14 Pentecost September 3

CALL TO WORSHIP

O Lord, I cry to you for help.

In the morning my prayer comes before you.

Let my mouth be full of your praise

and your glory all the day long.

Every day will I bless you,

and praise your name forever and ever.

Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness, O God of our salvation,

O hope of all the ends of the earth and of the seas that are far away.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me, bless God’s holy name.

You redeem my life from the grave,

and crown me with mercy and steadfast love.

Lord, hear my prayer,

and let my cry come before you.

GATHERING SONG "Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross" #335

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray.

O God,

we thank you for your Son,

who chose the path of suffering for the sake of the world.

Humble us by his example,

point us to the path of obedience,

and give us strength to follow your commands,

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

ORDER FOR CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, full of compassion and mercy,

abounding in steadfast love. Amen.

Trusting God’s promise of forgiveness, let us confess our sin against God and one another.

Silence for reflection and self-examination.

Eternal God our creator,

in you we live and move and have our being.

Look upon us, your children, the work of your hands.

Forgive us all our offenses, and cleanse us from proud thoughts and empty desires.

By your grace draw us near to you, our refuge and our strength;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit given to us.

In the mercy of almighty God, Christ died for us while we still were sinners;

and for his sake, God ☩ forgives you all your sins. Amen.

THE EPISTLE READING: Romans 12:9–21

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.

THE GOSPEL FOR THE DAY: Matthew 16:21–28

The holy gospel according to Saint Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord.

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ

Sermon Take Up Your Cross Pastor Phil Wold

HYMN OF THE DAY "In the Cross of Christ I Glory" #324

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of

the Father, and he will come 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.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

THE SIGN OF PEACE IS SHARED

The peace of Christ be with you always. And also with you.

THE OFFERING AND OFFERING PRAYER

Let us pray. Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things.

Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts:

our selves, our time, and our possessions.

Use us, and what we have gathered, in feeding the world with your love,

through the one who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

THE LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,

thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,

forever and ever. AMEN

BLESSING

SENDING SONG “Send Us Out”

POSTLUDE "Light Dawns on a Weary World" #726