“Why Did It Yield Wild Grapes?”

THE CELEBRATION OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD
Tenth sunday after pentecost
august 14 2022

In Person Sunday, August 14, 11 a.m. (Mask optional for all) This Sunday, Pastor Matt Lang's sermon is "Why Did It Yield Wild Grapes?"
Worship Live Streaming at 11 a.m. Click here for August 14th streaming of live service. (11:55 AM LIVE Service available If it is NOT blue "refresh" your page.) Complete service bulletin below.
Peace Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

PRELUDEGuide My Feet ||| Lloyd Larson ||| (African American Spiritual)

*CALL TO CONTINUING WORSHIP

Behold the gathering of God’s own:beside believers and among apostles,drawn together as disciples and doubters,we are shoulder to shoulder with shepherdsand saints!

Since we are surrounded by this great cloudof witnesses,let us run with perseverance the race before us,looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter ofour faith.

*HYMN 817 ||| We Walk By Faith and Not By Sight ||| Dunlap’s Creek

CALL TO CONFESSION

Gathered before the throne of God’s infinite mercy, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, confessing our need for grace.

*PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Loving Creator,with a gardener’s tender touch,you planted your people to bear good fruit,but we bear wild grapes.  With a welder’s fierce fire,you fashioned your people to glorify you,but we are riddled with impurities.  In your generous mercy, O God,regard the vine you planted:save and restore us.  Reform the vessel you crafted:cleanse and refine us.  Give us life, O God,that with our whole being,we may worship you rightly.

(silent prayer)

Amen.

*DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS

Jesus endured the cross and disregarded its shame for the sake of the joy that was set before him. That joy is our salvation. His joy is our freedom. Believe the good news:

In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Thanks be to God!

*THE GLORIA 581

MOMENT WITH OUR CHILDREN ||| Rev. Matt Lang

WELCOME AND CHURCH COMMUNICATIONS

WE HEAR GOD’S WORD

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

FIRST SCRIPTURE READING    ||| Isaiah 5:1-7

1Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.3And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?5And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.7For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!

SPECIAL MUSIC ||| Meditation on "Arlington" ||| Fred Bock

SECONDSCRIPTUREREADING ||| Luke 12:49-56

49"I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."54He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, 'It is going to rain'; and so it happens. 55And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. 56You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?"

The Word of the Lord

Thanks be to God!

SERMON ||| "Why Did It Yield Wild Grapes?" ||| Rev. Matt Lang

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD

*HYMN 696 |||  O God, You Are My God Alone ||| Gratus

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH ||| The Brief Statement of Faith 1983

In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER

…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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

OFFERING OF OUR GIFTS

OFFERTORY ||| Lord of the Wind and Sea |||  Lloyd Larson

*DOXOLOGY 606 |||. Old Hundredth

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

*PRAYER OF DEDICATION

Heavenly Father, you have given us riches beyond measure. We can only return a fraction of what we owe you; but we ask, Lord, that you will bless our offerings and help us to use them wisely in your service and for your glory. Amen.

WE GO IN GOD’S NAME

*HYMN 741 ||| Guide My Feet   Guide My Feet

BLESSING

The blessing of the one God—Spirit, Son, and Father—be with you now and always.

Alleluia!

CHARGE

Lead a life worthy of your calling, giving glory to God in all things.

Amen.

POSTLUDE |||Trumpet Tune in G   ||| John Dixon

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord! Thanks be to God!

Rev. Matt Lang, Pastor

Mrs. Mary Ann Wenzelman, Interim Organist/Pianist

Worship Liturgist: Jan Bunker

Ushers: Bob James, Eleanor Steiner

SCRIPTURES IN WORSHIP – Next Sunday we will be reading Jeremiah 1:4-10 and Luke 13:10-17.

Next ...

Calendar of Upcoming Virtual & in Person Meetings .... moving thru August

Tuesdays: 10:30 a.m. every Tuesday Morning at a Zoom meeting. We are thoroughly enjoying the book, "From Daughters To Disciples", Women's Stories from the New Testament. The author is Lynn Japinga. August 9, we are continuing Chapter 7, "The Book of Acts", on page 100, "Glimpses of Women in Acts. We are moving slowly through the book because there are so many interesting points and new thoughts. Still .... Japinga always has new insights...at least to me! (KPH) Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information (we formerly met at Panera and may meet at Panera again).
First Monday: Book Study | Kathleen O'Hanlon & Joyce Anders
Zoom Link: 7 pm-8:30 Our next meeting is: September 5, 2022 So, where are we in the novel, "Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead? We will begin our discussion through the "Tennessee" chapter. You can still catch up in this interesting read very quickly. It's a powerful book and we have had a lot of heartfelt discussions of the subject. (Click on this link)
Sunday: Worship with us in person or live streaming, August 7, 11 a.m. (Mask optional for all) Pastor Matt's sermon is "Do Not Be Afraid, Be Ready" To begin worship, click here to go to this Sunday's worship service page
Tuesdays: | Tuesday Adult Education Class | 7:00 pm Central Time | Tim VanNasdale
Zoom Link for meeting: Tuesdays, 7 pm (next class 08/9/22) Moving on in our new study is the book, "So The Next Generation Will Know, Preparing Young Christians for a Challenging World" ... Next week we will begin work on Session 2: Love Understands. You can find the video we will be watching and using to kickstart our discussion. "So the Next Generation Will Know" Lesson 2: Love Understands
From Tim: Oh and extra credit: I wanted to get this out early in the curriculum because it's rather long. Because of my schedule I had to watch it in a few sittings, but it was very worth it, in my opinion. Some of you are familiar with the rather successful and popular show called "The Chosen." The folks that make that show made a documentary where they had nine unsuspecting Gen Z-ers binge watch the first season of their show and share their honest, raw reactions. I found it really powerful and insightful. If you've got the time, I hope you check it out. If you want to skip past the promotional material with the director at the beginning, the documentary starts at 27:16 into the video. If you do get a chance to check it out in the coming weeks, let me know what you think.

Video: "The Chosen" Gen Z Documentary

If you are interested in participating in this book study, just join us or please (click on the <--blue link) or let us know through email: the church office or phone: 708-798-0490 so we can include you in the weekly email notification with the Zoom link. Zoom link for meeting Tuesday at 7 pm Illinois time. The book is by Sean McDowell and J. Warner Wallace
Sundays: | SundayWorship Service We are now worshiping in the church building at 11 am on Sunday mornings. Access to our Live Streaming Service can be found on the "Worship Page" | Post Sunday Streaming Worship Meet-up (aka Heavenly Perks) began, in person, on May 22.
Healing & Wholeness Service date is: TBD. We offer access to a Healing & Wholeness Service online at any time. This service is a time of reflection, prayer, and meditation. This service can help us to experience anew God’s healing, peace-giving grace or refuel us for becoming agents of healing and reconciliation. Taking time for this mimics a pattern for Jesus and his disciples. They would be out in the thick of a clamoring multitude and then retreat to a quiet place to reconnect, recharge, and clarify their mission. Our quiet place awaits us in this service online. (Watch for an announcement for maybe private prayer time on Zoom after this service.) | Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for prayer needs request.

Looking forward | scripture readings for next sunday, August 14 -- Isaiah 5:1-7 and Luke 12:49-56

Isaiah 5:1-7 ||| New Revised Standard Version

Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. 3And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 5And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!

Luke 12:49-56 ||| New Revised Standard Version

49“I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” 54He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. 55And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. 56You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Worship Service