8 Pentecost July 23

GATHERING SONG “Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness” #843

PSALM 86:11–17

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth;

give me an undivided heart to revere your name.

I will thank you, O Lord my God, with all my heart,

and glorify your name forevermore.

For great is your love toward me;

you have delivered me from the pit of death.

The arrogant rise up against me, O God, and a band of violent people seeks my life;

they have not set you before their eyes.

But you, O Lord, are gracious and full of compassion,

slow to anger, and full of kindness and truth.

Turn to me and have mercy on me;

give your strength to your servant, and save the child of your handmaid.

Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame;

because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray.

Faithful God, most merciful judge,

you care for your children with firmness and compassion.

By your Spirit nurture us who live in your kingdom,

that we may be rooted in the way of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

THE FIRST LESSON: Isaiah 44:6–8

Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.

Who is like me? Let them proclaim it, let them declare and set it forth before me. Who has announced from of old the things to come? Let them tell us what is yet to be.

Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.

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

THE SECOND LESSON: Romans 8:12–25

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ — if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL SONG “Lord, Let My Heart Be Good Soil” #512

THE GOSPEL FOR THE DAY: Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43

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

He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON “Wheat And Weeds” Pastor Phil Wold

HYMN OF THE DAY “Here I Am, Lord” #574

RESPONSE TO THE WORD

In Christ, you have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.

We believe in him and are marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13-14)

Living together in trust and hope, we confess our faith.

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.

Build yourselves up on your most holy faith;

pray in the Holy Spirit. Jude 20

Keep yourselves in the love of God;

look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude 21

If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation:

Everything old has passed away; behold, everything has become new! 2 Corinthians 5:17

God has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

Therefore, let us be reconciled to God and to one another.

Silence for reflection and self examination.

Gracious God,

have mercy on us. In your compassion forgive us our sins,

known and unknown, things done and left undone.

Uphold us by your Spirit so that we may live and serve you in newness of life,

to the honor and glory of your holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ,

strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life.

Amen

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 PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH AND 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 “Lift High the Cross” #660

SENDING

Go in peace. Share the good news.
Thanks be to God.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.