Worship Plan for Sunday, September 13, 2026
Lectionary 24
Proper 19
16th Sunday after Pentecost
ELW Holy Communion Setting Six
God’s Work, Our Hands Sunday
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Gathering
Announcements
Prelude
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, who pours love into our hearts and healing upon the earth.
Amen.
Confident that God justifies us by grace through faith, let us confess our sin.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Compassionate God,
we confess that we struggle to embody your goodness in the world and in our own hearts. Creation groans from overuse. Jealousy and bitterness strain our relationships. Indifference keeps us from seeking justice. Divisions disrupt your call to show genuine love to others. Turn our hearts back to you. Restore our world and reconcile us to one another. Renew us to live as your holy people, following the way of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Hear this good news: We have peace with God through ☩ Jesus Christ, in whom there is no condemnation, but only forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. Receive freely this healing gift of grace.
Amen.
Gathering Song As We Gather at Your Table (ELW 522)
Music in the public domain. Text © 1989 Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
1 As we gather at your table,
as we listen to your word,
help us know, O God, your presence;
let our hearts and minds be stirred.
Nourish us with sacred story
till we claim it as our own;
teach us through this holy banquet
how to make Love's vict'ry known.
2 Turn our worship into witness
in the sacrament of life;
send us forth to love and serve you,
bringing peace where there is strife.
Give us, Christ, your great compassion
to forgive as you forgave;
may we still behold your image
in the world you died to save.
3 Gracious Spirit, help us summon
other guests to share that feast
where triumphant Love will welcome
those who had been last and least.
There no more will envy blind us
nor will pride our peace destroy,
as we join with saints and angels
to repeat the sounding joy.
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.
(10:30 ONLY) Canticle of Praise (ELW p. 167)
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain,
whose blood set us free to be people of God.
Power, riches, wisdom, and strength,
and honor, blessing, and glory are his.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Sing with all the people of God,
and join in the hymn of all creation:
Blessing, honor, glory and might
be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia.
For the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign.
Alleluia.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Prayer of the Day
O Lord God, merciful judge, you are the inexhaustible fountain of forgiveness. Replace our hearts of stone with hearts that love and adore you, that we may delight in doing your will, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Word
First Reading: Exodus 14:19-31
A reading from Exodus.
19 The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. 20 It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. 24 At the morning watch the Lord, in the pillar of fire and cloud, looked down on the Egyptian army and threw the Egyptian army into a panic. 25 He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. 29 But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.
30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm: Psalm 114
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord. (Ps. 114:7)
1 Hallelujah! When Israel came | out of Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people | of strange speech,
2 Judah became God’s | sanctuary
and Israel | God’s dominion.
3 The sea beheld | it and fled;
Jordan turned | and went back.
4 The mountains | skipped like rams,
and the little hills | like young sheep. R
5 What ailed you, O sea, | that you fled,
O Jordan, that | you turned back,
6 you mountains, that you | skipped like rams,
you little hills | like young sheep?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence | of the Lord,
at the presence of the | God of Jacob,
8 who turned the hard rock into a | pool of water
and flint-stone into a | flowing spring. R
Second Reading: Romans 14:1-12
A reading from Romans.
1 Welcome those who are weak in faith but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. 2 Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. 3 Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat, for God has welcomed them. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on slaves of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
5 Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. 6 Those who observe the day, observe it for the Lord. Also those who eat, eat for the Lord, since they give thanks to God, while those who abstain, abstain for the Lord and give thanks to God.
7 For we do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 Why do you pass judgment on your sibling? Or you, why do you despise your sibling? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.”
12 So then, each one of us will be held accountable.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation (ELW p. 171)
Alleluia. Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia.
Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35
The holy gospel according to Matthew.
Glory to you, O Lord.
21 Peter came and said to [Jesus,] “Lord, if my sibling sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.
23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him, 25 and, as he could not pay, the lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him by the throat he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your sibling from your heart.”
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Children's Time
Sermon
Hymn of the Day God's Work, Our Hands (ACS 1000)
Text © 2019 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, admin. Augsburg Fortress. Music © 1968 Augsburg Publishing House, admin. Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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.
BLESSING OF HANDS FOR MINISTRY
We are called to proclaim the good news:
God is at work!
This good news is not left in some history long ago or a place far away:
God is at work in the world still today!
In us and through us, God is glorified in our work. When we offer a helping hand, God is praised. When we share of our abundance, God is known in the world.
God is at work in us!
In our service today and in our daily lives, let us live out what God has called us to in baptism.
God is at work through our hands!
Here the assembly is invited to hold hands.
God bless your hands and your work,
that through you God’s love may be known.
Prayers of Intercession
Reminded of God’s gracious and abundant love, we offer our prayers, confident that God hears us.
A brief silence.
Move your church throughout the world away from judging and despising others toward embodying the forgiveness you have given us in Jesus. Remind us that we are yours. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
The endless beauty of your creation reminds us of your mercy. Protect those who care for fields and ranches. Guide those who lead us to wonder at your creation. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Raise up leaders like John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, who we remember today, to hold all in authority accountable for any misuse of the power entrusted to them. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Calm the fears of all in need with your promises. Compassionately free the lives of any who feel bound by their failures. Remember your children in need (especially…). Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Ground this congregation in the welcome you show us in forgiving our sin. Inspire each of us to welcome others for your honor and glory. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
Your promise of forgiveness joyfully fills your promise of eternal life. Keep us in that joy as we remember (name/s, and) all those who have gone before us. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Grant the prayers we have spoken, what we have forgotten to speak, and whatever else you see we need for the sake of Jesus.
Amen.
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
(10:30 ONLY) Special Music
Meal
(10:30 ONLY) Offering
Let the vineyards be fruitful, Lord,
and fill to the brim our cup of blessing.
Gather a harvest from the seeds that were sown,
that we may be fed with the bread of life.
Gather the hopes and the dreams of all;
unite them with the prayers we offer.
Grace our table with your presence,
and give us a foretaste of the feast to come.
Offering Prayer
God of creation, you send rain and the earth springs forth abundantly. All blessings are from you; make us generous with what we have. Use our gifts, our abilities, and our hearts in service to you and in love to our neighbors, today and always.
Amen.
Great Thanksgiving
Dialogue
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 our thanks and praise.
(10:30 ONLY) Preface
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ; who on this day overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
(10:30 ONLY) Holy, Holy, Holy (ELW p. 173)
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
Lord God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Thanksgiving at the Table
Holy God, our Bread of life, our Table, and our Food, you created a world in which all might be satisfied by your abundance.
You dined with Abraham and Sarah, promising them life, and fed your people Israel with manna from heaven.
You sent your Son to eat with sinners and to become food for the world.
In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Remembering, therefore, his life given for us and his rising from the grave, we await his coming again to share with us the everlasting feast.
By your Spirit nurture and sustain us with this meal: strengthen us to serve all in hunger and want, and by this bread and cup make of us the body of your Son.
Through him all glory and honor is yours, Almighty Father, with the Holy Spirit, in your holy Church, both now and forever.
Amen
Lord’s Prayer
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.
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.
Invitation to Communion
Communion Distribution
(10:30 ONLY) Communion Song (ELW p. 174)
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
grant us peace, grant us peace.
(10:30 ONLY) Distribution Hymn When We Are Living: Pues si vivimos (ELW 639)
Tune in the public domain. Spanish text, stanzas 2-4 © 1983 Abingdon Press, admin. Music Services, Brentwood, TN; tr. © 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House, admin. Music Services. Arr. © Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
ENGLISH
1 When we are living, it is in Christ Jesus,
and when we're dying, it is in the Lord.
Both in our living and in our dying,
we belong to God, we belong to God.
2 'Mid times of sorrow and in times of pain,
when sensing beauty or in love's embrace,
whether we suffer, or sing rejoicing,
we belong to God, we belong to God.
3 Across this wide world, we shall always find
those who are crying with no peace of mind;
and when we help them, or when we feed them,
we belong to God, we belong to God.
SPANISH
1 Pues si vivimos, para el vivimos,
y si morimos para el morimos.
Sea que vivamos o que muramos,
somos del Senor, somos del Senor.
2 En la tristeza y en el dolor,
en la belleza y en el amor,
sea que suframos o que gocemos,
somos del Senor, somos del Senor.
3 En este mundo por doquier habra
gente que llora y sin consolar.
Sea que ayudemos o alimentemos,
somos del Senor, somos del Senor.
Distribution Hymn Goodness Is Stronger Than Evil (ELW 721)
Text from An African Prayer Book selected by Desmond Tutu, © 1995 by Desmond Tutu. Used by permission of Doubleday a div. of Random House, Inc. and Lynn C. Franklin Associates, Ltd. Music © 1996 Iona Community, GIA Publications, Inc., exclusive agent. 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. www.giamusic.com. 800.442.3358. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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.
Prayer after Communion
Sustaining God, with this bread and cup, you nourish us with mercy and abundant life. By your Spirit, send us from this table to serve a needy world. Make us living signs of your liberation, healing, and love, following the way of Jesus, in whose name we pray.
Amen.
Sending
Blessing
The God of love draw you into full accord and one mind, in the body of Christ Jesus.
Amen.
The God of hope grant you strength and joy in all circumstances through the interceding of the Spirit.
Amen.
The God of grace ☩ bless you now and forever.
Amen.
Sending Song Wonderful Grace of Jesus (TFF 184)
Text and music in the public domain.
1 Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin;
how shall my tongue describe it, where shall its praise begin?
Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free--
the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,
deeper than the mighty rolling sea;
higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain,
all-sufficient grace for even me;
broader than the scope of my transgressions,
greater far than all my sin and shame;
oh, magnify the precious name of Jesus,
praise his name!
2 Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching to all the lost,
by it I have been pardoned, saved to the uttermost.
Chains have been torn asunder, giving me liberty--
the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,
deeper than the mighty rolling sea;
higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain,
all-sufficient grace for even me;
broader than the scope of my transgressions,
greater far than all my sin and shame;
oh, magnify the precious name of Jesus,
praise his name!
3 Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching the most defiled,
by its transforming power I now am God's dear child.
Purchasing peace and heaven for all eternity--
the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,
deeper than the mighty rolling sea;
higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain,
all-sufficient grace for even me;
broader than the scope of my transgressions,
greater far than all my sin and shame;
oh, magnify the precious name of Jesus,
praise his name!
Dismissal
Go out in joy. Be led forth in peace.
Thanks be to God.
Postlude
Who was that in the prayers?
John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, died 407
John was a priest in Antioch and an outstanding preacher. His eloquence earned him the nickname "Chrysostom" ("golden mouth"). Appointed bishop of Constantinople, seat of the empire, he criticized corruption in the court. As a result, he was exiled by the empress.
Copyright Information
As We Gather at Your Table. Music in the public domain. Text © 1989 Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
God's Work, Our Hands. Text © 2019 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, admin. Augsburg Fortress. Music © 1968 Augsburg Publishing House, admin. Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Goodness Is Stronger Than Evil. Text from An African Prayer Book selected by Desmond Tutu, © 1995 by Desmond Tutu. Used by permission of Doubleday a div. of Random House, Inc. and Lynn C. Franklin Associates, Ltd. Music © 1996 Iona Community, GIA Publications, Inc., exclusive agent. 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. www.giamusic.com. 800.442.3358. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
When We Are Living: Pues si vivimos. Tune in the public domain. Spanish text, stanzas 2-4 © 1983 Abingdon Press, admin. Music Services, Brentwood, TN; tr. © 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House, admin. Music Services. Arr. © Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Wonderful Grace of Jesus. Text and music in the public domain.
Liturgy and liturgical music from sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright © 2026 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Used by permission.