SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
October 2, 2022

+ PREPARATION +

OPENING HYMN: #908 - Lord, Open Now My Heart to Hear

INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.

SALUTATION and PRAYER
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.

Pastor: Let us pray.
Lord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed. Make it a word of power and peace to convert those not yet Your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith.
People: May Your Word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip, and from the lip to the life

Pastor: that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You send it; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
People: Amen.

OLD TESTAMENT READING Habakkuk 1:1–4
(“How long shall I cry for help?”)
Lector: A reading from the first chapter of Habakkuk.

The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.
O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and You will not hear?
Or cry to You “Violence!”
and You will not save?
Why do You make me see iniquity,
and why do You idly look at wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.

So the law is paralyzed,
and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
so justice goes forth perverted.

Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.

CONFESSION
Pastor: Having heard the complaint of the prophet Habakkuk, let us confess our sins.
People: We confess, almighty God, that we have not trusted Your promises; we have wondered if You have heard our cries for help. In our own sinfulness, we confess that we have considered ourselves better than others. We have failed by our sinful thoughts, words, and deeds. We are helpless to change without Your grace and mercy. For Jesus’ sake, forgive us and renew our trust in Your promises and protection.

OLD TESTAMENT READING Habakkuk 2:1–4
(“The righteous shall live by his faith.”)
Lector: A reading from the second chapter of Habakkuk.

I will take my stand at my watchpost
and station myself on the tower,
and look out to see what He will say to me,
and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

And the Lord answered me:

“Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so he may run who reads it.
For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.

“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but the righteous shall live by his faith.”

Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.

ABSOLUTION
Pastor: The prophet did not get an answer about when his prayers would be answered by almighty God, but he trusted nonetheless. Faith is a gift from God by which we can trust Him, hear the Good News, and truly listen. Through the sacrifice of His Son for us, God declares us righteous even as we struggle in our daily problems. The promises of God were all kept by our Lord Jesus Christ. In His Son’s resurrection, we receive the promise of eternal life. 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 + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen. Thanks be to God.

OPENING SENTENCES      Habakkuk 1:2; 2:4
Pastor:             Although we may say with Habakkuk,
People:          “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and You will not hear?”

Pastor: The Lord has answered,
People: “The righteous shall live by his faith.”

+ SERVICE OF THE WORD +

KYRIE
Pastor: In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy, and the righteous shall live by faith.

Pastor: For peace from above in times of trial and weak faith, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy, and the righteous shall live by faith.

Pastor: For peace in the world and the bold proclamation of the Gospel, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy, and the righteous shall live by faith.

Pastor: For ourselves and all who join us to listen to God’s Word and respond in worship and prayer, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy, and the righteous shall live by faith.

Pastor: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
People: Amen.

SALUTATION and PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.

Pastor: Let us pray.
O God, in whom we put our trust, the author of faith and hope, hear the prayers of Your people as we call to You in the midst of a violent and unjust world. Keep us strong in faith that we may live and trust You confidently; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.

EPISTLE 2 Timothy 1:1–14
(Paul thanks God for the faith God has given Timothy.)
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,
2To Timothy, my beloved child:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
8Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. 13Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.

ALLELUIA and VERSE Luke 17:3b (spoken together)
Alleluia. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. Alleluia.

HOLY GOSPEL          Luke 17:1–10
(Faith as a mustard seed)
Pastor:            The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the seventeenth chapter.
People:          Glory to You, O Lord.

1[Jesus] said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. 3Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
7“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, O Christ.

HYMN OF THE DAY: #587 - I Know My Faith Is Founded

SERMON: Forgiveness Is Hard Work

Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
     maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
     who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
     born of the virgin Mary,
     suffered under Pontius Pilate,
     was crucified, died and was buried.
     He descended into hell.
     The third day He rose again from the dead.
     He ascended into heaven
     and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
     From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
     the holy Christian Church,
          the communion of saints,
     the forgiveness of sins,
     the resurrection of the body,
     and the life + everlasting. Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
After each petition:
Pastor:            … Lord, in Your mercy:
People:          hear our prayer.
At conclusion:
Pastor:            These and any other things You would have us ask of You, heavenly Father, grant to us for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, in whose name we pray.
People:          Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER      Matthew 6:9–13
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.

CLOSING PRAYER
Pastor: Let us pray.
O God, our refuge and strength, the author of all godliness, by Your grace hear the prayers of Your Church. Grant that those things which we ask in faith we may receive through Your bountiful mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.

BENEDICTION
Pastor: God the Father, who created you; God the Son, who has given you His own righteousness; and God the Holy Spirit, whose gift of faith has enabled you to hear and believe the Gospel—bless you, be gracious to you, and + give you peace.
People: Amen.

DISMISSAL
Pastor: Go in peace as you serve the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God!

CLOSING HYMN: #923 - Almighty Father, Bless the Word