CALL TO WORSHIP
PSALM: 22:19–28
But you, O LORD, be not far away; O my help, hasten to my aid.
Deliver me from the sword, my life from the power of the dog.
Save me from the lion's mouth! From the horns of wild bulls you have rescued me.
I will declare your name to my people; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.
You who fear the LORD, give praise! All you of Jacob's line, give glory.
Stand in awe of the LORD, all you offspring of Israel.
For the LORD does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;
neither is the LORD's face hidden from them;
but when they cry out, the LORD hears them.
From you comes my praise in the great assembly;
I will perform my vows in the sight of those who fear the LORD.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied. Let those who seek the LORD give praise!
May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD;
all the families of nations shall bow before God.
For dominion belongs to the LORD, who rules over the nations.
GATHERING SONG “Oh, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” #886
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
who forgives all our sin, whose mercy endures forever.
Amen.
Seeking reconciliation with God and neighbor,
let us remember the gift of baptism and confess our sin.
Silence is kept for reflection.
God of mercy,
we confess that we have sinned against you,
and against one another.
We are worried and distracted by many things,
and we fail to love you above all else.
We store up treasures for ourselves
and turn away from our neighbors in need.
Forgive us, that we may live in the freedom of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
When we were laid low by sin and guilt, God made us alive together with Christ,
forgiving us ☩ all our trespasses by taking our sins to the cross.
For freedom Christ has set us free: Rejoice in this good news! Amen.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray. O Lord God, we bring before you the cries of a sorrowing world. In your mercy set us free from the chains that bind us, and defend us from everything that is evil, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
EPISTLE: Galatians 3:23–29
Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.
Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.
THE GOSPEL FOR THE DAY: Luke 8:26–39
The holy gospel according to Saint Luke. Glory to you, O Lord.
Then they [Jesus and the disciples] arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs.
When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me" - for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.)
Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.
Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country.
Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed.
Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.”
So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON “What Is Your Name?” Pastor Phil Wold
HYMN OF THE DAY “Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness” # 843
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
Blessed are you, O God, ruler of heaven and earth. Day by day you shower us with blessings. As you have raised us to new life in Christ, give us glad and generous hearts, ready to praise you and to respond to those in need, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
O God of justice and love,
we give thanks to you
that you illumine our way through life
with the words of your Son.
Give us the light we need,
awaken us to the needs of others,
and at the end bring all the world to your feast;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever.
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 “Blessed Be Your Name”
SENDING
Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE
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