The Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost - Online Worship - October 8, 2023
Lord of Life LIVE - The Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Upcoming Events
Sunday Worship - The Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost
”Signs of Love … Answering the Invitation”
October 15, 2023, 9:30AM
Join us in person, this service will not be live streamed!
All are welcome, encouraged to visit the Prayer Cross as moved to do so.
Gathering in Spirit & Grace
Hear Our Praises
Morgan
vs. 1
May our homes be filled with dancing
May our streets be filled with joy
May injustice bow to Jesus
As the people turn to pray
refrain:
From the mountains to the valleys
Hear our praises rise to You
From the heavens to the nations
Hear our singing fill the air
vs. 2
May Your light shine in the darkness
As we walk before the cross
May Your glory fill the whole earth
As the water o’er seas
(refrain)
Litany Trusting God’s Signs of Love
Based on Psalm 145
Today, we celebrate and give thanks, by The Spirit, from the mountains to the valleys, we fill the air; bearing fruit in every sign of God’s love and grace, so we worship in the name of The Father, and of The Son, and of The Holy Spirit.
Amen. I will bless the name of my God and King forever and ever. Every day and in every way will I bless you and praise your name. You are the perfect Sign of love, Almighty God.
People of God: The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Let us take a moment of silence to confess our sins and those times we have failed to bear fruit, to love the Lord our God, and our neighbor as ourself.
(silence for reflection)
Friends in Christ: Receive the signs of love and God’s grace in these words: Jesus saves; Jesus forgives you all your sins. The Lord is good to all! Receive God’s every blessing. Bear fruit! You are made new, and your hearts have been purified once again!
Song of Grace Anew
Purify My Heart
Nelson
Purify my heart
Touch me with Your cleansing fire
Take me to the cross
Your holiness is my desire
Breathe Your life in me
Kindle a love
That flows from Your throne
Oh purify my heart
Purify my heart
I give thanks to the Lord for all his countless blessings. May we faithfully love The Lord with all our heart, serve the vineyard and bear fruit of the signs of God’s love entrusted to us.
Friends in faith: Today, trust anew you are loved first, blessed first, in grace. The Spirit is with you, purifying your heart, making you ready for every sign of love, to bear fruit, to bless his holy name!
Song of Grace Anew
Purify My Heart
Nelson
Purify my heart
Touch me with Your cleansing fire
Take me to the cross
Your holiness is my desire
Breathe Your life in me
Kindle a love
That flows from Your throne
Oh purify my heart
Purify my heart
Almighty and loving God, we thank you and praise you, for all good gifts around us, are sent from heaven above. By your Spirit and grace, reveal to us once again, the countless signs of your love. Increase our faith to see more clearly, you are The One who owns the vineyard; you are The One who stirs us up to bear fruit, to give glory to you alone. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
New Testament Lesson
Philippians 3:4b-14
If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
(New Revised Standard Version)
Song of Grace Anew
This Is the Day
Garrett, & Lord of Life
This is the day
(This is the day)
That the Lord has made
(That the Lord has made)
We will rejoice
(We will rejoice)
And be glad in it
(And be glad in it)
This is the day that the Lord has made
We will rejoice and be glad in it
This is the day
(This is the day)
That the Lord has made
Blessed are they
(Blessed are they)
Who are signs of love
(Who are signs of love)
We will rejoice
(We will rejoice)
And be signs of love
(And be signs of love)
Blessed are they who are signs of love
We will rejoice and be signs of love
Blessed are they
(Blessed are they)
Who are signs of love
Gospel
Matthew 21:33-46
Jesus said, “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read the scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.
(New Revised Standard Version)
based on Revelation 21:5-7
As God’s children, we trust God the good steward, in God’s grace, loves us first, and blesses us with every sign of love. In thanks to God’s faithfulness, countless blessings, and all God entrusts into our care, by The Holy Spirit, we boldly state our faith.
God who sits upon the throne says, “Behold, I make all things new. Write these words for they are trustworthy and true. It is done! I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain the water of life without payment. They who conquer shall have their heritage, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.” Amen.
Children are invited to return to their seats with their family and friends.
We are excited to resume Faith Quest, our Sunday School Ministry, on October 1st!
Signs of Love … Bearing Fruit
ISAIAH 5:1-7; PHILIPPIANS 3:4B-14; MATTHEW 21:33-46
How do you best bear fruit? How do you make a difference, by God’s grace, to honor all the Landowner has entrusted to you? Have you ever been honored to care for something really important? What was it? How did that feel, to have someone give you something important to care for that they one day wanted back? When we honor someone by caring for something important that belongs to them; this can feel amazing and freeing. Sure we like it when people honor us. We like when the things we own are taken care of by others; and yet, perhaps we struggle with doing likewise. Today in our reading from Matthew, the landowner has entrusted tenants to bear fruit, to care for what has been leased to them and put into their care. Today as the people of God at Lord of Life, we begin a new journey to see the “signs of love” the landowner has leased to us; all the landowner has entrusted to us, put into our care, to bear fruit. Like some of the tenants, it is easy to think it belongs to us. May now be God’s time for us to trust all entrusted to us, to trust we are entrusted to bear fruit thanks to God’s faithfulness. May we forever love, because God first loved us. Indeed the landowner has entrusted us with countless signs of love, and by grace alone, we will be faithful!
1. For us to be a sign of love, to bear fruit, to honor someone, to care for something of great value for someone else; to care for what is in our care; for us to love The Lord with all our heart and our neighbor as our self may not always be easy. Living in grace requires humility, to honor what has been given to us, to trust we are entrusted, by the Landowner!
Philippians 3:4b-8; Matthew 21:33-41, 46
A. It is easier for now to be the time for us to honor self.
B. It is easier for now to be the time for us to honor security.
C. It is easier for now to be the time for us to honor safety.
2. With God’s help, by the grace of the Landowner, now is the time for us to be a sign of love, to bear fruit, to trust we have been entrusted with so many signs of love, to proclaim now is the time to honor Who entrusted us with all good things, to love the Lord and our neighbor as our self. Indeed, now is the time to faithfully bear fruit, to honor the Landowner!
Philippians 3:9-10; Matthew 21:41-43
A. The Landowner blesses us and surrounds us with faithful tenants to help us each become signs of love, faithful tenants.
B. The Landowner believes in us, trusts us, entrusts us, bears fruit within us, by putting priceless signs of love in our care.
3. As we press on, the Lord reveals again the vineyard before us. Let this be God’s time to bear fruit within us once again, to entrust to us signs of love, to trust we best honor the Landowner as we faithfully believe and celebrate!
Philippians 3:12-13; Matthew 21:33,41-43
A. We love the Lord and our neighbor as our self, trusting God first loved us! We bear fruit, we care for and serve and honor all in our care, trusting God first saved us! God alone is The Sign of love; we are His treasured signs of love!
B. May we trust by God’s grace, our God continues to bear fruit within us, signs of true love, trusting The Holy Spirit will keep us faithful tenants and help us make God first now, for The Landowner has chosen each of us, bearing fruit in us, believing in us first!
Philippians 3:12-13; Matthew 21:33,41-43
Offering is available for our indoor services. Find a Lord of Life with a volunteer bucket to deposit offering in person as you leave worship today. If you find yourself wanting to offer your gifts to Lord of Life, you can do so online using the link below. You can also drop offering at anytime in our secure mailbox at Lord of Life located in the parking lot.
Song Anew In Faith & Grace
Grace Alone
Nelson & Brown
Ev’ry promise we can make
Ev’ry prayer and step of faith
Ev’ry diff’rence we will make
Is only by His grace
Ev’ry mountain we will climb
Ev’ry ray of hope we shine
Ev’ry blessing left behind
Is only by His grace
Grace alone which God supplies
Strength unknown He will provide
Christ in us our Cornerstone
We will go forth in grace alone
We will go forth in grace alone
...as we pray to you, Jesus, ...
We trust anew, in your signs of love and grace.
All these things and whatever else you see we need, grant to us we pray, for into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Holy Communion will take place during our service. If you are not worshipping with us in person but would like to receive Communion, we will be offering Drive Through Communion at our building at 16200 Dodd Lane, Lakeville, Minnesota, following our indoor service. Drive Through Communion will be available between 10:15am & 10:30am.
For those worshiping with us in person, we receive communion through intinction; that is, you will receive the bread, the host, then dip into the glass of choice, either a red wine in the chalice closest to the host, or in a light colored non-alcoholic grape juice. All are welcome.
We also offer gluten free and pre-packaged options. Please take these options before arriving at the host to receive a blessing.
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.
Songs During Holy Communion
Here I Am, Lord
Schutte
I the Lord of sea and sky
I have heard my people cry
All who dwell in dark and sin
My hand will save
I who made the stars of night
I will make their darkness bright
Who will bear my light to them
Whom shall I send
refrain:
Here I am Lord
Is it I Lord
I have heard you calling in the night
I will go Lord
If you lead me
I will hold your people in my heart
I the Lord of snow and rain
I have borne my people’s pain
I have wept for love of them
They turn away
I will break their hearts of stone
Give them hearts for love alone
I will speak my word to them
Whom shall I send
(refrain)
I the Lord of wind and flame
I will tend the poor and lame
I will set a feast for them
My hand will save
Finest bread I will provide
‘Til their hearts be satisfied
I will give my life to them
Whom shall I send
(refrain)
The body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, strengthen you and keep you in his grace, this day, and on into life everlasting.
Amen.
Let us pray.
Pour out upon us the spirit of your love, O Lord, and unite the wills of those whom you have fed with one heavenly food; through Jesus Christ, The Lord of life. Amen.
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace, as you trust anew, every sign of God’s love, in the grace of Jesus Christ. In the name of The Father, and of The Son, and of The Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Let us go in the peace of Christ, celebrating the love of God, and serving the Lord of life.
Thanks be to God!
Going Anew in Grace
My Life Is in You Lord
Gardner
My life
Is in You Lord
My strength
Is in You Lord
My hope
Is in You Lord
In You
It’s in You
My life
Is in You Lord
My strength
Is in You Lord
My hope
Is in You Lord
In You
It’s in You
I will praise You with all of my life
I will praise You with all of my strength
With all of my life
With all of my strength
All of my hope
Is in You
My life
Is in You Lord
My strength
Is in You Lord
My hope
Is in You Lord
In You
It’s in You
My life
Is in You Lord
My strength
Is in You Lord
My hope
Is in You Lord
In You
It’s in You
In You
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Follow us on facebook to watch our services live on Lord of Life LIVE now on YouTube! Watch with us live at 9:30am on Sundays, or rewatch at your own convenience!
Today, Sunday, October 8th, we celebrate The Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost! “Signs Of Love … Bearing Fruit!” Today, Sunday, October 8th, our Faith Quest Sunday School ministry meets!
Join us next Sunday, October 15th, as we celebrate The Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost! “Signs Of Love … Answering The Invitation!” Join us next Sunday, October 15th, as our Faith Quest Sunday School ministry meets!
Friends, today as always, all who proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, are welcome to God’s table of grace as we share Holy Communion.
For those sharing their generosity today, we thank you for your faithful giving! Offering is collected in baskets as you exit the building.
Friends, today as always, all who proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, are welcome to God’s table of grace as we share Holy Communion. For those sharing their generosity today, we thank you for your faithful giving! Offering is collected in baskets by the ushers as you exit the sanctuary.
We hope our worship will touch you, comfort you, reassure you, and grace you in some way! If you believe others you know would be blessed to receive this bulletin, the sermon notes, or our live stream links, please forward these to them.
From everyone on every level of leadership and service, we continue to pray for you and to give thanks to God for each of you! Please contact Pastor Jamie if he can serve you in any way: jamie.thompson@lordoflifemn.org
We pray The Holy Spirit breathes anew on us to be God’s people and to be God’s Church, as together we make known and we trust anew God’s gifts of hope, peace, justice, clarity, calm, and comfort forever break forth in new ways for you and your loved ones, today, and as we share every gift of God’s light, love and grace!
Acknowledgments for today’s service include:
Litany Trusting God’s Signs Of Love – written based on Psalm 145. “Here I Am, Lord” © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) and With One Voice Hymnal Supplement © 1995 Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis & Board of Publication, Lutheran Church In America, Philadelphia; and Evangelical Lutheran Worship © 2006 by Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis, MN. Used with permission. “Prayer of The Day,” “Lord’s Prayer,” “Post-Communion Blessing, Prayer, & Benediction,” based on the LBW. “Hear Our Praises” © 1998 Hillsong Music, CCLI #2543402 “Purify My Heart” © 1993 Maranatha Praise, Inc. CCLI #1314323 “Jesus Loves Me” © Words and Music Public Domain, CCLI #4771887 “This Is The Day,” © 2011 1980 Scripture In Song CCLI #32754 “Grace Alone” © 1998 Maranatha! Music, CCLI #2335524 “I, The Lord Of Sea And Sky (Here I Am, Lord)” © 1981 Daniel L. Schutte & New Dawn Music, OL # 80670 “My Life Is In You, Lord” © 1986, this arrangement © 1992 By Integrity’s Hosanna! Music CCLI #17315 All rights reserved. All songs used with permission. CCLI License #1380826 & OneLicense #A-724016.