4^th Sunday after Pentecost

July 6, 2025, 9:30 a.m. in the Chapel and on Facebook Live

Classic Communion Service 

We honor the Kumeyaay Nation, on whose ancestral lands we have made our home.

Holy Communion will be part of this service. Here at Gethsemane we practice open communion, meaning all who believe in the power of Jesus Christ to bring salvation are welcome to join in. In our Lutheran understanding, both sacraments—Baptism and Holy Communion—are best conducted among the gathered assembly. If you are present on this live-stream, you are present in our assembly. The body of Christ is not limited by place or time, so even if you are on the replay of this service, you are part of our assembly. Any bread and any wine or grape juice will do. If you are celebrating as a family or group, please feel free to break the bread into the right number of portions or have a separate piece for each person. Same with the cup. You may have one cup for all or each member gathered uses a separate cup. We believe the Christ is fully present in both Word and Sacrament, in both the bread and the wine/grape juice so if you only have one or the other, or even if you refrain from communion, you are not missing out on the grace of God. We understand both the Word and Sacraments as the means of grace. Remember it is not the type of bread or wine, nor is it the quantity, but it is your faith in taking the elements that is the window for the Holy Spirit to enter your life.

In the interactive part of the liturgy, the leader’s part is in regular text. The people’s response is in bold. All people are welcome to sing along with the songs where the lyrics are printed.

GATHERING

WELCOME

                       “Come, All You People”               ELW #819

1    Come, all you people, come and praise the Most High;

      come, all you people, come and praise the Most High;

      come, all you people, come and praise the Most High;

      come now and worship the Lord.

2    Come, all you people, come and praise the Savior;

      come, all you people, come and praise the Savior;

      come, all you people, come and praise the Savior;

      come now and worship the Lord.

3    Come, all you people, come and praise the Spirit;

      come, all you people, come and praise the Spirit;

      come, all you people, come and praise the Spirit;

      come now and worship the Lord.

Text: Alexander Gondo; tr. I-to Loh, b. 1936, alt.

Text © 1986 World Council of Churches, Geneva, Switzerland, and the Asian Institute of Liturgy & Music, notation and English paraphrase by I-to Loh.

 

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

In the name of the Father,

and of the ☩ Son,

and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

We belong to Christ Jesus

and we are God’s children through faith.

In the cross of ☩ Christ,

and through the power of the Holy Spirit,

our sins are forgiven.

Clothed with Christ, we are a new creation.

Baptized into Christ, we dare to confess how we have failed to live as the body of Christ.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Merciful God,

you free us to love others,

but we neglect our neighbors and follow our own way.

You lead us by the Spirit of joy and peace,

but we turn away from the abundant life you offer.

You surround us with patience, kindness, and generosity,

but we grow weary in doing what is right.

In your mercy, forgive us.

Do not give up on us.

Heal us. Break our bonds.

Show us the path of life and give us the will to follow.

Amen.

GREETING

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

O God, you are the city that shelters us, the father who comforts us, the mother who guides us. With your Spirit accompany us on our life’s journey, that we may spread your peace in all the world, through your son Jesus, the Christ, our Savior. Amen.

WORD

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE 

            “Goodness Is Stronger than Evil”                    ELW #721

 

Goodness is stronger than evil;

love is stronger than hate;

light is stronger than darkness;

life is stronger than death;

vict’ry is ours, vict’ry is ours,

through God who loves us.

Vict’ry is ours, vict’ry is ours,

through God who loves us.

Text from An African Prayer Book selected by Desmond Tutu, © 1995 by Desmond Tutu. Used by permission of Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc., and Lynn C. Franklin Associates, Ltd.

 

LUKE 10:1-11, 16-20

Jesus commissions his followers to go where he would go and do what he would do. Risking

hardship and danger in exchange for the experience of great joy, they offer peace and healing as

signs that the reign of God is near.

“God’s Work, Our Hands”                       ACS #1000

1    God’s work, our hands: working together,

      building a future, repairing the world,

      raising up homes, planting new gardens,

      feeding the hungry and shelt’ring the cold.

      Bless, God, our hands as we work in your name,

      sharing the good news of your gospel.

2    God’s work, our feet: trav’ling together,

      following Jesus to places unknown,

      walking as friends, marching for freedom,

      running the race with God’s future the goal.

      Bless, God, our feet as we follow your way,

      sharing the good news of your gospel.

3    God’s work, our voice: singing together,

      praising, proclaiming to all who will hear,

      praying for peace, shouting for justice,

      claiming God’s love for the lost and the least.

      Bless, God, our voice as we speak in your name,

      sharing the good news of your gospel.

4    God is at work in and around us:

      seedlings are sprouting and bread’s on the rise!

      Washed and set free, humbled and honored,

      gifted by grace, we respond in God’s love.

      Bless, God, our lives as we answer your call,

      sharing the good news of your gospel.

Text: Wayne L. Wold, b. 1954

Text © 2019 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, admin. Augsburg Fortress

 

SERMON                                                                                                       Pastor Karla

 

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Prayer Response:

Come now, you people, and see the works of God.

How awesome are God’s deeds. (Psalm 66:5)

MEAL

OFFERING OUR GIFTS FOR THE MISSION AND MINISTRY OF GOD’S CHURCH

We have prayed. We have sung.  We have heard the Word. Now, being thankful for the ministry we are called to do, we are invited to offer ourselves; our time, talents and treasure in faithful witness of the good things God has done for us and in confidence that our worship extends beyond this place and time. Your financial contributions are gratefully accepted to further the life and ministry of Gethsemane Lutheran. Thank you.

 

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER AND WORDS OF INSTITUTION

 

LORD’S PRAYER 

And now, join me in praying as Jesus taught us…

All: Our 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.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

now and forever.

Amen.

DISTRIBUTION

POST COMMUNION BLESSING

SENDING

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

BLESSING

                                    “O Beautiful for Spacious Skies”          ELW 888

1          O beautiful for spacious skies,

            for amber waves of grain,

            for purple mountain majesties

            above the fruited plain:

            America! America!

            God shed his grace on thee,

            and crown thy good with brotherhood

            from sea to shining sea.

2          O beautiful for heroes proved

            in liberating strife,

            who more than self their country loved,

            and mercy more than life:

            America! America!

            May God thy gold refine,

            till all success be nobleness,

            and ev’ry gain divine.

3          O beautiful for patriot dream

            that sees beyond the years

            thine alabaster cities gleam,

            undimmed by human tears:

            America! America!

            God mend thine ev’ry flaw,

            confirm thy soul in self-control,

            thy liberty in law.

Text: Katherine L. Bates, 1859-1929

OUR DECLARATION OF MISSION

You are the body of Christ.

We are the body of Christ in the world!

So go in peace

To explore the faith

Live in peace

To express our faith to others

Share the peace

By inviting others to join us on this journey.

WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST IN THE WORLD, SO GO IN PEACE. LIVE BY THE SPIRIT. THANKS BE TO GOD!  

Confession and Forgiveness, Reading synopsis, and Prayer of the Day from Sundays and Seasons. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Please visit our Web site at www.augsburgfortress.org. All music is used with permission under CCLI #3225965.

Isaiah 66:10-14

Those who returned from the exile found that the hopes for the glorious restoration of Judah were not completely fulfilled. For these disappointed people, the prophet envisions salvation in the image of a nursing woman. Mother Jerusalem and a mothering God remind the community how they are sustained and supported.

Psalm 66:1-9

All the earth bows down before you and sings out your name. (Ps. 66:4)

Galatians 6:1-16

In the close of his letter to the Galatians, Paul encourages them to live as people made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Here Paul offers practical advice about how believers exercise common concern for one other in “the family of faith.”