The Week of Sept. 28

Sunday: Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost Date: September 28, 2014 Old Testament Reading: Ezek. 18:1–4, 25–32 Epistle: Phil. 2:1–4 (5–13) 14–18 Gospel: Matt. 21:23–27 (28–32)

Designed as a “Service” of about 30 min. for nursing homes & other off-site church worship Intended to be followed by a time of visiting/conversation/fellowship for 20+ minutes Feel free to print, modify, or duplicate anything within this resource to fit your needs.

Greetings: Introduce yourselves and ask everyone’s name.

Opening Prayer (Doubles as Confession): Read by______Dear heavenly Father, we are so thankful that you have brought us together again, for this time of worship and meditation in your Word. The Bible tells us “how good and pleasant it is, when brothers and sisters live together in unity.” As we gather together Lord, we are reminded that we are here because You have called us out of darkness into Your wonderful light. Assure us Lord, of Your mercy and ever present forgiveness. Help us to look to the cross and remind us that Your Son Jesus Christ died and rose again, to give us the victory over our sins, over the devil and over this evil world. Help us to walk in Your path, the path You have set before us in Jesus Christ. Keep us close to You and close to one another. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Absolution: Read by ______Dear friends, God’s Word tells us that “if we are in Christ, we are a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come.” Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, His death and resurrection, God assures you that your sins are forgiven. In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Hymn: “We All Believe in One True God” (LSB #954, TLH #251, LW #213, LBW #374)

Old Testament reading: Ezek. 18:1–4, 25–32, read by ______

Hymn:“Sing Praise to God the Highest Good” (LSB #819, TLH #19, LW #452, LBW #542)

New Testament reading: Phil. 2:1–4 (5–13) 14–18, read by ______

Hymn: “O, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways” (LWB #707, TLH #416, LW #392, LBW #480)

Gospel reading: Matt. 21:23–27 (28–32), read by ______

Devotional, read by ______

Hymn: “O Lord, We Praise Thee, We Bless Thee, & Adore Thee” (LSB #617, TLH #313, LW #238, LBW #215)

Lord’s Prayer or other closing prayer, led by ______Visit! Get to know one another and remind people that they are blessed in the Lord!

DEVOTION FOR 16th Sunday after Pentecost Texts: Psalm 25:1-10 & Philippians 2:14-18 Written by Rhonda Chadwick

Psalm 25: 1-10—1 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, I trust in You; Let me be not ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. 3 Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. 4 Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. 6 Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, For they are from of old. 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord. 8 Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. 9 The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way. 10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

Do you ever get tired of waiting? When we were children, it seemed we were always waiting for the next big thing to happen-Birthdays, Christmas, Summer Break. As we got older and moved into the teen years, we were waiting on things then too-dating, driver’s license, graduation, college. Throughout our adult years, the waiting continues and we move on to bigger and more complicated things-marriage, first house, first baby, our kids to grow up, better jobs, steady income, retirement-and the list goes on and on. Waiting on events to happen in our lives could definitely teach us some patience. But what does waiting teach us about our faith? In our Christian walk through life, waiting teaches us so much more than patience. Have you ever thought about why God makes us wait? Our scripture from Psalms says, “Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed…Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.” Exactly, what does this mean? Admit it. Truth be told, most of us do not wait well! Aren’t we usually rushing through life to get to the next best thing? Yet this scripture says for us to “wait all the day” on the Lord. What?!!! Why?!!! Most of us have a true desire to understand God, His word and His ways. But don’t we want to gain that knowledge quickly? Possibly knowing it yesterday would be just great! Relationship struggles, health issues, financial challenges and all the other complicated “life stuff” need to have reasons behind them. We need to make sense of them in our human minds. Wouldn’t it be great to pull the curtain back and see it all revealed in one big grand swoop and then we could get on with the acceptance? We could answer the “Why?” and move forward. God’s Word talks a lot about seasons and it is evident through studying God’s word, that God puts us into seasons/challenges in life to refine us, to mold us, to deepen our faith and trust in Him. We want knowledge, understanding and acceptance now. We want things “fixed” now. But as Christians, we have to accept that God doesn’t work that way. Remember that verse, “Be still and know that I am God”? (Psalm 46:10) Yes. He meant it. Sometimes in rushing, we miss the point of what God is trying to teach us. Do you ever find yourself struggling with the same battle over and over again? Are you truly listening? Can you take a second, stop in prayer and ask God, “What are you really trying to show me here? What am I supposed to learn that I haven’t gotten…YET?” Sometimes, we are stuck in a place or in a battle because we haven’t learned the lesson yet, or at least not the real lesson yet. Remember that God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. Soooo, what we think we are supposed to learn may not be what He wants us to learn at all! Have you gone through misunderstandings that have taken a long time to heal? Have you suffered losses you are still trying to recover from? Have you ever had to wait on others to change? We are not in control of anything in this human world-not ourselves and certainly not others. So who has the control? God Almighty. Sometimes when He says “No” or “Not Now” or “Please Wait”, it can be a little hard to take! However, we must wait on God to reveal His wisdom. Sometimes it can take years. Sometimes it seems that the answer will never come and sometimes they do not. If we allow God to really work in our lives and reveal His ways, we are deepening our faith. We are learning to trust him more. Most of the time, we have to get to the point where we simply lay it down and say, “It’s yours, God” and really mean it before an answer is revealed. Sometimes an answer doesn’t come no matter how many times we ask. And some of the stuff is hard for our human minds to understand-Death of a loved one before what we think it is their time, huge financial losses, lifestyle changes, relationships ending, loss of a job, children who make wrong choices and challenges with our health. We know we are walking in faith and still the answers seem slow to come or they never come. Then we may ask God, “What does this mean? Why is this happening? Haven’t I been faithful enough in my Christian walk? Why am I being punished?” Sometimes it boils down to “Am I going to trust God in His goodness and wisdom?” or “Am I going to be angry and bitter?” Take a look at our scripture in Philippians 2 and God’s truth in waiting is clearly revealed: “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.” Did you get that? God says we do not run or labor in vain. Life’s challenges serve a higher purpose. He asks us to do everything, even wait, without complaining and disputing so that we become blameless and harmless. We are asked to trust Him despite our circumstances and our questions. We are asked to be the light of the world showing God’s goodness and love to others. Our challenges are our victories. Our faith is refined through the wait. God’s truth is revealed in time. We are witnessing to others our joy in God by being good “waiters” through our trials and challenges. In God’s eyes, the “Why” isn’t as important as the “What”. Why it is happening isn’t nearly as important as what we are learning through the waiting and the process we have to work through in being able to trust Him enough to lay it down. What battle are you facing today? Has it been going on for a while? Is it time to ask God what lesson you really need to learn? Let it go. Give it to God. Be still and wait expectantly for the answer. Be joyful in the waiting. Hold fast to God’s word. Dig into it and ask God to reveal something you may have missed. Be the light. Others are watching. Our attitudes as Christians are everything. Remember God’s promise that we do not run or labor in vain. What are we waiting for? Our wait brings about gratitude for our journey through life’s trials and our unwavering trust in His promise that we are “children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation”. We are promised His truth and His kingdom through His son, Christ Jesus. We will spend eternity as believers in His presence. Death is not the end. Isn’t that worth the wait?