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904 8th Ave SE Mandan ND 58554

701-663-5344 | contact@redeemermandan.com

www.redeemermandan.com

The faithful choose to serve the Lord

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Worship Welcome There are ultimately two spiritual paths in this world: One that leads to

eternal death, and one that leads to eternal life. We conclude our series on Jesus as the “Bread of Life” today by considering what our response to

his grace will be. May God bless us with faith to serve the Lord.

Order of Worship Service of Word & Sacrament (Christian Worship, p. 26)

Theme: The faithful choose to serve the Lord

14th Sunday after Pentecost August 26, 2018

Prayer before Worship Heavenly Father, you grant faith, forgiveness, and life everlasting by your mercy and grace. We thank you that you have led us back to worship you today. Forgive us for the sins of the past week. Bless us with faithfulness and attention in worship today. In our Savior Jesus’ name, Amen.

A Word About Holy Communion Our church observes the biblical practice of member communion (also called close communion). In Holy Communion we not only receive forgiveness from God, but we also express the unique relationship our members have with each other. If you are not a member of our congregation we would kindly ask that you not take communion, but speak with our pastor after the service. We would love to share the sacrament with you in the future.

PRE-SERVICE MUSIC & WORDS OF WELCOME

OPENING HYMN CW Hymnal #454, verses 1-5 I Gave My Life for Thee

Please stand after the hymn.

P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the

fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you. C: And also with you. (spoken)

P: God invites us to come into his presence and worship him with humble

and penitent hearts. Therefore, let us acknowledge our sinfulness and ask him to forgive us.

CONFESSION & FORGIVENESS OF SINS

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C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words and actions. I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good. For this I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity. But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

P: God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his

only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

LORD, HAVE MERCY (Kyrie)

P: For all that we need in life and for the wisdom to use all your gifts with gratitude and joy, hear our prayer, O Lord.

P: For the steadfast assurance that nothing can separate us from your

love and for the courage to stand firm against the assaults of Satan and every evil, hear our prayer, O Christ.

P: For the well-being of your holy Church in all the world and for those who

offer here their worship and praise, hear our prayer, O Lord.

P: Merciful God, maker and preserver of life, uphold us by your power and keep us in your tender care:

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RESPONSE OF PRAISE CW Hymnal #227, verse 1 Come, Let Us Join Our Cheerful Songs

Come let us join our cheerful songs, with angels round the throne. Ten thousand thousand are their tongues, but all their joys are one. P: Let us pray:

Almighty and everlasting God, give us an increase of faith, hope, and love; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Please be seated.

FIRST LESSON Joshua 24:1, 2a, 14-18

Joshua calls on the Israelites to serve the Lord

1Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned

the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel,

says: ‘Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods.

14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the

gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose

for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve

other gods! 17

It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.

18 And the Lord drove out before us

all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”

THE WORD OF GOD

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SECOND LESSON Hebrews 11:24-28 By faith, Moses chose to serve the Lord

24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son

of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25

He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.

26 He

regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

27 By faith

he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.

28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of

blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

VERSE OF THE DAY P: Alleluia. Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life and

immortality to light through the gospel. Alleluia. (2 Timothy 1:10b)

Please stand for the Gospel reading

GOSPEL LESSON John 6:60-69 Many of Jesus’ disciples chose to desert him

60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who

can accept it?”

61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them,

“Does this offend you? 62

What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!

63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The

words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64

Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.

65 He went on to

say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”

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66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed

him. 67

“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the

words of eternal life. 69

We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

P: This is the Word of the Lord.

Please be seated.

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE

HYMN OF THE DAY CW Hymnal #556 Rise, Shine, You People

SERMON (Based on John 6:60-69)

“Bread of Life: Jesus’ words are the ones that matter” Please stand after the sermon.

CONFESSION OF FAITH (The Nicene Creed)

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became fully human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy Christian and apostolic

RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD

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Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Please be seated.

OFFERING OF THANKSGIVING

Members of Redeemer give offerings to God to support his work in our church. Visitors may give if they want, but should not feel obligated.

We ask members and visitors to please sign the friendship register at this time.

Please stand after the offering.

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH The pastor ends each request with the words “Lord in your mercy…” The congregation responds “Hear our prayer.”

P: ...Lord, in your mercy. C: Hear our prayer.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

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. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

Our Lord Jesus has given us a holy supper in which we receive his true body and

blood for the forgiveness of sins and bears witness to the fellowship we share. Therefore, we invite to communion those who share in our confession by virtue of

their membership in Redeemer or in a sister WELS or ELS congregation.

P: The Lord be with you.

P: Lift up your hearts.

SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

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P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

P: Praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In love he has

blessed us with every spiritual blessing. He sends the Holy Spirit to testify that we are his children and to strengthen us when we are weak.

Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ. To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and thanks and honor and glory for ever and ever.

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY (Sanctus)

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WORDS OF INSTITUTION

P: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples,

saying, “Take and eat; this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink

from it, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

P: The peace of the Lord be with you always.

O CHRIST, LAMB OF GOD (Agnus Dei)

Please be seated.

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COMMUNION DISTRIBUTION For those who, for personal or medical reasons, cannot have any alcohol we offer

white grape juice. You will find these cups of white grape juice in the center of each communion tray. For those medically unable to tolerate gluten, gluten-free wafers

can be found in the glass dishes at the center of the communion rails.

COMMUNION HYMNS CW Hymnal #309 Draw Near and Take the Body of the Lord

CW Hymnal #418 My God Will Never Leave Me

After Distribution, please rise at the direction of the pastor.

THANK THE LORD

P: Hear the prayer of your people, O Lord, that the lips which have praised

you here may glorify you in the world, that the eyes which have seen the coming of your Son may long for his coming again, and that all who have received in his true body and blood the pledge of your forgiveness may be restored to live a new and holy life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

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P: Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another. Serve the Lord with gladness.

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.

CLOSING HYMN CW Hymnal #454, verse 6

I Gave My Life for Thee

SILENT PRAYER & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Serving God, Serving Us Worship Leader: Pastor Ryan Wolfe

Organist: Marilyn Schwartzbauer

Fellowship & Spiritual Growth Today After worship, all are invited to enjoy snacks and fellowship in the coffee area and fellowship hall. Our 19-Minute Bible study for families will begin at 10:30 in the fellowship hall.

REDEEMER NEWS & NOTES

Sunday school is just around the corner Redeemer’s Sunday school program for children ages 3 to 8th grade starts up again in just two weeks. This is the central youth ministry of our church, with children each week seeing how God loves and interacts with his people. Parents are asked to register online or in the church office so that our information is up to date.

Our Sunday school team is looking for various helpers to make the program run smoothly. We need people to help with snacks, serve as teacher’s assistants, and serve as regular or substitute teachers. Please talk to Pastor Wolfe or Noel Miller if you can help.

Families with children in 6th-8th grade! All Redeemer youth in grades 6-8 attend catechism classes with the Pastor during the school year. These classes give students an opportunity to study God’s Word in depth, ask their own questions, and come to a deeper relationship with their Savior. Orientation for this year’s class will be held this Wednesday at 7pm at Our Saviour’s. All parents of catechism students are expected to attend this important meeting.

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Redeemer Game Night—September 14th As we continue to celebrate our place together in the family of God, our family ministry board has decided to continue our church game night on a monthly basis. The next game night will be at Eagles’ Park in Mandan on Friday, September 14th. Come out to the park at 5:30pm for supper (sloppy joe’s) and enjoy games with your church family!

Fall Schedule Changes This year’s fall schedule will look quite different from past years. Due to changes in the catechism schedule and scheduling conflicts with other groups we’ve had to move a few things around. Please take note of the schedule differences and plan accordingly. Thank you for your understanding.

Wednesday evening schedule—Catechism classes will now meet from 6-7:30pm. The class will meet at our Saviour’s until Christmas, then at Redeemer for the rest of the school year. Due to low participation we will no longer have a separate Bible study Wednesday evenings.

The church choir will no longer practice on Wednesday evenings due to conflicts with Lenten services and catechism class. Instead, choir will practice Sunday mornings before worship 8-8:45am. We hope this change will even allow more people to add their voices to this important part of our worship team.

Our handbell choir will practice Monday evenings from 5:45-6:45. This practice time may change as we receive more input from handbell choir members.

NO CHANGE: Midweek morning Bible study will continue to meet on Thursdays at 10am. Men’s club will still meet Monday nights at Our Saviour’s for football and Bible study. Women will still have Ladies’ Society meetings every 2nd Tuesday at 7pm.

Trunk or Treat It won’t be long before the weather turns cool and fall arrives. Trunk or Treat has become one of our biggest community events, and this year’s event is scheduled for 3-5pm Saturday, October 27th. If you plan to decorate a car and hand out candy with us, please sign up online or in the church office. Remember, we’ll have a $25 gift card for the best decorated car so get signed up, get thinking, and plan for another fun evening!

School of Strategic Planning Jesus left a clear mission for believers to carry out. “Go and make disciples of all nations.” That mission gives us purpose individually and as a congregation. But how do we do that? On Saturday, November 17th, our church is hosting a “School of Strategic Planning” to help us look at how we can best work together to carry out Jesus’ mission. We are especially hoping to have our leaders on the church council and elected boards attend this full-day workshop, but any interested member may choose to come as well. Please mark your calendars now to save the date.

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THIS WEEK AT REDEEMER

TODAY (August 26th) WORSHIP SERVICE with COMMUNION .......................................... 9:00 am Coffee, Snacks & Fellowship ........................................................ 10:00 am 19 Minute Bible Study ................................................................... 10:30 am Last week’s service broadcast on cable access 12 ........................ 11:30 am

MONDAY WORSHIP SERVICE with COMMUNION ........................................... 7:00 pm

TUESDAY Christian Schools Board .................................................................. 7:30 pm

WEDNESDAY Catechism Class Orientation at Our Saviour’s ............................... 7:00 pm

THURSDAY Pages on the Prairie Book Club at Karen Schlomer’s House ........... 7:00 pm

NEXT SUNDAY (September 2nd) WORSHIP SERVICE .......................................................................... 9:00 am Coffee, Snacks & Fellowship ........................................................ 10:00 am 19 Minute Bible Study .................................................................. 10:30 am

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PERSONAL PREPARATION FOR HOLY COMMUNION

(Also printed on page 156 in the hymnal)

Q: What does God tell me about myself in his holy Word? A: He says that I am a sinner and deserve only his punishment.

Q: What should I do if I am not aware of my sins or am not troubled by them? A: I should examine myself according to the Ten Commandments and ask how

well I have carried out my responsibilities as a husband or wife or single person, as a parent or child, an employer or employee, a teacher or student. Have I loved God with all my heart, gladly heard his Word, and patiently endured affliction? Have I been disobedient, proud, or unforgiving? Have I been selfish, lazy, envious, or quarrelsome? Have I lied or deceived, taken something not mine, or given anyone a bad name? Have I abused my body or permitted indecent thoughts to linger in my mind? Have I failed to do what is right and good?

Q: When I realize that I have sinned against God and deserve his punishment, what should I do?

A: I will confess before God all my sins, those which I remember as well as those of which I am unaware. I will pray to God for his mercy and forgiveness.

Q: How do I receive his gracious forgiveness? A: His Word assures me that Jesus led a pure and holy life for me and died on the

cross for me to pay the full price for all my sins. Through faith in Jesus, I have been clothed in my Savior’s perfect righteousness and holiness.

Q: What further assurance do I have that Jesus is mine and I am his? A: In Holy Communion he gives me his body and blood together with the bread

and wine as a truly life-giving food and drink to unite me with him and my fellow believers. By means of this sacrament, Jesus not only forgives my sins but sweeps away all my doubts about his love for me, gives me his own strength to live a God-pleasing life, and grants me a joyful foretaste of heaven.

Q: How can I be sure that I receive all these blessings in the Lord’s Supper? A: I have his own word spoken as his last will and testament on the night before

he died. There he tells me: “Take and eat; this is my body. Drink from it, all of you; this is my blood which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Q: How will I respond to this priceless gift from Jesus? A: I will daily thank and praise him for his love to me. With his help I will fight

temptation, do my best to correct whatever wrongs I have done, and serve him and those around me with love and good works.

Lord Jesus, with joy and gratitude I now come to your table to receive the precious food of your life-giving body and blood. May it strengthen me to remain in you as you remain in me, so that I bear much fruit in devoted service to you and in acts of kindness to others. Amen.

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Welcome to All Who Have Gathered to Worship Our Lord!

FOR OUR GUESTS We are pleased that you have joined us for worship. If you have questions about our service simply ask an usher or someone near you. We’re happy to help. Please take note of a few special things:

Restrooms and drinking fountains are located off the church entry. Diaper changing tables are in the restrooms opposite the kitchen.

Our sanctuary is equipped with an amplified “loop” system for hearing assistance. Please set hearing aids to the “T” position or ask an usher about assistive devices available in the entry.

During the collection of our weekly offering, our members and guests sign our Friendship register, located on the end of each pew. Please share your name and address, and pass it to the person next to you. During this time we invite you to greet those around you.

FOR THOSE WITH SMALL CHILDREN

We love to see families worship together and we welcome children to sing and pray and grow with us in our services. Please note these special worship aids and helps for families:

We expect children to be wiggly. That’s how God made them! If you have small children who need to be nursed or quieted for a few moments, you may make use of our “cry room” on the left side of the sanctuary. Window shading & sound volume are adjustable.

Children’s bulletins & “quiet bags” for your child’s use in worship are available in the entry, near the left door into the sanctuary.

Redeemer Lutheran Church exists to give praise, honor and glory to the Triune God

and to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the people of our congregation, community and world.