He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6,8
Introit
Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!
Thou hast commanded thy precepts to be kept diligently.
O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping thy statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all thy commandments.
I will praise thee with an upright heart, when I learn thy righteous ordinances.
I will observe thy statutes; O forsake me not utterly!Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live and observe thy word.
Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.Psalm 119,1-8.17-18
Collect of the Day
O Lord, grant to Your faithful people pardon and peace that they may cleansed from all their sins and serve You with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Altar Book (Lutheran Service Book) Pg.932
Old Testament lesson
So Noah went forth, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19 And every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves upon the earth, went forth by families out of the ark.
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing odor, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will look upon it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.”
Genesis 8, 18-22; 9,12-17
Gradual
The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Psalm 145,15-16
Epistle (Sermon)
And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, 6 who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code but in the Spirit; for the written code kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 Now if the dispensation of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such splendor that the Israelites could not look at Moses’ face because of its brightness, fading as this was, 8 will not the dispensation of the Spirit be attended with greater splendor? 9 For if there was splendor in the dispensation of condemnation, the dispensation of righteousness must far exceed it in splendor.
2. Corinth 3,3-6 (7-9)
Alleluia verse
Alleluia. Out of the depths I cry to You, o Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Alleluia.
Psalm 130,1-2a
Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away.” 5 But Jesus said to them, “For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.”10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” 13 And they were bringing children to him, that he might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it he was indignant, and said to them, “Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them.
Mark 10,2-9 (10-12) 13-16
Christian Creed
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Nicene Creed
Hymn of the week
Ach Gott vom Himmel, sieh darein und laß dich deß erbarmen:
wie wenig sind der Heilgen dein, verlassen sind wir Armen.
Dein Wort man läßt nicht haben wahr, der Glaub ist auch verloschen gar
bei allen Menschenkindern.Sie lehren eitel falsche List, was eigen Witz erfindet;
ihr Herz nicht Eines Sinnes ist, in Gottes Wort gegründet.
Der wählet dies, der andre das, sie trennen uns ohn alle Maaß;
und gleißen schön von außen.Gott wollt ausrotten alle Lehr, die falschen Schein uns lehren,
dazu ihr Zung stolz offenbar spricht: trotz! wer will’s uns wehren?
Wir haben Recht und Macht allein, was wir setzen, das gilt gemein:
wer ist, der uns soll meistern?Darum, spricht Gott: ich muß auf sein, die Armen sind verstöret;
ihr Seufzen dringt zu mir herein, ich hab ihr klag erhöret.
Mein heilsam Wort soll auf dem Plan, getrost und frisch sie greifen an,
und sein die Kraft der Armen.Das Silber, durchs Feur siebenmal bewährt, wird lauter funden:
an Gottes Wort man warten soll desgleichen alle Stunden.
Es will durchs Kreuz bewähret sein. Da wird sein Kraft erkannt und Schein,
und leucht stark in die Lande.Das wollst du, Gott, bewahren rein vor diesem argen G’schlechte;
und laß uns dir befohlen sein, daß sich’s in uns nicht flechte.
Der gottlos Hauf sich umher findt, wo diese losen Leute sind,
in deinem Volk erhaben.
Dr. Martin Luther preached on the 20th Sunday after Trinity
Here my sermon on today´s epistle in German.
Prayer of the church
Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Holy One of Israel, righteous in all Your works toward us, Your name be glorified. Deal with us not according to our sins, but according to Your great compassion. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Father, send forth Your invitation to the marriage feast of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Overcome the apathy of this world, and draw many from its ways and hedges into Your Church. Bless our president Matt and Cathy, Peter and Marcia, Scott and Mary-Ann, Daniel and Linda, Jonathan and Brenda, Michael and Janet 2x, Jo and Mary-Beth, Mark and Mindy Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Your will be done, O Lord. Bless our homes, that generation after generation may walk not as unwise but as wise, and so redeem these evil days until Your Son’s return. In this foolish world, fill us with Your Spirit, that we would give You thanks and submit to all authorities out of reverence for Christ. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord God, give us bread that satisfies and everything needful — not for our sakes, but graciously on account of Christ. Provide, we pray, for every need of body and soul especially for Christoph, Ingrid, Karin, Vivian, Sylvia, Götz, Manuela, Hillary, Annett, Thomas, Ursula, Angelika, Harold, Susan, Brett, Paulina, June, Natalia, Bärbel, Thomas, Marlies, Matthias, Detlev und Biljana, Friederike und Olly, Isabel, Max und Luis, Ele, Berno und Karin. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, You have wed Your Son to the Church and called all to share in His holy and eternal supper. Bring us and many more through the waters of Holy Baptism, that we may be found worthy to taste His gracious feast already in this life. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, You received the praise of harp and psaltery in Your temple of old. Bless the efforts of sacred musicians today to lead the praises of the ascended Lord among us to the edification of Your Church – bless the ministry of Rob Bourassa. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Spare us from all temptations, Lord, and deliver us from evil. In true repentance, lead us to forsake our wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts and return to You for abundant pardon, seeking You while You may be found, that when Christ returns in His glory, we may not be cast into the outer darkness but welcomed into His everlasting wedding hall by grace; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
+ Dominum vobiscum +
The Lord bless You, and keep You; The Lord make His face shine upon You, and be gracious unto You; The Lord lift up His countenance upon You + give You peace.
Numbers 6,24-26
If you are called to preach this weekend, may the holy, triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the one true and only God give You His rich measure of faith, hope, love, joy and strength, wisdom, knowledge and insight, clarity of speech, that You preach His holy Will faithfully and His gracious Promises invitingly and faithfully according to His biblical Word recorded by apostles and prophets. His most precious Gospel grants saving grace. It is His “power to save.” (Rom 1:16 cf. 2.Corinthians 12,9).
Wilhelm's space 