Sunday Worship + November 8, 2020

[We ask your patience waiting for the YouTube service video this week. Pastor Analyse will upload it when she’s back in the office on Tuesday.]

+ 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. +

CONFESSION & FORGIVENESS

All may make the sign of the cross, the sign marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.

Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
in whose image we are made,
who claims us and calls us beloved. Amen.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy One,
we confess that we are not awake for you.
We are not faithful in using your gifts.
We forget the least of our siblings.
We do not see your beautiful image in one another.
We are infected by sin
that divides your beloved community.
Open our hearts to your coming,
open our eyes to see you in our neighbor,
open our hands to serve your creation. Amen.

Beloved, we are God’s children,
and Jesus, our Beloved, opens the door to us.
Through ☩ Jesus you are forgiven,
by Jesus you are welcome,
in Jesus you are called to rejoice!
Let us live in the promises prepared for us
from the foundation of the world. Amen.

GATHERING HYMN: O God, Our Help in Ages Past (ELW 623 Verses 1 & 4)

1 O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home:

4 A thousand ages in your sight
are like an evening gone,
short as the watch that ends the night
before the rising sun.

Text: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, alt.

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.

HYMN OF PRAISE: Lord I Lift Your Name On High (ELW #857)

Lord, I lift your name on high.
Lord, I love to sing your praises.
I’m so glad you’re in my life,
I’m so glad you came to save us.

You came from heaven to earth, to show the way.
From the earth to the cross, my debt to pay;
from the cross to the grave,
from the grave to the sky;
Lord, I lift your name on high.

Text and music © 1989 Maranatha Praise, Inc., admin. Capitol Christian Music Group

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.

READINGS

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.. +

The first reading comes from Amos beginning at the 5^th chapter.

¹⁸Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord!
  Why do you want the day of the Lord?
 It is darkness, not light;
¹⁹as 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.
²⁰Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light,
  and gloom with no brightness in it?

²¹I hate, I despise your festivals,
  and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
²²Even 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.
²³Take away from me the noise of your songs;
  I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
²⁴But let justice roll down like waters,
  and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Word of God, Word of Life. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 70

+ You are my helper and my deliverer; O Lord, do not tarry. (Ps. 70:5) +

Together we will read responsively from Psalm 70.

¹Be pleased, O God, to deliver me;
  O Lord, make haste to help me.
²Let those who seek my life be put to shame and confounded;
let those who take pleasure in my misfortune draw back and be disgraced.
³Let those who say to me “Aha!” and gloat over me
  turn back because of their shame.
⁴Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
let those who love your salvation say forever, “Great is the Lord!”
⁵But 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.

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. +

The second reading comes from 1 Thessalonians beginning at the 4^th chapter.

¹³We 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. ¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. ¹⁵For 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. ¹⁶For 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. ¹⁷Then 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. ¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Word of God, Word of Life. Thanks be to God.

Children’s Message

For the Children’s message this week we invite you to check out back episodes of Morning Watch by Pastor Matt and Pastor Jesse, who are good friends of mine and ELCA pastors in Greensboro, NC. Each week day they engage children and adults alike with scripture, music, and prayer. A link to their videos is linked in the interactive bulletin found at holytrinitybellerose.wordpress.com.

Matthew 25:1-13

+ Jesus tells a parable about his own second coming, emphasizing the need for readiness at all times. +

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew beginning at the 25^th chapter. Glory to you, O Lord.

[Jesus said to the disciples:] ¹“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; ⁴but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. ⁶But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹But 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.’ ¹⁰And 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. ¹¹Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ ¹²But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ ¹³Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

The sermon this week is offered by Pastor Karen Kuttler while Pastor Analyse is at a Pastoral Installation in Chicago.

HYMN OF THE DAY: Wake, Awake, For Night is Flying (ELW 436 Verses 1 & 3)

1 Wake, awake, for night is flying,
the watchmen on the heights are crying;
awake, Jerusalem, at last.
Midnight hears the welcome voices,
and at the thrilling cry rejoices:
“Come forth, you maidens! Night is past.
The bridegroom comes! Awake;
your lamps with gladness take!”
Alleluia! 
Rise and prepare the feast to share;
go, meet the bridegroom, who draws near.

3 Gloria! Let heav’n adore you!
Let saints and angels sing before you,
with harp and cymbal’s clearest tone.
Gates of pearl, twelve portals gleaming,
lead us to bliss beyond all dreaming,
with angel choirs around your throne.
No eye has caught the light,
no ear the thund’ring might
of such glory.
There we will go: what joy we’ll know!
There sweet delight will ever flow.

Text: Philipp Nicolai, 1556-1608; tr. composite
Text © 1999 Augsburg Fortress.

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

Let us confess our faith saying the words of the Apostles’ Creed in our hearts.

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the dead.

On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

OFFERING MESSAGE & PRAYER

Please consider continuing to mail in your offering or giving online!  We continue to have expenses that need to be covered during this time. We are most grateful for your generosity.

God of all goodness,
generations have turned to you,
gathered around your table,
and shared your abundant blessings.
Number us among them
that, as we gather these gifts from your abundance,
and give thanks for your rich blessings,
we may feast upon your very self
and care for all that you have made,
through Jesus Christ, our Sovereign and Servant.
Amen.

OFFERTORY HYMN: We Are an Offering (ELW #692)

We lift our voices, we lift our hands,
we lift our lives up to you: we are an offering.
Lord, use our voices, Lord, use our hands,
Lord, use our lives, they are yours: we are an offering.
All that we have, all that we are,
all that we hope to be, we give to you, we give to you.
We lift our voices, we lift our hands,
we lift our lives up to you: we are an offering, we are an offering.

Text and music © 1984 Word Music, LLC. All rights reserved. Used By Permission.

GREAT THANKSGIVING                                        

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 our thanks and praise.

PREFACE  

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;
who on this day overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.
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 in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

Holy, mighty, and merciful Lord,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
In great love you sent to us Jesus, your Son,
who reached out to heal the sick and suffering,
who preached good news to the poor,
and who, on the cross, opened his arms to all.

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.

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.
Remembering, therefore, his death, resurrection, and ascension,
we await his coming in glory.

Pour out upon us the Spirit of your love, O Lord, and unite the wills of all who share this heavenly food, the body and blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord; to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray:

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.

COMMUNION

All are welcome to share this meal in Holy Communion with God’s beloved community. It is because we are community called to care for one another that we wish to receive the elements as safely as possible. Once the service concludes the ushers will guide you toward the exit in the Narthex where you may receive bread and juice. You are invited to partake on the lawn, in your car, or at home, wherever you feel most comfortable. If you wish to bring Holy Communion to a neighbor who is not able to be with us in person, we will have pre-packaged elements for you to do so. Online viewers may stop by the church from 11:00am-11:30am in order to receive Communion. Thank you for doing your part to make this sacred meal a place where there is room for all. 

TABLE BLESSING & COMMUNION PRAYER

The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace. Amen     

Lord Jesus,
in this simple meal you have set a banquet.
Sustain us on the journey,
strengthen us to care for the least of your beloved children,
and give us glad and generous hearts
as we meet you on the way. Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

BLESSING

May the God of all creation,
in whose image we are made,
who claims us and calls us beloved,
who strengthens us for service,
give you reason to rejoice and be glad!

The blessing of God,
Sovereign, ☩ Savior, and Spirit,
be with you today and always. Amen.

SENDING HYMN: Blessed Assurance (ELW 638 Verses 1 & 3)

1 Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

Refrain
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior, all the day long:
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

3 Perfect submission, all is at rest;
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love.  Refrain

Text: Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915

DISMISSAL

What is our mission? Welcoming all to grow in faith; living Christ’s message of serving and loving neighbors near and far.

Beloved of God, go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Licensing

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is covered under the following licenses:

• CCLI: 1510407
• OneLicense: 732293-A
• Augsburg Fortress: SAS006846