GATHERING SONG          “For the Fruit of All Creation”       # 679

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS                                                                  

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

Amen

In Christ's dying and rising, we are reborn; we are no longer dead in our sin. 

Let us return to the shepherd and guardian of our souls, confessing our sin. 

Silence for reflection and self-examination. 

Almighty God, 

we confess before you our preference for things that pass away, 

our silence in the face of injustice, our reluctance to accept the freedom of forgiveness. 

Make us whole again; renew in us the grace of baptism; 

and set our minds on the things that are above. 

“All the prophets testify about Jesus 

     that everyone who believes in him 

         receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” 

God, who loves you dearly, forgives you all your sin, 

     raises you to new life in Jesus Christ, 

          and renews you by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray. 

O God, powerful and compassionate, 

you shepherd your people, faithfully feeding and protecting us. 

Heal each of us, and make us a whole people, 

that we may embody the justice and peace of your Son,

Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. 

Amen.

THE FIRST LESSON: Jeremiah 23:1–6

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

PSALM 23

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 

  He makes me lie down in green pastures. 

    He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. 

      He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

  I fear no evil; for you are with me;  

    your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; 

  you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

    Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, 

      and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

THE SECOND LESSON: Ephesians 2:4-10, 14, 19-22 

God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ —by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God — not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God,  built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.  In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord;  in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

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

THE GOSPEL FOR THE DAY: Mark 6:30–34, 53–56

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

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.  He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.  And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.  Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.  As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.  When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat.  When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him,  and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.  And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

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

SERMON       “He Had Compassion for Them”         Pastor Phil Wold

HYMN OF THE DAY     “Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service”      # 712

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 THE PEOPLE

Shepherd God,

you call us into a rhythm of work and rest

that our lives may be the better for it.

So shape our leisure and our labor,

that the world will recognize us

as Jesus’ disciples

and our ministry

as what you would have us do. 

Amen.

 from Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, copyright © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts. Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission

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     “We Praise You O God”       # 870

SENDING

Go in peace. Share the good news. Alleluia, alleluia!

Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia!

POSTLUDE 

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