11/8/2020 - Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost - Full Worship Service

good morning everyone uh what a blessing it is uh to see each and every one of you here at church and uh for those at home uh thank you for uh joining in this morning god's blessings to you this day uh today is november 8th 2020 the 23rd sunday after pentecost uh today our our roving theme is watchfulness uh what are we saying uh what are we fixating upon how are we preparing in this life why don't we begin uh this morning please rise as you are able for confession and absolution in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit 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 let us confess our sins to god our father most merciful god we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean 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 we just deserve your present and eternal punishment 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 and his mercy has given his son to die for you and for his sake forgives you all your sins as a call 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 amen in peace let us pray to the lord lord have mercy for the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the lord lord have mercy for the peace of the whole world for the well-being of the church of god and for the unity of all let us pray to the lord lord have mercy for this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the lord lord have mercy help save comfort and defend us gracious [Music] lord this is the feast a victory for our god hallelujah hallelujah worthy is christ the lord who was slain whose blood set us free to be people of god [Music] a victory for our god [Music] hallelujah [Music] this is a victory for our god hallelujah [Music] creation blessing on a glory and might be to god and the lamb forever [Music] for our [Music] has begun [Music] the lord be with you let us pray lord god heavenly father send forth your son to lead home his bride the church that with all the company of the redeemed we may finally enter into his eternal wedding feasts through the same jesus christ our lord who lives and reigns with you in the holy spirit one god now and forever amen please be seated let us continue with our readings this morning uh our first reading from the old testament book of amos chapter 5 verses 18 to 24 woe to you who desire the day of the lord why would you have the day of the lord it is darkness and not light as if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall and the serpent bit him is not the day of the lord darkness and not light and gloom with no brightness in it i hate i despise your feasts and i take no delight in your solemn assemblies even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings i will not accept them in the peace offerings of your fattened animals i will not look upon them take away from me the noise of your songs to the melody of your harps i will not listen but let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream this is the word of the lord thanks be to god let's continue with our responsive reading of the psalms psalm 70. make haste oh god to deliver me oh lord make haste to help me let them be put to shame confusion you seek my life let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire my hurt let them turn back because of their shame who say aha aha may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you may those who love your salvation say evermore god is great but i am poor and needy hasten to me o god you are my help and my deliver o lord do not delay glory be to the father and to the son and of the holy spirit as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever amen the epistle reading this morning is from first thessalonians chapter 4 verses 13 to 18. but we do not want you to be uninformed brothers about those who are asleep that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope for since we believe that jesus died and rose again even so through jesus god will bring with him those who have fallen asleep for this we declare to you by a word from the lord that we who are alive who are left until the coming of the lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep for the lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command with the voice of an archangel and with the sound of the trumpet of god and the dead in christ will rise first then we who are alive who are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the lord in the air and so we will always be with the lord therefore encourage one another with these words this is the word of the lord thanks be to god please rise as you are able amen the holy gospel according to saint matthew the 25th chapter glory to you oh lord jesus said the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom five of them were foolish and five were wise for when the foolish took their lamps they took no oil with them but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps as the bridegroom was delayed they all became drowsy and slept but at midnight there was a cry here is a bridegroom come out to meet him then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps and the foolish said to the wise give us some of your oil for our lamps are going out but the wise answer is saying since there will not be enough for us and for you go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves and while they were going to buy the bridegroom came and those who were ready went in and with him to the marriage feast and the door was shut afterward the other virgins came also saying lord lord open to us but he answered truly i say to you i do not know you watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour this is the gospel of the lord praise to you o christ please be seated i know we have uh liam out there in the parking lot so liam and all you children at home this is your time and uh god's blessings to you this day and i uh i guess we have a little uh we have some pictures that are coming back here but uh for those that are at home and for liam uh god's blessings to you this day i hope all is well uh but today we're gonna talk about what it means to prepare and you know i know at school at least when i went to school they always wanted you to prepare what for an emergency right they always told you to bring that gallon size ziploc bag with what do they tell you to bring all these emergency things just in case what just in case something happens now at home i don't know about you guys but do you guys have earthquake preparedness kits raise your hand oh so i'm not alone oh sort of i i don't know what sort of means but uh maybe some water if we're lucky yeah right oh wow i thought i was like the only we're all in this together so we're all not helpful to one another just in case there was an earthquake anyways kids kids you should prepare anyways uh that's the point of this story but uh uh i thought it was only me anyways uh so what do we prepare in in case of an earthquake or any type of emergency well right here we have uh canned food right we need food so we we prepare food for ourselves uh what else we need we we always need liquid to hydrate ourselves we need water so of course we have some water there for us but also what is that we have a first aid kit just in case we need a band-aid i'm just in case we get hurt we have this medical kit to get us well now i guess when we ask ourselves uh we prepare a lot of things in this life not just for earthquakes but for many different things now when we read the bible today god tells us to do what to be watchful to be ready to be prepared now what is jesus saying about how to be prepared is he saying to take the first aid kit and the cans and and the water bottles and and all the things of this world i think a lot of times for us our way to prepare is simply to listen to the word not just any word but when we hear the word what do we always hear at the end of the day we receive the words of god and that word is the gospel right that word keeps our eyes open to what is true what is life saving what saves us from our sin and as we hear god's word time and time again there our eyes are focused on our lord and what he has done for us every single day every single sunday we hear that very word that points us back to who we are as children of god and every day we're prepared in what our baptism as god has called you it says right there in the readings it says i do not know you but god knows you because of your baptism he knows your name because you were baptized into christ and there as you get older you're prepared through the word and also holy communion where god meets you and joins you and feeds you he is very body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins being prepared is not what you do but it's what christ has done for you and i pray this day children that every single day of your life you very well know and are certain that jesus is your savior go now in god's peace amen let us pray daily father we we thank you for this day o lord we thank you for your word bless these children always in the what true faith as they keep their eyes on you bless them lead them and guide them in the truth the truth that sets them free in christ alone we pray all this in jesus name amen amen let's continue with our hymn of the day him 516. [Music] is [Music] rejoices [Music] to meet the bridegroom [Music] is [Music] thou [Music] the wedding [Music] we gather round [Music] oh [Music] the sermon for the 23rd week after pentecost is from the gospel of saint matthew chapter 25 verses 1 to 13 the sermon is entitled prepared watchfulness grace mercy and peace from god our father and our lord and savior jesus christ amen watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation mark chapter 14 verses 38 be sober minded be watchful your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour first peter 5 8 be watchful stand firm in the faith act like men and be strong first corinthians 16 13 but watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down by or with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap but stay awake at all times praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the son of man luke chapter 21 verses 34 to 36 and finally in our gospel reading this morning watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour yes the question is what are you watching in this time and place what are you fixating your eyes upon what are you meditating upon what are you preparing for what is it you are preparing for now watchfulness is an important theme in our parable of the ten virgins another kingdom of god parable which shows us how god well how he works who he is and what is to happen when he is to come but also a time to prepare for his coming the scene is set with 10 virgins who were awaiting the bridegroom the picture of us the churches christ is our bride five identified as what foolish while the other five described as wise and what was the difference what was the distinction between the foolish and the wise in our parable well obviously it says the foolish did not bring the oil for their lamps while the wise brought extra flasks in order to prepare to be prepared for that very lamp to endure and when midnight came what happened who was ready for the bridegroom the wise well they were their eyes their watchfulness was prepared because it's all about watchfulness as we wait in the now and then not yet for us faithful christians in the scriptures we we read so many stories about people's watchfulness whether it is wise or even foolish right i mean the israelites their eyes were open not to god in his word but to their stomachs to their flesh to their grumbling and complaining and for joseph his wisdom was what his eyes were on the word and promise of god for the pharisees what was their watchfulness their own way their own holiness their own self sufficiency and yes how foolish this is so what are you watching this day ask yourself that really sincerely humbly what are you focus focusing upon this day what is the apple to your eye that is an idiom by the way isn't it cindy the apple to the eye that's an idiom i think i think for the world we know their view of foolishness and wisdom is vastly different than our view of foolishness and wisdom isn't it it's interesting to think about foolishness and wisdom you think that all of us humans would think in the same way about what this foolishness and wisdom is but that is not so for the world what is their wisdom what is their prepared watchfulness it's everything of the here and now in this world confined to this world where wisdom is defined by this world thus the world what will they do in their perceived wisdom they will prepare preparing their own security and the focus upon the very things that will fill their cup and there's so many apples to the eye aren't there the world sees these very things these idols as their source of wisdom an inevitable path of self-trust in one's own perspective opinion and feeling and yes the world will puff out their chest with great pride saying i can do this myself the foolishness is one who does not depend on self that foolishness is the cross foolishness is the christ and his word his law and his gospel i want no part of that because that is all foolish or so the flesh in the world and the devil will tell you yeah go write your own book go write your own way your own law and gospel this is wisdom according to the world yes our old adam the pride of self we love our own watchfulness our own disbelief our own idolatry how we love to be so self-sufficient all of us but for us today here we are really seeing what true foolishness and wisdom is according to god in his word you know the law is written on our hearts we very well know that foolishness is one who trusts in self foolishness is one who seeks refuge in the idols of this world foolishness is one who seeks security in man rather than god foolishness is one who lives by a compromised word of god picking and choosing rather than simply submitting to what the word of god says sorry and this is the great temptation isn't it tension is there constantly as we as christians endure in the face as we run the race watchful being alert being on guard staying awake ensuring this pandemic how easily our eyes close as we fall asleep to the word of god now this is the struggle and the devil works non-stop he he's distraction turns us from the living word of god closing our eyes to this very word and soon enough we tell ourselves i have all the time in the world i am going to live as i please right now god can wait i'm too busy with all of my priorities in life and those things i'm watching but yeah when it comes to god and his word well i'm going to do what i desire i think for all of us we are guilty of this because it's so easy to fall to this way because we're sinners there's no way around it is there how our eyes veer so impatient so fickle so panicky so quick to fixate on everything but god's word and for what it says for those that are at home i ask you as well where do your eyes fixate i think similar to our children's message this morning well i guess i wrote here we are so quick to prepare for emergencies i guess that wasn't the case i don't know if i should say that in my kind of ruin my point here but uh hypothetically speaking uh we are so quick uh to prepare for emergencies aren't we i mean for the pandemic for disasters we we see the toilet paper flying off the shelves i don't every time i go in the store they always show you a list of what is kind of low on the supply and you are reminded how people are starting to prep prep and prep more well because that's what their eyes tell them to be watchful and prepared i think that's how we are too in this world we're so keen on the things of this world and we too fall to that whole path and thus we see in the parable those that were ready were invited in and those that were scurrying in the end to find more oil what happened the door shut the lord said i do not know you you do not know the time and place friends i don't know and you don't know we need to ask ourselves in this precarious time where here where are your priorities what are what are you really preparing for are you storing up grain houses so that at the end of the day you can eat drink and be merry what are you preparing for are you sewing up all your works all these merits to solidify your place in god's kingdom what are you preparing for are you bowing down to the idols that control you and dictate your line leading you away from christ and his word are you spinning your wheels as you simply live in this world i ask these questions because we know our flesh jesus says watch and pray lest you fall into temptation the spirit is willing but what the flesh is weak it is in our weakness that we live in these gray and latter days where they're in faith we are vigilant watchful faithfully discerning every breathing moment in the word and that's why here and right now all of you who are here all of you who are at home it is such an important time to receive to receive the word of god not just any word but the word that points to you what prepares you and that is christ the noise of the world the noise of the world is there the wisdom is being thrown about in your hearts and minds to distract and turn you so chaotic it becomes that in the midst of all of its foolishness here we are together in god's word as we hear hear and receive in our heart and mind our ears and all of our senses as we are redirected back to what our true watchfulness is and that is christ hebrews 12 looking to jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of god as we hear the word we are looking to jesus because this is what the word is there is no other to which we look because he is the one who gives us the abundant gift of salvation hearing and receiving jesus not just any jesus but the christ the cross who gives to you the blood sacrifice who washes away your sins and purifies you and reconciles you to god the word that points you to that watchfulness of that very cross nor the lens no other word points you to the lamb of god but only god and his word and here we find our wisdom not in self not in platitudes not in the world but rather in the midst of our own sin it's in the one outside of us his very word who took upon the shame and sorrow the burden and guilt and all of your sin that's what that's what it's so great to hear god's word i don't know about you but after a long week to get together and to hear what is true through all the foolishness to receive and meditate the joy of what christ has prepared for you in his finished work who has delivered you the forgiveness of sins just think about that because nothing of this world no matter how much you watch in this world nothing could prepare you in this way but only calvary only our lord who is faithful to the end to his death to his empty tomb and here we have the victory where the grave has lost its sting and by his very word by his very promise we are here victorious in the resurrection yes prepared watchfulness time and time again through all things we flee to god's word to hear and receive the comforting words that jesus is the christ the son of the living god that indeed he is your victor we have the victory we have the crown of life all by the righteousness that has been given to you this world will not tell you this but god's word does watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour this is true who knows the day nor the hour but what we do know is the christ this is our faithful watch what he has done for you what he has accomplished for you what he has defeated for you what he has won for you this is who you are forgiveness your salvation your keys to eternal life given to you by the word of god how blessed you are you are prepared don't you see your eyes are wide open this god is with you he's always with you all by his very word amen may the peace of god which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in christ jesus amen please rise as you're able as we him seeing him number eight hundred and five [Music] lord for offering for those who are here the the plate is on the table back there but for those at home please take the time to offer online or drop it off at church or mail it to us so as we continue to give remember we give joyfully knowing that everything every absolutely everything comes from our lord uh what a blessing that is to rejoice in all that he gives let us continue uh with our confession of faith and the apostles creed i believe in god the father almighty [Music] maker of the virgin mary suffered under pontius pilate was crucified by his appearance the third day he was attended from the dead he at the right right is of the god of the father almighty and then he will come to judge the living and the dead i believe in the holy spirit the holy christian church the communion of saints the forgiveness of sins the [Music] in one voice let us pray 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 [Music] please be seated this time let us continue with the prayers of the church before we begin are there any particular prayers we would like to ascend this day for my son chad he's got one more and then also for ryan velvet continued prayers for betty bargman one of our shut-ins who was recently hospitalized continued prayers for janelle and she is recovering uh from her uh she fell in um hurt her arm so continue prayers for janelle lamaster also i recently married beck uh she fell and broke her shoulder i know it's her uh 90th birthday tomorrow so uh thanks be to god that she is safe and she is slated for a full full recovery so that's that's definitely a a blessed relief so let's get to you continue with the prayers of the church lord you are our help and deliver and to you we bring the prayers and petitions of your people you may grant to us all things good and needful guard us against all things evil and harmful that the lord will rule over the darkness and shine his light over all the earth that those from many nations may be united as one people through baptism and live together in faith by the power of the holy spirit let us pray to the lord lord have mercy that the lord will grant us wisdom and courage that we may be prepared at all times to receive him when he comes in his glory and that we may not be distracted by earthly glories that fade away or dissolution by earthly disappointments which will come to an end let us pray to the lord lord have mercy that the lord would give courage to all pastors as they preach and teach the word of the lord that all those who here may believe and that believing they may live in righteousness and godliness before the world be kept to the day when christ returns as lord and judge of all let us pray to the lord that the governments of the world and our leaders would act justly and with mercy that we may be sparred from war and violence that we may use wisely and for the lord's glory his gift of liberty and the abundant blessings he has poured out on our land let us pray to the lord that the lord would give aid and comfort to the sick the suffering and those in their last days lord we pray for those who are afflicted this day uh continued prayers uh for for chad to bless him and may his last appointment in his chemo lord may may it all go well with him oh lord bless him in body and soul and guard him from any physical danger or but also bless bless him in faith lead him o lord in the comfort of your eternal promises that through all things that you are the author and perfecter of faith grant chad your peace and lead them always o lord in your word continue prayers for betty as she is hospitalized be with her comfort her and grant her your enduring faith as she faces yet another trip to the hospital bless her in your patience and may your light shine upon her this day continue prayers for janelle as she is recovering from a recent fall bless her o lord and and grant her your joy knowing full well that you are always with her until the end of the age may her recovery be swift so that she may get get back on her feet also could do prayers for mary beck as she also has endured a fall thank you o lord for keeping her safe this day but through all things your grace is sufficient that you have given her bodily protection and that you have kept and sustained her this day bless her o lord the leader always in the watchfulness of your word thank you o lord for bob and anita for keeping them safe in the midst of an accident thank you for blessing them and leading them and caring for them in body and soul uh grant bob a continued recovery from his knee surgery and uh be with him and any of this day also continued prayers for ryan talbot and family as he continues to deal with great sickness and bless him o lord and lord may your will be done and may you grant this family your peace your promise and your eternal care let us pray to the lord lord have mercy that we find a home within the house of the lord here on earth that we may rejoice in the lord's word and sacraments by which we are brought to faith and nurtured in this faith that we may be sustained in the days of waiting serving the lord in anticipation of his return let us pray to the lord that the lord may hear and answer the prayers of his people and that we may be content with his answer trusting in his fatherly will and wisdom to grant us all that we need and all that will profit our salvation let us pray in the name of our savior jesus christ our lord amen amen please rise as you're able let us bless the lord thank you god the lord bless you and keep you lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you the lord grant you his favor and give you his peace amen let us close with our hymn hymn number 515 [Music] he leaves [Music] is all rising and soon his drawing night i'll pray and watch the cry the watchers on the mount can proclaim the bridegroom near go forth as he approaches with the alleluias feast is waiting the gates wide open stand the riser wares of glory a bright room is at hand [Music] shall live and reign around the throne of glory the lamb they shall behold in triumph [Music] foreign [Music] as the lord says love you love the lord your god with all your heart and your mind and with all your strength love your neighbors as yourselves and remember this day prepared watchfulness that your watchfulness is christ and what he has done for you for you this is where your eyes fixate for you you are forgiven of all your sins and you have the keys to eternal life what a great victory that is as we run the race go now in god's peace please be seated quickly i know uh the scheduling of these last couple three weeks have been a little off but uh this upcoming week we are back to normal so uh devotions online and and wednesday service wednesday bible study uh we will continue on um in the book of galatians it's been a while uh the book of croatians not that i didn't know that chris all right uh but uh the book of galatians uh we're almost done with the book i think we have a couple more weeks but it's never too late to join so please join us on zoom at 10 a.m and 7 45 pm on wednesday i'm also a vesper service at seven o'clock before that at night so be there if you are able as we are ever watchful by the word of god um also um i know this week i've been uh touting on facebook this this book called christ and calamity and uh yeah this is a a devotion we're gonna go through in the month of november um i we have these here they're they're in my office i know uh they don't cost too much uh we got a pretty good deal on them so if you're interested in having a copy uh come to me and we will we will have a video devotion on this it's 11 chapters uh this was written right at the beginning of it and uh i know the author harold senpai he's wrote many good lutheran books he he's actually dealing with covet himself so um but he's doing good he's doing good he's he's on his road to recovery and that is good but this is an 11 chapter devotion um and um i really hope that you can join me as i've read through it and it's a lot of good stuff that pertains to what we are facing in this present time so i encourage everyone if you need a copy come to me um and i will give you one and hopefully as a congregation we can walk together in this time of calamity as it says right here grace and gratitude in the darkest valley and uh what a great joy that is so join me christ in calamity talk to me if you need a book all right um other than that uh for those uh for those who are online interested in communion hours uh that will be from 11 30 to 12 30 today and for all of you here um after the video is done we will have communion but um i think that's it all right well god's blessings to you this day and may you go in god's peace blessings you

Channel: Faith Lutheran Church

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Keywords: worship service, christian, lutheran, church, moorpark, pentecost, sunday

Id: MOIyh0qTuvU

Length: 51min 57sec (3117 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 08 2020