JULY 4, 2021 INDEPENDENCE DAY - 6TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
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6TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
INDEPENDENCE DAY
JULY 4, 2021
SAINT PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH
4660 West 94th Street, Oak Lawn, Illinois 60453
(708) 423-1040 www.stpauloaklawn.org
Pastor John Moeller Director of Music Ruth SieversAs We Gather
The Puritans who first came in 1620 saw America as a sort of promised land, given to them by God.
Throughout the history of our country, Americans have enjoyed rich gifts granted by our bountiful
God. As Christians, we believe that while America continues to be seen as a promised land by “your
tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” the eternal Promised Land, heaven,
still awaits us and all who believe. As we thank God for the blessings of this great nation, we come in
humble repentance for our personal and national faults and pray for His guidance and continued
blessings for the future of the republic. But all the while, we look ahead by faith to the eternal
Promised Land, made sure by the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Prelude “Before You, Lord, We Bow” A. Beck
Opening Hymn “Before You, Lord, We Bow” #966 sts. 1, 2, 4 & 5
1 Before You, Lord, we bow, 4 Earth, hear your Maker’s voice;
Our God who reigns above Your great Redeemer own;
And rules the world below, Believe, obey, rejoice,
Boundless in pow’r and love. And worship Him alone.
Our thanks we bring Cast down your pride,
In joy and praise, Your sin deplore,
Our hearts we raise And bow before
To You, our King! The Crucified.
2 The nation You have blest 5 And when in pow’r He comes,
May well Your love declare, Oh, may our native land
From foes and fears at rest, From all its rending tombs
Protected by Your care. Send forth a glorious band,
For this bright day, A countless throng,
For this fair land— With joy to sing
Gifts of Your hand— To heav’n’s high King
Our thanks we pay. Salvation’s song!
Text: Public domain
Invocation
P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
Opening sentences Based on 1 Peter 2:13, 15–17
P Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution,
C for this is the will of God.
P Live as people who are free, as servants of God.
C Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God.
Confession and absolution
P God has blessed us so generously. We are living in America in this twenty-first century. But, just
like our national and spiritual forbearers, we have not always thought, spoken, or acted inthankfulness and praise. But because of Jesus, there is abundant grace and forgiveness. Let us
therefore confess our sins to God, our heavenly Father.
We pause in silence to remember our sins before Almighty God…
P Gracious God,
C we confess that we are sinful by nature and that we have ignored Your many blessings in this
land of promise. We have taken these blessings as if we deserved them and let our pride cover
our faults and failings. We have been content to receive the freedom and prosperity of this land
without giving thanks and praise to You. We have failed to share Your blessings with those less
fortunate than ourselves, preferring to put our own comfort first. We have let the morality of
the society around us speak louder than Your Word and Your will for us. Forgive us for Jesus’
sake. Turn our hearts to Your will and our eyes to Your eternal promises. Help us see the
opportunities You give us to reflect Your truth, mercy, and love until we enter the eternal
Promised Land.
P Our Lord Jesus took all our sins with Him to the cross. The Father accepted His sacrifice on our
behalf. By His death Christ destroyed death, and by His rising again He has restored us to
everlasting life. In the mercy of almighty God, all who die in faith will enter the Promised Land of
heaven. 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. Walk as children of
promise to the praise of His holy name each day of your pilgrimage on earth.
C Amen.
T WORD T
Psalm Psalm 119:41–48
P Let Your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, Your salvation according to Your promise; then shall I
have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in Your word. And take not the word of truth
utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in Your just decrees.
C I will keep Your law continually, forever and ever, and I shall walk in a wide place, for I have
sought Your precepts.
P I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame, for I find my delight
in Your commandments, which I love.
C I will lift up my hands toward Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your
statutes.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Prayer of the Day
P The Lord be with you.
C And also with you.
P Let us pray together.
C Lord over all, You ordain the powers that exist in the kingdoms of this world. Order our days in
peace, guide our leaders, and prosper the Church, Your kingdom of grace, here in this great land;
through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and forever. Amen.Old Testament Reading T Ezekiel’s Call T Ezekiel 2:1-5
1 2
He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” And as he spoke to me,
the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3And he said to me,
“Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They
and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. 4The descendants also are impudent
and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ 5And whether
they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been
among them.”
L This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Anthem of Praise Duet “God of Our Fathers” G. Warren
Epistle T Submission to the Authorities T Romans 13:1-10
1
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from
God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2Therefore whoever resists the authorities
resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3For rulers are not a terror
to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is
good, and you will receive his approval, 4for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be
afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out
God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath
but also for the sake of conscience. 6For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are
ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes
are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor
is owed.
8
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
9
The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You
shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.” 10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
L This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Holy Gospel T Who Is the Greatest? T Luke 22:24-30
P The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the twenty-second chapter.
C Glory to You, O Lord.
24
A dispute also arose among [the disciples], as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.
25
And [Jesus] said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority
over them are called benefactors. 26But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as
the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or
one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
28
“You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, 29and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to
me, a kingdom, 30that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the
twelve tribes of Israel.”
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C Praise to You, O Christ.Catechism The 4th Commandment & 4th Petition
P We acknowledge God’s love and His wisdom for the peaceful ordering of our lives with the words
of the 4th Commandment and the 4th Petition of the Lord’s prayer…
The 4th Commandment is “Honor your father and your mother.” What does this mean?
C We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other
authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.
P The 4th Petition of the Lord’s prayer is “Give us this day our daily bread.” What does this mean?
C God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we
pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with
thanksgiving.
P What is meant by daily bread?
C Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as
food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or
wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good
weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the
like.
Sermon Hymn “O Christ, Our True and Only Light” #839 sts. 1, 3, 4 & 5
1 O Christ, our true and only light, 4 Shine on the darkened and the cold;
Enlighten those who sit in night; Recall the wand’rers to Your fold.
Let those afar now hear Your voice Unite all those who walk apart;
And in Your fold with us rejoice. Confirm the weak and doubting heart,
3 O gently call those gone astray 5 That they with us may evermore
That they may find the saving way! Such grace with wond’ring thanks adore
Let ev’ry conscience sore oppressed And endless praise to You be giv’n
In You find peace and heav’nly rest. By all Your Church in earth and heav’n.
Text: Public domain
Sermon
Prayer of the Church
Instead of the congregation joining in our usual spoken response, today the response will be sung—the
first time by the soloist, then the congregation joins in for the remaining petitions...
P Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs…
HYMN RESPONSE—(Soloist) “O Lord, Hear My Prayer” #780
O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer;
When I call answer me.
O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer;
Come and listen to me.
Text: © 1982 Ateliers et Presses de Taizé, Taizé Community, France
admin. GIA Publications, Inc. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001400P We give thanks, Lord our God…
HYMN RESPONSE—(Congregation) “O Lord, Hear My Prayer”
P These and all other things You would have us ask of You, O God, grant us for the sake of Your
Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, in whose name we pray, AMEN.
Offering—may be left in the offering plates near the doors as you leave. Those worshipping at home
may continue to mail or drop off offerings at the church office, and on-line giving is available to
everyone on our website at www.stpauloaklawn.org. For information about regular electronic
giving, please contact the church office.
Offertory Meditation
T SERVICE of the SACRAMENT T
Preface
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.
Proper Preface
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Lord's Prayer
P Hear us as we pray together by our Lord’s example:
C Our Father, who art in Heaven…
Words of Our Lord
Pax Domini
P The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C Amen.T DISTRIBUTION of the SACRAMENT T
“Come, Let Us Eat” #626
(A Call and Response Hymn)
“Leader” sung by soloist
Congregation sings “ALL”
Tune and text: © Lutheran World Federation. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001400
Text (st. 4): © 1972 Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001400“On Galilee’s High Mountain” #835
1 On Galilee’s high mountain 4 And not alone to nations
Christ gave the great command In faraway retreats,
In words of strength and promise But ev’rywhere I broadcast
Which all can understand: His love through crowded streets:
“All pow’r to Me is given The lives that my life touches,
To do what I shall choose; However great or small—
Therefore I send My children, Let them through me see Jesus,
Their witness I will use.” Who served and saved us all.
2 The Lord who, born of Mary, 5 That ev’ryone He chooses,
Came down as man and died, For reasons of His own,
Who preached to all who listened, Will find in Christ his calling
For us was crucified— To live His love alone.
This Lord, our living brother, His presence always leads us
In pow’r at God’s right hand, Till time no more shall be;
Has chosen us to carry Christ’s strength, His love, His comfort
His truth to ev’ry land. Give us His victory.
3 His strength within my weakness D6 Lord, gather all Your children,
Will make me bold to say Wherever they may be,
How His redeeming power And lead them on to heaven
Transforms my stubborn clay; To live eternally
His touch of fire ignites me, With You, our loving Father,
With courage I am sent, And Christ, our brother dear,
My tongue-tied silence broken, Whose Spirit guards and gives us
With grace made eloquent. The joy to persevere.
Text: © 1982 Concordia Publishing House. Used by
permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001400
Communion Blessing
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.
Post-Communion Thanksgiving
P Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
C His steadfast love endures forever.
P Let us pray together,
C We thank You, Lord, for again feeding and nourishing us for our journey through this world to
our promised heavenly home. Guide us as we live out Your grace until that day when we
experience it in all of its fullness; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns
with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.Benediction
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.
Closing Hymn “God Bless Our Native Land” #965
1 God bless our native land; 2 So shall our prayers arise
Firm may she ever stand To God above the skies;
Through storm and night. On Him we wait.
When the wild tempests rave, Thou who art ever nigh,
Ruler of wind and wave, Guarding with watchful eye,
Do Thou our country save To Thee aloud we cry:
By Thy great might. God save the state!
Text: Public domain
Postlude Duet “God Bless America” I. Berlin
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND THANKS
Vocalists: Sue Marcinkowski & Stan Wirtschoreck
Lector: Betty Shamasko
Altar Care: Martha Moeller
Altar Flowers: from Terry & Art Hornburg with thanks to God
Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series B, Quarter 3. Copyright © 2021 Concordia Publishing
House.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV ® Bible (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2021 Concordia Publishing House.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTPlease pray for these members of our St. Paul Please pray for these friends and family of our
family: members:
Patty & Caleb Sellers Laverne Abraham Betty Baldi George Lilja
Janet Varnagis Sue Lilja Henry Bonder Nora Beth DeMotes
Julie & Larry Gurga Beverly Sellers Rose Rohloff Brenda Gurgel
Janice Przybycien Kevin Hickey Denise DeLaurentis Dorothy Kroll
Mary Ann Colander Art Hornburg Anthony Krcelic, Jr. Mike Horan
Melva Smith Del Purdy Bob Hessert Georgiana Easton
Carol Small Mike Degidio Jackie Plichta Susan M. Volk
The Anderson Family Norma Silinski Patricia Paulsen Clare Donovan
Lenore Curran Betty Beegle Ken Kruckow Janet Trierweiler
Delphine Cherry Ron Klingensmith Alan Hecke Kim Lamberth
Louis Frank Deb Skopec Matt Favero Sandra Wilson
Herta Iversen Loretta Frank Rev. Bob Mitchell Al Silinski
Jane & Freddie Giacobbe Marge Rochlitz Pam Palhegyi Carol Milazzo
Ron Hickey Shirley Smulkis Rich Huscher The Lamberth Family
Ingrid Lesko Katherine Hice Jerry Gross Ed Kristof
Gloria Meyer Jan Briede Gloria Folsom Autumn Kesling
Delores Stegemann Connie Braun Elizabeth Hoefler Alan Iversen
Kurt Seehofer The Polezoes Family Ron Lunt Christopher Kosary
Lincoln & Parker Alex Patricia Murdoch Sandy Plath Iris McCoy
Gloria Crook Graham Jackson Shirley Demyres Raquel Rameriz
Nick & Bridget DeAngelo Jorene Pierzga
Special prayer request: Sue Hardin Justin & Ashley Fasel
• for Deb Mandac’s great nephew, Knox Kim & Shawn Skelton, Sr. Kyle Hughes
Christensen, born June 30 in Arizona at just 2 lb., Elaine Hoffstetter Fred Raddatz
9oz. Allyson Seehofer Dana Kahn
We pray for those who grieve: Bernadette & Rich Trusk Selma & John Carmichael
• For the Frank family on the death of their good Donald Hakanson Donna Campbell
friend, Edgar Hill called from this life on 6/28/21 Carl Hoppe Skip Sorensen
We give thanks for God’s blessings: Roberta Owens Judy Collins
• For Larry Gurga who celebrated a birthday July 3rd. Paul Noffke Sue Sortino
• For our nation, which by God’s grace, celebrates a Pam Brown Lisa Sanders
birthday TODAY! Shawn Harland Ann Herold
Barb Potter Wayne Volk
Terry McDonagh Charley Heitz
Announcements & Notes:
Kristi Stansil Sharon Bryant
• If anyone would like to put flowers on the Doris Potts Brad Benfield
altar to celebrate an occasion or just to Doreen Holford Janice Hernandez
beautify the altar, sign up in the narthex or Donna Santi Tuti Dodokian
let Sandy know. Paul Sowa Maryann Krieg (Wilke)
• Evening services are held every Wednesday Jimmy Kennedy, Jr.
at 6PM. During July and August we’ll be
worshipping in the St. Timothy Room, which Please let the church office know when your need
is airconditioned… for our congregational prayers is over (708) 423-
1040.You can also read
