7th Sunday after Epiphany February 23, 2025
Welcome & Announcements
*Call to Worship: Psalm 103:1-13 (pg. 594)
*Opening Prayer …………………………………………….. pg. 2
THE OPENING HYMN ------------------------------------------ # 174
“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”
*Confession of Sins …………………….……………............ pg. 2
*Kyrie …………………………………………………….…. pg. 3
*Declaration of Grace …………………………………..…… pg. 3
Scripture Lessons: 1st Reading: Genesis 45:3-15 (pg. 46)
2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:21-26, 30-42 (pg. 1142)
*The Gospel: Luke 6:27-38 (pg. 1025)
*Response to the Gospel …………………………………..… pg. 3
*Confession of Faith - The Apostles’ Creed ………………... pg. 4
*Gloria Patri …………………………………………………. pg. 4
The Offering
*Response: “Create in Me A Clean Heart O God” ……..….. pg. 17
*Prayers of the Church
HYMN --------------------------------------------------------------- # 147
“We Plow the Fields and Scatter”
Sermon: Matthew 13 – “The Word, Foreign and rejected”
THE CLOSING HYMN ------------------------------------------- # 369
“Jesus Loves Me”
*The Lord’s Prayer ………………………………………….. pg. 5
*The Benediction ………………………………..…………... pg. 5
*Three-fold Amen ………………………………...…………. pg. 5
THE DOXOLOGY ……………………………...………….. # 390
Organ Postlude
WE CORDIALLY WELCOME all who have come to worship with us this morning, especially our guests and visitors. May our Father’s mercy in Jesus assure you of the forgiveness of all your sins. If you have not established your church home in our area, we are anxious to share with you all the blessings which God gives us through His Word. We ask that you please sign our guest book, and we hope that you return to worship with us again soon.
Announcements
Monthly hymn #369: "Jesus Loves Me"
Memory verse: Romans 5:8 “God shows His
love for us in that while we were still sinners, Jesus Christ died
for us.”
2PM Sunday, Today - Luke Winger, Juggler & Inspirational Speaker @ Lyric Theater in Platte. Free will donation fundraiser for New Hope Christian Camp newhopechristiancamp.org
FLY - meet with Steve after the Sunday School opening
This week’s activities:
1st – Sat. – Men’s Breakfast Bible Study, 8:00 a.m.
2nd – Sun. – Worship with Holy Communion, 9:00 am (Matt.
14)
Sunday School, 10 am
CHURCH CLEANING: Feb. 24 – Mar. 2 Amy Cleveland & Dee Fink
*Call to Worship: Psalm 103:1-13
103 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is
within me,
bless his holy name!
2 Bless
the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his
benefits,
3 who forgives
all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies
you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The Lord works righteousness
and
justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He
made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and
gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor
will he keep his anger forever.
10 He
does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us
according to our iniquities.
11 For as
high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is
his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so
far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a
father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows
compassion to those who fear him.
1st Reading: Genesis 45:3-15
3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.
4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. 10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11 There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’ 12 And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13 You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him.
2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:21-26, 30-42
21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.
*The Gospel: Luke 6:27-38
27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”