SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2020 – 8:30 AM

GATHERING TOGETHER
Welcome to God’s grace – where the world’s labels don’t apply.

Step into God’s time and presence. Hear God’s gentle whisper: “Be still and know that I am God.”
Let your body and mind rest, and open your heart to God in worship and prayer. Welcome each
other in the love of Christ. Extend hospitality to those new in our midst. “This is the day the Lord has
made. Let us rejoice in it!”

GATHERING MUSIC & RINGING OF THE BELL

TODAY’S WORSHIP THEME
In today’s first reading God uses the Gentile ruler Cyrus to accomplish
divine purposes. When the Pharisees try to trap Jesus, he tells them to give
the emperor what belongs to him and to God what belongs to God. To
gather for worship reminds us that our ultimate allegiance is to God rather
than to any earthly authority. Created in the image of God, we offer our
entire selves in the service of God and for the sake of the world.
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Blessed be the holy Trinity, +one God, who creates, redeems, and sustains us
and all of creation. Amen
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Faithful God,
Have mercy on us. We confess that we are captive to sin and cannot
free ourselves. We turn from your loving embrace and go our own
ways. We pass judgment on one another before examining ourselves.
We place our own needs before those of our neighbors. We keep your
gift of salvation to ourselves. Make us humble, cast away our
transgressions, and turn us again to life in you through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord. Amen
God hears the cries of all who call out in need, and through his death and
resurrection, Christ has made us his own. Hear the truth that God
proclaims: Your sins are forgiven in the name of + Jesus Christ. Led by the
Holy Spirit, live in freedom and newness to do God’s work in the world.
Amen
STAND

GATHERING HYMN ELW #526 “God Is Here!” vs 1,2

GREETING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of
the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
 2
KYRIE
In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
(Sung response) Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the church of God,
and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise,
let us pray to the
Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort,
and defend us,
gracious Lord.
Amen
Glory to God in the
highest, and peace
to God’s people on
earth.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Sovereign God, raise your throne in our hearts. Created by you, let us
live in your image; created for you, let us act for your glory; redeemed
by you, let us give you what is yours, through Jesus Christ, our Savior
and Lord. Amen
SIT
 3

HEARING THE WORD

God speaks to us in scriptures sung, read, and proclaimed.

SPECIAL MUSIC
FIRST READING Isaiah 45:1-7
A reading from Isaiah
After the reading:
Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.
SECOND READING 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
A reading from First Thessalonians
After the reading:
Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.
STAND

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 22:15-22

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the twenty-
second chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.
After the reading:
The gospel of our Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
SIT

SERMON Pr. Randy Rasmussen

STAND

HYMN OF THE DAY ELW #713 “O God of Every Nation” vs 1,4

APOSTLES’ CREED
There is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. United in Christ, let us
confess the faith we hold in common.
 4
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to
the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he
is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge
the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion
of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and
the life everlasting. Amen
SIT

BLESSING OF LWR QUILTS AND KITS

God of grace, over the clamor of the world’s self-serving roar you have made
known to us people with profound needs, and by grace you have freed us to
respond.
We thank you, gracious God.
With hours and hands, purse and purchase, needle and thread you have
provided us with a far-reaching channel to make our compassion tangible.
We thank you, gracious God.
Having reached the completion of our project, the kits/quilts arrayed before
us have become gifts of hope and beauty.
We thank you, gracious God.
As we gather today, we pray your blessing upon these quilts/kits, and pray
that they may be a blessing to those who receive them.
May they be blessed to be a blessing, loving God.
Stir in us your Spirit and commit our lives to your mission of remedy for the
desperate conditions which cry for such mercies as these.
Give us courage, merciful God.
Embolden us to advocate for greater justice, wider mercy, and persistent
peace among the peoples of the world.
Give us courage, merciful God.
Guide us into simple, more open lives of faithful stewardship of the resources
you’ve entrusted to us.
Give us courage, merciful God.
We pray for the work of Lutheran World Relief in our combined, faith-filled
work to integrate these quilts/kits into a breadth of ministries increasing the
sustainability, dignity and wholeness of those whose lives are now so
challenged with such a deficit.
Make us diligent in our labors, generous in our offerings and earnest in
our prayers.
In the name of Jesus, our servant Lord we pray.
Amen
 5
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
With confidence in God’s grace and mercy, let us pray for the church, the
world, and all those in need.
A brief silence
Gracious God, you call us by name and invite us to share your good news.
Send your Holy Spirit among preachers, missionaries, and evangelists. We
give thanks for the witness of your servant, Luke, the evangelist, whom the
church commemorates today. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of praise, the heavens and all creation declare your salvation. From
the rising of the sun to its setting, may the whole universe show forth your
goodness. Raise up devoted stewards of all that you have made. Lord, in
your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of all, may your word of justice sound forth in every place. Restore
divided nations and communities with reconciling truth. Lord, in your
mercy, hear our prayer.
God of light, we pray for those living with pain, illness, isolation, grief,
anger, or doubt. Join their voices in a new song, assuring them that you
call them each by name. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of truth, you show no partiality. May your spirit guide the work of
justices, magistrates, court officials, and all vocations of the law, that your
promise of restoration may be known. Lord, in your mercy, hear our
prayer.
Listen as we call on you, O God, and enfold in your loving arms all for
whom we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

SHARING OF THE PEACE

The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.
We invite you to greet one another in the name of the Lord and share the gift of his peace.

SHARING THE MEAL

God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ.

STAND

OFFERING PRAYER
Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things,
You have set before us these gifts of your good creation. Prepare us
for your heavenly banquet, nourish us with this rich food and drink,
and send us forth to set tables in the midst of a suffering world,
through the bread of life, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen
 6
GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all
places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our
Savior Jesus Christ;
who on this day
overcame death and
the grave, and by his
glorious resurrection
opened to us the way
of everlasting life.
And so, with all the
choirs of angels, with
the church on earth
and the hosts of
heaven, we praise
your name and join
their unending
hymn:

WORDS OF INSTITUTION

ACCLAMATION OF FAITH
Together we acclaim our faith:
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again!

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.
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
SIT

INVITATION TO COMMUNION
Come to the banquet table where Christ gives himself as food and drink.
SIT
 7
COMMUNION
All are welcome to eat & drink at the Lord's Table. Jesus Christ is present in the bread & wine. Come and eat!
Holy Communion is served at two stations below the altar. Following the usher’s direction, please proceed
down the center aisle toward the altar. If you require a gluten-free wafer, please request one from the pastor.
Red wine and white grape juice are available in each tray of cups. After communing, you may return to your
seat down the side aisle. If you would like to receive the Lord's Supper where you are seated, please tell the
usher, who will ensure the gifts of God come to you.

“Lamb of God” pg. 146

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
We give you thanks, gracious God that you have once again fed us with food
beyond compare, the body and blood of Christ. Lead us from this place,
nourished and forgiven, into your beloved vineyard to wipe away the tears of
all who hunger and thirst, guided by the example of the same Jesus Christ
and led by the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen
SIT

SENT FORTH TO SERVE

God blesses us and sends us in mission to the world.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
STAND

BLESSING
Mothering God, Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you and lead you into
the way of truth and life. Amen

SENDING HYMN ELW #825 “You Servants of God” vs 1,3,4

SENDING
Go in peace. Remember the poor.
Thanks be to God.