Bulletins | St Matthew's Lutheran Church Marion NC

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St. Matthew's Lutheran Church

A Congregation of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod

241 West Court Street

Marion, NC 28752

828-659-1060

November 16, 2025

Sunday Worship – 10:30

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Your Redemption Is Near

Prelude “The Advent of our King” - organ– Jan Bender

Holy Communion Invitation: The Apostle Paul writes: "The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? The cup that we drink, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 10:16) St. Paul writes this because of Jesus’ words at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20). Therefore, as we come to the Lord's table today, we are not merely eating bread and drinking wine. In, with, and under these elements we receive the very body and blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. This incredible gift helps empower us not only to hear God's Word but to live according to it.

If you truly believe this; if you are a baptized child of God, have examined yourself and are truly sorry for your sins; if you believe that Jesus Christ is your only Lord and Savior from all sin, Satan, and death, and resolve to dedicate your life to Christ and His Body, the Church, by regular worship, loving service, and Christ-like living, then come with confidence to the Lord's table to receive the gifts of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

As We Gather

One of the great mysteries of the Christian faith can be summed up in the word “near.” “Near” can indicate something that is almost here but hasn’t yet arrived. And at the same time, “near” can point to something already with us, like those “near and dear” to our hearts. The word “near” resounds with feelings of the here and now and the not quite yet. Today in worship, Your Savior, Jesus, is near! He is present in the here and now, delivering grace upon grace. And He is on His way, bringing the fullness of His freedom. Praise the God who comes near in Jesus Christ, our Lord!

Welcome - Announcements, Birthdays, and Anniversaries

Pastor: As we begin our service, let us remember our commitment to God by reading our Mission Statement together.

Mission: St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church is called by God to witness and proclaim to all people through words and deeds the great love of God and the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ for salvation.

X PREPARATION X

Stand

Opening Hymn “Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies” LSB 873

Invocation Matthew 28:19b

Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.

People: Amen.

Confession and Absolution 1 John 1:8-9

Pastor: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

People: But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Pastor: Let us confess our sins to God our Father.

People: 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 justly 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.

Pastor: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, has had mercy upon us and given to us His only Son to suffer and die for our salvation. 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 X Son and of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

People: Amen.

XWORDX

Introit Psalm 121:1–2, 5, 7–8; antiphon: Luke 21:33

Pastor:       Heaven and earth will pass away,
People:     but my words will not pass away.
Pastor:       I lift up my eyes to the hills.
People:     From where does my help come?
Pastor:       My help comes from the Lord,
People:     who made heaven and earth.
Pastor:       The Lord is your keeper;
People:     the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
Pastor:       The Lord will keep you from all evil;
People:     he will keep your life.
Pastor:       The Lord will keep your going out and your coming              in
People:     from this time forth and forevermore.
All:             Glory be to the Father and to the Son
                   and to the Holy Spirit;
                   as it was in the beginning,
                   is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Pastor:       Heaven and earth will pass away,
People:     but my words will not pass away.

Kyrie

Pastor: Lord, have mercy on us.

People: Lord, have mercy on us.

Pastor: Christ, have mercy on us.

People: Christ, have mercy on us.

Pastor: Lord, have mercy on us.

People: Lord, have mercy on us.

Hymn of Praise "Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow" LSB 805

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Paise Him above, ye heav'nly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen

Salutation and Collect of the Day

Pastor: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Pastor: Let us pray.
Redeeming Lord Jesus Christ, at Your name bows every knee in heaven and on earth. In Word and Sacrament, draw near to this holy gathering, that in forgiveness and faith, Your people might confess You as Lord, be sanctified for good works, and be prepared to meet You when You come again, for You live and reign with the Father and the Spirit, one God, now and forever.

People: Amen.

Sit

Old Testament Reading Malachi 4:1–6

¹ “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. ²But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. ³And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.

⁴“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and just decrees that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

⁵“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. ⁶And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

Psalm Psalm 98; antiphon: v. 9b

Lector:        ¹Oh sing to the Lord a new song,
People:      for he has done marvelous things!
Lector:        His right hand and his holy arm
People:      have worked salvation for him.
Lector:        ²The Lord has made known his salvation;
People:      he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the     nations.
Lector:        ³He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
People:      to the house of Israel.
Lector:        All the ends of the earth have seen
People:      the salvation of our God.

Lector:        ⁴Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
People:      break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Lector:        ⁵Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
People:      with the lyre and the sound of melody!
Lector:        ⁶With trumpets and the sound of the horn
People:      make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

Lector:        ⁷Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
People:      the world and those who dwell in it!
Lector:        ⁸Let the rivers clap their hands;
People:      let the hills sing for joy together
Lector:        ⁹before the Lord, for he comes
People:      to judge the earth.
Lector:        He will judge the world with righteousness,
People:      and the peoples with equity.

Epistle 2 Thessalonians 3:1–13

¹Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, ²and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. ³But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. ⁴And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. ⁵May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

⁶Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. ⁷For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, ⁸nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. ⁹It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. ¹⁰For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. ¹¹For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. ¹²Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

¹³As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.

Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

Stand

Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the twenty-first chapter.

Holy Gospel Luke 21:5–36

⁵While some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, [Jesus] said, ⁶“As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” ⁷And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” ⁸And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. ⁹And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”

¹⁰Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. ¹²But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. ¹³This will be your opportunity to bear witness. ¹⁴Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, ¹⁵for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. ¹⁶You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. ¹⁷You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. ¹⁸But not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹By your endurance you will gain your lives.

²⁰“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. ²¹Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, ²²for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. ²³Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. ²⁴They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

²⁵“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, ²⁶people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

²⁹And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. ³¹So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ³²Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. ³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

³⁴“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. ³⁵For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶But 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.”

first chapter.

Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Sit

Hymn of the Day: “When Peace, like a River” LSB 763

Sermon

Stand

Creed Nicene Creed

People:     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     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 X of the world to come. Amen.

Prayer of the Church

Pastor: If there are any special prayer requests today, please bring them before the Lord at this time.

Special requests from the congregation

P (response after each request) Lord in Your mercy,

C (response after each request) hear our prayer.

Pastor: Redeemed in the Lord, we go to our God with our thanks, praise, and petitions, in the name of the Father Xand of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

People: Amen.

Pastor: Before Your throne, O Lord, we have an advocate: Jesus Christ, the Righteous. Grant to us the perfect peace of knowing He pleads for us and for our world.