FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCH (MISSOURI SYNOD) -- 1 Thessalonians 4.1-7 Gerhard P. Grabenhofer Organist: Marianne Grabenhofer Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that just as you 71 W. First St. Corning, NY Phone 962-4970 [email protected] www.faithlutherancorning.org received from us how it is necessary that you walk and please , just as 2 Reminiscere [Remember]—2nd Sunday in —01 March 2015 you are doing, that you should do so more and more; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.3 For this is the will of Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I immorality;4 that each of you should know how to acquire his own spouse will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord. [Jeremiah 31.20] in sanctification and honor,5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his ORDER OF SERVICE—Order of Holy Communion—hymnal pg. 15 brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we THE PREPARATION also forewarned you and testified.7 For God did not call us for uncleanness, Pre-service prayers (hymnal pg. 4; 102-109; 118; 170) but in sanctification. #141 Enslaved by Sin and Bound in Chains At the final stanza, the congregation turns facing the : (Psalm 25.17,18; 106.1-4) Invocation hymnal pg. 15 P: The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Confession/ Absolution pg. 15-16 C: Oh, bring me out of my distresses. THE SERVICE OF THE WORD P: Look on my affliction and my pain, C: and forgive all my sins. : (Psalm 25.6 1-2a, 4, 8, 10-11) P: Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! P: Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindnesses, for C: For His mercy endures forever. they have been from of old. P: Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? C: To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; let me not be C: Or who can declare all His praise? ashamed. P: Blessed are those who keep justice, P: Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. C: and he who does righteousness at all times. C: Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He teaches sinners in the way. P: Remember me, O Lord, with the favor You have toward Your people. P: All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep His C: Oh, visit me with Your salvation. covenant and His testimonies. Triple Hallelujah omitted until Easter C: For Your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great. Gloria Patri [Glory to the Father] pg. 16 : Matthew 15. 21-28 pg. 21 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and [Lord] pg. 17 Sidon.22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried Gloria in Excelsis [Glory in the highest] omitted until Easter out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed."23 But He answered her not a word. And His Salutation/ pg. 19 disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out P: O God, You see that of ourselves we have no strength. Keep us both after us."24 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost outwardly and inwardly, that we may be defended from all adversities sheep of the house of Israel."25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may "Lord, help me!"26 But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."27 And she said, "Yes, Lord, lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' end. C: Amen [sung] table."28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from Father, as we continue our spiritual journey to the cross and resurrection that very hour. this Lententide, abide with us here and now. Keep before us the certainty of our own death. Help us to confess and forsake our sins and to rejoice The Nicene pg. 22 that Your Son, Jesus Christ, carried the weight of all sin to the cross for us. Remind us, in the midst of death, that we are in Him who is life eternal. Hymn: #515 O Thou from Whom All Goodness Flows Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Lord, we pray You, be the companion of the lonely and mourning. — Jeremiah 31.20 Strengthen them and us through Your promise that those who loved and Remember The Mercy Of The Lord served You on earth now rest from their labors, awaiting the resurrection. 1. We remember Thank You for the unspeakable comfort of the Eucharist, for where Jesus is 2. The Lord remembers present in His true body and blood, we know also there are “angels and [Silence for meditation] archangels and the whole company of heaven.” Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. pg. 22 Into Your hands we commend all for whom we pray, trusting Your Offering everlasting grace and mercy, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. The Prayer of the Church Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people THE SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT according to their needs. pg. 24-25 Brief silence (Holy) pg. 26 Almighty Father, let Your Word continue to be preached in its fullness The Lord’s Prayer and pg. 27 among us, and grant us grace to submit to its accusing and killing Law, so () pg. 28 we receive and believe the sweet forgiving and resurrecting Gospel of Jesus The Distribution of our Lord’s true body and blood for the forgiveness Christ. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. of sin and the strengthening of faith Lord of heaven and earth, sin has caused our bodies and minds to be (Now You dismiss) and Thanksgiving pg. 29 crippled and weakened. In Your mercy, be with those who seek to pg. 31 overcome the all-consuming war with addiction. Provide family, friends and Hymn #315 (11-15) I Come, O Savior, to Thy Table professionals to love and treat our neighbors and be lights of Your mercy to The congregation faces the processional cross as it leaves hurting hearts and minds. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Silent Prayer As a loving Father, You call us to lives of holiness and faith in Your wise TELL THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS providence. In our ongoing struggles against unbelief and doubt, discipline us as Your dear children, that we learn to know and trust Your forgiveness ANNOUNCEMENTS and unfailing love. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Tuesday—Bible Study (Revelation) 6 pm Heavenly Father, You are the Great Physician of both body and soul. You Wednesday—Lenten Service 7 pm chasten and You heal. According to Your gracious will, provide healing and Thursday—Bible Study (Revelation) 9.30 am health to those suffering in body and mind especially those of our Saturday—Set clock ahead an hour at bedtime congregation or dear to us. If it be Your will that they remain under their Sunday— Voters’ Meeting after service cross, give them grace sufficient to endure in peace and hope of the glory PLEASE PRAY FOR: Virginia Butler, Dan Fraser, Jonna Holden, Shirley to come in the resurrection on the Last Day. Lord, in Your mercy, Olinger, Tom Pawlak, Walt and Karen Weiner; Mary Ellen Carl, Danielle hear our prayer. Hebert, Donald Zaun. Welcome to Faith! God’s House is your home. The members of PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, we pray that by Your Holy Spirit You Faith Lutheran are glad to have you join us as we gather around the would make firm and certain in our hearts our faith and hope in Your grace Word and Sacraments of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is where we and mercy, so that if, because of our conscience, sin and unworthiness, we find our source of forgiveness and life before God. It is our prayer have cause to fear, we may, in Your grace, still remain firmly clinging to that you also may rejoice in the precious message of the Gospel of Your grace, and through Christ find help and rescue from You in every trial and distress. Amen. our Lord: “But God, Who is rich in mercy, loved us with such a great love. He made us who were dead in sins alive with Christ. You have : Genesis 32. 22-32 God confronted Jacob as His opponent been saved by grace” (Eph. 2. 4, 5). Visitors, please be sure to sign and grabbed him roughly. It was more than a physical wrestling. It was at the Guest Book in the entry. Pastor Grabenhofer stands ready to the same time a severe spiritual battle that Jacob had to fight. Hosea writes serve you in any way consistent with his office. of Jacob, “Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; he wept, and  sought favor from Him” [12.4]. Jacob must have thought that all the TODAY WE CELEBRATE THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION: glorious promises of God, which he received before, had utterly failed, On the night before He tasted death by crucifixion, Jesus did not say, because God Himself was his enemy. But he stood the test and prevailed, clinging to God till he was blessed, and finally saw the friendly, gracious “This is Myself,” but, “This is My Body” and “This is the new face of God, therefore calling the place Penuel, meaning “Face of God.” testament in My blood.” By His promise, His true body and blood are [Stoeckhardt] really present in a way which He bids us to eat/ drink for the forgiveness of sins. As we receive this gift, we also pay attention to Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 4. 1-7 Man was originally created in the image of the oneness in doctrine which the Bible sets forth for those God, in righteousness and holiness. This image, which he lost by sin, must communing together. Therefore the congregations of the Lutheran be restored, and man must again become holy. For only if a person is holy Church- Missouri Synod have promised to practice closed can he also be saved. Therefore, a person is redeemed so that he becomes communion. This means that we invite to this holy Sacrament holy once again. So that he becomes holy, the Gospel is preached to him, members in good standing of this or another congregation of the faith is given to him and counted for righteousness, he is baptized, and his Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. sins are forgiven. So that he is comforted, he is fed with Christ’s body in Holy Communion and given to drink Christ’s blood. So that he can attain salvation, heaven is opened to him. [Walther] 

Luther notes on today’s Gospel: All this is spoken and written for the Gospel: Matthew 15. 21-28 Now what does the poor woman do? She turns comfort of the distressed, the poor, the needy, the sinful, the her eyes from all this unfriendly treatment of Christ. None of this leads her despised, so that they may know in all times of need to whom to flee astray, neither does she take it to heart, but she continues immediately and where to seek comfort and help. and firmly to cling in her confidence to the good news she had heard and embraced concerning Him, and never gives up. We must also do the same In like manner Moses must precede and teach people to feel their and learn firmly to cling to the Word, even though God with all His sins in order that grace may be sweet and welcome to them. creatures appears different than His Word teaches. But, oh, how painful it Therefore all is in vain, however friendly and lovely Christ may be is to nature and reason, that this woman should strip herself of self and pictured, if man is not first humbled by a knowledge of himself and forsake all that she experienced, and cling alone to God’s bare Word, until he possesses no longing for Christ, as Mary’s Song says, ‘The hungry she experienced the contrary. May God help us in time of need and of He has filled with good things; but the rich He has sent empty away.’ death to possess courage and faith! [Luther] [Lk 1.53]