November 8, 2026 11:15 A.M.
Welcome!
Introduction
Today the prophet Amos calls for justice to roll down like waters. Paul urges us to encourage one another with the promised coming of the Lord. Jesus tells the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids. Surrounded by the faithful of every time and place, we celebrate Christ’s coming in our midst in the word of life and the feast of victory—the marriage feast of the Lamb.
(please stand for our opening song)
My Lord, What a Morning ELW 438
Confession and Forgiveness
P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, our dwelling place for all generations, whose compassion never slumbers.
C: Amen.
P: Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Silence is kept for reflection.
P: Holy God,
C: we confess that we have trusted in our preparation instead of your invitation. We prioritize our piety over care for your beloved. We trust the voice of our shame and fear, which keeps us from entering fully into relationship with you and others. We are not awake to the coming of your reign. Rouse us and rescue us, that we may enter into your joy. Amen.
P: Inherit the riches of God’s grace. ☩ Jesus, the good shepherd, feeds you with his mercy. You are forgiven. Blessed are you.
C: Amen.
Prayer of the Day
O God of justice and love, you illumine our way through life with the words of your Son. Give us the light we need, and awaken us to the needs of others, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
(please be seated for the readings)
First Reading: Amos 5:18-24
In the days of Amos, people thought that the day of the LORD would be a time of great victory, but Amos announced that it would be a day of darkness, not light. He said liturgy is no substitute for obedience. The LORD demands justice and righteousness in the community.
R: 18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light, 19 as if someone fled from a lion and was met by a bear or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall and was bitten by a snake. 20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?
21 I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them, and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. 23 Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. 24 But let justice roll down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
Psalmody: Psalm 70
You are my helper and my deliverer; O Lord, do not tarry. (Ps. 70:5)
1 Be pleased, O God, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me.
2 Let those who seek my life be put to shame and confounded; let those who take pleasure in my misfortune draw back and be disgraced.
3 Let those who say to me “Aha!” and gloat over me turn back because of their shame.
4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; let those who love your salvation say forever, “Great is the Lord!”
5 But as for me, I am poor and needy; come to me quickly, O God. You are my helper and my deliverer; O Lord, do not tarry.
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Some of the Thessalonians are worried that dead Christians will be excluded from the resurrection to eternal life when Christ comes again. Paul reassures them with the word of hope that all Christians, living or dead, will be raised into everlasting life with Christ.
R: 13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 15 For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13
Jesus tells a parable about his own second coming, emphasizing the need for readiness at all times.
R: [Jesus said to the disciples:] 1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten young women took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those young women got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. 11 Later the other young women came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ 13 Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
…This is the Gospel of the Lord
C: Praise to you, oh Christ
When Peace Like a RiverELW 785
(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
United with the great cloud of witnesses, we offer our prayers for the church, the world, and all of creation.
A brief silence.
You illumine the church with the hope of your new day. Prepare our hearts and minds for the inbreaking of your kingdom, that we might awaken to your transforming love at work all around us. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
You create and sustain the earth’s natural rhythms so that all life might thrive. Show us the wisdom and wonder of nature’s balance; make us careful stewards of our common home. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
You make justice roll down in all places and among all nations. Encourage all who protect vulnerable communities and help rebuild in the aftermath of conflict. Uphold veterans and those who care for them. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
You hasten to heal our wounds and make whole what is broken. Comfort individuals facing a difficult diagnosis, receiving palliative care, or facing uncertain treatment options. (We pray especially for . . .) God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
You give rest to weary hearts and bodies. As the days grow shorter in the north, help us to move more slowly and intentionally through our days, honoring the need for quiet and stillness. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
You welcome those who have come before us in faith into the joys of heaven. Sustain us by your grace and guide us into the promise of everlasting life. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Into your steadfast love, faithful God, we entrust all for whom we pray, in the name of Jesus, your beloved.
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
Bread of Life From Heaven ELW 474
Offering Prayer
Eternal God, our time, talents, and treasures are gifts from you. Receive what we offer, and all that you entrust to us, until hungry no more, all the world is fed, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
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, through our Savior Jesus Christ; By the witness of your saints you show us the hope of our calling, and strengthen us to run the race set before us, that we may delight in your mercy and rejoice with them in glory. And so, with all the saints, with the choirs of angels and all 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: 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
In bread and cup the reign of Christ is breaking in. Come, receive what Christ has prepared.
(sit)
Distribution & video
Prayer after Communion
Holy God, we have received your never-ending mercy in this meal. You continuously seek the lost, bind the injured, and feed your people abundantly. Now send us out, awake to your presence, now and forever.
Amen.
Blessing
P: The holy Trinity, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you with wisdom to welcome the reign of God, today and always.
C: Amen.
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Blessed Assurance ELW 638
Dismissal
P: Go in peace. Encourage one another.
C: Thanks be to God.