September 13, 2020 Service – St. Paul's Lutheran Church

Confession and Absolution

849 Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness LSB 849

The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.

P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

P If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

C But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Silence for reflection on God’s Word and for self-examination.

P Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.

C Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

P Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

Introit Ps. 143:1–2; antiphon: Ps. 143:9

Deliver me from my enemies, | O Lord!*

I have fled to you for | refuge!

Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for | mercy!*

In your faithfulness answer me, in your | righteousness!

Enter not into judgment with your | servant,*

for no one living is righteous be- | fore you.

Glory be to the Father and | to the Son*

and to the Holy | Spirit;

as it was in the be- | ginning,*

is now, and will be forever. | Amen.

Kyrie LSB 152

Hymn of Praise

Gloria in Excelsis LSB 154

Salutation and Collect of the Day

P The Lord be with you.

C And also with you.

P Let us pray.

O God, our refuge and strength, the author of all godliness, hear the devout prayers of Your Church, especially in times of persecution, and grant that what we ask in faith we may obtain; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

Sit

Old Testament Reading Genesis 50:15–21

¹⁵When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” ¹⁶So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, ¹⁷‘Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” ¹⁹But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? ²⁰As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. ²¹So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

Epistle Romans 14:1–12

¹As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. ²One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. ³Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. ⁴Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

⁵One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. ⁸If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

¹⁰Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; ¹¹for it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,

and every tongue shall confess to God.”

¹²So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

Stand

Common Alleluia and Verse LSB 156

Holy Gospel Matthew 18:21–35

P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the eighteenth chapter.

C Glory to You, O Lord.

²¹ Peter came up and said to [Jesus], “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”

²²Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

²³“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ ²⁷And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. ²⁸But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ ²⁹So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ ³⁰He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. ³¹When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.

³²Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. ³⁵So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

P This is the Gospel of the Lord. C Praise to You, O Christ.

Apostles’ Creed

C I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell.

The third day He rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven

and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy Christian Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life T everlasting. Amen.

606 I Lay My Sins on Jesus LSB 606

Sermon

Prayer of the Church

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

Lord’s Prayer LSB 162

C   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.

Closing Collect

A Let us pray.

Let the incense of our repentant prayer ascend before You, O Lord, and let Your loving-kindness descend on us that, with purified minds, we may sing Your praises with the Church on earth and the whole heavenly host and may glorify You forever.

C Amen.

Benediction LSB 166

P The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine on you

and be gracious to you.

The Lord look upon you with favor and T give you peace.

C Amen.

793 Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven LSB 793

NOTICES

THE SONS OF THUNDER had their first meeting outdoors at the church last Monday with a hot dog cookout. We are planning a boating event at West Branch Reservoir (Hog Back) on Sunday, September 13^th at 1:00pm. The can collections last Sunday went well. Thank you to everyone who donated. The next collection date will be Sunday, September 27th in between services. The next tentative meeting date is Monday, October 5^th, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Thank you.

ELIOTT’S HANDYMAN BUSINESS is here to help you with all of your outside needs from stacking wood to gardening and weed whacking etc… Give him a call at 860-489-7947.

PASTOR MONGEAU has office hours at St. Paul’s on Thursdays 9:00am to 2:00pm. If you would like to stop by for a visit and have Communion, please do! Also, you may call him at 860-379-3172 or 860-480-5357 to set up an appointment to come to you for a visit.

ST. PAUL’S SINGLE LADIES VISIT will take place at Cheryl Lowman’s house, outside, distancing style, on Wednesday, September 16th at 1:00pm. Cheryl is inviting the Single Gals of the church to come and enjoy a short devotion about Friendship and just time connecting with each other. Cheryl’s heart is connected by her own experience of being a single adult for 7 years and how important connections with other singles really are.