The livestream may be found here.
August 8, 2021, 9:30
a.m.
The Eleventh
Sunday after Pentecost
.
ELEVENTH SUNDAY
AFTER PENTECOST
The color green, used for
the vestments and paraments for the Sundays after Pentecost, represents growth
and life in the Holy Spirit.
OLD TESTAMENT: Last week, we heard of God’s
provision of manna to sustain the Israelites in their wilderness journey to the
Promised Land. This week, a similar story is told. Elijah is sent to Mt. Horeb
for an encounter with God that will renew his ministry. He is given
supernatural food which sustains him for a forty-day sojourn.
NEW TESTAMENT: The community of believers
is called to speak the truth, to refuse to allow anger to rule over them, to
labor for the sake of sharing with those who are poor in the community, to
speak for the sake of building up others, and to forgive each other. By acting
in this way, the members of the community become imitators of God, and their
life together becomes an imitation of Christ, who sacrificed his life as an
offering to the Father for their sake.
GOSPEL: Though the manna of Exodus
was given for the Israelites’ forty-year journey to Canaan, and Elijah’s food
given for his forty-day journey to the mountain of God, Jesus gives us himself
for our journey through this life to eternal life. His last statement, ‘the
bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh,’ points forward
to his self-giving offering on the cross, which we receive in the Holy
Communion.
MUSICAL NOTES:
Today’s organ music gives thanks to God for Jesus Christ who is our
spiritual joy and whose cross we raise! Born in Kansas, Gordon Young is
most associated with the renowned First Presbyterian Church in Detroit
MI. Donald Busarow was a music professor at Wittenberg University, a
Lutheran school in Springfield OH. Considered by many as the most
profound composer of all time, Lutheran organist/composer J.S. Bach was barely
appreciated in his time. Benedetto Marcello composed many musical
paraphrases of the Psalms for contrasting instrumental groups,
exploiting the reverberant acoustics of Saint Mark’s Cathedral in Venice. Wayne
Earnest
OPENING
MUSIC Lift High the Cross Gordon Young (1919-1998)
BRIEF ORDER
FOR CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Stand
In the name of the Father,
and of the X Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Almighty God, to
whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid:
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that
we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Amen
If we say we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we
confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Silence for reflection and
self-examination.
Most merciful God,
we
confess that we are in bondage to sin
and cannot free ourselves.
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 us and, for his
sake, forgives
us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and
by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your
sins, in the name of the Father,
and of the X Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
THE HOLY COMMUNION
I will go to the altar of God,
to the God of my joy and gladness. Psalm 43:4a
X HYMN Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
1 Joyful,
joyful we adore thee,
God
of glory, Lord of love!
Hearts
unfold like flow’rs before thee,
praising
thee, their sun above.
Melt
the clouds of sin and sadness,
drive
the gloom of doubt away.
Giver
of immortal gladness,
fill
us with the light of day.
2 All
thy works with joy surround thee,
earth
and heav’n reflect thy rays,
stars
and angels sing around thee,
center
of unbroken praise.
Field
and forest, vale and mountain,
flow’ry
meadow, flashing sea,
chanting
bird, and flowing fountain
call
us to rejoice in thee.
3 Thou
art giving and forgiving,
ever
blessing, ever blest,
wellspring
of the joy of living,
ocean-depth
of happy rest!
Thou
our Father, Christ our brother,
all
who live in love are thine;
teach
us how to love each other,
lift
us to the joy divine!
Text: Henry van Dyke, 1852-1933
Tune: Ludwig von Beethoven, 1770-1827
APOSTOLIC GREETING and PRAYER OF THE DAY
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.
God, our Father and provider,
whose Son has given his flesh for the life of the
world,
sustain your pilgrim Church on her journey
with the word of life and the bread of heaven.
Draw us nearer
to him in whose name we gather,
that, following his way of
sacrificial love,
we may come to the banquet of eternal
life.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen
CALL TO
THE WORD
Let
your words give grace to those who hear;
what
is useful for building up, as there is need. Eph. 4:29
Let us hear the Word of the Lord.
Sit
First READING 1 Kings 19:4-8
4[Elijah] went
a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary
broom tree. He asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no
better than my ancestors.”5Then he lay down under the broom tree and
fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” 6He
looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of
water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him,
and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” 8He
got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days
and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.
The Word
of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM
34:1-8
Read responsively between pastor and congregation.
Taste and see that the Lord is good. (vs.
8)
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
1 I will bless the Lord | at all times;*
his praise shall ever be | in my
mouth.
2 I will glory | in the Lord;*
let
the humble hear | and rejoice.
3 Proclaim with me the greatness |
of the Lord;*
let us exalt his | name
together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he | answered me*
and
delivered me out of | all my terror.
5 Look upon him | and be radiant,*
and let not your faces | be
ashamed.
6 I called in my affliction, and | the Lord heard me*
and
saved me from | all my troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encompasses | those who fear him,*
and he will de- | liver them.
8 Taste and see that the | Lord
is good;*
happy
are they who | trust in him!
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
SECOND
READING Ephesians 4:25—5:2
25So then,
putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we
are members of one another. 26Be angry but do not sin; do not let
the sun go down on your anger, 27and do not make room for the devil.
28Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work
honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy.
29Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful
for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those
who hear. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you
were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. 31Put away from
you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with
all malice, 32and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. 5:1Therefore be
imitators of God, as beloved children, 2and live in love, as Christ
loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
The Word
of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Stand
VERSE
Hebrews 11:1
Spoken in unison by the congregation.
Alleluia.
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the
conviction of things not seen. Alleluia.
Gospel John 6:35, 41-51
The Holy Gospel according
to St. John.
Glory to you, O Lord.
35Jesus said to
[the crowd,] “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,
and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 41Then the Jews
began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down
from heaven.” 42They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of
Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down
from heaven’?” 43Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among
yourselves. 44No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who
sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45It is
written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who
has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46Not that anyone
has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47Very
truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48I am the
bread of life. 49Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and
they died. 50This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that
one may eat of it and not die. 51I am the living bread that came
down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread
that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sit
Sermon
Stand
X HYMN OF THE DAY
Hope of the World
Hope of the World
1 Hope
of the world, thou Christ of great compassion:
speak
to our fearful hearts by conflict rent.
Save
us, thy people, from consuming passion,
who
by our own false hopes and aims are spent.
2 Hope
of the world, God’s gift from highest heaven,
bringing
to hungry souls the bread of life:
still
let thy Spirit unto us be given
to
heal earth’s wounds and end our bitter strife.
3 Hope
of the world, afoot on dusty highways,
showing
to wand’ring souls the path of light:
walk
thou beside us lest the tempting byways
lure
us away from thee to endless night.
4 Hope
of the world, who by thy cross didst save us
from
death and dark despair, from sin and guilt:
we
render back the love thy mercy gave us;
take
thou our lives and use them as thou wilt.
5 Hope
of the world, O Christ, o’er death victorious,
who
by this sign didst conquer grief and pain:
we
would be faithful to thy gospel glorious;
thou
art our Lord! Thou dost forever reign!
Text: Georgia Harkness, 1891-1974
CONFESSION OF
FAITH
The pastor and people confess
the faith of the Church in the words of the Apostles’ Creed.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He
was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and
born of the virgin Mary.
He
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified, died, and was buried.
He
descended into hell.
On
the third day he rose again.
He
ascended into heaven,
and
is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He
will come again 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
A brief silence
hear our prayer.
Father, for our
sake, your Son made himself a fragrant offering and sacrifice to you. Help us
to offer ourselves to each other, sacrificing our selfish desires to you, in
imitation of his great love. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Have mercy, O God, upon the nations of the world, that by your power
peoples would be reconciled and peace and justice may reign. Lord, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let your mercy rest upon the bereaved, those oppressed by systems of
power, those who are sick and injured, hungry and thirsty, who live without
faith, and those who have no one to care for them. Hear our prayers, and give
us spirits of love to share in your mercy.
The pastor reads those names which have been submitted
for prayer.
The people are invited to offer petitions and
thanksgivings.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our
prayer.
Father, those who have died in Christ share in your great feast and
celebration. We thank you for those who have gone before us in faith,
especially for your servant Dorothy Uhlemann. As we participate today in the
meal of the body and blood of Christ, point us toward that day when we will
feast with the saints in heaven. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our
prayer.
Into your hands, Father, we commend all for whom we pray,
trusting in your steadfast love,
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Peace
The
peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.
The people exchange a sign of peace
with the simple words, Peace be with you.
Sit
The Lord’s Table is prepared.
OFFERTORY
INTERLUDE:
Holy God, We
Praise Thy Name – arr., Donald Busarow
(1934-2011)
Stand
OFFERTORY Psalm 104:13-15
Spoken in unison by the congregation.
The earth is fully satisfied by the fruit of your works. You
make grass grow for the flocks and herds, and plants to serve humankind; that
they may bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden our hearts, oil
to make a cheerful countenance, and bread to strengthen the heart.
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
As the grain once scattered in the fields
and the grapes once dispersed on the hillside
are now reunited on this table in bread and wine,
so, Lord, may your whole Church be gathered together
from the corners of the earth into your kingdom.
Amen
GREAT THANKSGIVING
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 him thanks and praise.
It is indeed right and salutary that we
should at all times
and
in all places offer thanks and praise to you, O Lord, holy Father, through your
Son, Jesus Christ.
On this, the day of the Lord, you gather his
people together
to
celebrate his paschal mystery of redemption. By your saving word you teach us, and
in the supper of the Lord you feed this assembly with the bread of heaven; so
that with joy we may know ourselves as a people reborn in a living hope, and
walking in the fellowship of love
as
we await in faith the return of our Savior.
And so,
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!
You are indeed holy, almighty and merciful God;
you
are most holy, and great is the majesty of your glory.
You so loved the world that you gave your only Son,
that
whoever believes in him may not perish
but have eternal life.
Having come into the world, he fulfilled for us your
holy will
and
accomplished our salvation.
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 salutary command,
his
life-giving Passion and death,
his
glorious resurrection and ascension,
and his promise to come again,
we
give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
not
as we ought, but as we are able;
and we implore you mercifully to accept our praise and
thanksgiving, and, with your Word and Holy Spirit,
to bless us, your servants,
and
these your own gifts of bread and wine;
that we and all who share in the body and blood of your
Son may be filled with heavenly peace and joy,
and,
receiving the forgiveness of sin,
may be sanctified in soul and body,
and
have our portion with all your saints.
All honor and glory are yours, O God, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit,
in
your holy Church, now and forever.
Amen
Christ is in our midst.
By the power of the
Spirit,
we pray to his Father,
saying:
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
Behold,
the living bread come down from heaven.
Whoever eats this bread will live forever. John 6:51
AGNUS DEI (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; grant us peace.
Sit
DISTRIBUTION
Admission to the Sacrament is by
invitation of the Lord, presented through the Church to those who are baptized.
They may receive the Lord’s Body and Blood who
are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
who commune in their home churches, and who believe that Jesus Christ,
crucified and risen, is truly present in, with, and under the forms of bread
and wine for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
The
communicants will be invited forward one family unit at a time. Please do not
come forward until the pastor directs you to come forward, do not approach all
the way to the table until the pastor has retreated.
When the pastor says ‘The body of Christ,
given for you,’ eat the bread. When the pastor says, ‘The blood of Christ, shed
for you,’ drink the wine. Please take
the plate and the glass(es) and place them on the table that is indicated.
COMMUNION
Improvisation on I Am the Bread of Life
Jesu, Joy of Our Desiring –
J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
After all have returned to their places, the congregation stands at the
direction of the pastor.
The body and
blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
Amen
Pour
out upon us the Spirit of your love, O Lord, and unite the wills of those whom
you have fed with one heavenly food, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
SENDING
Benediction
The Lord
bless you and keep you.
The Lord
make his face to shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord
look upon you with favor and give you peace.
Amen
Dismissal
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
POSTLUDE:
The Heavens
Declare –
Benedetto Marcello (1686-1739)
THIS WEEK
FOR THE FAITH FAMILY Sun/ Aug 8 WORSHIP 9:30 AM Prayer at
the Close of the Day (livestream) 9:30 PM Mon/ Aug 9 Uhlemann Funeral 11:00 AM Wed/ Aug 11 Evening Prayer (livestream) 7:00 PM Sat/ Aug 14 NA Meeting 11 AM SATURDAY
EVENING WORSHIP 6:30 PM Sun/ Aug 15 WORSHIP 9:30 AM Prayer at
the Close of the Day (livestream) 9:30 PM
From
Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2021 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Reprinted
by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #20540.
New
Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education
of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in
the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Common
Worship: Times and Seasons, material from which is included in this
service,
is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England, 2006.
Opening
Prayers: Collects in Contemporary Language,
copyright
1997 International Commission on English in the Liturgy. All rights reserved.
Prayer
of the Day from Opening Prayers: Collects in Contemporary Language,
copyright
1997 International Commission on English in the Liturgy. All rights reserved.
Proper
Preface from We Give You Thanks and Praise: The Ambrosian Eucharistic
Prefaces, Sheed and Ward, 2000.
Claesz.,
Pieter, 1596 or 7-1660. Still Life with Stoneware Jug, Wine Glass, Herring, and
Bread, from Art
in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt
Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=51136 [retrieved
August 2, 2021]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Claesz._-_Still_Life_with_Stoneware_Jug,_Wine_Glass,_Herring,_and_Bread_-_13.458_-_Museum_of_Fine_Arts.jpg
Artoklasia,
or Breaking of Bread service, from Art
in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt
Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55902 [retrieved
August 2, 2021]. Original source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2013-08-14--Artoklasia_during_Feast_of_the_Dormition_of_the_Virgin_Mary.JPG.
Agnus
Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org
St Stephen Lutheran Church
55 Forsythe Road
Pittsburgh PA 15220
(412) 279-5868
office@ststephenpittsburgh.org
Saturday
Evening Worship – 6:30 pm
Sunday
Morning Worship –9:30 am
