Order of Worship - Sunday, June 28, 9:30 a.m.

The livestream may be found here.

THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

 

Evening Prayer, June 24, 2020 - 7:00 pm

EVENING PRAYER for Wednesday after 3 Pentecost

Vespers

(Lutheran Book of Worship, page 142)

 

Sermon June 21, 2020

'The good news of the kingdom of heaven, that in Christ God is reigning here and now, is bad news indeed for those who would reign instead of God. But more than that, it is bad news for us insofar as we want to control our own lives, make our own decisions without hearing God’s Word, and be satisfied with our own righteousness. There is a resistance we all have to God’s Word that simply can’t be discovered until we run up against the one thing that reveals to us how bitter the Word is for our old self.'

Order of Worship: Sunday, June 21 9:30 a.m.

THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

 

Evening Prayer - Wednesday, June 17 7:00 pm

EVENING PRAYER for Wednesday after 2 Pentecost

Vespers

(Lutheran Book of Worship, page 142)

Order of Worship - Sunday, June 14, 2020, 9:30 a.m.

Dear friends,

Please find below the worship bulletin for Sunday, June 14 at 9:30 a.m. The livestream can be viewed HERE.

(Note: you don't have to stand when the directions say so, although if you really want to, you can!)

Pastor Frontz

A Journey Through Luther's Catechism, Episode Five: The Praise of the Ears

Evening Prayer June 10, 2020, 7 p.m.

EVENING PRAYER for the 2^nd Wednesday after Pentecost

Vespers

(Lutheran Book of Worship, page 142)

Livestream at www.facebook.com/ststephenpittsburgh

A Pastoral Letter from Bishop Dan Selbo

Please read the June 8 pastoral letter from Dan Selbo, the Bishop of the North American Lutheran Church, entitled 'First Steps in Addressing Racial Tension.'

Sermon, June 7, 2020 - Holy Trinity Sunday

 Jesus makes us part of the Triune mission to the world. Empowered by his Spirit, we are sent in Jesus’ name to speak of the love of God the Father which reconciles us to him and unites us as God's people. We are Jesus’ body in the world, in mission to the world, so that all may know God as Father. 

But how can we say that we want to make disciples of people for whom we will not speak when they are endangered?

Order of Worship - June 7, 2020, 9:30 a.m.

Please find the order of worship below. The livestream can be accessed at  www.facebook.com/ststephenpittsburgh.

Evening Prayer, Wednesday, June 3, 7:00 pm

EVENING PRAYER for Wednesday after Pentecost

Vespers

(Lutheran Book of Worship, page 142)

 

Jesus Christ is the Light of the World,

The light no darkness can overcome.

Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening,

And the day is almost over.

Let your light scatter the darkness,

And illumine your Church.

 

Joyous light of glory:

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.

 

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give him thanks and praise.

 

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.

Amen

 

 Let my prayer rise before you as incense;

            the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

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

            hear my voice when I cry to you.

Let my prayer rise before you as incense;

            the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord,

            and guard the door of my lips.

Let not my heart incline to any evil thing;

            let me not be occupied in wickedness with evildoers.

But my eyes are turned to you, Lord God;

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

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.

Let my prayer rise before you as incense;

            the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

 

Silence for meditation.

 

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.

Amen

 

Psalm 1

 

¹ Happy are they who have not walked

     in the counsel | of the wicked,*

                nor lingered in the way of sinners,

                nor sat in the seats | of the scornful!

² Their delight is in the law | of the Lord,*

                and they meditate on his law | day and night.

³ They are like trees planted by streams of water,

bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that | do not wither;*

                everything they | do shall prosper.

 ⁴ It is not so | with the wicked;*

                they are like chaff which the wind | blows away.

⁵ Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright

     when | judgment comes,*

                nor the sinner in the council | of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord knows the way | of the righteous,*

                but the way of the wick- | ed is doomed.

 

The proper psalm prayer is said, to which the congregation responds: Amen

 

Lord God, in your loving wisdom you have set us beside the fountain of life, like a tree planted by running streams. Grant that the cross of your Son may become our tree of life in the paradise of your saints, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

 

Hymn              We All Are One in Mission

                                With One Voice 755

 

The text of the hymn may not be reproduced here.

 

Reading                                                          1 Corinthians 12:1-13

 

¹Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. ²You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. ³Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.
⁴Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; ⁶and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. ⁷To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
¹²For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

 

Response

In many and various ways

God spoke to his people of old by the prophets.

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

 

The GOSPEL CANTICLE is sung.

 

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.

 

In peace, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

For all who offer today their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

For Dan, our bishop; for your unworthy servant; for all pastors in Christ, for all servants of the Church, and for all the people, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

For our public servants, for the government and those who protect us, that they may be upheld and strengthened in every good deed, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

For those who work to bring peace, justice, health, and protection in this and every place, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

For those who bring offerings, those who do good works in this congregation, those who toil, those who sing, and all the people here present who await from the Lord great and abundant mercy, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

 

For favorable weather, for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and need, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

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

Alleluia.

 

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

 

Silence for meditation.

 

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

To you, O Lord.

 

God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as you sent upon the disciples the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, look upon your Church and open our hearts to the power of the Spirit. Kindle in us the fire of your love, and strengthen our lives for service in your kingdom, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen

 

Almighty God, you have given us this good land as our heritage. Make us always remember your generosity and constantly do your will. Bless our land with honest industry, truthful education, and an honorable way of life. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil course of action. Make us who came from many nations with many different languages a united people. Defend our liberties and give those whom we have entrusted with the authority of government the spirit of wisdom, that there might be justice and peace in our land. When times are prosperous, let our hearts be thankful; and, in troubled times, do not let our trust in you fail. We ask all this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

 

Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to eliminate cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion of the abundance of this land; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.   

Amen

 

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; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

 

O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works: Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments; and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God forever.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

Let us bless the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

 

Hymn              To You, before the Close of Day

Lutheran Book of Worship 277

 

1              To you, before the close of day,

                Creator of the world, we pray!

                Your grace and peace to us allow

                and be our guard and keeper now.

 

2             From evil dreams defend our sight,

                from all the terrors of the night,

                from all deluding thoughts that creep

                on heedless minds disarmed by sleep.

 

3              O Father, this we ask be done

                through Jesus Christ, your only Son,

                who with the Holy Ghost and you

                shall live and reign all ages through. Amen

 

Text: compline office hymn, c. 8th cent.; tr. John M. Neale, 1818-1866, adapt.

 

 

 

Sermon

 

Prayer and Benediction

Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

 

The almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve you.

Amen

A Journey Through Luther's Catechism, Episode Four: Using God's Name

Sermon, Pentecost Sunday, May 31, 2020

'Today’s virus drives us apart. Jesus’ viral Spirit brings us together.

Today’s virus takes over healthy cells. Jesus’ viral Spirit heals unhealthy souls.

Today’s virus brings death. Jesus’ viral Spirit brings life.'