GATHERING SONG                  “Thy Holy Wings”                      #613

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God,

  abounding in steadfast love toward us,

    healing the sick and raising the dead,

     showering us with every good gift.

Amen.

Let us confess our sin

in the presence of God and of one another.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Just and gracious God,

  we come to you for healing and life.

Our sins hurt others and diminish us;

  we confess them to you.

Our lives bear the scars of sin;

  we bring these also to you.

Show us your mercy, O God.

Bind up our wounds,

  forgive us our sins,

    and free us to love,

      for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Amen.

The apostle Paul assures us:

"When we were dead in our trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ,

nailing the record of our sins to the cross."

Jesus says to you, + "Your sins are forgiven."

Be at peace, and tell everyone how much God has done for you.

Amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray. Gracious God, throughout the ages you transform sickness into health and death into life. Open us to the power of your presence, and make us a people ready to proclaim your promises to the whole world, through Jesus Christ, our healer and Lord. Amen.

THE FIRST LESSON: Isaiah 35:4–7a

Say to those who are of a fearful heart,

"Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you."

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.

For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water.

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

THE SECOND LESSON: James 2:1–17

My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?  For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Have a seat here, please," while to the one who is poor you say, "Stand there," or, "Sit at my feet," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?  Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?  But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court?  Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?  If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?  So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

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

THE GOSPEL FOR THE DAY Mark 7:24–37

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

From there [Jesus] set out and went away to the region of Tyre.

He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."  But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."  Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go — the demon has left your daughter."  So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

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

SERMON  “Contending with Jesus” Pastor Phil Wold

(This sermon is from 2021 - I'm sorry about the poor sound quality - 

I failed to turn on my microphone, and the mic I pushed to the side is picking up my voice. Alas)

HYMN OF THE DAY   “Oh for a Thousand Tongues to Sing”        #886 

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

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

THE OFFERING AND OFFERING PRAYER

Let us pray. God of abundance, you cause streams to break forth in the desert

and manna to rain from the heavens. Accept the gifts you have first given us.

Unite them with the offering of our lives to nourish the world you love so dearly;

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

THE LORD'S PRAYER      

THE BLESSING

People of God, you are Christ’s body, bringing new life to a suffering world.

The holy Trinity, ☩ one God, bless you now and forever. Amen.

SENDING SONG                          “We All Are One in Mission"           #643

SENDING

Go in peace. The living Word dwells in you. Thanks be to God.

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