CALL TO WORSHP - PSALM 8

O LORD our Lord,

    how majestic is your name in all the earth!—

you whose glory is chanted above the heavens out of the mouths of infants and children;

you have set up a fortress against your enemies,

    to silence the foe and avenger.

    When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,

         the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,

    what are mere mortals that you should be mindful of them,

        human beings that you should care for them?  

Yet you have made them little less than divine;

    with glory and honor you crown them.

You have made them rule over the works of your hands;

    you have put all things under their feet:

all flocks and cattle, even the wild beasts of the field,

    the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and whatever passes along the paths of the sea.

    O LORD our Lord,

         how majestic is your name in all the earth!

GATHERING SONG     “For the Beauty of the Earth”          # 879

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen

Have mercy on us, O God, according to your lovingkindness;

in your great compassion blot out our offenses.

  Silence for reflection and self-examination.

God of grace,

we confess to you the ways we have chosen death rather than life:

by trusting in ourselves rather than you;  by failing to follow your call;

by ignoring the cries of the poor;  by misusing your creation;

by seeking security through possessions;   by neglecting to give thanks for ail your gifts.

Renew your salvation within us, and hold us in your generous spirit. Amen

In great mercy, God abolished death and brought life through our Savior Jesus Christ.

As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I declare to you that you are forgiven by the grace of God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a new life. Amen

THE FIRST LESSON: Genesis 2:18-24

Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner." So out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken." Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.

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

THE SECOND LESSON: Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Now God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels. But someone has testified somewhere, "What are human beings that you are mindful of them, or mortals, that you care for them? You have made them for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned them with glory and honor, subjecting all things under their feet." Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you."

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

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray. Sovereign God, you have created us to live in loving community with one another. Form us for life that is faithful and steadfast, and teach us to trust like little children, that we may reflect the image of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

THE GOSPEL FOR THE DAY: Mark 10:2-16

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

Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her." But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

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

SERMON         “As a Little Child”           Pastor Phil Wold

HYMN OF THE DAY      “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus”     #392

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

Risen Christ, receive these gifts, with our hopes, dreams, and prayers. Reveal yourself to us in the breaking of the bread, that our eyes may be opened to see your presence among us, and our lives filled with the new life of your resurrection. Amen

THE LORD'S PRAYER

Lord, remember us in your kingdom, and teach us to pray:

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         “Let All Things Now Living”           # 881

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