sure.

3              Before the hills in order stood

                or earth received its frame,

                from everlasting you are God,

                to endless years the same.

4              A thousand ages in your sight

                are like an evening gone,

                short as the watch that ends the night

                before the rising sun.

5              Time, like an ever-rolling stream,

                soon bears us all away;

                we fly forgotten, as a dream

                dies at the op’ning day.

6              O God, our help in ages past,

                our hope for years to come,

                still be our guard while troubles last

                and our eternal home!

Text: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, alt.

DIALOG

Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

                Praised be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

                the Father of all mercies, and the God of all consolation.

Seek the Lord while he may be found.

                Call upon him while he is near.

Let the wicked abandon their ways,

                and the unrighteous their thoughts.

Let them turn to the Lord for mercy,

                to our God, who is generous in forgiving.

All you who are thirsty, come to the water.

You who have no money, come, receive bread, and eat.

Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk.

                Praised be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

                the Father of all mercies, and the God of all consolation.

APOSTLES’ CREED

L             God has made us his people through our Baptism into Christ. Living together in trust and hope, we confess our faith.

C             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 into hell.

                                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

PRAYER OF THE DAY

L             The Lord be with you.

C             And also with you.

L             Let us pray. . .

God of all mercy, by your power to heal and to forgive, graciously cleanse us from all sin and make us strong; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C             Amen

FIRST LESSON

Ephesians 5:8-14

⁸Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light—⁹for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. ¹⁰Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. ¹²For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; ¹³but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, ¹⁴for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
 “Sleeper, awake!
  Rise from the dead,
 and Christ will shine on you.”

PSALM 23

¹ The Lord | is my shepherd;*

                I shall not | be in want.

² He makes me lie down | in green pastures*

                and leads me be- | side still waters.

³ He re- | vives my soul*

                and guides me along right pathways | for his name's sake.

⁴ Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall | fear no evil;*

                for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they | comfort me.

⁵ You spread a table before me in the presence of those who | trouble me;*

                you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is | running over.

⁶ Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days | of my life,*

                and I will dwell in the house of the | Lord forever.

SECOND LESSON                            John 9:1-41

¹As [Jesus] walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. ²His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. ⁴We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” ⁶When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, ⁷saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. ⁸The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” ¹⁰But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” ¹¹He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” ¹²They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
  ¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. ¹⁴Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. ¹⁵Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” ¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. ¹⁷So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”
  ¹⁸The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight ¹⁹and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” ²⁰His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; ²¹but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” ²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. ²³Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
  ²⁴So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” ²⁵He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” ²⁶They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” ²⁷He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” ²⁸Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. ²⁹We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” ³⁰The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. ³¹We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. ³²Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. ³³If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” ³⁴They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.
  ³⁵Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” ³⁶He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” ³⁷Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” ³⁸He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. ³⁹Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” ⁴⁰Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” ⁴¹Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

SERMON                                                            

HYMN                                   God, Whose Almighty Word              Lutheran Book of Worship 400

1              God, whose almighty word

                chaos and darkness heard

                and took their flight:

                hear us, we humbly pray,

                and where the gospel day

                sheds not its glorious ray,

                let there be light!

2              Lord, who once came to bring,

                on your redeeming wing,

                healing and sight,

                health to the sick in mind,

                sight to the inly blind:

                oh, now to humankind

                let there be light!

3              Spirit of truth and love,

                life-giving, holy dove,

                speed forth your flight;

                move on the water’s face

                bearing the lamp of grace,

                and in earth’s darkest place

                let there be light!

4              Holy and blessed three,

                glorious Trinity,

                wisdom, love, might!

                Boundless as ocean’s tide,

                rolling in fullest pride,

                through the earth, far and wide,

                let there be light!

               

THE PRAYERS

A             Called as disciples of Jesus to prayer and praise,

let us pray in the Spirit to the Father:

Silence is kept.

A             For the renewal of the Spirit of baptism in the whole Church throughout the world; Lord, in your mercy,

C             hear our prayer.

A             For all those who search for you, that with the eyes of their hearts enlightened, they may know the immeasurable greatness of his power for those who believe. Lord, in your mercy:

C             hear our prayer.

A             For our congregation; guide us as individuals, as families, and as a faith family in your right pathways: Lord, in your mercy,

C             hear our prayer.

A             For the government, the armed forces, medical professionals, first responders,  and those who protect and serve our communities: Lord, in your mercy,

C             hear our prayer.

A             For the nations of the world, refugees and stateless persons, and for all in need of body, mind, and spirit: Lord, in your mercy,

C             hear our prayer.

A             For our mission partner, Lutheran Military Veterans and Family Ministry, and the Rev. Leslie Haines; Lord, in your mercy,

C             hear our prayer.

A             For all we hold dear, all for whom we have been asked to pray, especially those we name now aloud and in the silence of our hearts…

A             Lord, in your mercy,

C             hear our prayer.

A             In thanksgiving for all who have died in faith, whose fruit was good, right, and true; that with them we may rejoice when we behold your light in the world to come. Lord, in your mercy,

C             hear our prayer.

P          We pray to you, almighty God, in this time of pandemic. You are our refuge and our strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Do not let us fail in the face of these events. Uphold us with your love, and give us the strength we need. Help us in our confusion, and guide our actions. Heal the sick, console the bereaved and afflicted, protect the innocent and helpless, and deliver all who are in peril; Lord, in your mercy,

C                 hear our prayer.

P              Father, receive these prayers and petitions through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C             Amen

C             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

ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE FAITH FAMILY

BENEDICTION

L             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 us peace.

C             Amen

HYMN                                   A Mighty Fortress is Our God                           Lutheran Book of Worship 229

1              A mighty fortress is our God,

                a sword and shield victorious;

                he breaks the cruel oppressor's rod

        and wins salvation glorious.                   

                The old satanic foe

                has sworn to work us woe!

                With craft and dreadful might

                he arms himself to fight.

                On earth he has no equal.

2              No strength of ours can match his might!

                We would be lost, rejected.

                But now a champion comes to fight,

                whom God himself elected.

                You ask who this may be?

                The Lord of hosts is he!

                Christ Jesus, mighty Lord,

                God's only Son, adored.

                He holds the field victorious.

3              Though hordes of devils fill the land

                all threat'ning to devour us,

                we tremble not, unmoved we stand;

                they cannot overpow'r us.

                Let this world's tyrant rage;

                in battle we'll engage!

                His might is doomed to fail;

                God's judgment must prevail!

                One little word subdues him.

4              God's Word forever shall abide,

                no thanks to foes, who fear it;

                for God himself fights by our side

                with weapons of the Spirit.

                Were they to take our house,

                goods, honor, child, or spouse,

                though life be wrenched away,

                they cannot win the day.

                The kingdom's ours forever!

A             Be at peace. Serve the Lord.

C             Thanks be to God!