WELCOME…!

Please join Immanuel Lutheran’s Worship Service on Sunday, July 31, 2022 at 10:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time (US and Canada). Pastor Carol Been will lead the Holy Communion service. Pr. Carol has been an amazing shepherd to us. We are ever thankful to her for her service during this interim time. Please have bread and wine/juice available if you want to receive communion in your home as we gather together. A zoomed Coffee Hour will follow immediately after the service. Join us…! All are welcome.

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GATHERING

In the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Most merciful God,

we confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen

Almighty God, in his mercy, has given his Son to die for us and, for his sake, forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (read together)

Benevolent God, you are the source, the guide, and the goal of our lives. Teach us to love what is worth loving, to reject what is offensive to you, and to treasure what is precious in your sight, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

WORD

FIRST READING: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23

The teacher of wisdom who wrote Ecclesiastes sees that working for mere accumulation of wealth turns life into an empty game, a “vanity of vanities.” Nevertheless, he asserts in the next verse, it is good to find enjoyment in one’s work because such enjoyment is a gift from God.

 ²Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher,
  vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
¹²I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, ¹³applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. ¹⁴I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
 ^2:18I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me ¹⁹—and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. ²⁰So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, ²¹because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. ²²What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? ²³For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.

Word of God, word of life.     Thanks be to God.

PSALM: Psalm 49:1-12 (sung responsively)

 ¹Hear this, ^| all you peoples;
  give ear, all you who dwell ^| in the world,
 ²you of high de- ^| gree and low,
  rich and ^| poor together.
 ³My mouth shall ^| speak of wisdom,
  and my heart shall meditate on ^| understanding.
 ⁴I will incline my ear ^| to a proverb
  and set forth my riddle up- ^| on the harp.
 ⁵Why should I be afraid in ^| evil days,
  when the wickedness of those at my ^| heels surrounds me,
 ⁶the wickedness of those who put their trust in ^| their own prowess,
  and boast of ^| their great riches?
 ⁷One can never re- ^| deem another,
  or give to God the ransom for an- ^| other’s life;
 ⁸for the ransom of a life ^| is so great
  that there would never be e- ^| nough to pay it,
 ⁹in order to live forev- ^| er and ever
  and never ^| see the grave.
 ¹⁰For we see that the wise die also; like the dull and stu- ^| pid they perish
  and leave their wealth to those who come ^| after them.
 ¹¹Their graves shall be their homes forever, their dwelling places from generation to ^| generation,
  though they had named lands af- ^| ter themselves.
 ¹²Even though honored, they cannot ^| live forever;
  they are like the ^| beasts that perish.

SECOND READING:  Colossians 3: 1-11

Life in Christ includes a radical reorientation of our values. Just as the newly baptized shed their old clothes and put on new garments, so Christians are called to let go of greed and take hold of a life shaped by God’s love in Christ.

¹So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, ³for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
 ⁵Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). ⁶On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. ⁷These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. ⁸But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. ⁹Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices ¹⁰and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. ¹¹In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

Word of God, word of life.     Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation (sung)

Alleluia. Lord, to whom shall we go?
you have the words of eternal life. Alleluia.

GOSPEL:  Luke 12: 13-21

Glory to you, O Lord. (sung)

In God’s reign, the “rich will be sent away empty.” Jesus uses a parable to warn against identifying the worth of one’s life with the value of one’s possessions rather than one’s relationship with God.

¹³Someone in the crowd said to [Jesus,] “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” ¹⁶Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. ¹⁷And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ ²⁰But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ²¹So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ. (sung)

HOMILY

APOSTLE’S CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

Trusting in God’s extraordinary love, let us come near to the Holy One in prayer.

A brief silence.

O God, you are wholeness. Where there is division in your church, bring reconciliation and healing. Guide the work of theologians, Sunday school teachers, seminary professors, and all who provide instruction for the building up of your church. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

O God, you are the source of all life. Where creation cries out in distress, bring relief and renewal. Bless farmers, ranchers, distributors, and all who provide our food. Nourish the land and all its habitants. Bring relief to drought-stricken and flooded regions in our country and the world. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

O God, you are wisdom. Where nations and communities yearn for peace, bring justice especially in Ukraine. Strengthen those who toil for the welfare of others, especially military personnel, police, first responders, and activists, and for the healing of the nations. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

O God, you are life. Where your people are overwhelmed with the busy-ness of life, bring encouragement. Accompany all who experience emotional, mental, or physical distress. Comfort all who are dying or grieving especially those with COVID here and around the world, those who care for the sick, those suffering lingering effects of the virus, and those in regions with limited access to vaccines. Renew us at your table of mercy. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

O God, you are our treasure. Where scarcity and anxiety pervade your church, bring abundance and vitality. Guide the work of church councils and committees and give them clarity for the work of ministry at Immanuel, especially Dine and Connect and CRECE. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

Here other prayers & petitions may be offered either silently or aloud. Please unmute yourself to speak.

O God, you are resurrection. We give you thanks for all your saints. Inspire us by their example of faithful living to set our minds on things above and to be rich in love toward you. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

Receive the prayers of your children, merciful God, and hold us forever in your steadfast love; through Jesus Christ, our holy Wisdom.

Amen.

COMMUNION

Today as we receive communion at home, please have bread and wine available. After the Prayer of Institution and Lord’s Prayer, Pastor Meg will invite us to partake of the body and blood of Christ.

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise.

The Proper Preface: It is indeed right and salutary…

SANCTUS (sung)

Holy, holy, holy Lord.
Lord God of power and might:
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Prayer of Institution

LORD’S PRAYER

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.

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.

Invitation to Communion

Post Communion Prayer

We give you thanks, Almighty God, that you have refreshed us through the healing power of this gift of life; and we pray that in your mercy you would strengthen us, through this gift, in faith toward you and in fervent love toward one another; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

SENDING

Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless us now and forever. Amen.

PEACE AND DISMISSAL

The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

SENDING HYMN: LBW 559 Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing

1. Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!

2. My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all the earth abroad
the honors of your name.

3. The name of Jesus charms our fears
and bids our sorrows cease,
sings music in the sinner’s ears,
brings life and health and peace.

4. He breaks the pow’r of canceled sin;
he sets the pris’ner free.
His blood can make the foulest clean;
his blood avails for me.

5. To God all glory, praise, and love
be now and ever giv’n
by saints below and saints above,
the church in earth and heav’n.

Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788, alt.