broadcast of the Divine Service at Zion Lutheran Church in Chippewa Falls.
To help you follow along, the Order of Worship for today's service is available under the radio tab on our website, ZionLCMSCF.org.
The Lord bless you today through the hearing of His word.
It's a worship.
It's good to be with you all today.
Our opening hymn, 915, today, Your Mercy Calls Us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Beloved in the Lord, let us draw near with the true heart and confess our sins unto God, our Father, beseeching him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord.
O Almighty God, merciful Father, I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto you all my sins and iniquities, with which I have ever offended you, and justly deserve your temporal and eternal punishment.
But I am partly 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.
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.
We turn to the yellow insert and sing together the intro.
Let's be ruthless men
Glory be to God.
Now let's sit at the right hand of God, the Father.
Let us pray.
Let your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of your humble servants that they may obtain their petitions.
Make them to ask such things as shall please you.
Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.
The Old Testament reading for this night Sunday after Trinity is from 2 Samuel chapter 22.
With the merciful, you show yourself merciful.
With the blameless man, you show yourself blameless.
With the purified, you deal purely.
And with the crooked, you make yourself seem torturous.
You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
For you are at my lap, O Lord.
And my God lightens my darkness.
For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
This God, his way is perfect.
The word of the Lord proves true.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in him, for who is God but the Lord, and who is a rock except our God.
This God is my strong refuge, and has made my way blameless.
He made my feet like the feet of a deer.
and set me secure on the heights.
This is the word of the Lord.
We sing together the Psalm on the yellow insert.
According to
you
Behold, I was brought forth in him in gritty.
And in safety, my mother was keeping me.
Behold.
you
but your Holy Spirit.
The epistle is from 1 Corinthians chapter 10.
Now these things took place as examples for us that we might not desire evil as they did.
Do not be idolaters as some of them were, as it is written, that people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and 23,000 fell in a single day.
We must not put Christ to the test as some of them did.
and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Now these things happen to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands, take heed lest he fall.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.
God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability.
But with the temptation,
He will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it.
This is the word of the Lord.
Please stand in honor of the gospel.
The holy gospel according to St.
Luke the 16th chapter.
Jesus also said to the disciples, there was a rich man who had a manager and chargers were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions.
And he called him and said to him, what is this that I hear about you?
Turn in the account of your management or you can no longer be manager.
And the manager said to himself, what shall I do?
Since my master is taking the management away from me, I'm not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.
So summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, how much do you owe my master?
He said, 100 measures of oil.
He said to him, take your bill and sit down quickly and write 50.
Then he said to another, how much do you owe?
He said, 100 measures of wheat.
He said, damn, take your bill and write 80.
The master.
commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.
For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.
And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
This is the gospel of the Lord.
Together we confess our faith is written in the words of the 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.
He got and 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 sit 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.
Grace to you in peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
The rich man commended the dishonest manager because he had been shrewd, not because he had done right, because he had not done that.
But the dishonest manager has something to teach us.
He was shrewd.
As shrewd as we ought to be, but in another area and in a different manner.
What does it mean for a disciple of Christ to deal shrewdly?
God's words tell us that you're a steward and You will answer and give an account for your thoughts your words and deeds For your secret desires your hidden prideful thoughts You have to be faithful even in the small things For it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the law to become void and on the day of judgment People will give an account for every careless word they speak
You have to see this.
Many are blind to this.
They do not consider that they may have to give an account.
The act like what the Lord has given to them is to manage is their own.
To do with, as they please, whatever they want, whatever one has received alone from God, their life, their abilities,
every new day.
And yet everyone acts and talks like they were their own.
It's my life.
It's my time.
It's my money.
You do not acknowledge that these are gods, nor do they give him thanks.
So what happens to those who waste God's possessions, the gospel text answers that the Lord comes and denies them their manager ship?
And it may happen suddenly, as we are in the parable of the rich fool, but God said, damn fool, this night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?
The possessions the Lord has entrusted to you have never been yours, and you will not be able to keep any of them.
You can no longer be manager of them.
Others,
know that God has the authority, but they do not see their situation.
They live in ignorance of God and His law because they misunderstood what they've heard about God.
They think He is good, but they do not think about His holiness.
They've heard that He is patient, but do not understand that He is patient in order to give them time to repent.
They believe that God's love means that He does not care.
that we sin.
You have not thought that God's love means that he cares so much about the fact that we sin that he gave his only son in order to be able to save us from the consequences of our sins.
A few take it seriously, but think, Lord, don't come so soon.
There's still time.
Once they have everything in order, then you can come.
So they wait.
But the devil does not wait.
The devil works day and night to make people blinder and harder of heart.
A soul is kind of like a garden.
If good plants are not sown, then the weeds will grow.
If the weeds aren't cleared, they'll take over.
So a man's heart becomes so full of thistles and thorns that there's no longer any room for the thought that one should repent.
Even if one has time to repent, he will not do it.
So it's important to see the situation.
This also applies to mature disciples of Christ.
Every time God's spirit reminds you again of your sin, your angry words, your lazy attitude, selfish motivations, your sinful desires, you need to see your situation.
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
And you therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.
But then the situation has changed.
Yes, it's true that I'm guilty for every step away from the Lord's commandments.
I cannot dig.
I can't attempt to improve myself.
Even if it's successful, it doesn't count toward paying my guilt, because I can never do anything above and beyond the things that I'm guilty of.
And I might be successful with my external works, and that can be commendable, but the heart remains the same.
It's just as envious of others.
Just as unwilling to endure slander and wrong.
Just as inclined to shirk suffering and persecution for the sake of Jesus.
And I am unable to root out this sin.
You need to see all of this.
The dishonest manager saw it.
He saw an evil path, a single path.
that he could still take in order to save himself.
It's important to see this.
For us, there is a single track, only one by which we can be saved, and herein lies the wisdom.
You need to act.
What is it that you should do?
Jesus answers, repent, and believe the gospel.
This simply means to come to Jesus with your sin.
and to remain with Jesus to be his.
It means to no longer flee from God with your evil conscience, but flee to God with it.
Just to recognize that God is in the right, even if you have no idea how it can be any other way in regards to certain matter in this life, even if you don't see any way out of the mess you're in,
how to clean it up.
For example, the marriage that's become a mess or things in your life that become hopelessly entangled or bitterness and grudges against somebody.
It's still a great victory when you realize that it's wrong and dare to tell God that it's wrong.
This also applies to the mature disciple.
of Christ.
The temptation is strong to start to not be honest before God, to not think about the bad points, to ignore what you think is wrong and point to how devoted you are and how successful you've been.
You must act.
You must go to your father with your sin and you must do it while there's still time.
Sin has the power to deceive.
It makes the soul blind and the heart fall so that once again it makes a false account before God.
Every visitation from God, even when he tells you to submit your account as a day of salvation, that seeks to take advantage of the occasion.
The manager dealt shrewdly when he did not delay.
For the sons of the world of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.
Even with God, the sons of Light are often profoundly unwise.
They say as the manager, I'm too ashamed to beg.
It is hard to come and ask forgiveness yet again for the thing that I've asked forgiveness for many times before.
If I have failed again, I'd rather avoid God.
I want to forget about what I've done.
I wanna make myself better and do something good so I can tell God about that when I finally dare approach God again.
Or maybe I try to pray earnestly, eagerly for a long time about something else as if I could be more pious and purify myself before God because I'm ashamed to beg.
They do not want to be completely
Empty-handed when I come to beg for a gift of grace.
This is absurd.
What possible benefit can come from letting the sin grow old?
Nothing.
Except that maybe it becomes a false account, half forgotten, smeared over by lame excuses hidden behind pious works.
This is the one thing you should not.
do with your sins.
Before the Lord, you do not need to be ashamed to beg.
We should be ashamed of our sin.
We can never be ashamed enough for our sin.
But thanks be to God, the forgiveness of baptism does not depend on your shame.
But you should not be ashamed to beg.
Because to beg forgiveness from Jesus means to go the way that God himself has designated to believe in the sun.
Come to the sun or take in the sun.
Remain with the sun.
You should not be ashamed of that.
It's God's way of overcoming our sin to drown in the redeeming love of Christ and at the same time to awaken our love.
So he also does with the Lord's Supper.
What shall I do?
I shall not make any illusions for myself.
I shall not attempt any meaningless way out.
I shall account for my management and recognize that I wasted the abilities, grace, the extended time of repentance God has given to me.
I shall not be ashamed to beg, but go to my father who says, give me your debts.
Okay, what's written down here?
10,000 talents.
You can't pay that.
Let's erase them completely.
I have paid for you.
That's what we shall do.
Blessed is he who does this.
Amen.
And may the peace that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen.
You stand.
you
Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Gracious Father, you show mercy to us poor sinners.
Lead us to acknowledge your mercy with gratitude that in turn we may be quick to show mercy to others.
Give us a right understanding of our own weaknesses and frailty.
Preserve us from pride and lead us instead to cling to Christ and his forgiveness.
Lord, in your mercy.
You entrust your people the abundant wealth of Christ's salvation in your word and sacraments.
Bless pastors that they may be faithful stewards of these mysteries and grant that your people would make proper use of your means of grace and rejoice in your salvation.
Lord, in your mercy.
Lord of all, you bestow your riches on all who call upon you.
Bless parents with all wisdom as they teach their children your ways.
that all in the household may confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord, Lord in your mercy.
O God, you save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
Give true wisdom to the people of our nation and humility to those who act and decide for our governance.
And let the lamp of your perfect word and way enlighten their faith and deeds.
Lord in your mercy.
Faithful Lord, preserve those who are suffering temptation in any affliction, especially Vicki, Lynn, Anita, Daryl, Lois, Lewis, Marlis, Tim, Greg, Grant, Doris, Matthew, Megan, Melissa, Mark, Ethel, Dave, Peter, Fred, Harold, Joan, Jaden, Rick, Thorfinn, Lacey, Marilyn, Marlene, George, Ann, Dawn, and Florence.
Make clear to them the way of escape.
that they may be able to endure it and stand firm through faith in Jesus Christ.
Lord, in your mercy.
Amen.
Merciful God, give true repentance and faith to those who commune this day, that they may eat Christ's body and blood for the forgiveness of their sins and in the unity of a true confession.
Lord, in your mercy.
Amen.
Give us patience and tribulation, O Lord, and restore to us the joy of your salvation.
Comfort the weeping with your loving kindness, console the grieving with the hope of the resurrection, and help us to live in harmony with one another.
Lord, in your mercy.
Lord God, heavenly Father, you have blessed us bountifully and given us daily bread.
We implore you, preserve us from all covetousness and enliven our hearts to share your gifts willingly with our brothers in need, that we may be found faithful stewards of your gifts, and abide in your grace when we are
removed from our stewardship and come before your judgment through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
the Lord be with you.
Lift up your hearts.
Let us give thanks unto the Lord our
It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and at all places give thanks to you, Holy Lord, Almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who on this day overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection, opened to us the way of everlasting life.
Therefore, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify your glorious name, ever more praising you and saying.
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.
Our Lord Jesus Christ on the night when he was betrayed, took bread.
And when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat.
This is my body, which is given for you.
This do in remembrance of me.
In the same way also, he took the cup after supper, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, drink of it, all of you.
This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins.
This do as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
Thank you for tuning in to the Divine Service at Zion Lutheran Church in Chippewa Falls.
May the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
If you have any prayer requests, please let us know.
You may call us at 715-723-6380 or stop by and visit 110 East Grand Avenue in Chippewa Falls.
If you're looking for a church home, we'll gladly tell you more about Zion or help you find a congregation near you.
These broadcasts are paid for by generous gifts made to our radio fund.
If you'd like to contribute, click the Give tab on our website, ZionLCMSCF.org, or send a check to Zion Lutheran Church Radio Fund, 110 East Grand Avenue, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, 54729.
Zion is a member of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Center.
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Good morning and welcome to the broadcast of the Divine Service at Zion Lutheran Church in Chippewa Falls.
To help you follow along, the Order of Worship for today's service is available under the radio tab on our website, ZionLCMSCF.org.
The Lord bless you today through the hearing of His word.
It's good to be with you all today.
Our opening hymn, 915, today, Your Mercy Calls Us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Beloved in the Lord, let us draw near with the true heart and confess our sins unto God, our Father, beseeching him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord.
O Almighty God, merciful Father, 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 partly 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.
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.
We turn to the yellow insert and sing together the intro.
They do not
Let us pray.
Let your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of your humble servants that they may obtain their petitions.
Make them to ask such things as shall please you.
Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.
The Old Testament reading for this night Sunday after Trinity is from 2 Samuel chapter 22.
With the merciful you show yourself merciful.
With the blameless man you show yourself blameless.
With the purified you deal purely.
And with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
You save a humble people.
But your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
For you are at my lap, O Lord.
And my God lightens my darkness.
For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
This God, his way is perfect.
The word of the Lord proves true.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in him, for who is God but the Lord, and who is a rock except our God.
This God is my strong refuge, and has made my way blameless.
He made my feet like the feet of a deer.
and set me secure on the heights.
This is the word of the Lord.
We sing together the psalm on the yellow insert.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin, For I know my transgressions, And my sin is every for me.
And bring this in your judgment.
Behold.
you
not your Holy Spirit.
The epistle is from 1 Corinthians chapter 10.
Now these things took place as examples for us that we might not desire evil as they did.
Do not be idolaters as some of them were, as it is written, that people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did and 23,000 fell in a single day.
We must not put Christ to the test as some of them did.
and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Now, these things happen to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands, take heed lest he fall.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.
God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability.
But with the temptation,
He will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Please stand in honor of the gospel.
Jesus also said to the disciples, there was a rich man who had a manager and chargers were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions.
And he called him and said to him, what is this that I hear about you?
Turn in the account of your management or you can no longer be manager.
And the manager said to himself, what shall I do?
Since my master is taking the management away from me, I'm not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.
So someone against master's debtors, one by one, he said to the first, how much do you owe my master?
He said, 100 measures of oil.
He said to him, take your bill and sit down quickly and write 50.
Then he said to another, how much do you owe?
He said, 100 measures of wheat.
He said to him, take your bill and write 80.
The master,
commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.
For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.
And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
This is the gospel of the Lord.
Together we confess our faith as written in the words of the Nicene Creed.
He got and 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 sit 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.
Grace to you in peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
The rich man commended the dishonest manager because he had been shrewd, not because he had done right, because he had not done that.
But the dishonest manager has something to teach us.
He was shrewd.
As shrewd as we ought to be, but in another area and in a different manner.
What does it mean for a disciple of Christ to deal shrewdly?
God's words tell us that you're a steward.
And you will answer and give an account for your thoughts, your words and deeds, for your secret desires, your hidden prideful thoughts.
You have to be faithful even in the small things, for it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the law to become void.
And on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every careless word they speak.
You have to see this.
Many are blind to this.
They do not consider that they may have to give an account.
The act like what the Lord has given to them is to manage is their own.
To do with, as they please, whatever they want.
But everyone has received a loan from God.
Their life, their abilities.
Every new day.
And yet everyone acts and talks like they were their own.
It's my life.
It's my time.
It's my money.
You do not acknowledge that these are gods, nor do they give him thanks.
So what happens to those who waste God's possessions, the gospel text answers that the Lord comes and denies them their manager ship?
And it may happen suddenly, as we are in the parable of the rich fool, but God said, damn fool, this night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?
The possessions the Lord has entrusted to you have never been yours, and you will not be able to keep any of them.
You can no longer be manager of them.
Others,
know that God has the authority, but they do not see their situation.
They live in ignorance of God and His law because they misunderstood what they've heard about God.
They think He is good, but they do not think about His holiness.
They've heard that He is patient, but do not understand that He is patient in order to give them time to repent.
They believe that God's love means that He does not care.
that we sin.
You have not thought that God's love means that he cares so much about the fact that we sin that he gave his only son in order to be able to save us from the consequences of our sins.
A few take it seriously, but think, Lord, don't come so soon.
There's still time.
Once they have everything in order, then you can come.
So they wait.
But the devil does not wait.
The devil works day and night to make people blinder and harder of heart.
A soul is kind of like a garden.
If good plants are not sown, then the weeds will grow.
If the weeds aren't cleared, they'll take over.
So a man's heart becomes so full of thistles and thorns that there's no longer any room for the thought that one should repent.
Even if one has time to repent, he will not do it.
So it's important to see the situation.
And this also applies to mature disciples of Christ.
Every time God's spirit reminds you again of your sin, your angry words, your lazy attitude, selfish motivations, your sinful desires, you need to see your situation.
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
And you therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.
But then the situation has changed.
Yes, it's true that I'm guilty for every step away from the Lord's commandments.
I cannot dig.
I can't attempt to improve myself.
Even if it's successful, it doesn't count toward paying my guilt, because I can never do anything above and beyond the things that I'm guilty of.
And I might be successful with my external works, and that can be commendable, but the heart remains the same.
It's just as envious of others.
Just as unwilling to endure slander and wrong.
Just as inclined to shirk suffering and persecution for the sake of Jesus.
And I am unable to root out this sin.
You need to see all of this.
The dishonest manager saw it.
He saw an evil path, a single path.
that he could still take in order to save himself.
It's important to see this.
For us, there is a single track, only one by which we can be saved, and herein lies the wisdom.
You need to act.
What is it that you should do?
Jesus answers, repent, and believe the gospel.
This simply means to come to Jesus with your sin.
and to remain with Jesus to be his.
It means to no longer flee from God with your evil conscience, but flee to God with it.
Just to recognize that God is in the right, even if you have no idea how it can be any other way in regards to certain matter in this life, even if you don't see any way out of the mess you're in,
how to clean it up.
For example, the marriage that's become a mess or things in your life that become hopelessly entangled or bitterness and grudges against somebody.
It's still a great victory when you realize that it's wrong and dare to tell God that it's wrong.
This also applies to the mature disciple.
of Christ.
The temptation is strong to start to not be honest before God, to not think about the bad points, to ignore what you think is wrong and point to how devoted you are and how successful you've been.
You must act.
You must go to your father with your sin and you must do it while there's still time.
Sin has the power to deceive.
It makes the soul blind and the heart fall so that once again it makes a false account before God.
Every visitation from God, even when he tells you to submit your account as a day of salvation, that seeks to take advantage of the occasion.
The manager dealt shrewdly when he did not delay.
For the sons of the world, of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.
Even with God, the sons of Light are often profoundly unwise.
They say as the manager, I'm too ashamed to beg.
It is hard to come and ask forgiveness yet again for the thing that I've asked forgiveness for many times before.
If I have failed again, I'd rather avoid God.
I want to forget about what I've done.
I wanna make myself better and do something good so I can tell God about that when I finally dare approach God again.
Or maybe I try to pray earnestly, eagerly for a long time about something else as if I could be more pious and purify myself before God because I'm ashamed to beg.
They do not want to be completely
empty-handed when I come to beg for a gift of grace.
This is absurd.
What possible benefit can come from letting the sin grow old?
Nothing.
Except that maybe it becomes a false account, half forgotten, smeared over by lame excuses, hidden behind pious works.
This is the one thing you should not.
do with your sins.
Before the Lord, you do not need to be ashamed to beg.
We should be ashamed of our sin.
We can never be ashamed enough for our sin.
But thanks be to God, the forgiveness of baptism does not depend on your shame.
But you should not be ashamed to beg.
Because to beg forgiveness from Jesus means to go the way that God himself has designated to believe in the sun.
Come to the sun or take in the sun.
Remain with the sun.
You should not be ashamed of that.
It's God's way of overcoming our sin to drown in the redeeming love of Christ and at the same time to awaken our love.
So he also does with the Lord's Supper.
What shall I do?
I shall not make any illusions for myself.
I shall not attempt any meaningless way out.
I shall account for my management and recognize that I wasted the abilities, grace, the extended time of repentance God has given to me.
I shall not be ashamed to beg, but go to my father who says, give me your debts.
Okay, what's written down here?
A thousand talents.
You can't pay that.
Let's erase them completely.
I have paid for you.
That's what we shall do.
Blessed is he who does this.
Amen.
And may the peace that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen.
You stand.
you
for the whole church of God and Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Gracious Father, you show mercy to us poor sinners.
Lead us to acknowledge your mercy with gratitude that in turn we may be quick to show mercy to others.
Give us a right understanding of our own weaknesses and frailty.
Preserve us from pride and lead us instead to cling to Christ and his forgiveness.
Lord, in your mercy.
Almighty God, you entrust your people the abundant wealth of Christ's salvation in your word and sacraments, blessed pastors that they may be faithful stewards of these mysteries, and grant that your people would make proper use of your means of grace and rejoice in your salvation.
Lord, in your mercy.
Amen.
Lord of all, you bestow your riches on all who call upon you, blessed parents with all wisdom as they teach their children your ways.
that all in the household may confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord, Lord in your mercy.
Amen.
O God, you save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
Give true wisdom to the people of our nation and humility to those who act and decide for our governance.
And let the lamp of your perfect word and way enlighten their faith and deeds.
Lord in your mercy.
Faithful Lord, preserve those who are suffering temptation in any affliction, especially Vicki, Lynn, Anita, Daryl, Lois, Lewis, Marlis, Tim, Greg, Grant, Doris, Matthew, Megan, Melissa, Mark, Ethel, Dave, Peter, Fred, Harold, Joan, Jaden, Rick, Thorfinn, Lacey, Marilyn, Marlene, George, Ann, Dawn, and Florence.
Make clear to them the way of escape.
that they may be able to endure it and stand firm through faith in Jesus Christ.
Lord, in your mercy.
Amen.
Merciful God, give true repentance and faith to those who commune this day, that they may eat Christ's body and blood for the forgiveness of their sins and in the unity of a true confession.
Lord, in your mercy.
Amen.
Give us patience and tribulation, O Lord, and restore to us the joy of your salvation.
Comfort the weeping with your loving kindness and soul the grieving with the hope of the resurrection and help us to live in harmony with one another.
Lord, in your mercy.
Lord God, heavenly Father, you have blessed us bountifully and given us daily bread.
We implore you, preserve us from all covetousness and enliven our hearts to share your gifts willingly with our brothers in need, that we may be found faithful stewards of your gifts and abide in your grace when we are.
removed from our stewardship and come before your judgment through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
the Lord be with you.
Lift up your hearts.
Let us give thanks unto the Lord our God.
It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and at all places give thanks to you, Holy Lord, Almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who on this day overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection, opened to us the way of everlasting life.
Therefore, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify your glorious name, ever more praising you and saying.
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.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread.
And when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat.
This is my body, which is given for you.
This do in remembrance of me.
In the same way also, he took the cup after supper, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, drink of it, all of you.
This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins.
This do as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
Thank you for tuning in to the Divine Service at Zion Lutheran Church in Chippewa Falls.
May the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
If you have any prayer requests, please let us know.
You may call us at 715-723-6380 or stop by and visit 110 East Grand Avenue in Chippewa Falls.
If you're looking for a church home, we'll gladly tell you more about Zion or help you find a congregation near you.
These broadcasts are paid for by generous gifts made to our radio fund
If you'd like to contribute, click the Give tab on our website, ZionLCMSCF.org, or send a check to Zion Lutheran Church Radio Fund, 110 East Grand Avenue, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, 54729.
Zion is a member of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Center.
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