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TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
November 14, 2021
Jesus Is Our Temple
Like the disciples of old, we look around us and presume that our accomplishments will endure. But even now, they are falling, brick upon brick. There is no repairing a world that must be replaced by a new heaven and a new earth. The urgent need is not to predict when these things will happen, but to endure when they do come. The world is in labor until God delivers His eternal kingdom, but you are not of the world. You belong to the Lord. Through your witness, the elect of many nations will be called by the Spirit through the preaching of the Word. The world will reject you, but you belong to God. He who endures in this faith to the end will be saved.
+ PREPARATION +
OPENING HYMN: #901 – Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People Amen.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Psalm 16:11; Mark 13:13
Pastor: You make known to me the path of life;
People: in Your presence there is fullness of joy;
Pastor: at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
People: The one who endures to the end will be saved.
Silence for personal reflection and confession
Pastor: Let us confess our sins to God our Father:
People: I confess to God Almighty, before the whole company of heaven and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned in thought, word, and deed by my fault, by my own fault, by my own most grievous fault; wherefore I pray God Almighty to have mercy on me, forgive me all my sins, and bring me to everlasting life. Amen.
Pastor: The almighty and merciful Lord grant you pardon, forgiveness, and remission of 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 + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
Pastor: May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
+ WORD +
PSALM Psalm 16; antiphon: v. 11b, c
1Preserve me, O God,
for in you I take refuge.
2I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”
3As for the saints in the land,
they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
4The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
5The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
9Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
11You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
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.
O almighty Lord, the fruit of sin has been blood and destruction, but You have saved us by blood—the blood of Your Son shed upon the cross. Grant that no sin remain in us and that we walk in holiness all the days of our life and with confidence in Your promise, until at last our Lord comes to deliver us to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DAY
Pastor: This is the second-last Sunday of the Church Year, as the long green season of Pentecost comes to its close. In the service today, we are reminded that the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. From Daniel, we hear that the wise in faith shall shine like stars in the darkness of unbelief. From Hebrews, we learn that the blood of Jesus has given us the right and confidence to enter into the holy place of God’s presence. From Mark, we hear how Jesus points to the signs of destruction to come and the promise that he who endures to the end shall be saved.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Daniel 12:1–3
(Those who are wise shall shine like stars.)
1“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
GRADUAL Revelation 7:14b; Psalm 84:5 (spoken together)
These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Blessèd are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
EPISTLE Hebrews 10:11–25
(A single sacrifice for sins)
11Every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
15And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
16“This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”
17then he adds,
“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
VERSE Mark 13:13b
Alleluia. The one who endures to the end will be saved. Alleluia.
HOLY GOSPEL Mark 13:1–13
(Signs will test your faith but the one who endures to the end will be saved.)
Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the thirteenth chapter.
People: Glory to You, O Lord.
1As [Jesus] came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
3And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. 10And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, O Christ.

HYMN OF THE DAY: #563 –Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness
SERMON: Jesus Is Our Temple
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: … let us pray to the Lord:
People: Lord, have mercy.
At conclusion:
Pastor: … through Your Son, 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.
O Lord, by Your bountiful goodness release us from the bonds of our sins, which by reason of our weakness we have brought upon ourselves, that we may stand firm until the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
BENEDICTION Numbers 6:24–26
Pastor: Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.
People: Amen.
DISMISSAL
Pastor: Go in peace! Serve the Lord!
People: Thanks be to God.

CLOSING HYMN: #508 – The Day Is Surely Drawing Near
Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series B, Quarter 4. Copyright © 2021 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
