june 14, 2020 - christourrock.org€¦ · web viewchristian disciples know that life will not...

Christ Our Rock Lutheran

Church

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran

Synod

June 14, 2020

2nd Sunday After Pentecost

Jeff LimpertPastor

Gail Maas,Organist

Dear friend in Jesus,

Christian disciples know that life will not always be easy and that faith is often tested in times of trouble; storms will come. Our Christian faith enables us to weather the storms of life. Faith relies on the mighty Word

of God; for faith is the hand that grasps God's Word and then does something with it. Jesus says, "Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock" (Matthew 7:24). Yet even the "doing" of the Word is the activity of the Spirit in us through the Word causing us to bear fruit and even to "rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope" (Romans 5:3-4).

In our Lord’s saving name,Pastor Jeff Limpert

Service ThoughtGod’s Word gives us what we need.

“These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”

~John 20:31 ~

~ ORDER OF SERVICE ~WELCOME

OPENING HYMN: #735 “Speak, O Lord”

INVOCATION Pastor: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship

of the Holy Spirit be with you. People: And also with you.

CONFESSION OF SINSPastor: We have come into the presence of God, Who created us to love and serve

Him as His dear children. But we have disobeyed Him and deserve only His wrath and punishment. Therefore, let us confess our sins to Him and plead for His mercy.

All: Merciful Father in heaven, I am altogether sinful from birth. In countless ways I have sinned against You and do not deserve to be called Your child. But trusting in Jesus, my Savior I pray: Have mercy on me according to Your unfailing love. Cleanse me from my sin, and take away my guilt.

(Moment of silence for personal reflection and confession)

Pastor: God, our heavenly Father, has forgiven all your sins. By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, He has removed your guilt forever. You are His own dear child. May God give you strength to live according to His will. Amen!

People: Thanks be to God! In the peace of forgiveness, we praise the Lord!

All Sing: “We Will Glorify” [LAPPY 322]

PRAYER OF THE DAYPastor: Lord of all power and might, author and giver of all good things, instill in

our hearts the love of Your name, impress on our minds the teachings of Your Word, and increase in our lives all that is holy and just; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

People: Amen.

+ The Word of Our Lord +THE EPISTLE LESSON: Romans 3:21-25a,27,28

(Only faith receives and does God's gracious Word.)

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

VERSE OF THE DAY: Psalm 119:105Pastor: Alleluia! Alleluia! “Your word is a lamp to my feet and light for my

path.” Alleluia!People: Alleluia!

THE GOSPEL LESSON: Matthew 7:15-29 (Remaining under the Word of Jesus.)

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. "Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down,

the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Pastor: This is the Gospel of our Lord!People: Praise be to You, O Christ!

CONFESSION OF FAITH: THE APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

HYMN OF THE DAY: #283 "Speak, O Savior; I Am Listening"

1 Speak, O Savior; I am list’ning, As a servant to his lord.Let me show respect and honor To Your holy, precious Word,That each day, my whole life through, I may serve and follow You.Let Your Word e’er be my pleasure And my heart’s most precious treasure.

2 Oh, what blessing to be near You And to listen to Your voice!

Let me ever love and fear You; Let Your Word still be my choice.Many hardened sinners, Lord Flee in terror at Your Word,But to all who feel sin’s burden You give peace and words of pardon.

3 Lord, Your words are waters living Where I quench my thirsty needs.Lord, Your words are bread life-giving; On your words my spirit feeds.Lord, Your words will be my light Through death’s cold and dreary night;Yes, they are my sword prevailing And my cup of joy unfailing.

4 As I pray, dear Jesus, hear me; Let Your words in me take root.May Your Spirit e’er be near me That I bear abundant fruit.May I daily sing Your praise, From my heart glad anthems raise,Till my highest praise is given In the endless joy of heaven.

SERMON: Deuteronomy 11:18-21Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your

hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.

See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse-- the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.

HOW TO HOLD ON TO THE BEST THING IN LIFE

PRAYER by Pastor

THE LORD’S PRAYEROur 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.

CLOSING PRAYER

Pastor: Blessed Lord, You have given us Your Holy Scriptures for our learning.

May we so hear them, read, learn and take them to heart, that being strengthened and comforted by Your holy Word, we may cling to the blessed hope of everlasting life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

BENEDICTIONPastor: 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.

People:

CLOSING HYMN: “Thy Word”

Silent Prayer

This Week’ s Bible Readings June 14. Exodus 4:18-6:9 18. Exodus 10-11

15. Exodus 6:10-7:25 19. Exodus 12:1-3616. Exodus 8 20. Exodus 12:37-13:2217. Exodus 9 21. Exodus 14:1-15:21

Christ Our Rock Announcements

REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERSVivian Capek and Debbie Olson who are recuperating at their homes from

surgeriesThe family and friends of Lois Liebenow, mother of our member Jane Peterson,

who passed away last Sunday, June 7th. She was given a Christian burial on Friday, June 12th.

NEW USHER SIGN UP We are asking all members who are interested in being an usher to please

sign up either at SignUp.com that was linked in the weekly email or on the sign-up sheet in the entryway. Because we have two services, we want to make sure that both services have an usher in attendance. Even if you are

already an usher, please sign up again to indicate your preference for the 8:00 AM

Masked Only service or the 9:30 AM Masks Optional service. A new schedule will be made up once we have enough signed up so please don't delay in signing up. Thank You!

VOTER’S MEETING We will hold our annual voters’ meeting on Monday, June 22nd at 6:30 PM. All members are encouraged to attend.

TASTE AND SEE CHRIST’S LOVE AROUND THE GLOBE

The WELS Missions office is partnering with the Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society (LWMS) to host an online event called Taste and See from June 27–July 11. This first-of-its-kind event will combine the very best of Taste of Missions and the LWMS convention to provide all WELS members an opportunity to be an important part of gospel outreach occurring in the synod.

WELS Missions and LWMS have launched a new website, welstasteandsee.com, that will host all of the videos and activities for the two-week event. Visit the website today to register to participate and subscribe for e-mail updates regarding the online festivities. Anyone who registers will be entered to win a gift certificate for the 2021 LWMS convention in Cincinnati, Ohio (a $195 value). The certificate can also be gifted to someone if the winner is not able to attend.

Visit the Taste and See website, welstasteandsee.com, to get a flavor of what kinds of mission presentations, devotions, cooking tutorials, and other activities you can expect to see June 27–July 11. WELS Missions and LWMS are excited to join with you and other brothers and sisters around the world as we together say, “Taste and see that the Lord is good!”

VIDEO TEAM MEMBERS NEEDED We have been very blessed with the number of views our online services have received in the last two months. A very special thank you goes out to Judy Limpert and Gretchen Schroeder who videotaped and produced the online services. The process takes an incredible amount of time, Since the Lord has blessed us in this area of Gospel outreach, we would like to form a

ministry team to help with the work and explore how we want to proceed with this

ministry. Much of the work can be done from your home computer. If you have the gifts, knowledge or just the desire to assist with this ministry, please contact Pastor.

STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD AND THE AFTERMATH Our hearts ache as we reflect on the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. We are also grieved because of the other innocent lives that have been lost and because of the many people who have been injured in the aftermath of the Minneapolis tragedy. Added to that, we are saddened by the widespread destruction and theft of property and businesses. As Christians, we mourn the loss of any human life, especially when a person’s time of grace, given by God, is cut short. We understand that when injustice or crime occurs, society rightly calls for the guilty to be punished and for efforts to prevent such things from happening again. We support the right of citizens, guaranteed by the United States Constitution, to protest peacefully the action or inaction of their government and to use lawful means to correct injustice. But we also recognize that when people break the law, it is the God-given responsibility of the government to protect the life, property, and safety of all citizens. And we pray. We pray that God would bring comfort and healing to all who have been affected by these events. We pray that God would heal our nation and restore peace to our cities and towns. We ask God to open the eyes of those who mistakenly believe that they can right one wrong by committing another. We plead with God to give wisdom and courage to those who are entrusted with positions of leadership on the local, state, and national level. We ask God’s forgiveness for our own lack of love and compassion for our neighbors and for taking for granted the peace and freedom that God has provided to us. We ask God to confirm in us the conviction that racism in any form is contrary to the Christian faith and inconsistent with the love that God expects us to have for all. We pray for a government and for institutions that strive to see to it that all people are treated with equality and justice. We look to God to bless our land with justice and peace. Only he can do that. On our part, our responsibility as Christians is to speak the truth of God’s Word in love. Our mission as God’s church on earth is to proclaim God’s call to repentance and to share the saving and powerful message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. “We preach Christ crucified!” (1 Corinthians 1:23)

It’s that message alone that can lead people to know the true peace and security of sins forgiven and guilt removed. It’s that message alone that can create hearts of faith that respond to God’s grace with love and compassion. It’s

that message that alone can move people, no matter what their vocation, to express their faith as Christians by living in a way that serves God and benefits the people around them.

WELS President Mark Schroeder

Christ Our Rock Lutheran Church

& Precious Pebbles Preschool3040 Stonehedge Dr. NE; Rochester, MN 55906

Office: 252-5088 [email protected] www.ChristOurRock.org Jeff Limpert, Pastor……………………………………………….273-5525 Judy Limpert, Church Administrator & Preschool Director…….. 273-5535 Heather Luepke, Preschool Teacher……………………………....250-3900 Anne Sawyer, Resurrection Lutheran School Teacher……………993-6025 Lonnie Schnell, Congregational Chairman……………………….951-5694

Our Mission: God first loved us by giving us the gift of eternal life through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, with God’s help and to His glory, we will grow in His Word so that we can share the gift of His love with all people.

WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! SERVING OUR LORD & US TODAY

Organist: Gail MaasUshers: Team 4Counting: Team 2Cleaning: June 15-20 EricksonMowing: June 15-20 Banitt

SERVING OUR LORD & US ON SUNDAY, JUNE 21ST Midi Organist: Judy LimpertUshers: Team 5Communion: Burkhard/JustCounting: Team 3Mowing: June 22-7 Schnell

Permission for use of music & lyrics in this service are covered under the following licenses:OneLicense.net #A-704183 All rights reserved.

CCLI, Portland, OR. Reprinted under license #2033969. All rights reserved.Northwestern PH, Milwaukee, WI. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish © 2019 Concordia PH. All rights reserved. Used by permission.Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011

by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwideThe Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) copyright © 2017 The Wartburg Project.

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