THE TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST JULY 31/AUGUST 1, 2010
“CONNECTING PEOPLE TO JESUS AND TO
ONE ANOTHER TO SERVE THE WORLD”
Meaning vs. Meaninglessness
“Meaningless! Utterly meaningless!!” says Solomon over and over again as he writes the book of Ecclesiastes. God’s good gifts of wisdom, work and pleasure all become meaningless when we leave God out of the picture. The forceful focus of our worship service today is that the material things treasured by so many people have no lasting value. Jesus reinforces this theme with His parable about the rich fool. As new people in Christ Jesus, Paul says we are to put to death what is earthly and instead set our minds on things that are above. Let us all focus our minds and hearts on Jesus in this hour of worship – and all through the coming week!
Holy Communion
Holy Communion is being celebrated today. It is the belief of the
(An asterisk (*)
before the hymn number indicates it is one of
PRELUDE
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND GREETING
OPENING HYMN:
“How Great Thou Art” *Hymn #801
THE INVOCATION
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
THE CONFESSION OF SINS AND
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS
Let us pray: Father of mercies and God of all consolation, come to the aid of Your people, turning us from our sin to live for You alone. Give us the power of Your Holy Spirit that we may attend to Your Word, confess our sins, receive Your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of Your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Redeemer.
Amen.
(Please kneel. During a time of silence, you may confess
specific sins of which you are aware.)
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Let us confess our sins to God our merciful Father:
Gracious God, Your gifts to us have been so
abundant that we have often let those gifts take Your
place in our hearts. We have worshiped
things instead of You.
We have put our trust in Your gifts rather than
in You, the Giver. We have laid up for
ourselves treasures on earth, and ignored the real treasure of Your love and grace.
For all our sins of selfishness, misplaced trust, thanklessness, and
many offenses against You, we are truly sorry. We ask
for Your forgiveness for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Set your minds, therefore, on the things that are above!
Amen.
THE HYMN OF PRAISE:
“Joyful, Joyful We Adore
Thee” *Hymn
#803
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray: Almighty God, judge of us all, You have placed in our hands the wealth we call our own. Give us such wisdom by Your Spirit that our possessions may not be a curse in our lives, but an instrument for blessing; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
(Please be
seated)
THE OLD TESTAMENT
2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."
12 I, the Teacher, was king over
18 I hated all the things I had toiled for
under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise
man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have
poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my
toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then
he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is
meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which
he labors under the sun? 23 All his days
his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is
meaningless.
24 A man can do nothing better than to eat
and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand
of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find
enjoyment?
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26 To the man who pleases him, God gives
wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of
gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.
This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
THE EPISTLE
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on
things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on
earthly things. 3 For you died,
and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears,
then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs
to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and
greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of
these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all
such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from
your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have
taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in
the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is
no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or
free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
THE ALLELUIA VERSE:
THE HOLY GOSPEL IS
ANNOUNCED:
The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke the twelfth chapter.
THE GOSPEL: Luke 12:13-21 (Jesus warns against laying up earthly
treasures for ourselves by telling the parable of the rich fool.)
13 Someone in the crowd said to him,
"Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." 14 Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter
between you?" 15 Then he said
to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's
life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
16 And he told them this parable: "The
ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, `What shall I do? I
have no place to store my crops.'
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18 "Then he said, `This is what I'll do.
I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my
grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say
to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up
for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
20 "But God said to him, `You fool! This
very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have
prepared for yourself?'
21 "This is how it will be with anyone
who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
THE CHILDREN’S MESSAGE Pastor David Brighton
THE HYMN OF THE DAY: “My
Hope Is Built on Nothing Less” *Hymn
#575
THE MESSAGE “Chasing After the Wind” based on Ecclesiastes 1:2, 14-14, 2:18-26
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, begotten, 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 sits 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 worshipped 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.
THE PRAYERS: After each petition, the Worship Leader will say, “Lord in Your mercy,” and the congregation will respond, “Hear our prayer.”
THE GATHERING OF THE TITHES AND OFFERINGS
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++ For Personal Reflection ++
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”
(1 Timothy 6:6-8)
OFFERTORY: “Praise and Thanksgiving” (Hymn #789)
Praise and
thanksgiving, Father, we offer,
For all things
living, created good:
Harvest of sown
fields, fruits of the orchard,
Hay from the mown fields,
blossom and wood.
Father, providing
food for Your children,
By Your wise guiding teach us to share
One with another,
so that, rejoicing
With us, all others
may know Your care.
THE ORDER OF HOLY COMMUNION
THE PREFACE
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.
Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth. In mercy for our fallen world You gave Your only Son, that all those who believe in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. We give thanks to You for the salvation You have prepared for us through Jesus Christ. Send now Your Holy Spirit into our hearts, that we may receive our Lord with a living faith as He comes to us in His Holy Supper.
Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus!
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 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.
THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION
THE SHARING OF THE PEACE
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.
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THE
DISTRIBUTION (The center cup in each tray is white grape juice for
those allergic to alcohol
or pregnant moms.)
THE DISTRIBUTION HYMNS: “I
Come, O Savior, to Thy Table” *Hymn #618
“O Savior, Precious Savior” *Hymn #527
“Son of God, Eternal Savior” Hymn #842
THE POST-COMMUNION PRAYER
Gracious God, our heavenly Father, You have given us a foretaste of the feast to come in the Holy Supper of Your Son’s body and blood. Keep us firm in the true faith throughout our days of pilgrimage that, on the day of His coming, we may, together with all Your saints, celebrate the marriage feast of the lamb in His kingdom which has no end; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
THE BENEDICTION
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.
Amen.
THE CLOSING HYMN: “Savior, Again to Thy Dear
Name We Raise” *Hymn
#917
A MOMENT FOR SILENT PRAYER
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THE POSTLUDE
Divine Service, Setting One from Lutheran Service Book © 2006
Concordia Publishing House. Reprinted with permission.
Divine Service Two, First Setting from
Lutheran Worship © 1982 Concordia Publishing House. Reprinted with permission.
All scripture quotations are
from The Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright © 1984 by International
Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder ©
2006 Concordia Publishing House.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dedication Sunday is next Sunday, August 8th at 9:30 am. We will gather by the main entrance and proceed to dedicate our new library, nursery and classrooms to God’s glory! There will be plenty of refreshments and fellowship, so don’t miss it!
Rally Day! We will also celebrate Rally Day next Sunday. Right after the dedication ceremony, everyone is invited to the Education Wing for an Open House to see the classrooms and how our children’s ministry is set up. All parents and children from 5th grade on down should plan to attend, and if you haven’t been down to the Education Wing in a while, this will be a treat!
Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting Ceremony – On Monday, August 9th we will have a ribbon cutting ceremony with participation by the Chamber of Commerce at 4:00 pm. It would be great to have lots of our members present for this event!
This week’s Altar Flowers are provided by Laura Haas in loving
memory of Glenn Haas and by Barbara & Jim Morey praising God for the recent
birth of two grandsons – Lucas Hilton Morey and Cole Michael Rogers.
School Share Volunteers! Social Ministry Board will assemble SCHOOL SHARE packets Tuesday evening beginning 6 p.m. until we get it done. Come when you can that evening to the fellowship hall and help pack. We also thank everyone who freely gave cash and kind donations, well over 160 packs of goodies. Please set additional donations in the plastic box under the narthex display table. Booth set up and handout volunteers, please PRINT your contact phone numbers and names on the sign up sheets at the table. – Cindy Hinkle
Church Wide Ice Cream
Social—August 15 - You
are invited to an old-fashioned Ice Cream Social after the late services on
August 15th. Please join us
on the Annex lawn at 12:30 for a hot dog lunch, and then create an amazing ice
cream Sundae with toppings galore. Also,
since many of our ChristCare leaders and group members will be present, it
would be the perfect time to see where you can plug into this exciting
ministry. Bring your towel and/or lawn
chair and join us for fun, fellowship and an edible masterpiece. Rain location—Fellowship
Hall. Questions? Please see one of the ChristCare Equippers - Andy
Adsit, Dale and Jeannie Hawkins or Eric and Tammy Jenkins. We’ll see you there!
The Ladies Guild will
start meeting again tomorrow, August 2nd in the Michael Fellowship Hall at 10:00 am.
Hope to see everyone there - bring new ideas.
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DON’T FOR GET THAT BOARDS
MEET AT 6:30 PM THIS COMING TUESDAY!!
Updated Church Directory
in PDF Format –
Because of the multitude of changes to our membership, both new members and a
recent dropping of members who have moved on, I have made a new PDF copy of the
Church Directory. If you’d like to have
this, just send me an e-mail (mt-cal@watsononline.net) and I’ll attach a copy
and send it to you. If it sounds interesting but you don’t know what PDF format
it, just call for an explanation of the process (or ask a computer-literate
friend) – Jack (Your Friendly Church Secretary)
The price of Altar Flowers has gone up. We now have to pay more to our florist, so we need to raise the price we ask you to pay when you sign up to buy a bouquet for the altar. The new price is $25.00. The flowers on the altar are there for the glory of God and to beautify the church. They represent sacrifice and therefore must be live flowers. It is a privilege to be able to glorify God, remember loved ones and honor birthdays, anniversaries, etc. There is NO money in the budget for these flowers. If one of the lines on the flower chart is not filled in, it adds $25.00 to our deficit. It is important to put your money in the “Flower Fund” envelope or put “Altar Flowers” on the memo line on your check or on the “Other” line on your church envelope. This is to let the tellers know the money is to pay for altar flowers.
Like to Play Volleyball? We’re trying to find out if we have enough people who want to play so we can field a team. There will be an “Interest Meeting” in the sanctuary classroom at 9:30 am on Sunday, August 8th. Just show up, or, if you have questions, contact Tian Foss at 953-1178.
Life
Quote – “The Good News
of a crucified and living Savior does not trivialize human struggles—the
struggles of women, of problem pregnancies, of difficult situations. It speaks to them! The Good News defeated death and brings real
love and compassion and neighborliness to bear in dealing with human struggles
in very personal and practical ways.
Life, not death, is our source of help and hope.” Rev.
Dr. James I. Lamb, executive director of Lutherans for Life. (This “Life Quote” is from Lutherans For Life – www.lutheransforlife.org)
Back to School Supplies – Our congregation is going to give out
school supplies to needy children at the Houston Healthcare Family Fair on
Saturday, August 7th, from 10 am – 2 pm at the Galleria Mall. We need lots of school supplies donated. Call Cindy Hinkle (333-6751) for more
information.
"Take Me Out to the Ballgame!" Come and join
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Karen
Johnson, who is recovering
from shoulder surgery.
Jerry Eschke, Margaret McLaughlin’s son, who will be
undergoing an angiogram on August 4th.
Erika Swaim (Marcia Brighton’s mom), who is receiving
continued treatment for an infection in her intestine and recovery following
knee surgery.
Anita
McIntyre, who is
recovering from surgery on her Achilles tendon.
Kim
Gourley, who will be
having surgery on her neck soon.
Linna
Nielsen, who has a lung
infection.
Andrew Dierking, who is recovering at home from a broken leg and lung problems.
Keep in your prayers: Bobby Wolfe, Jo Ann Smith, Charles Hickman
(Allen’s father), Carol Combs, Marie Hufstepler (friend of the Beahms) Bill Wallace (brother of Karen Harmon &
Susan Wallace), Marie Gregersen (Karen Harmon’s friend), Scott McIntyre, Donna
Boyt and her young children Rachel and Jonathan
(friend of Karen Harmon and Rosa Foskey’s granddaughter), Nell Tallent, John Hoar, Teresa Paquet,
Betsy Luppino, Joe Hill (Cynthia Nelson’s father), Ruth Loohn (Connie
Kinsey’s mom), Kim Gourley, Gordon
Nelson (DJ’s father), Carol Quednow, Wilma Fishbeck, Naomi Clark (friend of Pat
Hickman), Betty Kroeger (Nancy Hoar’s mother), Jean Dimeler, Paul Rider,
Michelle Brighton, Annamarie vonDebschitz, John Lewis (Julie Dimes’ father),
Sam Meador (neighbor of Sue Glaser), Sonya Popken and Gail Calhoun (Sonya
Popken’s mom), that help may be found for their continuing health problems.
All those battling cancer,
including Leslie Lorenz (friend of Riley & Mary Hood), Edna Tucker (Yvonne
Knight’s mom), Sharon Counselman (Darron’s mom), Lois Harter, Anne Engle, Beth
Mastenbrook, Danny Grube, Jan Hatcher (co-worker of Linda O’Donnell), Barbara
Arnold (Cindy Schafer’s sister), Sam Jackson, Bruce Oswalt (Krystal Ferguson’s
father).
Michael Welch, Jonathan
Fetchik, Mike Waters, Christian Corbitt, Drew Daniel, Durand Tanner, Ryan
Walker, Ryan Jacobs, Lee Brinson, David Fitzgerald, Mark Dawson, Michael
Brummage, Gil Holcomb, Brandis Holcomb & John McIlvoy for safety and good
health as they serve our country in dangerous areas.
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SERVING US TODAY
PREACHER: Pastor
David Brighton. LITURGIST: Vicar Nathan
Misch. ELDERS: John Hunter (Sat 7
pm). ORGANISTS: Joseph O’Berry
(Sat) & Debi Cole (Sun). ACOLYTES: Maya Kesler (Sat 7 pm), Ian LeBorious (8 am)
& Tyler Julson (10:45 am). USHERS:
Early – Jack Morse, David Rossman, Roger Shaw, Bob Yeager, Richard
Uitto & Brent Durbin. Late – Mike Hopf, Bill Zeuner, Bruce Bauman, Dave Harter, Michael
Mailes & Frank Burkhardt. ALTAR GUILD: Sherry Parsons, Sally Brinkley, Pat Stetzler and
Barbara Locke. LAY READERS: Barbara Pirkle
(7 pm), Sharon Dawson (8 am) & Christi Haas (10:45 am).
SERVING US NEXT WEEK
ACOLYTES:
Cameron Mastenbrook (Sat 7 pm), William
Fishbeck (8 am) & Daniel O’Brien (10:45 am). ALTAR
GUILD: Rosie Cowan, Marjorie Hogan, Wilma Fishbeck & Carolyn Burnam. GREETERS: Barbara Locke (8 am) & Gary & Beverly
Webb (10:45 am). LAY READERS: Pruett Burge (7 pm), Linda Shaw (8 am), D. J. Nelson
(10:45 am) & Dave Radcliff (11 am).
Next
Week’s Readings
Genesis 15:1-6 and Hebrews 11:1-16
ATTENDANCE LAST WEEK
Saturday – 44 Early – 78
Late – 142 Contemporary – 39 Total - 303
THIS WEEK AT MOUNT CALVARY
Today 6:30 pm TAG Night
Monday 10:00 am Ladies
Guild
4:00 pm Red
Cross in Annex
6:20 pm Evangelism Callers
Tuesday 11:45 am Prayer Group (Bride’s Room)
6:30 pm Boards
7:30 pm Elders
Wednesday
9:30 am Morning Glories
12:15 pm Prayer Group
Thursday 10:00 am Ladies Bible Study
Friday
6 – 10 pm Middle School Party
Next Sunday Rally Day Open House
9:30 am “Catch the Vision” Dedication
6:30 pm Youth & Parents Planning Meeting