July 13, 2025 11 A.M.
Welcome!
Introduction
To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind is to reflect God’s mercy in responding to one’s neighbor. That mercy found its most profound expression in the “gospel that has come to you”—namely the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That gospel mercy comes to us again today: at the font, at the table, and from the pulpit. It is very near to you.
(please stand for our opening song)
We Sing: God Is Here ELW 526
God is here! As we your people meet to offer praise and prayer.
May we find in fuller measure what it is in Christ we share.
Here, as in the world around us, all our varied skills and arts
wait the coming of the Spirit into open minds and hearts.
Confession and Forgiveness
In the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Baptized into Christ, let us confess our sin.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Merciful God,
you free us to love others, but we neglect our neighbors and follow our own way. You lead us by the Spirit of joy and peace, but we turn away from the abundant life you offer. You surround us with patience, kindness, and generosity, but we grow weary in doing what is right. In your mercy, forgive us. Do not give up on us. Heal us, break our bonds, and show us the path of life. Amen.
You belong to Christ Jesus and you are God’s children through faith. In the cross of ☩ Christ, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, your sins are forgiven. Clothed with Christ, you are a new creation.
Amen.
Prayer of the Day
O Lord God, your mercy delights us, and the world longs for your loving care. Hear the cries of everyone in need, and turn our hearts to love our neighbors with the love of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
(Please be seated for the readings)
First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:9-14
Moses calls the people who are about to enter the promised land to renew the covenant God made with their ancestors. Through this covenant God gives life and asks for obedience. God’s commandment is neither burdensome nor too far off, but dwells in the people’s hearts.
R: 9 The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, 10 when you obey the Lord your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
11 “Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ 14 No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
Psalm: Psalm 25:1-10
Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your paths. (Ps. 25:4)
1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 My God, I put my trust in you; let me not be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 Let none who look to you be put to shame; rather let those be put to shame who are treacherous.
4 Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; in you have I trusted all the day long.
6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love, for they are from everlasting.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions; remember me according to your steadfast love and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.
8 You are gracious and upright, O Lord; therefore you teach sinners in your way.
9 You lead the lowly in justice and teach the lowly your way.
10 All your paths, O Lord, are steadfast love and faithfulness to those who keep your covenant and your testimonies.
Second Reading: Colossians 1:1-14
The letter to the Colossians was written to warn its readers of various false teachings. The first part of the letter is an expression of thanks for the faith, hope, and love that mark this community, including a prayer for strength and courage.
R: 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7 This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, so that you may have all endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
(please stand)
Gospel: Luke 10:25-37
C: <sung>
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Jesus is challenged to explain what is involved in obeying the greatest commandment. He tells a parable rich in surprises: those expected to show pity display hard hearts while the lowly give and receive unexpected and lavish mercy.
D: 25 An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”
29 But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
…This is the Gospel of the Lord
C: Praise to you, oh Christ
Wee Worship
We Sing: Spirit, Open My Heart ACS 1043
With Jerry leFeber
(please stand)
Apostles’ Creed
C: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his 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 into hell. On the third day, he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen
(please be seated for prayer)
Prayers of Intercession
Drawn into the embrace of the holy Trinity, we lift our prayers for the wholeness of the church, the world, and all creation.
A brief silence.
Saving God, awaken your church to your truth as it follows your path of love. Encourage pastors, deacons, teachers, and seminarians, and lead them as they seek to learn your ways. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Prosper the harvests of fruit-bearing bushes, trees, and plants. Uphold farmers and farm workers as they labor through summer days, and bring relief to lands that are parched with heat. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Instill in leaders of the world a strong love for their neighbors. Compel them to govern with equity and to give aid and protection to people who are vulnerable, especially strangers, migrants, and asylum seekers. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Draw near to people in need of help, comfort, and healing (especially). Provide protection and aid to children who are unsafe and undernourished while on summer break. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Go with all who travel, and protect them from harm. Put in their paths people who offer aid. We pray especially for the safety of first responders. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
We give you thanks for all who have gone before us and have made your love known. Help us to follow their witness as we await our share in the inheritance of the saints. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Trusting in your lovingkindness, we place our prayer and hope in you, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
The Sharing of the Peace:
P: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C: And also, with you.
P: We greet one another with the Peace of Christ
We Sing: Look Who Gathers at Christ’s Table ACS 977
Offering Prayer
P: Creator God, in your wisdom you bring forth all that is good and the harvest is plentiful. Strengthen us at your table with these gifts of the earth and our labor, that we may work for the good of all; through Jesus Christ, our Savior.
C: Amen.
Communion
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Rejoice before your Lord.
C: We lift them to the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to our God.
C: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
P: 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. You reveal your glory as the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: equal in majesty, undivided in splendor, one Lord, one God, ever to be adored in your eternal glory. 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:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
P: In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
P: Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
P: For as often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
C: Christ has died: Christ is risen: Christ will come again.
P: O God of resurrection and new life: Pour out your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts of bread and wine. Bless this feast. Grace our table with your presence.
C: Come, Holy Spirit.
P: We pray as Jesus taught us:
C: 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.
Invitation to Communion
The kingdom of God is set before you. Eat and rejoice.
(sit)
PowerPoint Video & Distribution
Prayer after Communion
Mothering God, you gathered us to your table and we drank deeply of your grace. Send us out by your Spirit to love our neighbors as ourselves and proclaim your love in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Blessing
The love of God abound in you; the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ fill your hearts; and the life of the Spirit ☩ bless you and give you peace.
Amen.
Announcement
| Birthdays July 14 – Cathy Busbey July 17 – Michael Washington Anniversary July 18 – Adam & Rachel Schultz | Weekly Calendar Wednesday – 10 am – Bible study at Immanuel 2:45 Sonshine 5:30 Council Meeting 6 pm – Prayer Gathering |
CLOSING SONG: Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love ELW 708
Dismissal
Go in peace. Live by the Spirit.
Thanks be to God.