17th Sunday after Pentecost September 27-28, 2020 December 1

136 W. Seymour Street, Appleton, WI 54915

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Growing in Faith and Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all People

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elcome! Thank you for joining us for worship today, whether in person or online. What a blessing to gather as God’s people around his Word and Sacraments. In

these gifts, God promises that his Holy Spirit is at work to bless us.

A virtual “Worship Card” is available at www.RiverviewLutheran.org/onlineworship. We ask all who have joined us today, whether online or in person, to complete a card to leave a record of your worshipping with us today.

Precautions: Thank you for taking these steps out of love for those worshipping with you today. Please maintain social distancing (minimum of 6 feet) from those not in your

household. A six-foot section at the center of each pew is marked with tape. Avoid shaking hands or hugging. Be sure to cover any and all coughs and sneezes. Following worship, please keep visiting indoors to a minimum. Visiting can be

done more safely outside. Take your printed service folder home, since it will not be reused for other

services. The Offering is an opportunity for us to thank the Lord for all his blessings to us by

giving a portion of our income in support of his gospel ministry. If you are a guest today, you may participate in the offering. But please don’t feel obligated. Those interested in giving an offering may do so in several ways: Mail a check to Riverview (136 W Seymour St, Appleton, WI 54915) Use the QR Code on the right or click on the giving link on our

website to give a gift electronically (one-time or recurring). Set up Bill Pay with your bank to have your gift mailed to Riverview. In-person worshippers may leave their offering in one of the plates at the door.

Prayer before Worship: Lord God, thank you for calling us into the Christian faith and Christian church. Your grace has shown us the love, peace, and mercy we all need. Thank you for those in our church family who preach and teach your Word to our people. Keep them faithful to your Word, and give them continuing strength and good health to serve. May we be faithful in supporting them with our prayers, encouragement and gifts for this ministry. Amen

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ORDER OF SERVICE for the 17th Sunday after Pentecost

++++ GATHERING ++++

WELCOME Celebrating God’s Blessing to Us and Through Us

Please stand.

INVOCATION1

Minister: In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit

CCCCongregation: Amen.

CONFESSION OF SINS AND RESPONSIVE PRAYER

M We acknowledge that you are the Lord of heaven and earth.

C We confess that without You there is no salvation.

M Therefore, we humbly come into your presence this day.

C We come to acknowledge our sin, to confess our guilt, and to plead with You for the

sake of Jesus Christ, to grant us pardon and forgiveness.

M We thank and praise you, O God, for the assurance of the Gospel, “The blood of Jesus, your

Son, purifies us from every sin.”

C This gospel declares to our repentant hearts that we are forgiven, restored children and

heirs of eternal life.

1 The Trinitarian invocation reminds us that we are here to meet the one true God, in whose name we were

baptized into Christ and made members of his Church.

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M Assured by the announcement of our forgiveness, warmed by your goodness and mercy,

renewed by the Holy Spirit,

C We stand ready to serve you thankfully with our hearts, hands and voices.

M Lord, You have called us to be your witness in the world.

C Fill our hearts with faith and move our lips to speak to our children and grandchildren

about your Good News.

M Lord, You have commissioned us to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.

C Fill our hearts with thankfulness and peace so that we speak and live in accordance with

the gospel.

M Lord, be gracious to us and bless us and make your face shine upon us.

C Inspire us to make the most of every opportunity to be your witnesses.

M For you, Lord God, so loved the world that you gave your one and only Son,

C that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

M You have called us to be your children and witnesses in this world, but since we still remain

weak and frail humans.

C What we lack, supply to us; when we are weary, inspire us; when we are afraid,

strengthen our faith,

M and move us to sing in faith:

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HYMN Rise, O Light of Gentile Nations Christian Worship 577, st. 1-3

Please be seated.

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++++ THE WORD ++++

God’s Grace to Us on Good Friday Isaiah 53:1-8

Who has believed our message

and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,

and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,

nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,

a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

Like one from whom people hide their faces

he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain

and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to our own way;

and the LORD has laid on him

the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth;

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.

Yet who of his generation protested?

For he was cut off from the land of the living;

for the transgression of my people he was punished.

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HYMN God Was There on Calvary2 Christian Worship 140, st. 1,2,3,6

God’s Grace to Us Through Jesus’ Resurrection Acts 2:22-32 22

“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to

you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you

yourselves know. 23

This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and

foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to

the cross. 24

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death,

because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25

David said about him:

“ ‘I saw the Lord always before me.

Because he is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken. 26

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will rest in hope, 27

because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

you will not let your holy one see decay. 28

You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence.’

2 God Was There on CalvaryGod Was There on CalvaryGod Was There on CalvaryGod Was There on Calvary: Text & Tune: Kurt J. Eggert, 1923-93 © 1993 Kurt J. Eggert. Reprinted by

permission under OneLicense #A-712433.

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29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was

buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30

But he was a prophet and knew that God had

promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31

Seeing

what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not

abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32

God has raised this

Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.”

HYMN He’s Risen, He’s Risen3 Christian Worship 143, st 1,3,5

3 He’s Risen, He’s RisenHe’s Risen, He’s RisenHe’s Risen, He’s RisenHe’s Risen, He’s Risen: Text: C.F.W. Walther, 1811-87, abr.; tr. Anna M. Meyer, 1867-1941, alt. © 1941

Concordia Publishing House. Reprinted under OneLicense #A-712433. Tune: C.F.W. Walther, 1811-87.

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Please stand4

God’s Grace Through Our Witnessing Matthew 28:16-20 16

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told

them to go. 17

When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18

Then Jesus

came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20

and teaching them to obey everything I have

commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

M This is the Gospel of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

4 Christ—his life, his words of law and gospel, his suffering, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, his

assignment to the Church, his promise to return—is the center of the Gospel. We have waited for this moment, this reading. We stand in reverence.

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HYMN I Hear the Savior Calling5 Christian Worship 560, st. 1,2,5

SERMON Matthew 28:16-20

Praise God - He Dispenses His Blessings Through His Church

One: TO Us

Two: THROUGH Us

5 I Hear the Savior Calling: I Hear the Savior Calling: I Hear the Savior Calling: I Hear the Savior Calling: Text: John C. Lawrenz, b. 1943 © 1943 John C. Lawrenz. Reprinted under OneLicense

#A-712433. Tune: Friedrich K. Anthes, 1812 – after 1857.

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INSTALLATION OF ALL ELECTED OFFICERS

++++ PRAYERS ++++

Please stand.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

LORD’S PRAYER

cccc 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 SACRAMENT ++++

Please stand

PREFACE

M The Lord be with you.

CCCC And also with you.

M Lift up your hearts.

CCCC We lift them up to the Lord.

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M Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

CCCC It is right to give him thanks and praise.

WORDS OF INSTITUTION

M Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given

thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body, which

is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; this

is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do

this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

M The peace of the Lord be with you always.

CCCC Amen

Please be seated.

DISTRIBUTION

All confirmed members of Riverview or another WELS or ELS congregation are invited to approach the altar

at the direction of the ushers to receive holy communion.

Instructions for Receiving the SacramentInstructions for Receiving the SacramentInstructions for Receiving the SacramentInstructions for Receiving the Sacrament

The left (pulpit) side of the congregation is ushered up first, then the right (font) side. Please maintain

at least six feet between households as you approach the altar.

Holy Communion will be served by continuous distribution. First approach the table with the host

(bread) and take a paper with the host in it (gluten-free wafers are also available and are marked as

such). After pausing to receive the body of Christ, discard the paper in the receptacle next to the table.

Then approach the table with the individual cups and take a cup from the tray (white grape juice is also

available). Please be careful not to touch cups other than the one you take. After pausing to receive the

blood of Christ, discard the cup in the wooden receptacle in the center aisle, and return to your seat.

Communicants may choose to say “Amen” after receiving each of the elements.

The blessing follows the distribution.

Bread X Wine Wine X Bread

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CLOSING PRAYER

M Hear the prayer of your people, O Lord, that the lips which have praised you here may glorify

you in the world, that the eyes which have seen the coming of your Son may long for his

coming again, and that all who have received in his true body and blood the pledge of your

forgiveness may be restored to live a new and holy life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who

lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

CCCC Amen.

BLESSING6

M Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another. Serve the Lord with

gladness.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look on you with favor and + give you peace.

CCCC Amen

The service concludes with the closing hymn on the next page.

6 Our worship ends as it began—in God’s name—as God places his name on us in the blessing. The Lord said,

“So they will put my name on [them], and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:27).

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CLOSING HYMN Dear Lord, to Your True Servants Give7 Christian Worship 542, st. 1,3

ANNOUNCEMENTS

7 This hymn was the class hymn for the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Class of 2005, the year in which Pastor

Wagner graduated and began his pastoral ministry.

Dear Lord, to Your True Servants GiveDear Lord, to Your True Servants GiveDear Lord, to Your True Servants GiveDear Lord, to Your True Servants Give: Text: W. Gustave Polack, 1890-1950, alt. © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Reprinted Under OneLicense #A-712433. Tune: John B. Dykes, 1823-76.

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SERVING TODAY

Preacher ........................................................................................................... Pastor Dennis Belter

Presiding Minister ....................................................................................... Pastor Timothy Wagner

Organist ............................................................................................................ Mrs. Paula Krueger

Acknowledgments All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL

VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

All rights reserved. Music reprinted under OneLicense.net #A-712433 or CCLI #11016824. Unless otherwise indicated, materials contained herein are public domain.

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Riverview Evangelical Lutheran Church 136 W Seymour Street, Appleton, WI 54915

(920) 733-3728 www.RiverviewLutheran.org

(Home phone numbers are included for after office hours.)

Rev. Dennis Belter, Pastor ..................................................................................... 277-5914

email: dbelter@riverviewlutheran.org

Rev. Timothy Wagner, Pastor ................................................................................ 757-4535

email: twagner@riverviewlutheran.org

Mrs. Jo Theimer, Church Administrative Assistant............................................... 733-3728

email: church@riverviewlutheran.org

Mr. Seth Zimmermann, Principal ................................................................... 651-253-4531

email: principal@riverviewlutheran.org

Mrs. Paula Krueger, School Administrative Assistant .......................................... 733-3728

email: school@riverviewlutheran.org

Mrs. Sandy Diersen, Bookkeeper .......................................................................... 733-3728

email: accountant@riverviewlutheran.org

WLCFS-Christian Family Solutions ............................................................... 800-438-1772

Hope Life Resource Center .................................................................................... 739-0039

Riverview Lutheran School Teachers

Mr. Seth Zimmermann, Principal .................................................................... 5th

-8th

Grades

Mrs. Sandy Eggert ........................................................................................... 5th

-8th

Grades

Mrs. Jenise Nolte, School Music ..................................................................... 5th

-8th

Grades

Mr. Benton Witte, Technology Director .......................................................... 5th

-8th

Grades

Miss Barb Arndt ............................................................................................... 3rd

-4th

Grades

Mrs. Amy Larson ............................................................................................ 1st-2

nd Grades

Mrs. Melissa Nolte ........................................................................................... Kindergarten

Mrs. Melissa Romberg ...................................................................................................... 4K

Mrs. Melissa Brown .......................................................................................................... 3K

Riverview Evangelical Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Wisconsin Evangelical

Lutheran Synod (WELS). The WELS (www.wels.net) is a group of confessional

Lutheran Christians walking together as individuals and congregations

sharing a common bond of faith in Jesus articulated in the Lutheran Confessions.

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