Preparing for Worship | Sunday, September 11

​September 11 is the 14th Sunday after Pentecost, and this year uses Proper 19 from Year C. You can prepare for worship with the resources included below by clicking "Read More."

​View this week's worship folder here.

Watch worship live on Sunday at 9 a.m. or anytime after on demand here.

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LCMS Lectionary Summary

Readings

Ezekiel 34:11–24
1 Timothy 1:(5–11) 12–17
Luke 15:1–10
 
Jesus Christ Is the Great Shepherd of His Sheep
 
“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). As He had mercy on Paul, in order to “display his perfect patience” (1 Tim. 1:16), so also does He seek out His sheep “from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness” (Ezek. 34:12). To deliver His flock, He “will seek the lost, … bring back the strayed, … bind up the injured, and … strengthen the weak” (Ezek. 34:16), and “they shall no longer be a prey” (Ezek. 34:22). He sets over them one great Good Shepherd, the Son of David, who “shall feed them and be their shepherd” (Ezek. 34:23). For Christ Jesus is the one man who, “having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them,” would “leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it” (Luke 15:4). When He finds the lost one and brings it home rejoicing, “the angels of God” and all the company of heaven rejoice with Him, with great joy (Luke 15:7, 10).

Worship

We are continuing to use Divine Service, Setting 4, which is a contemporary setting of the historic liturgy. The great songs of the Divine Service (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei) are hymn paraphrases composed by Rev. Stephen Starke.

Our entrance rite will begin with Psalm 119:169–179. The Gradual is a seasonal verse and will separate the Old Testament Reading from the Epistle. The Common Alleluia and Verse from John 20:31 will prepare us to hear the Holy Gospel. 

The communion liturgy of Setting 4 also includes a seasonal prayer of thanksgiving. This week the prayer reads: 

In Your righteous judgment You condemned the sin of Adam and Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit, and You justly barred them and all their children from the tree of life. Yet, in Your great mercy, You promised salvation by a second Adam, Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and made His cross a life-giving tree for all who trust in Him.

We give You thanks for the redemption You have prepared for us through Jesus Christ. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may faithfully eat and drink of the fruits of His cross and receive the blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation that come to us in His body and blood.

Hymns

Hymns this week will focus on our sinfulness and the mercy and grace that God has shown to us by seeking us out as a shepherd seeks for his sheep. 

The hymn numbers are for Lutheran Service Book (LSB).
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​The Hymn of the Day is Jesus Sinners Doth Receive (LSB 609).

​Our Hymn of Invocation is Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now (LSB 902). 

We will close with Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us (LSB 711) at our morning service. 

Our Evening Hymn, which will close our evening Divine Service, is the beautiful blend of an ancient text with a modern tune, Christ, Mighty Savior (LSB 881).