Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Sept 10)

The Greeting and Welcome
The congregation stands and faces the entrance of the sanctuary. We begin with a
procession – the cross leading the way – an image of our new life in Jesus Christ and our
journey to Paradise. Some bow as the cross passes, honoring the mystery of salvation.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (790)
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is your health and salvation!
Let all who hear Now to His temple draw near,
Joining in glad adoration!
Praise to the Lord, who has fearfully, wondrously, made you,
Health has bestowed and, when heedlessly falling, has stayed you.
What need or grief Ever has failed of relief?
Wings of His mercy did shade you.
Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in us adore him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen Sound from His people again;
Gladly forever adore him!
Invocation
En el nombre del Padre, y del  Hijo, y del Espíritu Santo.
All Amen.

Confession and Forgiveness
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us
All But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our
sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.
All Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.
Cristo, ten piedad de nosotros.
All Cristo, ten piedad de nosotros.
Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.
All Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.
Silence is Kept
Let us then confess our sins to God our Father:
All Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and
unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by
what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not
loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as
ourselves. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.
Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will
and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His
sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of
Christ, and by His authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
All Amen.

The Kyrie

The Prayer of the Day
The Lord be with you.
All And also with you.
Let us pray.
All Gracious God, you call us to fullness of life: deliver us from unbelief and
banish our anxieties with the liberating love of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The Scripture Readings

Genesis 50:15-21
When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if
Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we
did to him?” 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these
instructions before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask
you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in
treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the
God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.18 His
brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your
slaves,” they said.19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the
place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for
good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many
lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.”
And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

Romans 14:1-12
Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable
matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another,
whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything
must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who
does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has
accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their
own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able
to make them stand.5 One person considers one day more sacred than
another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully
convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does
so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give
thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks
to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for
ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for
the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very
reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of
both the dead and the living.10 You, then, why do you judge your brother
or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand
before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

The Gospel Procession
The Holy Gospel is read in the midst of the people as a reminder of God coming to us in
Jesus Christ. As the Gospel is announced some make a small cross on their forehead, lips,
and chest – a prayer that the Word would dwell in our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts.

Thy Strong Word (578)
Thy strong word did cleave the darkness; At thy speaking it was done.
For created light we thank thee While thine ordered seasons run.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise to thee who light dost send!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia without end!
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew.
All Glory to You, O Lord.

Matthew 18:21-35
Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to
you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of
heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his
servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him
who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his
master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his
property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him
homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave
him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke
him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow
servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he
refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back
the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were
deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His
master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you
your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity
on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed
him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my
heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your
heart.”

Thy Strong Word (578)
God the Father, light-creator, To thee laud and honor be.
To thee, Light from Light begotten, Praise be sung eternally.
Holy Spirit, light-revealer, Glory, glory be to thee.
Mortals, angels, now and ever Praise the holy Trinity!

The Apostle’s Creed
All 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

The King of Love My Shepherd Is (709)
The King of Love my Shepherd is, Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His And He is mine forever.
Where streams of living water flow, My ransomed soul He leadeth
And, where the verdant pastures grow, With food celestial feedeth.
In death’s dark vale I fear no ill With Thee, dear Lord, beside me,
Thy rod and staff my comfort still, Thy cross before to guide me.
And so through all the length of days Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise Within Thy house forever!

Sermon

The Prayer of the Church

The Offering

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow (805)
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host:
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Prayer Before Reception of Holy Communion
O Lord, I believe and profess that you are truly Christ,
The Son of the living God, who came into the world
To save sinners of whom I am the first.
Accept me as a partaker of your mystical supper, O Lord,
For I will not reveal your mystery to your enemies,
Nor will I give you a kiss as did Judas, But like the thief I profess to you:
Remember me, O Lord, when you come in your kingdom.
Remember me, O Master, when you come in your kingdom.
Remember me, O Holy One, when you come in your kingdom.
May the partaking of your Holy mysteries, O Lord,
Be not for my judgment or condemnation,
But for the healing of my soul and body.
O Lord, I believe and profess, that this,
Which I am about to receive,
Is truly your most precious Body, and your life-giving Blood,
Given for me for remission of all my sins and for life everlasting. Amen

Service of the Sacrament
The Lord be with you.
All And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
All We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and
everywhere to give you thanks, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
From sunrise to sunset this day is holy, for Christ has risen from the tomb
and scattered the darkness of death with light that will not fade. This
day the risen Lord walks with us, unfolds for us His word, and makes
himself known in the breaking of the bread. And though the night will
overtake this day you summon us to live in endless light, the unending
sabbath of the Lord. Therefore, with angels and archangels and with all
the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name,
evermore praising You and saying:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of Sabaoth adored;
Heaven and earth with full acclaim shout the glory of Your name.
Sing hosana in the highest, sing hosana to the Lord;
Truly blest is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

Prayer of Thanksgiving
Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have had mercy on
those whom You created and sent Your only-begotten Son into our
flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior. With repentant joy, we receive
the salvation accomplished for us by the all-availing sacrifice of His
body and His blood on the cross. Gathered in the name and the
remembrance of Jesus, we beg You, O Lord, to forgive, renew, and
strengthen us with Your Word and Spirit. Grant us to faithfully eat His
body and drink His blood as He bids us to in His own testament. Gather
us together from the ends of the earth to celebrate, with all the faithful,
the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end.
Receive our prayers; deliver and preserve us. To You alone be all glory,
honor, and worship, now and forever.
All Amen.

The Consecration
The Acclamation and Invitation
As often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup, we proclaim
your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come
again.
All Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Behold the Lamb of God, behold Jesus, who takes away the sins of the
world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
All Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall
be healed.

La paz del Señor sea con ustedes.
All Y Tambien contigo
Sharing of the Peace
Greet each other in the name of Christ by saying ‘the Peace of the Lord be with you’ as a
sign of forgiveness & reconciliation in preparation for reception of the Blessed Sacrament.
Lamb of God
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; grant us peace.

Distribution
Eucharistic Dismissal

Thank The Lord
Thank the Lord and sing His praise; Tell everyone what He has done.
Let everyone who seeks the Lord, Rejoice, and proudly bear His name.
He recalls His promises, and leads His people forth in joy
With shouts of thanksgiving. Alleluia, alleluia.

Post-Communion Prayer
We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us
through this salutary gift, and we implore You, that of Your mercy, You
would strengthen us in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one
another; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns
with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Announcements

The Blessing

Rejoice, O Pilgrim Throng (813)
Rejoice, O pilgrim throng! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing;
Your festal banner wave on high, The cross of Christ, your king.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!
With all the angel choirs, With all the saints on earth
Pour out the strains of joy and bliss, True rapture, noblest mirth.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!
Yet on and onward still, With hymn and chant and song,
Through gate and porch and columned aisle The hallowed pathways throng.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!
At last the march shall end; The wearied ones shall rest;
The pilgrims find their home at last, Jerusalem the blest.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!
Praise Him who reigns on high, The Lord whom we adore;
The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, One God forevermore.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!