Sunday, February 22,2015 Forgiveness

Matthew 18:15-35

2

Grace Lutheran Church February 22, 2015 9:30 a.m.

Foregiveness

Welcome to worship at Grace! May this time of gathering in Christian community bless you and enable you to be a blessing to others. Special welcome to Newcomers in the name of Christ! We pray that our time of worship would give you the chance to offer your prayer and praise, hear anew the Word of God, and receive our Lord’s presence in Holy Communion. Enlarged print bulletins and personal assist hearing devices are available. Please see an usher for assistance. Children’s bulletins and activity bags are also available. The order of worship, and many of the prayers, can be found in the worship bulletin. Hymns and worship music can be found in the red worship books. Hymns are in the back of the worship book, with the large numbers at the top of the page. Service music is in the front of the worship book, with the small numbers on the bottom of the page. Every Sunday we share Holy Communion. All are welcome to the Lord’s Table. When invited by the ushers, please come forward using the center aisle. To receive the bread, hold out your hand, palm up. The minister will place the bread in your hand along with the words "The Body of Christ, given for you." You may respond, "Amen," or "Thanks be to God." Standing at the cup, dip the bread into the wine or juice. The Communion Server will say, "The blood of Christ, shed for you." You may respond "Amen," or "Thanks be to God," before consuming the wine/juice-soaked bread. Then, return to your seat by way of the side aisles. Note: Grape juice (lighter in color) is available as well as wine (darker in color). Gluten-free wafers are available on the table between the servers---after receiving the words of promise, simply take a wafer, dip it into the wine/juice also provided on the table, eat both and return to your seat by way of the side aisles." *Please stand as you are able.

3

Prelude “I Leave All to God's Direction” J.S.Bach *Gathering Hymn #668 “ Oh Zion, Haste” *Greeting

P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

C: And also with you. Confession and Forgiveness P: With humility, we confess our sins before God and one another. Pause for silence and reflection. P: Gracious and forgiving God, C: The consequences of our sin are relentless and fierce. Sometime we may not see the outcome of our thoughtless words and deeds. Other times we may feel deeply the pain of our sin. Help us to consider the result of our actions. Create in us a desire to choose better. Forgive us, and teach us to forgive. Amen. P: We can forgive because we first have been forgiven by a loving and gracious God. We can love because we first were loved. Receive today the entire forgiveness of all your sins. Delight in God’s love, given freely through the gift of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Kyrie, setting 8-p.184 Prayer of the Day L: Let us pray. C: God of abundant mercy, you taught your children to forgive, and then to forgive again. Remind us to offer grace and forgiveness to all people for any offense, for the glory of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. .

4

Welcome and Announcements Children’s Message Anthem "White As Snow" by Leon Olguin Scripture Matthew 18:15-35 “If your brother or sister sins against you, go and correct them when you are alone together. If they listen to you, then you’ve won over your brother or sister. But if they won’t listen, take with you one or two others so that every word may be established by the mouth of two or three witnesses. But if they still won’t pay attention, report it to the church. If they won’t pay attention even to the church, treat them as you would a Gentile and tax collector. I assure you that whatever you fasten on earth will be fastened in heaven. And whatever you loosen on earth will be loosened in heaven. Again I assure you that if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, then my Father who is in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I’m there with them.” Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Should I forgive as many as seven times?” Jesus said, “Not just seven times, but rather as many as seventy-seven times. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle accounts, they brought to him a servant who owed him ten thousand bags of gold. Because the servant didn’t have enough to pay it back, the master ordered that he should be sold, along with his wife and children and everything he had, and that the proceeds should be used as payment. But the servant fell down, kneeled before him, and said, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ The master had compassion on that servant, released him, and forgave the loan. “When that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred coins. He grabbed him around the throat and said, ‘Pay me back what you owe me.’

5

“Then his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he threw him into prison until he paid back his debt. “When his fellow servants saw what happened, they were deeply offended. They came and told their master all that happened. His master called the first servant and said, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you appealed to me. Shouldn’t you also have mercy on your fellow serv-ant, just as I had mercy on you?’ His master was furious and handed him over to the guard responsible for punishing prisoners, until he had paid the whole debt. “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you if you don’t forgive your broth-er or sister from your heart.” L: The Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Sermon Pastor Karen Williams Hymn of the Day ELW #359 “Where Charity and Love Prevail” A Christian Creed for Lent We believe in the God of Life who creates and loves people, who acts in history, and who promises never to leave us alone. We believe in Jesus of Nazareth, who is Lord and Redeemer, who died and rose again, and who wants not be idolized but to be followed. We believe that we live in the presence of the Holy Spirit; without it we are nothing; filled with the Holy Spirit we are able to become creative, lively, and free. We believe in the Church of Jesus Christ, a community where we find companions for the struggle of life; where we grow in understanding of the faith through worship, prayer, fellowship, and action. We believe that God has a purpose for us in this time and place. We believe in living, hoping, laughing and enjoying the good earth. We believe that people can change, attitudes can change, and that God keeps leading us towards life, and to a new world of justice and joy. (from the Parish of Balerno outside Edinburgh, Scottland)

6

*Prayers of Intercession The liturgist leads the congregation. Each petition concludes: L: Lord in your mercy, C: Hear our prayer. The prayers conclude: P: Trusting in your goodness, we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. Offering & Offertory Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus” Buszin *Offering Hymn #744 vs.1 “Lord, Be Glorified” *Offering Prayer L: Let us pray. C: Good and loving God, we rejoice in the birth of Jesus, who came among the poor to bring the riches of your grace. As you have blessed us with your gifts, let them be blessing for others. With the trees of the field, with all earth and heaven, we shout for joy at the coming of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. *Offering Hymn #744 vs. 4 “Lord, Be Glorified”

7

Communion Liturgy *Great Thanksgiving 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 our thanks and praise. *Words of Institution *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. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen. Invitation to our Lord’s Table Distribution of Communion Please see inside of front cover of this bulletin for a note on receiving Holy Communion Lamb of God Hymn #336 Distribution Hymn #471 “Let Us Break Bread Together”

8

*Post Communion Blessing and Prayer Almighty God, by our Baptism into the death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ, you turn us from the old life of sin. Grant that we who are reborn to new life in him may live in righteousness and holiness all our days, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. *Benediction Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever. Amen *Sending Hymn #656 “”Bless Be the Tie That Binds” *Dismissal L: Go in peace! Serve the Lord. C: Thanks be to God! Postlude “A Lenten Chaconne” Engel

9

Presiding Minister: Pastor Karen Williams Liturgist: Jan Steingas Lay Reader Sue Atneosen Organist: Kathleen Hollar Anthem: 3 G’s– Jan Steingas, Director Acolyte: Joel Nikula Communion Servers: Bob & Carol Golder Worship Coordinator: Jan Steingas Greeters: Pete & Nancy Zitzewitz Ushers: Team G: Ken Jackson-Captain & Head Usher, Brian Jackson, Jim Mohn, Gary Petersen, Chris Rundquist, Chris Wintheiser Money Counters: Team C: Char House-Captain, Jake Kemen, Dolores Yuker, Mark Pearson Grace Geek Squad: Chris Wintheiser ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We lift our prayers to God in times of thanksgiving and times of need, in times of joy and times of sorrow, we pray for Carol Golder, Justin Dike, Julie Doree, Randy Warn, and those we name in our hearts. In case of an emergency after church office hours and weekends, please contact Pastor Karen Williams at 651-503-8958. Food Shelf The first Sunday of the month is our regular collection for Merrick Community Food Shelf. Please bring non-perishable food items and place in the baskets in the narthex of the sanctuary or place cash or check in the baskets provided as you leave church next Sunday. There are many people in need of our help, please continue to support this ministry. Thank you. Bible & Beer Brouhaha will held this coming Tuesday, February 24th , at 7:00 p.m.at O’Malleys Irish Pub in Woodbury. Join us for a lively discussion of scripture and faith while enjoying good company and your favorite refreshments.

10

Grace Lutheran Church is at an interesting crossroads in it's history, present, and future in living our mission: Grace Lutheran Church is a community of believers in Jesus Christ who: celebrate the unconditional love and grace of God; provide Christian learning opportunities for all ages; support all who need love and care; and serve the community and the world. Grace Lutheran will soon celebrate our 100th anniversary. This provides a great opportunity to celebrate where we've been and where we would like to be in the future. Please join us for a futuring conversation for Grace Lutheran Church at the Adult Forums on February 22 and March 1st. We need to hear from all of you! Ways to contribute to Grace -Besides using your giving envelopes or using cash on Sundays, you may prefer to give electronically by: 1. Vanco - ask for a form from the church office 2. Bill Pay/E.F.T. (Electronic Fund Transfer) contact your bank. You may choose how often and how much you give, but after that it will be done for you so you do not have to remember to bring your offering. 100th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION! Ever wanted to volunteer at Grace but didn’t see anything that seemed to fit? We’re looking for some members who would like to be involved in helping to plan the 100th Anniversary celebration of our church. Please contact Sue Wickert at 651-731-6458, if you are interested in helping out. Attention all campers! We have reserved camp sites at Lake Elmo ParkReserve for the weekend of July 10-12, 2015. All ages and types of camping equipment are welcome. We will enjoy the great outdoors and have some fun together. Please sign up as soon as possible in the Shepherd’s Lounge. You won't want to miss out!

11

Committee of the Month is the Library Committee. The library at Grace Lutheran Church was built into the church when it was built in 1917. Notations in frontispieces of books indicate donors as members, visitors, other. It is a reading journey in book covers. A written history of our 98-year-old library has not been maintained. In 2009 Anne Oberlander and Carol Golder continued book categorization using Dewey decimal I.D. system. There is always a need for library volunteers. In 2010 a formal Library Committee meeting met with Carol Golder and Kim Carlton present. We formulated three goals: 1) make the library a resource of current relevant literature and video mediums, 2) purchase new material for the library, 3) watch reading choices of people to purchase material in these areas. Selling old books is a method used to empty Grace library shelves and gain funds to buy new books. We held book sales. The first sale in April 2011 gave us a $250.00 profit. It could occur because of many volunteer hours from several people. In June 2012 there was another book sale from which we profit-ed $307.00. Volunteers for these events were Phyllis Acker, Thomas Mohwinkel, Justin Dike, Lorin Tott, Kim Carlton, Bob Golder, Carol Golder, Gerry Lindquist, Pat Ondarko, Chris Duckworth and Sue Brown. Current book sales are ongoing, not limited to a few hours on two days. A table in the narthex holds a book display of items for sale. The most recent new books on our library shelf are: The Last Song, Nicholas Sparks; Sail, James Patterson; Boots On The Ground, By Dusk, a tribute to Pat Tillman by Mary Tillman; The Miracle of St. Anthony, Adrian Wojnarowski; The Conspiracy, Jonathan Kellerman. We would appreciate your time and ideas as the library at Grace nears 100 years of age.

12

Easter Garden You are invited to be a part of the sanctuary Easter Garden. The flowers are from Gerten’s s and orders will be taken through March 8. Please note that the deadline is March 8. We ask that you do not take the flowers until after the last Easter service. A member of the Chancel Care team will be there after the last service to help you get your flower(s) that you ordered. We will have a list in case you forget what you ordered. Thank you for taking part in the Easter Garden. Order Form Name___________________________________________________ In Honor of____________________ In Memory of____________________ Choices ____Lily @$8 ____Combo Basket @$30.00 ____Blue Hydrangea @ $13.50 ____Pink Hydrangea @$13.50 ____Yellow Mum@ $8.50 ____Lavender Mum @$8.50 ____Azalea@ $13.50 (will be pink or lavender ____White Mum @$8.50 ____Mixed Hyacinths@ $6.50 ____Pink Calla Lily @ $9.00 ____Yellow Calla Lily @$9.25 I have enclosed a check for $______________

13

Musical Notes Last week we found that Graham Kendrick put his unfinished hymn “Shine, Jesus, Shine” away for 6 months before he got the opportunity and the inspiration to complete it. Mary Thomson experienced something similar when writing hymn # 668, “O Zion, Haste”. The following are her words. I wrote the greater part of the hymn, “O, Sion, Haste,” in the year 1868. I had writ­ten ma­ny hymns be­fore, and one night, while I was sit­ting up with one of my child­ren who was ill with ty­phoid fe­ver, I thought I should like to write a mis-sion-ary hymn to the tune of the hymn, “Hark, Hark, My Soul, An-gel-ic Songs Are Swell-ing,” as I was fond of that tune, but as I could not then get a re­frain I liked, I left the hymn un­fin­ished and about three years I finished it by writing the refrain which now forms a part of it.

14

Sunday February 22, 2015-Sunday March 1, 2015 Sunday 9:30 a.m. Worship 10:30 a.m. Coffee Hour 10:45 a.m. Sunday School/Talkpoints 10:45 a.m. Executive Committee Tuesday 12:00 p.m. Customized Options 7:00 p.m. Bible & Beer Brouhaha, Omalley’s Irish

Pub Wednesday 10:00 a.m. Coffee & Conversation 5:30 p.m. Soup & Lenten Service 5:30 p.m. Bells of Grace 6:30 p.m. Joyous Jrs. 8:00 p.m. Sanctuary Choir Thursday 6:00 p.m. City of St. Paul Meeting Sunday 9:30 a.m. Worship 10:30 a.m. Coffee Hour 10:45 a.m. SS/Talk Points

Pastor Karen Williams Rhynda Landt, Adminstrative Associate 1730 Old Hudson Road 651.774.9617 Saint Paul, Minnesota 55106 www.gracelutheranstpaul.org