Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
August 24, 2025
Prelude
Welcome in the name of our Lord Jesus. Cry room and restroom facilities are available. Please ask an usher for the location. Please fill out the connection card in your bulletin and place it in the offering plate during the offering. If your connection card contains a prayer request, the Pastor will come down the aisle and collect it prior to the prayers. Pencils are located by the hymnals at the ends of the pews.
Entrance Hymn: 673 – Jerusalem, My Happy Home
P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
P Our help is in the name of the Lord,
C who made heaven and earth.
P If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
C But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared.
P Since we are gathered to hear God’s Word, call upon Him in prayer and praise, and receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of this altar, let us first consider our unworthiness and confess before God and one another that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition. Together as His people let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God, our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ, and saying: God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
C Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to everlasting life. Amen.
P Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
Service of the Word
Kyrie
Gloria in Excelsis LSB 204
Salutation and Collect of the Day
P The Lord be with you.
C And also with you.
P Let us pray.
O Lord, You have called us to enter Your kingdom through the narrow door. Guide us by Your Word and Spirit, and lead us now and always into the feast of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
Sit
Old Testament Reading Isaiah 66:18–23
18“For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, 19and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. 20And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. 21And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.
22“For as the new heavens and the new earth
that I make
shall remain before me, says the Lord,
so shall your offspring and your name remain.
23From new moon to new moon,
and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
declares the Lord.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Epistle Hebrews 12:4–24
4In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
7It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
12Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
18For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,
233and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
24and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Stand
Alleluia and Verse LSB 205
Holy Gospel Luke 13:22–30
P The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the thirteenth chapter.
C Glory to You, O Lord.
22[Jesus] went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.
23And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.
30And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C Praise to You, O Christ.
Nicene Creed LSB 206
C I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,
whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life T of the world to come. Amen.
Sit
Hymn of the Day: 510 – A Multitude Comes from the East and the West
Sermon Pastor Linck
Gathering of Prayers: The Pastor will come down the aisle and collect any prayer requests.
Offering The offering plate will be passed down the rows. Both offerings and the connection cards may be placed in the plate.
Offertory: 411 – I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light
Stand
Prayer of the Church
Sharing of the Peace
Following the prayers, the people may greet one another in the name of the Lord, saying, “Peace be with you,” as a sign of reconciliation and of the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Matt. 5:22–24; Eph. 4:1–3).
Stand
Service of the Sacrament
Preface LSB 208
P The Lord be with you.
C And also with you.
P Lift up your hearts.
C We lift them to the Lord.
P Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
P It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, for the countless blessings You so freely bestow on us and all creation. Above all, we give thanks for Your boundless love shown to us when You sent Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into our flesh and laid on Him our sin, giving Him into death that we might not die eternally. Because He is now risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity, all who believe in Him will overcome sin and death and will rise again to new life. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:
Sanctus LSB 208
Prayer of Thanksgiving
P Blessed are You, O Lord our God, king of all creation, for You have had mercy on us and given Your only-begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
In Your righteous judgment You condemned the sin of Adam and Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit, and You justly barred them and all their children from the tree of life. Yet, in Your great mercy, You promised salvation by a second Adam, Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and made His cross a life-giving tree for all who trust in Him.
We give You thanks for the redemption You have prepared for us through Jesus Christ. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may faithfully eat and drink of the fruits of His cross and receive the blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation that come to us in His body and blood.
Hear us as we pray in His name and as He has taught us:
Lord's Prayer LSB 209
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.
The Words of Our Lord LSB 209
P Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My T body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”
In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My T blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
Pax Domini LSB 209
P The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C Amen.
Agnus Dei LSB 210
Sit
Distribution
The pastor and those who assist him distribute the body and blood of Christ to those who come to receive, saying:
Take, eat; this is the true body of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, given into death for your sins.
Amen.
Take, drink; this is the true blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, shed for the forgiveness of your sins.
Amen.
Membership in St. Matthew congregation is not required for partaking of the Lord’s Supper. Those who commune with us are those who are one with us in faith. We believe that the Lord’s body and blood are present in Communion together with the bread and the wine. We also believe God gives us forgiveness of sins through this means of grace and strengthens us for Christian living according to his will. Those who profess our belief, who have been baptized, who have been instructed in the meaning of this Sacrament, and who are able to examine themselves spiritually before partaking of this divine blessing are invited to join us in receiving Holy Communion.
Hymns during Communion:
637 – Draw Near and Take the Body of the Lord
620 – Jesus Comes Today with Healing
Stand
In dismissing the communicants, the following is said:
P The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen and preserve you in body and soul to life everlasting. Depart T in peace.
C Amen.
Nunc Dimittis LSB 211
Post-Communion Collect LSB 212
A Let us pray.
We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we implore You that of Your mercy You would strengthen us through the same in faith toward You and fervent love toward one another; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
Benedicamus and Benediction LSB 212
A Let us bless the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
P 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 T give you peace.
C Amen.
Sit
Announcements
Stand
Recessional Hymn: 921 – On What Has Now Been Sown
WORSHIP NOTES: In our prayers we remember our shut-ins: Donna Johnston, Rosa O’Bannon, and Don Burnett.
Most of our shut-ins have expressed an openness to receive phone calls from members if you would like to do so.
We also pray for all who are ill or have any needs.
READINGS FOR NEXT WEEK
August 31, 2025
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
First Reading: Proverbs 25:2-10
Epistle Reading: Hebrews 13:1-17
Gospel Reading: Luke 14:1-14
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CALENDAR FOR THE WEEK |
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DATE |
EVENT |
TIME |
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Today |
Bible Class Worship Service |
9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. |
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Next Sunday |
Bible Class Worship Service Pot Luck |
9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. |
FOR THOSE NEWER TO THE CHURCH: Thank you for being with us today! Please consider filling out the Connection Card in your bulletin, which can be placed in the offering plate during the offering or simply given to an usher or to the pastor. There is also information about the church on the table in the narthex.
BUILDING FUND St. Matthew is continuing the Building Fund Campaign to support the remodeling of our Church Building. Your support of this initiative is appreciated as we continue to modernize our facility. All contributions should be marked for Building Fund.
FEED MY SHEEP Four Sundays a year St. Matthew provides and distributes a bag lunch for the needy at Feed My Sheep in downtown Gulfport. Volunteers are needed to help with packing and especially with the distribution. It is a relatively speedy operation, so if you can spare an hour or so to help, please see Rex or Paula Chastain. Thank you!
LAWN FUND The table with sale items is for the Lawn Fund. If you bring any items, please have sale price on the item.
POTLUCK Next Sunday is the fifth Sunday of the month. Bring your favorite dish, and join us for our usual 5th Sunday Potluck in the Fellowship Hall.
GIRL SCOUTS will meet at the church each other Friday from 5:30 to 7:15 pm. Please contact Cheryl Boatner if you know of someone that is interested.
CONTAINERS for medicine bottles, eyeglasses, and Mardi Gras beads are on the table in the first hall pass the foyer. These items will be donated to charity.
REFRESHMENTS Each Sunday we need one person to provide refreshments. There is a sign-up table in the narthex. The person providing refreshments should also help make sure that the fellowship hall is cleaned up afterwards.
NEWSLETTER If you have an article you would like to contribute to next month’s newsletter, please email it to the office at m1919@bellsouth.net, or drop it off in the office, by the last Sunday of the month.
SERVING US TODAY ASSISTING WITH COMMUNION: Jacob M; READER: William U; USHERS: Carla H & Julie U; ALTAR: Paula C; ORGAN: Cynthia C and Lennox M
Sunday, August 17, 2025
Attendance: 62 Communion: 57
Offering: $3,242