ORDER OF WORSHIP
14th Sunday after Pentecost
Communion
September 3, 2023
PRELUDE ‘Spirit Song,’ art. John Carter
WELCOME
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Here are the birthdays and anniversaries for the month of September
SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS: Allison M, Arlyce T, Susan S, Jeannie M, Ella L, Lynn R, Steve VB, Emma M
SEPTEMBER ANNIVERSARIES: Jeannie & Tom M, Richard & Judy S
-CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED MONDAY for Labor Day observance.
-TUESDAY MORNING COFFEE GROUP meets at First Lutheran Mission Coffee House at 9:30ish.
-MISSION/FINANCE COMMITTEE will be meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, September 5 at 6:30 PM.
-CHOIR PRACTICE will be held on Wednesdays, starting Wednesday September 6th at 5:15 to 6:00 or 6:15 PM. Please meet in the north meeting room. Let’s make a joyful noise to the Lord!
-THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY AND PRAYER TIME will begin studying I & II Thessalonians on September 7th, 2023, 9:30-11:30. Come visit and see what we are about! Let Rozanne or Lee Peterson (605-691-4729) know if you plan to attend so we can reserve a seat for you.
THE PC(USA) PEACE & GLOBAL WITNESS SPECIAL OFFERING is from Sept. 3 until Oct. 1. Please put donations in the offering plate and write ‘Peace Special Offering’ on the memo line or use the envelopes by the offering plates. Thank you for your generosity!
CALL TO WORSHIP
God calls us each by name as we gather on holy ground.
We come to this place, seeking to know the great I AM.
Let us worship God.
*HYMN #385 (Red) ‘All People That on Earth Do Dwell’
All people that on earth do dwell,
sing to the LORD with cheerful voice;
him serve with mirth, his praise forth-tell.
Come ye before him and rejoice.
Know that the LORD is God indeed;
without our aid he doth us make;
we are his folk, he doth us feed,
and for his sheep he doth us take.
O enter then his gates with praise;
approach with joy his courts unto;
praise, laud, and bless his name always,
for it is seemly so to do.
For why? The LORD our God is good;
his mercy is forever sure;
his truth at all times firmly stood,
and shall from age to age endure.
CALL TO CONFESSION
The apostle Paul tells us: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. For the times we have failed to do this, let us confess to God.
CONFESSION (in unison)
Sometimes it sounds too hard: deny ourselves, take up our crosses, lose our lives? Forgive us, Savior, but we’d rather you do it for us. Forgive us, Christ, but we are overwhelmed with what you ask of us. We long to see you come in glory, but fear the road we must take. Have mercy on our weakness. Be patient with our stumbling. Do not leave us behind, even when we are slow to follow, and lead us in your ways of peace. (Silent reflection)
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS
Christ does not abandon us, but died for us, was raised for us, and loves us still. This is the good news that prevails!
In Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we are forgiven!
*GLORIA PATRI
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Faithful God, how blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Sanctify us by your Word and Spirit so that we may glorify you in the company of the faithful; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. Listen to the word of the Lord.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 20:1-42
1 Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to kill me?”
2 “Never!” Jonathan replied. “You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn’t do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn’t so!”
3 But David took an oath and said, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, ‘Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.’ Yet as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.”
4 Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you.”
5 So David said, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon feast, and I am supposed to dine with the king; but let me go and hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow. 6 If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David earnestly asked my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because an annual sacrifice is being made there for his whole clan.’ 7 If he says, ‘Very well,’ then your servant is safe. But if he loses his temper, you can be sure that he is determined to harm me. 8 As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant with you before the LORD. If I am guilty, then kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?”
9 “Never!” Jonathan said. “If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you?”
10 David asked, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
11 “Come,” Jonathan said, “let’s go out into the field.” So they went there together.
12 Then Jonathan said to David, “I swear by the LORD, the God of Israel, that I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know? 13 But if my father intends to harm you, may the LORD deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the LORD be with you as he has been with my father. 14 But show me unfailing kindness like the LORD’s kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, 15 and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family—not even when the LORD has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD call David’s enemies to account.” 17 And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.
18 Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. 21 Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,’ then come, because, as surely as the LORD lives, you are safe; there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, because the LORD has sent you away. 23 And about the matter you and I discussed—remember, the LORD is witness between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon feast came, the king sat down to eat. 25 He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty. 26 Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, “Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.” 27 But the next day, the second day of the month, David’s place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”
28 Jonathan answered, “David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”
30 Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? 31 As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!”
32 “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked his father. 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.
34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David.
35 In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, 36 and he said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?” 38 Then he shouted, “Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!” The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. 39 (The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) 40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, “Go, carry them back to town.”
41 After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most.
42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.
Romans 12:9–21
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Matthew 16:21–28 21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Keep these words in your heart. The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.
Thanks be to God.
SERMON – ‘Friend or Satan - Which Are You?’ Elizabeth Fox, CRE
*Hymn #69 (Red) ‘I, the Lord of Sea and Sky’
I, the Lord of sea and sky, have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin My hand will save.
I, who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
Refrain:
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
I, the Lord of snow and rain, I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them. They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone, give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my word to them.
Whom shall I send? [Refrain]
I, the Lord of wind and flame, I will tend the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them. My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send? [Refrain]
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
The life, death, resurrection, and promised coming of Jesus Christ has set the pattern for the church’s mission. His human life involves the church in the common life of all people. His service to men and women commits the church to work for every form of human well-being. His suffering makes the church sensitive to all human suffering so that it sees the face of Christ in the faces of persons in every kind of need. His crucifixion discloses to the church God’s judgment on the inhumanity that marks human relations, and the awful consequences of the church’s own complicity in injustice. In the power of the risen Christ and the hope of his coming, the church sees the promise of God’s renewal of human life in society and of God’s victory over all wrong. The church follows this pattern in the form of its life and in the method of its action. So to live and serve is to confess Christ as Lord.
Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.32–33
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Responses:
Lord for the joy, we give you thanks.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
-Carol G
-Boris K (Bob B’s granddaughter’s husband)
-Robert (Robby’s father)
-Susan H (MK’s daughter)
-Sharon H
-Maxine D
-Andrew N (friend of Ella)
-Barb (Bob O’s sister)
-Anthony B (Teri’s son)
-USS South Dakota, captain and crew
-Jim (Dianne L’s husband)
-Paige F
-Nelda H
-Betty G
-Richard C and Dolores as caregiver
-Bob J and Jan as caregiver
-Darwin L and Jeanne as caregiver
-Bob O and Nancy as caregiver
-Andrew & Beth L
-Gwen B (Lee P’s friend)
-Patty (friend of Michele and Brookings)
-Harry (Bonnie S’s father)
Our homebound or in care members: Richard C, Bob J, Delores K, Rose P, Cliff R, Dee W (Please reach out and call)
This Week’s Prayer Families: Marlys M, Nancy & Bob O, Dave & Lee P
Those who mourn: We pray for the Riedesel, Eich, Ohnstad, VanderWaal, Broksieck, Canaday, Barnett, Fee, Goodale, McCann, and Webster families and all who have lost loved ones.
INVITATION TO OFFERING
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to present yourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Let us offer our lives to the Lord. Romans 12:1
*DOXOLOGY (please stand)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Merciful and gracious God, you abound in steadfast love and faithfulness. With gratitude, we bring our gifts to you. Bless these gifts and bless our lives that together we may share your mercy and grace for the world you dearly love. Amen
INVITATION TO THE TABLE
THE GREAT PRAYER OF 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.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God:
Your name is a secret that cannot be uttered;
your glory is a fire that cannot be put out.
Yet you come to us in mercy; you speak to us with love.
Therefore we praise you, joining the song of the universal church and the heavenly choir:
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.
Blessed is Jesus Christ, our Savior:
Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow him—letting go of fear, setting our minds on holy things, and giving our whole lives for the sake of the gospel.
We give you thanks that on the night of his arrest Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way he took the cup, saying:
This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.
Dying, you destroyed our death; rising, you restored our life. O, Lord Jesus, come in glory! Hosanna in the highest!
Great is the mystery of faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
Remembering your goodness and grace, we offer ourselves to you with gratitude.
*HYMN #600 (Red) ‘Amen’ (sing twice)
Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is
the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
BREAKING OF THE BREAD
Jesus said: I am the bread of life.
Jesus said: I am the vine, you are the branches.
Come to me and never be hungry; believe in me and never thirst.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
COMMUNION OF THE PEOPLE
The bread of heaven. Amen.
The cup of salvation. Amen.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
God of glory, in this holy feast you have made us one with Christ and with that great multitude of the faithful—those who hunger and thirst no more and worship night and day in your temple. Lead us in the paths of righteousness and guide us to the springs of the water of life, until we join the choir of the redeemed, singing: Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb: Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
*HYMN #539 (Red) ‘We Will Go Out with Joy’
We will go out with joy in the Spirit;
We will go out with God.
We will go out with joy in the Spirit;
We will go out with God.
Refrain
Alleluia! We will go out with joy.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Now anyone who’s born of the Spirit,
Sing a new song of joy.
Now anyone who’s born of the Spirit,
Sing a new song of joy. [Refrain]
We will go out with joy in the Spirit;
We will go out with God.
We will go out with joy in the Spirit;
We will go out with God. [Refrain]
BLESSING AND CHARGE
The blessing of the one God—Spirit, Son, and Father—be with you now and always. Alleluia! Ephesians 4:4–6
Lead a life worthy of your calling, giving glory to God in all things. Amen.
Ephesians 4:1
POSTLUDE ‘Vivace,’ John Stanley
Sources: Call to Worship Lectionary Aids for 2022-2023 Year A Vo.56.1 PCUSA;
14th Sunday after Pentecost
Communion
September 3, 2023
PRELUDE ‘Spirit Song,’ art. John Carter
WELCOME
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Here are the birthdays and anniversaries for the month of September
SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS: Allison M, Arlyce T, Susan S, Jeannie M, Ella L, Lynn R, Steve VB, Emma M
SEPTEMBER ANNIVERSARIES: Jeannie & Tom M, Richard & Judy S
-CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED MONDAY for Labor Day observance.
-TUESDAY MORNING COFFEE GROUP meets at First Lutheran Mission Coffee House at 9:30ish.
-MISSION/FINANCE COMMITTEE will be meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, September 5 at 6:30 PM.
-CHOIR PRACTICE will be held on Wednesdays, starting Wednesday September 6th at 5:15 to 6:00 or 6:15 PM. Please meet in the north meeting room. Let’s make a joyful noise to the Lord!
-THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY AND PRAYER TIME will begin studying I & II Thessalonians on September 7th, 2023, 9:30-11:30. Come visit and see what we are about! Let Rozanne or Lee Peterson (605-691-4729) know if you plan to attend so we can reserve a seat for you.
THE PC(USA) PEACE & GLOBAL WITNESS SPECIAL OFFERING is from Sept. 3 until Oct. 1. Please put donations in the offering plate and write ‘Peace Special Offering’ on the memo line or use the envelopes by the offering plates. Thank you for your generosity!
CALL TO WORSHIP
God calls us each by name as we gather on holy ground.
We come to this place, seeking to know the great I AM.
Let us worship God.
*HYMN #385 (Red) ‘All People That on Earth Do Dwell’
All people that on earth do dwell,
sing to the LORD with cheerful voice;
him serve with mirth, his praise forth-tell.
Come ye before him and rejoice.
Know that the LORD is God indeed;
without our aid he doth us make;
we are his folk, he doth us feed,
and for his sheep he doth us take.
O enter then his gates with praise;
approach with joy his courts unto;
praise, laud, and bless his name always,
for it is seemly so to do.
For why? The LORD our God is good;
his mercy is forever sure;
his truth at all times firmly stood,
and shall from age to age endure.
CALL TO CONFESSION
The apostle Paul tells us: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. For the times we have failed to do this, let us confess to God.
CONFESSION (in unison)
Sometimes it sounds too hard: deny ourselves, take up our crosses, lose our lives? Forgive us, Savior, but we’d rather you do it for us. Forgive us, Christ, but we are overwhelmed with what you ask of us. We long to see you come in glory, but fear the road we must take. Have mercy on our weakness. Be patient with our stumbling. Do not leave us behind, even when we are slow to follow, and lead us in your ways of peace. (Silent reflection)
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS
Christ does not abandon us, but died for us, was raised for us, and loves us still. This is the good news that prevails!
In Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we are forgiven!
*GLORIA PATRI
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Faithful God, how blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Sanctify us by your Word and Spirit so that we may glorify you in the company of the faithful; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. Listen to the word of the Lord.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 20:1-42
1 Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to kill me?”
2 “Never!” Jonathan replied. “You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn’t do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn’t so!”
3 But David took an oath and said, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, ‘Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.’ Yet as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.”
4 Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you.”
5 So David said, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon feast, and I am supposed to dine with the king; but let me go and hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow. 6 If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David earnestly asked my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because an annual sacrifice is being made there for his whole clan.’ 7 If he says, ‘Very well,’ then your servant is safe. But if he loses his temper, you can be sure that he is determined to harm me. 8 As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant with you before the LORD. If I am guilty, then kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?”
9 “Never!” Jonathan said. “If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you?”
10 David asked, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
11 “Come,” Jonathan said, “let’s go out into the field.” So they went there together.
12 Then Jonathan said to David, “I swear by the LORD, the God of Israel, that I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know? 13 But if my father intends to harm you, may the LORD deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the LORD be with you as he has been with my father. 14 But show me unfailing kindness like the LORD’s kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, 15 and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family—not even when the LORD has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD call David’s enemies to account.” 17 And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.
18 Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. 21 Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,’ then come, because, as surely as the LORD lives, you are safe; there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, because the LORD has sent you away. 23 And about the matter you and I discussed—remember, the LORD is witness between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon feast came, the king sat down to eat. 25 He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty. 26 Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, “Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.” 27 But the next day, the second day of the month, David’s place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”
28 Jonathan answered, “David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”
30 Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? 31 As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!”
32 “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked his father. 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.
34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David.
35 In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, 36 and he said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?” 38 Then he shouted, “Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!” The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. 39 (The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) 40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, “Go, carry them back to town.”
41 After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most.
42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.
Romans 12:9–21
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Matthew 16:21–28 21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Keep these words in your heart. The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.
Thanks be to God.
SERMON – ‘Friend or Satan - Which Are You?’ Elizabeth Fox, CRE
*Hymn #69 (Red) ‘I, the Lord of Sea and Sky’
I, the Lord of sea and sky, have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin My hand will save.
I, who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
Refrain:
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
I, the Lord of snow and rain, I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them. They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone, give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my word to them.
Whom shall I send? [Refrain]
I, the Lord of wind and flame, I will tend the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them. My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send? [Refrain]
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
The life, death, resurrection, and promised coming of Jesus Christ has set the pattern for the church’s mission. His human life involves the church in the common life of all people. His service to men and women commits the church to work for every form of human well-being. His suffering makes the church sensitive to all human suffering so that it sees the face of Christ in the faces of persons in every kind of need. His crucifixion discloses to the church God’s judgment on the inhumanity that marks human relations, and the awful consequences of the church’s own complicity in injustice. In the power of the risen Christ and the hope of his coming, the church sees the promise of God’s renewal of human life in society and of God’s victory over all wrong. The church follows this pattern in the form of its life and in the method of its action. So to live and serve is to confess Christ as Lord.
Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.32–33
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Responses:
Lord for the joy, we give you thanks.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
-Carol G
-Boris K (Bob B’s granddaughter’s husband)
-Robert (Robby’s father)
-Susan H (MK’s daughter)
-Sharon H
-Maxine D
-Andrew N (friend of Ella)
-Barb (Bob O’s sister)
-Anthony B (Teri’s son)
-USS South Dakota, captain and crew
-Jim (Dianne L’s husband)
-Paige F
-Nelda H
-Betty G
-Richard C and Dolores as caregiver
-Bob J and Jan as caregiver
-Darwin L and Jeanne as caregiver
-Bob O and Nancy as caregiver
-Andrew & Beth L
-Gwen B (Lee P’s friend)
-Patty (friend of Michele and Brookings)
-Harry (Bonnie S’s father)
Our homebound or in care members: Richard C, Bob J, Delores K, Rose P, Cliff R, Dee W (Please reach out and call)
This Week’s Prayer Families: Marlys M, Nancy & Bob O, Dave & Lee P
Those who mourn: We pray for the Riedesel, Eich, Ohnstad, VanderWaal, Broksieck, Canaday, Barnett, Fee, Goodale, McCann, and Webster families and all who have lost loved ones.
INVITATION TO OFFERING
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to present yourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Let us offer our lives to the Lord. Romans 12:1
*DOXOLOGY (please stand)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Merciful and gracious God, you abound in steadfast love and faithfulness. With gratitude, we bring our gifts to you. Bless these gifts and bless our lives that together we may share your mercy and grace for the world you dearly love. Amen
INVITATION TO THE TABLE
THE GREAT PRAYER OF 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.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God:
Your name is a secret that cannot be uttered;
your glory is a fire that cannot be put out.
Yet you come to us in mercy; you speak to us with love.
Therefore we praise you, joining the song of the universal church and the heavenly choir:
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.
Blessed is Jesus Christ, our Savior:
Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow him—letting go of fear, setting our minds on holy things, and giving our whole lives for the sake of the gospel.
We give you thanks that on the night of his arrest Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way he took the cup, saying:
This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.
Dying, you destroyed our death; rising, you restored our life. O, Lord Jesus, come in glory! Hosanna in the highest!
Great is the mystery of faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
Remembering your goodness and grace, we offer ourselves to you with gratitude.
*HYMN #600 (Red) ‘Amen’ (sing twice)
Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is
the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
BREAKING OF THE BREAD
Jesus said: I am the bread of life.
Jesus said: I am the vine, you are the branches.
Come to me and never be hungry; believe in me and never thirst.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
COMMUNION OF THE PEOPLE
The bread of heaven. Amen.
The cup of salvation. Amen.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
God of glory, in this holy feast you have made us one with Christ and with that great multitude of the faithful—those who hunger and thirst no more and worship night and day in your temple. Lead us in the paths of righteousness and guide us to the springs of the water of life, until we join the choir of the redeemed, singing: Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb: Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
*HYMN #539 (Red) ‘We Will Go Out with Joy’
We will go out with joy in the Spirit;
We will go out with God.
We will go out with joy in the Spirit;
We will go out with God.
Refrain
Alleluia! We will go out with joy.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Now anyone who’s born of the Spirit,
Sing a new song of joy.
Now anyone who’s born of the Spirit,
Sing a new song of joy. [Refrain]
We will go out with joy in the Spirit;
We will go out with God.
We will go out with joy in the Spirit;
We will go out with God. [Refrain]
BLESSING AND CHARGE
The blessing of the one God—Spirit, Son, and Father—be with you now and always. Alleluia! Ephesians 4:4–6
Lead a life worthy of your calling, giving glory to God in all things. Amen.
Ephesians 4:1
POSTLUDE ‘Vivace,’ John Stanley
Sources: Call to Worship Lectionary Aids for 2022-2023 Year A Vo.56.1 PCUSA;