REFORMATION DAY

REFORMATION DAY (Observed)
October 30, 2022

+ PREPARATION +

OPENING HYMN: #658 - Preserve Your Word, O Savior

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

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Pastor: O almighty God, merciful Father,
People: I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.

Pastor: Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.

+ SERVICE of the WORD +

PSALM           Psalm 46; antiphon: v. 7
1God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
            though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
            the holy habitation of the Most High.
5God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
            he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8Come, behold the works of the Lord,
            how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10“Be still, and know that I am God.
            I will be exalted among the nations,
            I will be exalted in the earth!”
11The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

KYRIE
Pastor: In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: 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.
People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.

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.
Merciful Lord, in darkness You shine Your light and send forth Your Word that those who hear may believe and believing may live by Your gracious favor. As once You renewed a people lost in error and without the comfort of Your Gospel, so bring this renewal to our own time, that sin may be forgiven, death overcome, and faith may cling to Christ alone; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DAY
Pastor: Today we commemorate the great Reformation and lay claim to this legacy of pure doctrine and the zeal for the proclamation of this Gospel that grew out of this movement. We give thanks to God for His Gospel, for the doctrine that flows from that Gospel, and for Martin Luther, who recalled the Church to its truth with such clarity and conviction. In the First Reading from Revelation, we hear the message the Church is given to proclaim until Christ comes again. In Romans, Paul gives clear explanation of what it means to be saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John, we are taught that we are His disciples and free because we abide in His life-giving Word.

FIRST READING Revelation 14:6–7
(John describes the eternal Gospel, which is to be proclaimed to every people in every corner of the earth.)
6Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

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

GRADUAL Psalm 48:1a, 12-14a
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God!
Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers,
consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
that this is God, our God forever and ever.

EPISTLE Romans 3:19–28
(By grace are you saved through faith and not of yourselves.)
19Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
21But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

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

ALLELUIA and VERSE Luke 12:32
Alleluia. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Alleluia.

HOLY GOSPEL          John 8:31–36
(If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.)
Pastor:            The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the eighth chapter.
People:          Glory to You, O Lord.

31So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
34Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

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

HYMN OF THE DAY: #656 – A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

SERMON: Grace Alone

NICENE CREED
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 + of the world to come. Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
After each petition:
Pastor:            … Lord, in Your mercy:
People:          hear our prayer.
At conclusion:
Pastor:            We trust, O Lord, in Your great mercy to hear and answer us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
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.
Almighty and gracious Lord, pour out Your Holy Spirit on Your faithful people. Keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, protect and deliver us in times of temptation, defend us against all enemies, and grant to Your Church Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.

BENEDICAMUS and BENEDICTION        Numbers 6:24–26
Pastor:            Let us bless the Lord.
People:          Thanks be to God.

Pastor: 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 + give you peace.
People: Amen.

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

CLOSING HYMN: #644 – The Church’s One Foundation