October 25, 2020 Service – St. Paul's Lutheran Church

Confession and Absolution

657 A Mighty Fortress Is Our God LSB 657 sts. 1–4

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. 34:1–2, 11, 22; antiphon: Ps. 119:46

I will speak of your testimonies before kings, | [O Lord,]*

and shall not be | put to shame.

I will bless the Lord at | all times;*

his praise shall continually be | in my mouth.

My soul makes its boast | in the Lord;*

let the humble hear | and be glad.

Come, O children, lis- | ten to me;*

I will teach you the fear | of the Lord.

The Lord redeems the life of his | servants;*

none of those who take refuge in him will | be condemned.

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 168

Gloria in Excelsis LSB 170

Salutation and Collect of the Day

P The Lord be with you.

C And also with you.

P Let us pray.

Almighty and gracious Lord, pour out Your Holy Spirit on Your faithful people. Keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, protect and deliver us in times of temptation, defend us against all enemies, and grant to Your Church Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

Sit

First Reading Revelation 14:6–7

⁶Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. ⁷And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

Epistle Romans 3:19–28

¹⁹Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. ²⁰For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

²¹But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²²the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ²⁶It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

²⁷Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. ²⁸For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

Stand

Alleluia and Verse

Holy Gospel John 8:31–36

P The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the eighth chapter.

C Glory to You, O Lord.

³¹So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³²and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ³³They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. ³⁵The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. ³⁶So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

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.

Sit

571 God Loved the World So That He Gave LSB 571

Sermon

Stand

Prayer of the Church

Lord’s Prayer LSB 179

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

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.

Offering – Placed on the altar.

Closing Collect

A Let us pray.

Lord Jesus, when You were lifted up on the cross, the entire world experienced birth pains as the cosmos was rocked as Your death gave birth to a new creation. Focus our eyes on Your holy cross that we may see it as a tree of life preparing us for Your final coming in judgment as the Son of Man; for You live and reign with the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

Benediction LSB 183

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.

744 Amazing Grace LSB 744 sts. 1–5

NOTICES

ST. PAUL’S AND HANDS OF GRACE are participating in a Thrivent Financial challenge!! Collect 500 food items from now until October 30th. The first 100 entries to collect 500 items will receive $500.00 from Thrivent which will be given to Hands of Grace! Items may be brought to St. Paul’s and left in the bins in the narthex. We will count as we collect and a tally will be sent to Thrivent Financial. If you have any questions, please contact Marge Veronesi.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD SHOEBOX COLLECTION is well underway. It’s exciting to think that each shoebox recipient will have an opportunity to hear about Jesus! Shoeboxes are due back by, next Sunday, November 1st. A collection box is located in the narthex. To pack a shoebox online, use this link: https://build-a-shoebox.samaritanspurse.org/view/33b160aa-9e9f-42e4-8695-c7042c5323a6. How close to our goal of 140 shoebox Gospel opportunities will we be?

TAG SALE at HANDS OF GRACE, Saturday, October 31^st, 9:00am to 1:00pm.