Words for Worship – October 4, 2020

Welcome

Song – The Church’s One Foundation – Worship 654 (vs. 1-3)

1   The church’s one foundation
is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
she is his new creation
by water and the word.
From heav’n he came and sought her
to be his holy bride;
with his own blood he bought her,
and for her life he died.

2   Elect from ev’ry nation,
yet one o’er all the earth,
her charter of salvation
one Lord, one faith, one birth:
one holy name she blesses,
partakes one holy food,
and to one hope she presses,
with ev’ry grace endued.

3   Though with a scornful wonder
this world sees her oppressed,
by schisms rent asunder,
by heresies distressed,
yet saints their watch are keeping;
their cry goes up: “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping
shall be the morn of song.

Text: Samuel J. Stone, 1839-1900

Prayer of the Day
Beloved God, from you come all things that are good. Lead us by the inspiration of your Spirit to know those things that are right, and by your merciful guidance, help us to do them, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

First Reading  – Isaiah 5:1-4,7
A reading from Isaiah:
Let me sing for my beloved
my love-song concerning his vineyard:
 My beloved had a vineyard
  on a very fertile hill.
 ²He dug it and cleared it of stones,
  and planted it with choice vines;
 he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
  and hewed out a wine vat in it;
 he expected it to yield grapes,
  but it yielded wild grapes.
³And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
  and people of Judah,
 judge between me
  and my vineyard.
 ⁴What more was there to do for my vineyard
  that I have not done in it?
 When I expected it to yield grapes,
  why did it yield wild grapes?
…For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
  is the house of Israel,
 and the people of Judah
  are his pleasant planting;
 he expected justice,
  but saw bloodshed;
 righteousness,
  but heard a cry!
Word of God, word of Life. Thanks be to God. 

Children’s Time – Vicar Anne

Alleluia

Gospel: Matthew 21:23-32
A reading from Matthew:
[Jesus said to the people:] ³³“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. ³⁴When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. ³⁵But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. ³⁶Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. ³⁷Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ ³⁹So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. ⁴⁰Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” ⁴¹They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”
  ⁴²Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: 
 ‘The stone that the builders rejected
  has become the cornerstone;
 this was the Lord’s doing,
  and it is amazing in our eyes’?
⁴³Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. ⁴⁴The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”
  ⁴⁵When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. ⁴⁶They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

Message – Vicar Anne Wickland

Song – If you but trust in God to guide you – Worship 769
 1         If you but trust in God to guide you
with gentle hand through all your ways,
you’ll find that God is there beside you
when crosses come, in trying days.
Trust then in God’s unchanging love;
build on the rock that will not move.

2   What gain is there in anxious weeping,
in helpless anger and distress?
If you are in your Savior’s keeping,
in sorrow will he love you less?
For Christ who took for you a cross
will bring you safe through ev’ry loss.

3   The Lord our restless hearts is holding,
in peace and quietness content.
We rest in God’s good will unfolding,
what wisdom from on high has sent.
God, who has chosen us by grace,
knows very well the fears we face.

4   Sing, pray, and keep God’s ways unswerving,
offer your service faithfully.
Trust heaven’s word; though undeserving,
you’ll find this promise true to be.
This is our confidence indeed: 
God never fails in time of need.

Text: Georg Neumark, 1621-1681; tr. composite
Text © 1978, 2006 Augsburg Fortress.    

Confession and 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, who creates, redeems, and sustains us and all of creation. Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Silence is kept for reflection.

Faithful God, have mercy on us. We confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We turn from your loving embrace and go our own ways. We pass judgment on one another before examining ourselves. We place our own needs before those of our neighbors. We keep your gift of salvation to ourselves. Make us humble, cast away our transgressions, and turn us again to life in you through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

God hears the cries of all who call out in need, and through his death and resurrection, Christ has made us his own. Hear the truth that God proclaims: Your sins are forgiven in the name of ☩ Jesus Christ. Led by the Holy Spirit, live in freedom and newness to do God’s work in the world. Amen.

Prayers of the People
With confidence in God’s grace and mercy, let us pray for the church, the world, and all those in need.
A brief silence.

Holy God, you call us to work for peace and justice in your vineyard. Refresh the church with your life, that we may bear fruit through work and service. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Thank you for the abundant harvest of the earth. Bless and care for those whose hands bring the fruits of the earth to the tables of all who hunger. May we be inspired by your servants who cared deeply for your creation (especially our partners in Masimike, Iringa, Tanzania). Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Curb the impulses of greed and pride that lead us to take advantage of others. Grant that world leaders seek the fruits of the kingdom for the good and welfare of all people. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Sustain all who suffer with the promise of new life. Assured of your presence, heal our pain and suffering, and equip us to embrace all bodies aching for wholeness of mind, body, and soul. We call to mind those who are struggling today (especially those we name now……………………………………………………). Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for all managers in our community and for all who seek employment. Give hope and a future to those who lack meaningful work, those who have been marginalized or abused in the workplace, and those who desire new opportunities. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Thank you for the saints who teach us to live faithfully in your vineyard. May our chorus join theirs until our labor is complete. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Listen as we call on you, O God, and enfold in your loving arms all for whom we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Peace
Johm riab sua.
Selam.
The peace of Christ be with you all. And also with you.

Offering – Paul Swenson, organ

Offering Prayer
Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things. You have set before us these gifts of your good creation. Prepare us for your heavenly banquet, nourish us with this rich food and drink, and send us forth to set tables in the midst of a suffering world, through the bread of life, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Communion
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.

It is indeed right that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to God who is the giver of all good things and who revealed this abundance again with feeding the multitudes, who loved to the point of death and who beyond death, was raised from the dead and appeared to many, breaking bread with them in their homes, so that we might believe.

Remember, beloved ones… how 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, Jesus 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.

O God of resurrection and new life: pour out your Holy Spirit on us and on the gifts of bread and cup. Bless this feast. Grace our tables with your presence. Reveal yourself to us in the sharing of the bread. Raise us up as the body of Christ for the world. Breathe new life into us. Send us forth, burning with justice, peace, and love.

With your holy ones in all times and places, we praise you, O God, blessed and holy Trinity, now and forever. Amen.

Invitation to Communion
Come to the banquet table where Christ gives himself as food and drink.

Now, if you are gathered with others, when the music begins, please share with one another first the bread and then the cup with the words, 

The body of Christ, given for you.
The blood of Christ, poured out for you.

If you are by yourself, I offer this invitation… 

Receive the body of Christ, given for you.
Receive the blood of Christ, poured out for you.

And if for any reason you will not receive Communion bread & cup today, a blessing for you…

May God fill you up with the Holy Spirit and give you all that you need.

Communion Song – Let Us Go Now to the Banquet – Worship 523
Vamos todos al banquete                  

ENGLISH
Refrain
Let us go now to the banquet,
to the feast of the universe.
The table’s set and a place is waiting;
come, ev’ryone, with your gifts to share.

1   I will rise in
the community’s waiting for me.
With a spring in my step I’m walking
with my friends and my family.  Refrain

2   God invites all the poor and hungry
to the banquet of justice and good
where the harvest will not be hoarded
so that no one will lack for food.  Refrain

3   May we build such a place among us
where all people are equal in love.
God has called us to work together
and to share ev’rything we have.  Refrain

SPANISH
Estribillo
Vamos todos al banquete,
a la mesa de la creación;
cada cual con su taburete
tiene un puesto y una misión.

1   Hoy me levanto muy temprano;
ya me espera la comunidad;
voy subiendo alegre la cuesta,
voy en busca de tu amistad.  Estribillo

2   Dios invita a todos los pobres
a esta mesa común por la fe,
donde no hay acaparadores
y a nadie le falta el conqué.  Estribillo

3   Dios nos manda a hacer de este mundo
una mesa donde haya igualdad,
trabajando y luchando juntos,
compartiendo la propiedad.  Estribillo

Text: Guillermo Cuéllar, b. 1955, Misa popular salvadoreña; tr. Bret Hesla, b. 1957, and William Dexheimer Pharris, b. 1956

Text © 1988, 1996 GIA Publications, Inc., 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. www.giamusic.com. 800.442.3358. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Prayer after Communion
We give you thanks, gracious God, that you have once again fed us with food beyond compare, the body and blood of Christ. Lead us from this place, nourished and forgiven, into your beloved vineyard to wipe away the tears of all who hunger and thirst, guided by the example of the same Jesus Christ and led by the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

Cambodian Lord’s Prayer

Blessing
Mothering God, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you and lead you into the way of truth and life. Amen

Song – The Lord Now Sends Us Forth – Worship 538
Enviado soy de Dios

ENGLISH
The Lord now sends us forth 
with hands to serve and give,
to make of all the earth 
a better place to live.  Repeat

The angels are not sent 
into our world of pain
to do what we were meant
to do in Jesus’ name;
that falls to you and me 
and all who are made free.
Help us, O Lord, we pray, 
to do your will today.  Repeat

SPANISH
Enviado soy de Dios, 
mi mano lista está
para construir con é
un mundo fraternal.  Repitalo

Los ángeles no son 
enviados a cambiar
un mundo de dolor 
por un mundo mejor;
me ha tocado a mí 
hacerlo realidad.
Ayúdame, Señor, 
a hacer tu voluntad.  Repitalo

Text: Anonymous, Central America; tr. Gerhard M. Cartford, b. 1923
English text © 1998 Augsburg Fortress.

Charge
Go in peace. Remember the poor.
Thanks be to God.