LCA & NZ Synod Sunday Word and Prayer

God welcomes usGrace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

From Ephesians 1:2-4

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Let us confess our sins in the presence of God and of each other.

We confess to you, almighty God,before the whole company of heaven, and to each other,that we have sinned in thought, word and deed, by our own fault.Have mercy on us, for Jesus’ sake, forgive us all our sins,and bring us to eternal life. Amen.

May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon and forgiveness of all our sins.

Amen.

We sing a hymn/song

Psalm 34:15-22The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be

condemned.

The Lord be with youAnd also with you.Let us pray

God of our Lord Jesus Christ,You have placed all things under Christ's feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.Open the eyes of our hearts, and give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may know him better.In the name of Jesus.

Amen.

God speaks to usEpistle Reading Ephesians: 6:10-20 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

This is the word of the LordThanks be to God.

Gospel ReadingMatthew 9:35-10:1 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

This is the gospel of the LordPraise be to you, O Christ.Thank you, Lord Jesus,for giving people power to do good in your name.Help us not to cause any believers to stumble. Amen

We sing a hymn/song

We listen to the address

We confess our faithI believe in God, the Father almighty,maker of heaven and earth.And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.

He descended into hell.The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty, from thence he will come 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.

* ‘catholic’ here meaning 'universal'

God receives our offeringWe sing a hymn/song as our offering is received

We pray an offering prayer Thank you, loving God,for uniting us with Christand with one another.Lead us to help and pray for each other,and to live our lives in praise to youand in service to all in need. Amen.

We pray for ourselves and the world

Response:Lord Jesus: hear our prayer

The Lord’s PrayerOur 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. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

Go in peace. Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.And the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us always.

Amen.

We sing a hymn/song