October 19, 2025 11 A.M.
Welcome!
Introduction
Pray always. Do not lose heart. This is Christ’s encouragement in the gospel today. Wrestle with the word. Remember your baptism again and again. Come regularly to Christ’s table. Persistence in our every encounter with the divine will be blessed.
(please stand for our opening song)
Opening Hymn: What a Friend We Have in Jesus ELW 742
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, our maker, our helper, and our keeper.
Amen.
Trusting in God’s mercy, let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Merciful and loving God,
we are your stiff-necked people. We trample on the needy. We grumble about your grace to others. We turn away from the poor. Have mercy on us and forgive our sins. Rejoice over us as ones who were lost and have been found. Amen.
Even when we are faithless, God remains faithful. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. You who were lost have been found. In the name of ☩ Jesus, your sins are forgiven!
Amen.
Prayer of the Day
O Lord God, tireless guardian of your people, you are always ready to hear our cries. Teach us to rely day and night on your care. Inspire us to seek your enduring justice for all this suffering world, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
(Please be seated for the readings)
First Reading: Genesis 32:22-31
Returning to the home he had fled many years before after stealing his brother’s birthright and his father’s blessing, Jacob wrestles all night long with a divine adversary who ultimately blesses him and changes his name to “Israel,” a name that means “he wrestles with God.”
R: 22 The same night [Jacob] got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, yet my life is preserved.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
Psalmody: Psalm 121
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. (Ps. 121:2)
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
3 The Lord will not let your foot be moved nor will the one who watches over you fall asleep.
4 Behold, the keeper of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep;
5 the Lord watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will preserve you from all evil and will keep your life.
8 The Lord will watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth forevermore.
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14—4:5
The writer of this letter continues his instruction of Timothy, his younger colleague in ministry, by emphasizing the importance of faithful teaching despite opposition.
R: 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have known sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that the person of God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2 proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage with the utmost patience in teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound teaching, but, having their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. 5 As for you, be sober in everything, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
(please stand)
Gospel: Luke 18:1-8
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 tells a parable of an unjust judge who is worn down by a widow’s pleas. Jesus is calling God’s people to cry out for justice and deliverance. For if an unethical judge will ultimately grant the plea of a persistent widow, how much more will God respond to those who call.
D: 1 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my accuser.’ 4 For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
…This is the Gospel of the Lord
C: Praise to you, oh Christ
We Sing: If You But Trust in God to Guide You ELW 769
with Jerry leFeber
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
Renewed in God’s everlasting grace, let us pray for the church, the world, and all creation.
A brief silence.
We pray for the church universal. O God, who unites the church across the globe, bring unity and peace to a world divided by hatred and opposition. Turn our hearts toward the gospel of Jesus Christ. God of grace,
receive our prayer.
We pray for creation. O God, who made heaven and earth, draw us to the beauty of the whole creation. Turn us toward a right relationship with the entire cosmos. God of grace,
receive our prayer.
We pray for all nations, states, cities, and towns. O God, you rule over all the earth. Grant our elected officials humility in their decision-making for the sake of the entire world. God of grace,
receive our prayer.
We pray for those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit. O God, who heals and strengthens, our help comes from you in times of need. Support, comfort, and heal those who suffer (especially). God of grace,
receive our prayer.
We pray for those who guide this congregation, encourage us to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Nurture our relationships with the community, that we serve and advocate for those who come to us in need. God of grace,
receive our prayer.
We offer thanksgiving for the faithful departed. O God, whose promises never end, we thank you for all the saints who have shown us the way of your Son, Jesus Christ. God of grace,
receive our prayer.
We offer our prayers, O God, trusting in your everlasting grace and mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
(please 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
We Sing: Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying ELW 752
(sing twice)
Offering Prayer
P: Lord of the harvest, we return to you a portion of what you have given to us. Turn us to set our hope not on the uncertainty of riches, but on you, who richly provides for us. Multiply what we have gathered to bless all who are suffering and in need, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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
Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them. Come to this meal of mercy.
(sit)
PowerPoint Video & Distribution
Prayer after Communion
O God, through this meal you have strengthened us and appointed us to be your servants. Send us to do good and to share our possessions with all in need. We ask this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Blessing
The God of righteousness, who gives justice to the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry, who sets the prisoners free, ☩ bless you now and forever.
Amen.
Announcements…
| Birthdays 19 – Stephen Wiltse, David McCoy 20 – Chris Hackett 21 – Sally Schultz, Sarah Perry 30 – Dylan Schultz & Charlene Sendlakowski 31 – Aaron Drum & Norm Glover | Anniversaries 24 – Scott and Kathy Warner |
| Weekly Calendar Wednesday – 10 am – Bible study at Immanuel 6 pm – Prayer Gathering Thursday – 9 am – Quilting | NEXT WEEK – Oct. 26 – 10:30am combine Reformation Service at Emmanual Halloween, Oct. 31 ~ Trunk – or – Treat |
Closing Hymn: Jesus, Still Lead On ELW 624
