August 23, 2026

August 23, 2026    11:15 A.M.

Welcome!

Introduction

In Isaiah the people are advised to look to their spiritual ancestors as the rock from which they were hewn. Jesus declares that the church will be built on the rock of Peter’s bold confession of faith. God’s word of reconciliation and God’s mercy are keys to the church’s mission. Paul urges us to not be conformed to this world but to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, using our individual gifts to build up the body of Christ. From the table we go forth to offer our spiritual worship through word and deed.

(please stand for our opening song)

Hymn: O Savior, Precious Savior ELW 820, vs. 1 & 2

Confession and Forgiveness

P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, whose compassion endures forever.

C: Amen.

P: Let us confess our sin to God.

Silence is kept for reflection.

P: Compassionate God,

C: we confess to you all our sins. Our burden is heavy, and we cannot free ourselves. In your mercy, call us back to you. Your yoke is easy and your burden is light. Restore us to dwell in your peace. In Christ’s name we pray,

Amen.

P: Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” In the name of God, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, your sins are forgiven. Rest in God’s love. Amen.

Prayer of the Day

O God, with all your faithful followers of every age, we praise you, the rock of our life. Be our strong foundation and form us into the body of your Son, that we may gladly minister to all the world, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

(Please be seated for the readings)

First Reading: Isaiah 51:1-6

Just as God had called Abraham and Sarah and given them many descendants, so now God offers comfort to Zion. God’s deliverance will come soon and will never end.

R:   ¹ Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the quarry from which you were dug. ² Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah, who bore you, for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many. ³ For the Lord will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.

 ⁴ Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation, for a teaching will go out from me and my justice for a light to the peoples. ⁵ I will bring near my deliverance swiftly; my salvation has gone out, and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope. ⁶ Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look at the earth beneath, for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats, but my salvation will be forever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.

…This is the Word of the Lord

C: Thanks be to God

Psalmody: Psalm 138

O Lord, your steadfast love endures forever. (Ps. 138:8)

 ¹ I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I will sing your praise.
 ² I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your name, because of your steadfast love and faithfulness; for you have glorified your name and your word above all things.
 ³ When I called, you answered me; you increased my strength within me.
 ⁴ All the rulers of the earth will praise you, O Lord, when they have heard the words of your mouth. 
 ⁵ They will sing of the ways of the Lord, that great is the glory of the Lord.
 ⁶ The Lord is high, yet cares for the lowly, perceiving the haughty from afar.
 ⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand shall save me.
 ⁸ You will make good your purpose for me; O Lord, your steadfast love endures forever; do not abandon the works of your hands.

 

Second Reading: Romans 12:1-8

In response to God’s merciful activity, we are to worship by living holistic, God-pleasing lives. Our values and viewpoints are not molded by the time in which we live but are transformed by the Spirit’s renewing work. God’s grace empowers different forms of service among Christians, but all forms of ministry function to build up the body of Christ.

R:  ¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. ² Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
  ³ For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function, ⁵ so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. ⁶ We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ⁷ ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; ⁸ the encourager, in encouragement; the giver, in sincerity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

…This is the Word of the Lord

C: Thanks be to God

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20

At a climactic point in Jesus’ ministry, God reveals to Peter that Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” and Jesus responds with the promise of a church that will overcome the very gates of Hades.

R:  ¹³ Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

…This is the Gospel of the Lord

C: Praise to you, oh Christ

Hymn: My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less ELW 596, vs. 1& 4

w/ Pastor John Kearns

(please stand)

Apostles’ Creed

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. 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 prayers)

Prayers of Intercession

With bold trust in God’s unfailing provision, we pray for the church, those in need, and all of God’s creation.

A brief silence.

God, our rock, you are the foundation on which the church is built. Strengthen and encourage your faithful people everywhere they gather, that they boldly proclaim your word of life to all the world. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

You spoke and all creation came into being. Field and forest, wetland and wilderness—all reveal your glory. Sustain and nourish your creation. Teach us to be wise stewards of all you have made. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

You bring deliverance to nations and peoples. Come to the aid of nations experiencing war, conflict, disease, famine, and disaster. Guide the work of relief agencies and peacemaking organizations. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

You regard the lowly and hear us when we cry out to you. Be present among all who struggle with addiction, housing insecurity, incarceration, and mental illness, that they know they are not alone. Hear our prayers for all in need this day (especially). Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

You draw together people with differing gifts. Lift up the many and varied gifts and talents of this congregation and strengthen the bonds of fellowship that all may be united as the body of Christ. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

Your steadfast love endures forever. We give thanks for the faithful who died in the hope of this promise. Strengthen us in faith until the day we join them at your eternal banquet. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

Receive our prayers and answer, O God, as you have promised. All this we ask in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

 (stand)

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

Hymn: Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me ELW 623 vs. 1 & 2

Communion

Loving God, we offer at your table the gifts of our hearts. Help us take heart in you and share freely of your love, so that all creation can taste your abundance. We ask this in the name of Jesus, through the Spirit abiding with us now and forever.

C:  Amen.

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 Him 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:

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:   To you, O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory in your holy church, now and forever.  C:    Amen.

P:   Let us 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

Heaven has come near. Come, share in the feast!

(sit)

Distribution & video

Post-Communion Prayer

P:   Compassionate God, through the gifts of bread and wine our hearts are filled with the abundance of your love. Strengthen us that we, through this holy meal, may share your love freely, as you have shared with us. We ask this in the name of Jesus, through the Spirit nourishing us now and forever.  

C:  Amen.

Blessing

Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, ☩ one God, bless, heal, and hold you today and always.   

C:  Amen.

Announcements: 

Birthdays August 16 – Quincy Stebbins            18 – Matthew Wiltse            20 – Robert Flagg            21 – Vicky McKinney            22 – Genny Brockel            27 – Adam Schultz & Evelyn Jeffrey            28 – Collin Jeffrey & Nicholas McKinney            29 – Abby (Irvin) Sheeler   Anniversaries August 16 – Charles & Chris Hacket            20 – Sue & Bill Crowley            21 – George & Carolyn Fillgrove            22 – Robert & Tina Flagg

Weekly Calendar Wednesday 10am – Bible Study at Immanuel  6 pm – prayer gathering Thursday    9 am – Quilting

CLOSING HYMN: How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds ELW 620 vs. 1, 2, 3 

Dismissal

P:  Heaven has come near. Go, share the good news!

C:  Thanks be to God.