Worship for September 20, 2020 and This Week at Immanuel

Service of Word, Song and Prayer

September 20, 2020

"So the last will be first,

and the first will be last."

~ Matthew 19:16

Photo by Lasseter Winery

Today at Immanuel...

Adult Sunday School Continues Sunday at 9:30 am!

Come learn from one of the world's greatest biblical scholars, Walter Brueggemann and jump into the world of the prophets with his book, Embracing the Prophets in Contemporary Culture. You won't want to miss this wonderful and enlightening discussion!

Meeting ID: 826 1847 1655

Passcode: 897427

Join us for Fellowship Hour today at 11!

Join with folks from Immanuel on Zoom to catch up with one another.

Meeting ID: 831 9129 6491

Passcode: Fellowship

Immanuel-Kids Moment

Click for Immanuel-Kids Moment

What is delicious, smells wonderful, and is meant to be shared? Lots of things! But today we are talking about how wonderful God's love smells when it's shared! Come find out how!

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Click here for video for today's Service of Word, Song, and Prayer

~ Gathering ~

Prelude - Cantabile

- Cesar Franck

Josh Ehlebracht, Organ

Hymn - Gather Us In

1 Here in this place the new light is streaming,

now is the darkness vanished away;

see in this space our fears and our dreamings

brought here to you in the light of this day.

Gather us in, the lost and forsaken,

gather us in, the blind and the lame;

call to us now, and we shall awaken,

we shall arise at the sound of our name.

2 We are the young, our lives are a myst'ry,

we are the old who yearn for your face;

we have been sung throughout all of hist'ry,

called to be light to the whole human race.

Gather us in, the rich and the haughty,

gather us in, the proud and the strong;

give us a heart, so meek and so lowly,

give us the courage to enter the song.

3 Not in the dark of buildings confining,

not in some heaven, light years away—

here in this place the new light is shining,

now is the kingdom, and now is the day.

Gather us in and hold us forever,

gather us in and make us your own;

gather us in, all peoples together,

fire of love in our flesh and our bone.

Text: Marty Haugen, b. 1950

Call to Worship, Greeting, and Prayer of the Day

Come!

Come and worship,

you who woke early and you who slept late;

you who come often, and you who don’t.

Whether we are first or last or somewhere in between,

there is room for all of us in God’s kingdom,

and more than enough grace to go around.

Let us worship God together!

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the Communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Almighty and eternal God, you show perpetual lovingkindness to us your servants. Because we cannot rely on our own abilities, grant us your merciful judgment, and train us to embody the generosity of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

~ Word ~

First Reading Jonah 3:10--4:11

¹⁰When God saw what [the people of Ninevah] did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

^4:1But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. ²He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. ³And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” ⁴And the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” ⁵Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.

⁶The Lord God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. ⁷But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. ⁸When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

⁹But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” And he said, “Yes, angry enough to die.” ¹⁰Then the Lord said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?”

Word of God. Word of life.

Thanks be to God.

Second Reading Philippians 1:21-30

²¹For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. ²²If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. ²³I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; ²⁴but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. ²⁵Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, ²⁶so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

²⁷Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. ²⁹For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well—³⁰since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Word of God. Word of life.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel Matthew 19:1-16

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew

Glory to you, O Lord.

[Jesus said to the disciples:] ¹“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ²After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. ³When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; ⁴and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. ⁵When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. ⁶And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ ⁷They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ ⁸When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ ⁹When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. ¹⁰Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. ¹¹And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, ¹²saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ ¹³But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? ¹⁴Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. ¹⁵Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ ¹⁶So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

Hymn All Are Welcome

Confession and Forgiveness

God's love is everlasting. God's grace never ends. God's forgiveness is a gift we receive in baptism that is ours forever. Let us come before God in confession, trusting in God's mercy.

Silence for reflection

Faithful God,

have mercy on us.

We confess that we are captive to sin

and cannot free ourselves.

We turn from your loving embrace

and go our own ways.

We pass judgment on one another

before examining ourselves.

We place our own needs before those of our neighbors.

We keep your gift of salvation to ourselves.

Make us humble, cast away our transgressions,

and turn us again to life in you

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

God hears the cries of all who call out in need,

and through his death and resurrection,

Christ has made us his own.

Hear the truth that God proclaims:

Your sins are forgiven in the name of ☩ Jesus Christ.

Led by the Holy Spirit, live in freedom and newness

to do God’s work in the world.

Amen.

Offering

You may use this time to make a gift online, or write a check to be mailed in,

to sustain the ministries of the Church.

Click here to make an online gift to Immanuel

Offertory Music It Is Well with My Soul - Arr. Bill Ingram

Four Tolled

Kathy Bannon, Nancy Mooney, Toni Baller, Marj Bovenzi

Offering Prayer

Generous God, through Your Son, Jesus Christ, you have shown us what it means to love. And you’ve called us to follow Your example—to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, to offer our lives and our resources in your service. Accept the gifts we bring today. May they help to spread the love we have received to the world around us. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession and Lord's Prayer

Each petition concludes:

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

The final petition concludes:

...through Jesus Christ our Lord who taught us to pray:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those

who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours,

now and forever. Amen.

~ Sending ~

Hymn The Lord Now Sends Us Forth

Blessing

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

Amen.

Dismissal

Go in peace! Love all as Christ loves us!

Thanks be to God!

Postlude - No. 2 from "Skizzen fur den pedal-Flugel" " - Robert Schumann

Josh Ehlebracht, Organ

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Worship Leaders

Pastor: Rev. Joanne Groman-Stewart

Director of Music Ministry: Josh Ehlebracht

Assisting Minister: Dave Reville

Special Music: Four Tolled - Kathy Bannon, Nancy Mooney, Toni Baller, Marj Bovenzi

This Week at Immanuel...

Outdoor Worship

Continues Wednesday Evenings

Come celebrate God’s love as we gather for in-person worship on Wednesday evenings at 6:30. Bundle up as we enjoy and celebrate the beautiful fall weather! Please bring a lawn chair, wear a mask, and gather in the parking lot near the Little Pantry. In the event of rain, the service will be cancelled, and the church building will remain closed.

Please do not feel guilty or pressured to return to in-person worship. We will be continuing our services on-line. Please only come when you feel that you are ready.

Prayer Stones

in the Memorial Garden

Sometimes when our heart is in need of prayer, it’s helpful to find a quiet place, away from the normal activities, to rest our busy mind and focus on conversation with God. You are invited to find that quiet place in the Memorial Garden next to the church building. Prayer stones are available there to help you focus on your prayers. Select and hold a stone in your hand as you prayer. Share your joys, your laments, your thanks, your desires, and other conversation with God. Let the stone remind you of God’s strong and steadfast presence in your life. When you have completed your prayer time, you are invited to place the stone in the bowl under the cross. Every Sunday morning, these stones and prayers will be raised up in the prayer of the church in our weekly worship service. May you be blessed as you connect with God. May you be refreshed as you leave the garden. May you be at peace as you return to the activities of your life.

Conversations on Race

For the past few months, one of the primary topics dominating the news is race. Perhaps the goings-on related to race have prompted you to do some research, some reading, some thinking, or participate in some discussions. Many of us have experienced a range of thoughts and emotions while digesting new information and perspectives. As a church community, it is important that Immanuel creates a safe place to participate in learning and dialogue related to race.

Beginning in September, a six-week program will be offered to provide information and allow for discussion and reflection.. Our conversations continue Tuesday evenings at 7 pm.

Tuesday evening Zoom information:

Meeting ID: 851 6083 8438

Passcode: 074628

Bible Study Wednesday at 9!

This week we will be looking at the readings for next Sunday, September 27. The log-in info is:

Meeting ID: 868 9194 0468

Password: Bibles

Click here for Next Sunday's Readings

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