7^th Sunday after Epiphany—Don’t Give Up the Ship: Stewardship

February 23, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. in the Chapel and on Facebook Live

Gospel Sunday

We honor the Kumeyaay Nation, on whose ancestral lands we have made our home.

In the interactive part of the liturgy, the leader’s part is in regular text. The people’s response is in bold. All people are welcome to sing along with the songs where the lyrics are printed.

Holy Communion will be part of this service. Here at Gethsemane we practice open communion, meaning all who believe in the power of Jesus Christ to bring salvation are welcome to join in. In our Lutheran understanding, both sacraments—Baptism and Holy Communion—are best conducted among the gathered assembly. If you are present on our live-stream or the replay, you are present in our assembly. The body of Christ is not limited by place or time. Any bread and any wine or grape juice will do. If you are celebrating as a family or group, please feel free to break the bread into the right number of portions or have a separate piece for each person. Same with the cup. You may have one cup for all or each member gathered uses a separate cup. We believe the Christ is fully present in both Word and Sacrament, in both the bread and the wine/grape juice so if you only have one or the other, or even if you refrain from communion, you are not missing out on the grace of God. We understand both the Word and Sacraments as the means of grace. Remember it is not the type of bread or wine, nor is it the quantity, but it is your faith in taking the elements that is the window for the Holy Spirit to enter your life.

GATHERING

WELCOME

“Praise and Thanksgiving”                     ELW #689 vss 1, 3, 4

1    Praise and thanksgiving, God, we would offer

      for all things living, you have made good:

      harvest of sown fields, fruits of the orchard,

      hay from the mown fields, blossom and wood.

3    Father, providing food for your children,

      by Wisdom’s guiding teach us to share

      one with another, so that, rejoicing

      with us, all others may know your care.

4    Then will your blessing reach ev’ry people,

      freely confessing your gracious hand.

      Where you are reigning, no one will hunger;

      your love sustaining showers the land.

Text: Albert F. Bayly, 1901-1984, alt.

Text © Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

“Just a Closer Walk with Thee”             ELW #697

 

Refrain

Just a closer walk with thee,

      grant it, Jesus, is my plea;

      daily walking close to thee,

      let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

1    I am weak but thou art strong:

      Jesus, keep me from all wrong;

      I’ll be satisfied as long

      as I walk, let me walk close to thee.  Refrain

2    Through this world of toil and snares,

      if I falter, Lord, who cares?

      Who with me my burden shares?

      None but thee, dear Lord, none but thee.  Refrain

3    When my feeble life is o’er,

      time for me will be no more;

      guide me gently, safely o’er

      to thy kingdom shore, to thy shore.  Refrain

Text: North American traditional

 

THEME PRAYER

 

“Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ”                       ELW #674

 

1    Let us talents and tongues employ,

      reaching out with a shout of joy:

      bread is broken, the wine is poured,

      Christ is spoken and seen and heard.

Refrain

      Jesus lives again, earth can breathe again,

      pass the Word around: loaves abound!

      Jesus lives again, earth can breathe again,

      pass the Word around: loaves abound!

2    Christ is able to make us one,

      at the table he sets the tone,

      teaching people to live to bless,

      love in word and in deed express.  Refrain

3    Jesus calls us in, sends us out

      bearing fruit in a world of doubt,

      gives us love to tell, bread to share:

      God (Immanuel) ev’rywhere!  Refrain

Text: Fred Kaan, b. 1929

Text © 1975 Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

GOD IN ACTION

CHOIR ANTHEM

WORD 

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE

MESSAGE With Scripture: Luke 6:27-38                                                   Pastor Karla

Jesus continues to address a crowd of his disciples. He invites his followers to shower radical love, blessing, forgiveness, generosity, and trust even on enemies and outsiders. Living in harmony with God’s intent brings the reward of overflowing blessing.

“We Are an Offering”                       ELW 692 

We lift our voices,

we lift our hands,

we lift our lives up to you:

we are an offering.

Lord, use our voices,

Lord, use our hands,

Lord, use our lives, they are yours:

we are an offering.

All that we have,

all that we are,

all that we hope to be,

we give to you, we give to you.

We lift our voices,

we lift our hands,

we lift our lives up to you:

we are an offering, we are an offering.

 

Text: Dwight Liles, b. 1957 Music: Dwight Liles Text and music © 1984 Word Music, LLC

 

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

We commit our way to the Lord;

            And all will see what God will do. (Psalm 37:5)

 

MEAL

 

OFFERING OUR GIFTS FOR THE MISSION AND MINISTRY OF GOD’S CHURCH

The Word has been spoken. Now, may it stir in our hearts.

 

COMMUNION

All: In the night in which he was betrayed, Jesus took bread and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me. 

One: And now, join me in praying as our Lord Jesus taught us…

All: 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. 

DISTRIBUTION

POST COMMUNION BLESSING

SENDING

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

BLESSING

“Take My Life, That I May Be”                ELW #583 

Refrain

      Take my life, that I may be

      consecrated, Lord, to thee;

      take my moments and my days;

      let them flow in ceaseless praise.

1    Take my hands and let them move

      at the impulse of thy love;

      take my feet and let them be

      swift and beautiful for thee.  Refrain

2    Take my silver and my gold,

      not a mite would I withhold;

      take my intellect and use

      ev’ry pow’r as thou shalt choose.  Refrain

3    Take my voice and let me sing

      always, only for my King;

      take my lips and let them be

      filled with messages from thee.  Refrain

4    Take my will and make it thine;

      it shall be no longer mine;

      take my heart, it is thine own;

      it shall be thy royal throne.  Refrain

Text: Frances R. Havergal, 1836-1879, adap.; Spanish text: Vicente Mendoza, 1875-1955

OUR DECLARATION OF MISSION

You are the body of Christ.

We are the body of Christ in the world!

So go in peace

To explore the faith

Live in peace

To express our faith to others

Share the peace

By inviting others to join us on this journey.

WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST IN THE WORLD, SO LET’S GO BE THE GOOD NEWS WE BELIEVE IN!

THANKS BE TO GOD.

 

Reading synopsis and cover art from Sundays and Seasons. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Please visit our Web site at www.augsburgfortress.org. All music is used with permission under CCLI #3225965.

 

CEB

Genesis 45:3-11, 15

Many years after being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, Joseph reveals himself to them. Now the second-in-command in Egypt, Joseph reassures his brothers that God has used their evil intentions for good to preserve life during a devastating famine, and Joseph forgives them.

 

Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40

The lowly shall possess the land; they will delight in abundance of peace. (Ps. 37:11)

 

 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

In the Apostles’ Creed, we speak of the “resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” Using the metaphor of a planted seed and the story of Adam, Paul preaches passionately about the mystery of following Christ’s perfect life into eternity.