Worship Notes for Pentecost 20 - 2015

Thursday after Pentecost 19

October 8, 2015

The Lord be with you.

This coming Sunday (October 11) will be the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost. It is also the Commemoration of Philip the Deacon. Philip’s story fits nicely into the context of the sermon, so he will be remembered there as well as in our prayers.

We will share the Lord’s Supper Sunday. For our liturgy we will use the first setting of the Divine Service (page 151). To prepare for the sacrament our members are encouraged to read again what the Small Catechism says concerning this meal of grace.

Our readings for Sunday will be Amos 5:6-7, 10-15, Hebrews 3:12-19, and Mark 10:17-22. The text for the sermon will be Mark 10:19. The sermon will be titled “What is ‘Good’?”

Our opening hymns will be “Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty” (LSB 901). Our sermon hymn will be “The Gifts Christ Freely Gives” (LSB 602). Our closing hymn will be “Sent Forth by God’s Blessing” (LSB 643). Our distribution hymns will be “Your Table I Approach” (LSB 628), “Lamb of God” (LSB 550), and “Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness” (LSB 563).

Below is a video of our opening hymn, “Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty” The words scroll across the bottom of the video is you desire to sing along.

Our adult Bible class is over half-way finished with the study, Word: God Speaks to Us. Though you may have missed the first half, you are still encouraged to attend. What you learn will be a blessing. The Bible study hour begins at 9:00 am. Fill free to bring children. Class is provided for them as well.  

What follows is a synopsis of Sunday’s lessons, provided by the synod, then the lessons.  Following the readings are some additional notes.

Christ Jesus Is the One and Only Good by Whom You Inherit Eternal Life

The Lord is the Author and Giver of life, as well as a consuming fire of judgment against all “who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate” (Amos 5:12). “Seek the Lord and live,” therefore, by hating what is evil, loving what is good and doing what is just and right, according to His Word. “And so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you” (Amos 5:6, 14–15). Understand that “no one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18). The life that you are called to live is found neither in your “great possessions,” nor in your good works, but only in Christ Jesus. Let go of “all that you have” and follow Him, even unto death, and “you will have treasure in heaven” (Mark 10:21–22). Do not harden your heart against His voice, nor turn away from Him, lest you “fall away from the living God.” Rather, hear and heed His call, cling to His Word and “exhort one another every day,” that you may remain steadfast in Christ and “firm to the end” (Heb. 3:12–15).

Amos 5:6-7, 10-15

⁶           Seek the Lord and live,

                        lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,

                        and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,

⁷           O you who turn justice to wormwood

                        and cast down righteousness to the earth! …

¹⁰          They hate him who reproves in the gate,

                        and they abhor him who speaks the truth.

¹¹          Therefore because you trample on the poor

                        and you exact taxes of grain from him,

            you have built houses of hewn stone,

                        but you shall not dwell in them;

            you have planted pleasant vineyards,

                        but you shall not drink their wine.

¹²          For I know how many are your transgressions

                        and how great are your sins—

            you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,

                        and turn aside the needy in the gate.

¹³          Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time,

                        for it is an evil time.

¹⁴          Seek good, and not evil,

                        that you may live;

            and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,

                        as you have said.

¹⁵          Hate evil, and love good,

                        and establish justice in the gate;

            it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,

                        will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Hebrews 3:12-19

¹²          Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. ¹³But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. ¹⁵As it is said,

            “Today, if you hear his voice,

            do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

¹⁶          For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? ¹⁷And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? ¹⁹So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Mark 10:17-22

¹⁷          And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” ²⁰And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” ²¹And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²²Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Some Additional Notes

• The Board of Evangelism will meet Sunday, after the worship service.

• Rev. Bill Seaman, our District’s Area Mission and Ministry Facilitator, will meet with the congregation this Monday, October 12, at 11:00 am. Pastor Seaman will assist us as we consider our future.

•  The October newsletter has been posted on the blog. All print copies have already been taken.

• Our Second Coat Drive is kicking off. We team with the Bethlehem Center, who distributes the coats to individuals in need. You can check out the post made earlier, and information has been placed on a bulletin board in the hallway. The final day to donate coats will be our Thanksgiving Eve service. A box for your donations will be in the narthex. The newsletter will have more information

• October 25 is Reformation Sunday this year. We will have a covered dish lunch after the service and we will play “Luther-Bingo.” The newsletter will have more information.

• Please remember Pastor Rickert as he considers the Divine Call issued to him to be the pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran in Newark, DE.

• Keep Praying for your Neighbors and Walking your Neighborhoods.

• Don’t forget to check out the other posts from earlier this week. An easy way to review the titles is by looking at the left hand side of this blog. If a title catches your attention, just click on it and you will go to that post.

• Remember, you can link one or more of our blog posts to your facebook (or other social media) page. Find one you like and share it. Our blog actually have over 3,000 “hits” in September, a new high. Not only members of LOG are visiting, but people around the world.

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Rickert