“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits”

Psalm 103,2

Collect for this Sunday

Almighty God, You richly and unceasingly furnish us with all good things and preserve us day by day. Make us to acknowledge this with our whole heart, that we may thank and praise You for Your lovingkindness and mercy here and for evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit now and always. Amen.

Dobberstein Pg. 112

The Introit invites us to sing our Lord´s praises:

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.
I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist.
Do not trust in princes, or in human beings, who cannot deliver. Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground. On that day their plans die.
How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the one who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who remains forever faithful, vindicates the oppressed, and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord releases the imprisoned.
The Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord lifts up all who are bent over.
The Lord loves the godly.
The Lord protects the resident foreigner.
He lifts up the fatherless and the widow, but he opposes the wicked.
The Lord rules forever, your God, O Zion, throughout the generations to come.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 146

The Lord spoke to Moses:

Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran. He reached a certain place where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. He took one of the stones and placed it near his head. Then he fell asleep in that place and had a dream.

He saw a stairway erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it and the LORD stood at its top. He said, “I am the LORD, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the ground you are lying on. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. And so all the families of the earth may receive blessings through you and through your descendants. I am with you! I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”

Then Jacob woke up and thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, but I did not realize it!” He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”

Early in the morning Jacob took the stone he had placed near his head and set it up as a sacred stone. Then he poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, although the former name of the town was Luz. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food to eat and clothing to wear, and I return safely to my father’s home, then the LORD will become my God. Then this stone that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely give you back a tenth of everything you give me.”

Genesis 28,10-22

The holy apostle St. Paul writes

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are God’s children. And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ) —if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the coming glory that will be revealed to us.

Romans 8,14-17

The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke (Sermon)

Now on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance, raised their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went along, they were cleansed.

Then one of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He fell with his face to the ground at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. (Now he was a Samaritan.) Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to turn back and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to the man, “Get up and go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

Luke 17:11-19

Together with the Christian church we sing the classic

From God shall naught divide me, For He is true for aye,
And on my path will guide me, Who else should often stray;
His ever bounteous hand By night and day is heedful,
And gives me what is needful, Wheree’er I go or stand.

When man’s help and affection Shall unavailing prove,
God grants me His protection And shows His pow’r and love.
He helps in ev’ry need, From sin and shame redeems me,
From chains and bonds reclaims me, Yea, e’en from death I’m freed.

If sorrow comes, I’ll bear it In patience and in trust;
My Lord Himself doth share it, For He is true and just,
And loves to bless us still; My life and soul–I owe them
To Him who doth bestow them, Let Him do as He will.

Whate’er shall be His pleasure Is surely best for me;
He gave His dearest treasure, That our weak hearts might see
How good His will toward us; And in His Son He gave us
Whate’er could bless and save us; Praise Him who loveth thus!

O praise Him, for He never Forgets our daily need;
O blest the hour whenever To Him our thoughts can speed;
Yea, all the time we spend Without Him is but wasted,
Till we His joy have tasted, The joy that hath no end.

For when the world is passing With all its pomp and pride,
All we were here amassing No longer may abide;
But in our earthly bed, Where softly we are sleeping,
God hath us in His keeping, To wake us from the dead.

Our soul shall never perish, But in yon paradise
The joys of heav’n shall cherish; Our body shall arise
Pure, holy, new-born, free From ev’ry sin and evil;
The tempting of the devil We then no more shall see.

Then, though on earth I suffer Much trial, well I know
I merit ways still rougher; Yet ’tis to heav’n I go;
For Christ I know and love, To Him I now am hasting,
And gladness everlasting With Him my heart shall prove.

For such His will who made us; The Father seeks our good;
The Son hath grace to aid us, And save us by His blood;
His Spirit rules our ways, By faith in us abiding,
To heav’n our footsteps guiding; To Him be thanks and praise.

Ludwig Helmbold (1532-1598) translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878)

Together with the holy Christian church we pray

Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.

Great Physician, You will that the pains and ills of this life should draw us to the feet of Your Son. Strengthen and focus our faith in every trial and trouble, that they would redound to faithful worship in Jesus’ name. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord of hosts, You have prepared the Church of Christ to be a lovely court in the midst of a troubled world. Form our hearts to long for the place where Your glory dwells, that we may find healing and peace at His feet. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Father of all, hear us on behalf of the fathers in Your Church. Impart to them the boldness of Solomon to exhort their sons in wisdom and justice, that they would persist in the way of salvation. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Almighty God, grant Your protection upon our land and people. Deliver us from violence and discord. Grant safety to all who work to bring peace to our land, including those in law enforcement and members in the armed forces. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord of life, You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The lepers came to Your Son for mercy. Send Your merciful hand upon the sick and needy June, Karin, Ingrid, Christoph, Michael, Charly, Annett. Grant that their sicknesses would be turned to health and their troubles to joy. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord God, the 10th leper found the true and eternal priest in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us to seek our healing from Him and to give Him thanks in the tabernacle of His Holy Church. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, You gave Your Son once upon the cross, and You give to us His life-giving body in His Holy Supper. Teach us and strengthen us by this Sacrament to crucify our own flesh daily, that we may walk always according to His Holy Spirit. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Receive our thanks, O Lord, for Joseph, Paul, Günter, Wilhelm, Hedwig, Ulf, Georg, Martin, Philip, Gerhard, Katharina, Marianne, Elisabeth, Marie-Charlotte, and all the saints who have walked before us according to the Spirit, resisting the lusts of the flesh. Inspire us after them to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit by the power of Christ crucified. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Hear us, heavenly Father, for the sake of Christ Jesus, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

LCMS one-year-series Prayers

+ Dominum vobiscum +

The Lord bless Thee, and keep Thee;

The Lord make his face shine upon Thee, and be gracious unto Thee;

The Lord lift up his countenance upon Thee + give Thee peace.

Numbers 6,24-26