SAINT PAUL'S LUTHERAN CHURCH
The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

September 29, 2024

“In Nomine Iesu"

915 - 27th Street, Marion, Iowa 52302
email: office@stpaulsmarioniowa.org
www.mystpauls.org
Phone: (319)377-4687

Welcome to the Lord’s House this morning for Divine Service. Rejoice, for the Lord comes to you here in this place to give you His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation through His precious means of grace – His Holy Word and Sacraments. We pray the Lord’s richest blessings upon you as you receive these Divine gifts.

Everyone is asked to fill out the attendance card found in your pew rack and hand it to an usher as you leave the service. 

In the celebration of Holy Communion we joyfully receive the true body and blood of our Savior Jesus Christ in, with, and under the bread and wine. Since this is also a sign of our common confession of faith, we welcome to the Lord’s Supper all those who are presently confirmed members of congregations of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. If you wish to commune for the first time at St. Paul’s, please speak to a Pastor or an usher before the service.

Large print hymnals are available for your use.  They are located on the shelves under the guest book podium or ask an usher for assistance.

Prelude   “Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty”  Paul Manz
Welcome and Announcements
Call to Worship ~ Ringing of the Bells

The Order of Worship
Lutheran Service Book – Divine Service Four with Communion

Hymn of Invocation     “Father, We Praise Thee”      LSB #875   

Invocation (please remain standing)
P	In the name of the Father and of the (+) Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
C	Amen.

P	Our help is in the name of the Lord,
C	who made heaven and earth.

Confession and Absolution
P	If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, 
O Lord, who could stand?
C	But with You there is forgiveness; 
therefore You are feared.

P	Since we are gathered to hear God’s Word, call upon Him in prayer and praise, and receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of this altar, let us first consider our unworthiness and confess before God and one another that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition. Together as His people let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God, our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ, and saying: God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
C	Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to everlasting life. Amen.

P	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 therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C	Amen.

Service of the Word
Introit	Ps. 135:1-3,13-14; antiphon: Ps. 135:13
P	Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
C	your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.

P	Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord,
C	give praise, O servants of the Lord,

P	who stand in the house of the Lord,
C	in the courts of the house of our God!

P	Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
C	sing to his name, for it is pleasant!

P	Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
C	your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.

P	For the Lord will vindicate his people
C	and have compassion on his servants.

All	Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy  Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.   Amen.

P	Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
C	your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.

Kyrie

Gloria in Excelsis	 

Salutation	
P	The Lord be with you.
C	And also with you.

Collect of the Day
P	Let us pray.
	Almighty God, whom to know is everlasting life, 
grant us to know Your Son, Jesus, to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow His steps in the way that leads to life eternal; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  
C 	Amen.

(be seated)

Old Testament Reading	 Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29

     4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”
     10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. 11 Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? 12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ 14 I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”
     16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you.
     24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.
     26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”

L	This is the Word of the Lord.
C	Thanks be to God.

Epistle	 James 5:13-20

     13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.  17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
     19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.     

L	This is the Word of the Lord.
C	Thanks be to God.

Alleluia and Verse (please stand)

 

Holy Gospel	 Matthew 18:1-10
P	The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the 18th chapter.
C	Glory to You, O Lord.

     1At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
     5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
     7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin!  For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.
     10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 
 
P	This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C	Praise to You, O Christ.

(be seated)

Children’s Message

Hymn of the Day   
                   “Lord God, to Thee We Give All Praise”	   LSB #522

Sermon       
   
Nicene Creed (please stand)
All	     I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

			(be seated)

Presentation of the Offering 

Prayers of the Church
 (After each portion of the prayers)
            P   Lord, in your mercy,   C   Hear our prayer.

P	Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs:

	    
P		Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C		Amen.

Service of the Sacrament
Preface (please stand)
P	The Lord be with you.
C	And also with you.

P	Lift up your hearts.
C	We lift them to the Lord.

P	Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C	It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

P	It is truly good, right, and proper that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, for the countless blessings You so freely bestow on us and all creation. Above all, we give thanks for Your boundless love shown to us when You sent Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into our flesh and laid on Him our sin, giving Him into death that we might not die eternally. Because He is now risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity, all who believe in Him will overcome sin and death and will rise again to new life. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and singing:

Sanctus

Prayer of Thanksgiving
P	Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have had mercy on those whom You created and sent Your only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

	In Your righteous judgment You condemned the sin of Adam and Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit, and You justly barred them and all their children from the tree of life.  Yet, in Your great mercy, You promised salvation by a second Adam, Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and made His cross a life-giving tree for all who trust in Him.
	
	We give You thanks for the redemption You have prepared for us through Jesus Christ.  Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may faithfully eat and drink of the fruits of His cross and receive the blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation that come to us in His body and blood.

The Lord’s Prayer
P	Hear us as we pray in His name and as He has taught us:
All	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.

The Words of Our Lord	
P	     Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My (+) body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”
	     In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My (+) blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

	Pax Domini
P	The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C	Amen.

Agnus Dei ~ Lamb of God	

Distribution (be seated)
(All members of our St. Paul’s family are invited to meet the Lord in this Sacrament. When at the table, please indicate your preference of common or individual cup.  

The CENTER RING of the individual communion cup tray contains white grape juice. The OUTER RINGS contain red wine. Gluten free wafers are available from a communion assistant.)

Distribution Hymns        
“Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”                           LSB #700
       “Jesus, Lead Thou On”			     	     LSB #718
Nunc Dimittis (please stand)

Post-Communion Collect	
P	Let us pray.  
We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we ask You that of Your mercy You would strengthen us through the same in faith toward You and 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.
C	Amen.

Benedicamus 
P	Let us bless the Lord.	
C	Thanks be to God.	

Benediction 
P	The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you
    and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor
    and (+) give you peace.
C	Amen.

Sending Hymn    “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”   LSB #802

Silent Prayer 

 (be seated)

Postlude  “In Heaven Above”   Aaron David Miller   

“Soli Deo Gloria”

Acknowledgments Divine Service, Setting Four from Lutheran Service Book Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.  Streaming license through CCLI, Stream License number: 20193242 Copyright License number: 1259603