Created, saved and gifted by God, we seek, serve and share Jesus Christ.
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
October 2, 2022
10:30 a.m.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
901 East Stroop Road
Kettering, OH 45429-4688
(937) 298-0136
Introduction
A little faith goes a long way is our Lord’s point in the gospel. A mustard seed’s-worth has miraculous potential. The patience, tenacity, and endurance required for the life of faith are the blessings received in water and the word (holy baptism), bread and wine (Holy Communion), the word read and proclaimed in this assembly. Anticipate them. Receive them with thanksgiving.
Less Is More
“Increase our faith!” cry the disciples in today’s gospel (Luke 17:5). Maybe you have come to worship with the same hope. Our world and lives are full of challenges that constantly test our limits—the limits of our patience, our love, our hope, our capacity for justice and mercy. Wouldn’t it be nice to have as much of those things as possible? Wouldn’t that allow us to fix this broken world?
But Jesus’ response is exactly the opposite—when it comes to faith, he tells his disciples to think small—like the size of a minuscule mustard seed. While that may not sound like enough, it will be if we can let go of thinking we are in control. The power of faith, Jesus tells us, does not come from the quantity we possess; it comes from placing our trust in the one who pos- sesses everything.
If our trust shifts from God to ourselves, no amount of faith will ever be enough. God did not make us to be masters, so when we place ourselves in that position, anxiety and overwhelm are sure to follow. Instead, Christ calls us to be servants of an abundance that we will never possess or control. This is the abundance of God’s kingdom—where faith, hope, and love exist without limit. Even the smallest amount of trust in this abundance is enough because it pins our hearts and hopes on the one who is truly in control.
The things this assembly of faith-seekers will offer one another today are small, but with just a mustard seed of faith they can be so much more. Here, simple human words can become the vessels of the divine Word, bringing healing and transformation to our lives. Here, drops of water can wash away sins and create heirs to God’s kingdom. Here, bread and wine can become the food that offers us life everlasting through Christ’s victory over death.
GATHERING
The Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God.
WELCOME
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CONFESSION & FORGIVENESS
All may make the sign of the cross, the sign that is marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
GATHERING SONG “I Love to Tell the Story”
I love to tell the story
of unseen things above,
of Jesus and his glory,
of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story,
because I know it’s true;
it satisfies my longings
as nothing else would do.
I love to tell the story;
’twill be my theme in glory
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story:
how pleasant to repeat
what seems, each time I tell it,
more wonderfully sweet!
I love to tell the story,
for some have never heard
the message of salvation
from God’s own holy word.
I love to tell the story;
’twill be my theme in glory
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story,
for those who know it best
seem hungering and thirsting
to hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory,
I sing the new, new song,
I’ll sing the old, old story
that I have loved so long.
I love to tell the story;
’twill be my theme in glory
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and his love.
GREETING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
KYRIE
In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
for this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Amen.
CANTICLE OF PRAISE
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Benevolent, merciful God:
When we are empty, fill us. When we are weak in faith, strength- en us. When we are cold in love, warm us, that with fervor we may love our neighbors and serve them for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
WORD
God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching, and song.
FIRST READING Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
Injustice and violence in the time leading up to the Babylonian exile move this prophet to lament: How can a good and all-powerful God see evil in the world and seemingly remain indifferent? God answers by proclaiming that the righteous will live by faith.
A reading from the book of Habakkuk.
The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw. O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails.
The wicked surround the righteous—therefore judgment comes forth perverted. I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint.
Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.
Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.
SECOND READING 2 Timothy 1:1-14
This letter written to Timothy is a personal message of encouragement. In the face of hardship and persecution, Timothy is reminded that his faith is a gift of God. He is encouraged to exercise that faith with the help of the Holy Spirit.
A reading from Paul’s letter to 2 Timothy.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL READING Luke 17:5-10
On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus instructs his followers about the power of faith and the duties of discipleship. He calls his disciples to adopt the attitude of servants whose actions are responses to their identity rather than works seeking reward.
The Holy Gospel according to Luke.
Glory to you, O Lord.
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
“Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’ ”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
YOUTH MESSAGE
MESSAGE
HYMN OF THE DAY “My Faith Looks Up to Thee”
My faith looks up to thee,
thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
take all my guilt away,
oh, let me from this day
be wholly thine!
May thy rich grace impart
strength to my fainting heart,
my zeal inspire;
as thou hast died for me,
oh, may my love to thee
pure, warm, and changeless be,
a living fire!
While life’s dark maze I tread
and griefs around me spread,
be thou my guide;
bid darkness turn to day,
wipe sorrow’s tears away,
nor let me ever stray
from thee aside.
When ends life’s transient dream,
when death’s cold, sullen stream
shall o’er me roll;
blest Savior, then, in love
fear and distrust remove;
oh, bear me safe above,
a ransomed soul!
INSTALLATION OF CHURCH LEADERSHIP
Before we begin with the installation of the new leadership for 2022-2023 I’d like to recognize the outgoing leaders of this congregation.
Jeff Wehmeyer- Secretary; Lisa Donovan & Martin Pierce- Council Members
Commissioners- Del Herbeck, Eileen Hunter, Jim Kempf & Michele Weyhraugh
Eileen & Michele will be called back up today for the installation of new leadership because they have agreed to stay on until replacements have been found.
Financial Team- Brenda Thieman—Financial Secretary
Thank you all for your faithful service @ GSLC.
The assembly is seated. The presiding minister addresses the assembly.
The following people have been elected by the Congregation or appointed by the Council to positions of leadership. We give thanks for their willingness to serve. In baptism we are welcomed into the body of Christ and sent to share in the mission of God; we rejoice now that these sisters and brothers will lead us in our common life and our mutual mission as a congregation.
Elected Council Members
New Elected- Paula Bennett & Roger Scott
Continuing their terms- Roger Bauser, Becky Cook, Judy Treadway & Wayne Rosholt
Appointed Commissioners
Pam Bauser—Life Long Learning
Lisa Connelly—Witness & Outreach
Eileen Hunter—Parish Life & Response
Sandy Rosholt—Communications & Public Relations
Michele Weyhrauch—Worship & Celebration
Wayne Weyhrauch—Properties & Facilities
—Finance & Administration
Financial Team
Treasurer—June Newell
A reading from First Corinthians: There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)
You have been elected & appointed to positions of leadership and trust in this congregation.
You are to see that the words and deeds of this household of faith bear witness to God, who gathers us into one together with the whole church.
You are to seek to involve all members of this congregation in worship, learning, witness, service, and support, so that the mission of Christ is carried out in this congregation, in the wider church, in this community, and in the whole world.
You are to be faithful in your specific area of serving, that the Spirit who empowers you may be glorified.
You are to be examples of faith active in love, fostering peace, harmony, and mutual understanding in this congregation.
On behalf of your sisters and brothers in Christ, I ask you:
Will you accept and faithfully carry out the duties of the offices to which you have been elected & appointed?
I will, and I ask God to help me.
People of God, I ask you:
Will you support your elected & appointed leaders, and will you share in the mutual ministry that Christ has given to all who are baptized?
We will, and we ask God to help us.
I now declare you installed as the leadership of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.
Almighty God bless you, and direct your days and your deeds in peace, that you may be faithful servants of Christ.
Amen.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
As scattered grains of wheat are gathered together into one bread, so let us gather our prayers for the church, those in need, and all of God’s good creation.
A brief silence.
Each intercession concludes:
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Gathered together in the sweet communion of the Holy Spirit, gracious God, we offer these and all our prayers to you; through Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.
MEAL
God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ.
DIALOGUE
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ. You comforted your people with the promise of the Redeemer, through whom you will also make all things new in the day when he comes to judge the world in righteousness. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the Highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
With this bread and cup we remember your Word dwelling among us, full of grace and truth. We remember our new birth in his death and resurrection. We look with hope for his coming.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Holy God, we long for your Spirit. Come among us. Bless this meal. May your Word take flesh in us. Awaken your people. Fill us with your light. Bring the gift of peace on earth.
Come, Holy Spirit.
All praise and glory are yours, Holy One of Israel, Word of God incarnate, Power of the Most High, one God, now and forever.
Amen, amen. Amen, amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.
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 tempta- tion, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
Christ invites you to this table. Come, taste and see.
COMMUNION
The body of Christ, given for you. The blood of Christ, shed for you.
Amen.
LAMB OF GOD
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; grant us peace.
COMMUNION HYMN “In Christ Alone”
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone who took on flesh:
Fullness of God in helpless Babe.
This gift of love and righteousness:
Scorned by the ones he came to save
Till on that cross, as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied.
For every sin on him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground his body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain.
Then, bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as he stands in victory,
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am his and he is mine,
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death:
This is the power of Christ in me.
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from his hand
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.
TABLE BLESSING
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bless you and always keep you in God’s grace.
Amen.
SONG AFTER COMMUNION: “The Canticle of Simeon”
Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace: your word has been fulfilled.
My own own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of ev’ry people:
a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
God of the abundant table, you have refreshed our hearts in this meal with bread for the journey. Give us your grace on the road that we might serve our neighbors with joy; for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
SENDING
God blesses us and sends us in mission to the world.
BLESSING
God, who gives life to all things and frees us from despair, bless you with truth and peace. And may the holy Trinity, one God, guide you always in faith, hope, and love.
Amen.
SENDING SONG “Because He Lives (Amen)”
I believe in the Son;
I believe in the Risen One.
I believe I overcome
By the power of his blood.
Amen, amen,
I’m alive, I’m alive because he lives.
Amen, amen,
Let my song join the one that never ends,
Because he lives.
I was dead in the grave;
I was covered in sin and shame.
I heard mercy call my name.
He rolled the stone away.
Amen, amen,
I’m alive, I’m alive because he lives.
Amen, amen,
Let my song join the one that never ends.
Because he lives, I can face tomorrow;
Because he lives, every fear is gone.
I know he holds my life,
My future in his hand.
Amen, amen,
I’m alive, I’m alive because he lives.
Amen, amen,
Let my song join the one that never ends.
Amen, amen,
I’m alive, I’m alive because he lives.
Amen, amen,
Let my song join the one that never ends,
Because he lives, because he lives.
DISMISSAL
Go in peace, with Christ beside you.
Created, saved and gifted by God, we seek, serve and share Jesus Christ.
Hallelujah, thanks be to God!
“W + 2” = Worship Plus Two
Make a commitment to not only worship each week but also try to find a way to serve in the congregation and seek out a way to serve our community.
YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE MISSION FIELD
Upcoming Commemorations
Francis of Assisi, renewer of the church, died 1226
Tuesday, October 4, 2022
Born into the family of a wealthy merchant, Francis gave up his inheritance to serve poor people. He formed the Order of Friars Minor (called Franciscans), who took on poverty and the task of preaching “using words if necessary.” Francis had a spirit of gratitude for all of God’s creation.
Theodor Fliedner, renewer of society, died 1864
Tuesday, October 4, 2022
Fliedner helped to bring about a revival of the ministry of deaconesses among Lutherans. He was influenced in this by Moravian deaconesses he had met. The motherhouse he founded
in Kaiserswerth, Germany, inspired many around the world to take up this ministry.
William Tyndale, translator, martyr, died 1536
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Tyndale was ordained a priest in England, and wished to translate the Bible into English. He was opposed in this by King Henry VIII, causing him to flee to Germany. He completed the New Testament in 1525, but before he could finish the Old Testament, he was tried for heresy and burned at the stake.
Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, pastor in North America, died 1787
Friday, October 7, 2022
Divided Lutherans in America asked leaders in Europe to send someone who could take charge and unite their work. Muhlenberg was sent, and was effective in organizing the American Lutherans. Among other accomplishments, his liturgical principles became the basis for the Common Service of 1888.
From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2014 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #22920.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.