Virtual Worship for July 12, 2020
Virtual Worship for
Sunday July 12, 2020
GATHERING
(Lord, Let My Heart Be) Good Soil
Handt Hanson
Performed by Robert Prester & Adriana Samargia
Lord let my heart be good soil
Open to the seed of your word
Lord let my heart be good soil
Where love can grow
And peace is understood
When my heart is hard
Break the stone away
When my heart is cold
Warm it with the day
When my heart is lost
Lead me on your way
Lord let my heart
Lord let my heart
Lord let my heart be good soil
Lord let my heart be good soil
Open to the seed of your word
Lord let my heart be good soil
Where love can grow
And peace is understood
Where love can grow
And peace is understood
Where love can grow
And peace is understood
Introduction to today's service
God’s word is like the rain that waters the earth and brings forth vegetation. It is also like the sower who scatters seed indiscriminately. Our lives are like seeds sown in the earth. Even from what appears to be little, dormant, or dead, God promises a harvest. At the Lord’s table we are fed with the bread of life, that we may bear fruit in the world.
Resources for children:
For pre-readers
For readers
The Childrens Activity bulletin
GATHERING SONG
Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty
A nice congregational version for sing along
Or this one!
Open now thy gates of beauty,
Zion, let me enter there,
where my soul in joyful duty
waits for God who answers prayer.
Oh, how blessed is this place,
filled with solace, light, and grace!Gracious God, I come before thee;
come thou also unto me;
where we find thee and adore thee,
there a heav'n on earth must be.
To my heart, oh, enter thou,
let it be thy temple now!Here thy praise is gladly chanted,
here thy seed is duly sown;
let my soul, where it is planted,
bring forth precious sheaves alone,
so that all I hear may be
fruitful unto life in me.Thou my faith increase and quicken,
let me keep thy gift divine;
howsoe'er temptations thicken,
may thy word still o'er me shine
as my guiding star through life,
as my comfort in all strife.Speak, O God, and I will hear thee,
let thy will be done indeed;
may I undisturbed draw near thee
while thou dost thy people feed.
Here of life the fountain flows;
here is balm for all our woes.
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
whose steadfast love is everlasting,
whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation.
Amen.
Trusting in the mercy of God, let us confess our sin.
Reconciling God,
we confess that we do not trust your abundance,
and we deny your presence in our lives.
We place our hope in ourselves
and rely on our own efforts.
We fail to believe that you provide enough for all.
We abuse your good creation for our own benefit.
We fear difference and do not welcome others
as you have welcomed us.
We sin in thought, word, and deed.
By your grace, forgive us;
through your love, renew us;
and in your Spirit, lead us;
so that we may live and serve you in newness of life. Amen.
Beloved of God,
by the radical abundance of divine mercy
we have peace with God through ☩ Christ Jesus,
through whom we have obtained grace upon grace.
Our sins are forgiven.
Let us live now in hope.
For hope does not disappoint,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
GREETING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
Kyrie!
Kyrie eleison, on our world and on our way,
Kyrie eleison, ev’ry day.
For peace in the world, for the health of the church, for the unity of all;
for this holy house, for all who worship and praise,
let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord
Kyrie eleison, on our world and on our way,
Kyrie eleison, ev’ry day.
That we may live out your impassioned response to the hungry and the poor;
that we may live out truth and justice and grace,
let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord
Kyrie eleison, on our world and on our way,
Kyrie eleison, ev’ry day.
For peace in our hearts, for peace in our homes, for friends and family;
for life and for love, for our work and our play,
let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord
Kyrie eleison, on our world and on our way,
Kyrie eleison, ev’ry day.
For your Spirit to guide; that you center our lives in the water and the Word;
that you nourish our souls with your body and blood,
let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord
Kyrie eleison, on our world and on our way,
Kyrie eleison, ev’ry day.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray. Almighty God, we thank you for planting in us the seed of your word. By your Holy Spirit help us to receive it with joy, live according to it, and grow in faith and hope and love, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
WORD
READING: Romans 8:1-11
There is no condemnation for those who live in Christ. God sent Christ to accomplish what the law was unable to do: condemn sin and free us from its death-dealing ways. The Spirit now empowers proper actions and values in our lives and gives us the promise of resurrected life.
1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Musical Reflection
For the Beauty of the Earth
Tune: DIX; Folliott S. Pierpont
Performed and Arranged by Robert Prester & Adriana Samargia
For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies
Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise
For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night
Hill and vale and tree and flower
Sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise
For the joy of ear and eye
For the heart and mind's delight
For the mystic harmony
Linking sense to sound and sight
For the joy of human love
Brother sister parent child
Friends on earth and friends above
For all gentle thoughts and mild
Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise
GOSPEL: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
The holy gospel according to Matthew.
Glory to you, O Lord.
In Matthew’s gospel, both Jesus and his disciples “sow the seed” of God’s word by proclaiming the good news that “the kingdom of heaven is near.” Now, in a memorable parable, Jesus explains why this good news produces different results in those who hear.
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with ears listen!”
18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON
Keep On Keepin' On!
HYMN OF THE DAY
Lord, Let My Heart Be Good Soil
We opened today's service with Robert and Adriana's "jazzy" version of this song. Now it's our turn!
Here's a sing along with a soloist on piano
While not a sing along, here is a lovely version with guitar and ensemble
Lord, let my heart be good soil,
open to the seed of your word.
Lord, let my heart be good soil,
where love can grow and peace is understood.
When my heart is hard, break the stone away.
When my heart is cold, warm it with the day.
When my heart is lost, lead me on your way.
Lord, let my heart, Lord, let my heart,
Lord, let my heart be good soil.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
OFFERING
Please remember, the Church is not Closed (while our building is!)
We are called by God to pray, to care for one another,
and to love God and our neighbors as best we can!
Our offerings not only “pay bills” they help us continue God’s work in the world
You may send your contributions to the church through the mail, directly from your bank,
or by clicking on this secure link.
ANTHEM
St. Anthony's Chorale
Brahms; performed by Nanette Lutz, Celtic Harp
OFFERING PRAYER
God of goodness and growth,
all creation is yours,
and your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
Water and word, wine and bread:
these are signs of your abundant grace.
Nourish us through these gifts,
that we might proclaim your steadfast love
in our communities and in the world,
through Jesus Christ, our strength and our song. Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
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.
SENDING
Blessing
Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers,
nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
God, the creator, ☩ Jesus, the Christ,
and the Holy Spirit, the comforter,
bless you and keep you in eternal love. Amen.
Dismissal
Go in peace. Christ is with you!
Thanks be to God!
SENDING SONG
On What Has Now Been Sown
A sing-along with organ and congregation
In this one you accompany the organ!
On what has now been sown
your blessing, Lord, bestow;
the pow'r is yours alone
to make it sprout and grow.
O Lord, in grace the harvest raise,
and yours alone shall be the praise!To you our wants are known,
from you are all our pow'rs;
accept what is your own
and pardon what is ours.
Our praises, Lord, and prayers receive
and to your word a blessing give.Oh, grant that each of us,
now met before you here,
may meet together thus
when you and yours appear,
and follow you to heav'n, our home.
E'en so, Amen! Lord Jesus, come!
Postlude:
O God in Whom All Life Begins
Traditional English Melody (Tune: NOEL); Lyrics by Carl P. Daw, Jr.
Performed and Arranged by Robert Prester & Adriana Samargia
O God in whom all life begins
Who births the seed to fruit
Bestow your blessing on our lives
Here let your love find root
Bring forth in us the spirit’s gifts
Of patience joy and peace
Deliver us from numbing fear
And grant our faith increase
Through tears and laughter grief and joy
Enlarge our trust and care
So bind us in community
That we may risk and dare
Be with us when we gather here
To worship sing and pray
Then send us forth in power and faith
To live the words we say
To live the words we say
From sundaysandseasons.com.
Copyright © 2020 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.