Conference Call: 1-712-770-4995
Participant’s code: 287179
Time: 11:10 a.m.
July 12, 2020
WELCOME to our worship service!
Scripture theme: We live in a world where people find a wide variety of reasons for refusing to acknowledge God as a worthwhile part of life. Today’s First Reading, Psalm, and Gospel combine to assure us that God’s word accomplishes what God intends. In the Second Reading St. Paul adds that the Spirit at work in us accomplishes what God desires.
The Eucharist: All baptized Christians who believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in the bread and wine of the Holy Communion are welcome at his table.
In the Name of Jesus
Gathering
Welcome
A time of silence.
Confession
P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, ✝ one God, whose steadfast love is everlasting, whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation.
C: Amen.
P: Trusting in the mercy of God, let us confess our sin.
Silence for reflection.
P: Reconciling God,
C: we confess that we do not trust your abundance, and we deny your presence in our lives. We place our hope in ourselves and rely on our own efforts. We fail to believe that you provide enough for all. We abuse your good creation for our own benefit. We fear difference and do not welcome others as you have welcomed us. We sin in thought, word, and deed. By your grace, forgive us; through your love, renew us; and in your Spirit, lead us; so that we may live and serve you in newness of life. Amen.
P: Beloved of God, by the radical abundance of divine mercy we have peace with God through ✝ Christ Jesus, through whom we have obtained grace upon grace. Our sins are forgiven. Let us live now in hope. For hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Hymn: Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty
Words: Benjamin Schmolck, 1672-1737
Music: unser herrscher, Joachim Neander, 1650-1680
Open now thy gates of beauty, Zion, let me enter there,
Where my soul in joyful duty waits for God who answers prayer.
Oh, how blessed is this place, filled with solace, light, and grace!
Here thy praise is gladly chanted, here thy seed is duly sown;
Let my soul, where it is planted, bring forth precious sheaves alone,
So that all I hear may be fruitful unto life in me.
Speak, O God, and I will hear thee, let thy will be done indeed;
May I undisturbed draw near thee while thou dost thy people feed.
Here of life the fountain flows; here is balm for all our woes.
Greeting
P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C: And also with you.
Prayer of the Day
P: Let us pray. Almighty God,
C: we thank you for planting in us the seed of your word. By your Holy Spirit help us to receive it with joy, live according to it, and grow in faith and hope and love, through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen.
Word
First Reading: Isaiah 55:10-13
10 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 "For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."
R: The word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Pause to contemplate the Word.
Psalm of Response: Psalm 65:1-13
P: Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
C: and to you shall vows be performed.
P: O you who hear prayer,
C: to you shall all flesh come.
P: When iniquities prevail against me,
C: you atone for our transgressions.
P: Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts!
C: We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!
P: By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
C: the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas;
P: the one who by his strength established the mountains,
C: being girded with might;
P: who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves,
C: the tumult of the peoples,
P: so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
C: You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
P: You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it;
C: the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain,
for so you have prepared it.
P: You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges,
C: softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.
P: You crown the year with your bounty;
C: your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
P: The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
C: the hills gird themselves with joy,
P: the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
C: the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.
Second Reading: Romans 8:1-11
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesusfrom the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
R: The word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Pause to contemplate the Word.
Gospel: (Introduced as follows:)
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the 13th chapter.
C: Glory to you, O Lord!
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9 He who has ears, let him hear."
18 "Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
P: The Gospel of our Lord.
C: Praise to you, O Christ!
Sermon
Hymn of the Day: We Plow the Fields and Scatter
Words: Matthias Claudius, 1740-1815; tr. Jane M. Campbell, 1817-1878
Music wir pflügen, Johann A.P. Schulz, 1747-1800
We plow the fields and scatter the good seed on the land,
but it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand,
who sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
the breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.
Refrain:
All good gifts around us are sent from heav’n above.
We thank you, Lord, we thank you, Lord, for all your love.
You only are the maker of all things near and far.
You paint the wayside flower, you light the evening star.
The winds and waves obey you, by you the birds are fed;
much more to us, your children, you give our daily bread.
Refrain
We thank you, our creator, for all things bright and good,
the seed-time and the harvest, our life, our health, our food.
No gifts have we to offer for all your love imparts,
but what you most would treasure–our humble, thankful hearts. Refrain
Prayer
Prayers of the Congregation
P: Strengthened by the Spirit who gives us words to speak and hearts that care, we bring our hopes and needs to God who listens.
Silence
P: Merciful God, you give your word to guide, correct, teach, and inspire.
C: Draw us into your story, and give us wisdom, understanding, and obedient hearts as we follow your Son, Jesus.
P: The amazing cycle of birth, growth, and death sustains your creation.
C: Bring forth an abundant harvest, keep farmers safe, and teach us to cherish life in all its forms and stages.
P: In places of war, bring peace; in places of hatred, sow love.
C: Help world leaders, including our President and Congress, to set aside their prejudices and work together for the good of all people.
P: We live in a land of plenty, and still there are those without enough to eat. Give us generous hearts toward those who are hungry.
C: Bless the hands of all who work at food distribution centers, as well as those who serve in agencies, such as Bread for the World and Northwest Harvest, that advocate for the hungry.
P: Raise up people for your church who will tend to your harvest as they live out their calling to love you and our neighbors.
C: We bring before you all church-related schools, all global and local Christian social service agencies, and leaders and members of all denominations.
A time for other intercessions.
P: We lift our prayers to you, God of mercy, confident that all things are in your hands. In Jesus’ name we pray.
C: Amen.
Meal
Great Thanksgiving
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Lift up your hearts.
C: We lift them to the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
P: It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places offer thanks and praise to you, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everliving God. You have revealed your glory as the glory also of your Son and the Holy Spirit, yet one Lord, one God ever to be adored in your everlasting glory. And so, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join in their unending hymn:
Holy, Holy, Holy
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
P: Holy God, holy and mighty one, holy and immortal:
C: You we praise and glorify, you we worship and adore.
P: You formed the earth from chaos; you encircled the globe with air;
C: you created fire for warmth and light; you nourish the lands with water.
P: You molded us in your image, and with mercy higher than the mountains, with grace deeper than the seas,
C: you blessed the Israelites and cherished them as your own.
P: That also we, estranged and dying, might be adopted to live in your Spirit, you called us through the life and death of Jesus, who in the night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Together as the body of Christ, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes:
C: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
P: With this bread and cup we remember your Son, the first-born of your new creation. We remember his life lived for others,
C: and his death and resurrection, which renews the face of the earth.
P: We await his coming when, with the world made perfect through your wisdom, all our sins and sorrows will be no more.
C: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
P: Holy God, send upon us and this meal your Holy Spirit, whose breath revives us for life, whose fire rouses us to love. Enfold in your arms all who share this holy food. Nurture in us the fruits of the Spirit, that we may be a living tree sharing your bounty with all the world.
C: Amen. Come, Holy Spirit.
P: Holy and benevolent God, receive our praise and petitions, as Jesus received the cry of the needy, and fill us with your blessing, until, needy no longer and bound to you in love, we feast forever in the triumph of the Lamb: through whom all glory and honor is yours, O God, with the Holy Spirit, in your holy Church, now and forever.
C: Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
P: Let us pray with confidence in the words our Savior gave us:
C: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
Communion
P: The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
C: Amen.
Prayer
P: Let us pray. Almighty God,
C: you provide the true bread from heaven, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant that we who have received the Sacrament of his body and blood may abide in him and he in us, that we may be filled with the power of his endless life, now and forever. Amen.
Sending
Blessing
P: Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers nor height, nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
God, the creator, ✝ Jesus, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, the comforter, bless you and keep you in eternal love.
C: Amen.
Sending Hymn: Almighty God, Your Word Is Cast
Words: John Cawood, 1775-1852
Music: st. flavian, J. Day, Psalter, 1562
Almighty God, your word is cast like seed into the ground;
Now let the dew of heav’n descend and righteous fruits abound.
Let not the sly satanic foe this holy seed remove,
But give it root in ev’ry heart to bring forth fruits of love.
Let not the world’s deceitful cares the rising plant destroy,
But let it yield a hundredfold the fruits of peace and joy.
So when the precious seed is sown, your quick’ning grace bestow,
That all whose souls the truth receive its saving pow’r may know.
Announcements of our life together
Dismissal
P: Go in peace. Christ is with you.
C: Thanks be to God!
To God Alone Be Glory
Acknowledgments: The Confession and Forgiveness, Prayer after Communion, and Blessing come from p. 202, Sundays & Seasons, © 2019 Augsburg Fortress. The Eucharistic Prayer is Prayer V from pp. 63-64 of With One Voice, Leaders Edition, © 1995 Augsburg Fortress. All Scripture passages are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
Announcements
To assist you with preparation for worship the Scripture readings for next Sunday are:
Isaiah 44:6-8; Psalm 86:11-17; Romans 8:12-25; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.
Serving Today:
First Reading – Clato Barnes
Second Reading – Martha Stephens
This week at Good Shepherd:
Bible Study Wednesday 10:30 call in 712-770-4995 participant code 287179
Happy Birthday to our July babies: Carolyn Seraile Bolar 1st, Wanda Allen 27th, and Elana Belle Tucker 31st. God’s abundant blessings to you all on your special day and always.
Upcoming Worship Service in the park is being planned for August 23rd at Seward Park site 3, we are still awaiting confirmation from Seattle Park department. This will be a chance for us to see each other, we will be practicing social distancing and encourage folks to bring a sack lunch if you like. There will not be a picnic style meal. Hopefully we will know exact date soon.
Congratulations to Zach Tucker and Mahogany Montgomery who were married July 4th in a private ceremony in their home. They hope to celebrate with family and friends at a later date.
Let’s remember one another in prayer and by phone calls as we do our best to stay safe and healthy during this challenging time. God’s got this!
Sick and shut-in members:
Please remember in your prayers,
Wanda Allen 222 25th Ave., Sea 98122
Bill Johnson, 2717 Dexter Ave. N., Sea 98109
Joy Bauer, 1061 Shelton Ave. NE Renton 98056
Alcine Wyatt, 811 27th Ave., Sea 98122
Ella Smith, 4832 35th Ave. SW Sea 98126
Ruby Buxton 315 31st Ave., Sea 98122
Sharee Daniels, 6731 N 17th Street, Tacoma 98406
Orelia Jarrow 3621 33rd Ave. S. #335 Sea 98144
Jerelene Armstead 5145 S. Fountain Sea 98178
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Our Mission Statement:
Led by the Holy Spirit, the mission of the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
is to give glory to God for the building of His Kingdom, by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
worshipping the Triune God, and reaching out in love to the community.