~ Mark 10:27

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Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, whose teaching is life, whose presence is sure, and whose love is endless.

Let us confess our sins to the one who welcomes us with an open heart.

God our comforter:

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. By the gift of grace in ☩ Christ Jesus, God makes you righteous. Receive with glad hearts the forgiveness of all your sins.

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

The Lord be with you.

Let us pray. Almighty and ever-living God, increase in us your gift of faith, that, forsaking what lies behind and reaching out to what lies ahead, we may follow the way of your commandments and receive the crown of everlasting joy, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

First Reading Amos 5:6-7, 10-15

⁶Seek the Lord and live,

or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire,

and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.

⁷Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood,

and bring righteousness to the ground!

¹⁰They hate the one who reproves in the gate,

and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.

¹¹Therefore because you trample on the poor

and take from them levies of grain,

you have built houses of hewn stone,

but you shall not live in them;

you have planted pleasant vineyards,

but you shall not drink their wine.

¹²For I know how many are your transgressions,

and how great are your sins—

you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,

and push aside the needy in the gate.

¹³Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;

for it is an evil time.

¹⁴Seek good and not evil,

that you may live;

and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,

just as you have said.

¹⁵Hate evil and love good,

and establish justice in the gate;

it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,

will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Word of God. Word of life.

 ¹²So teach us to number our days

that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.

¹³Return, O Lord; how long will you tarry?

Be gracious to your servants. 

¹⁴Satisfy us by your steadfast love in the morning;

so shall we rejoice and be glad all our days.

¹⁵Make us glad as many days as you afflicted us

and as many years as we suffered adversity.

¹⁶Show your servants your works,

and your splendor to their children.

¹⁷May the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us;

prosper the work of our hands; pros- per our handiwork. 

Gospel   Mark 10:17-31

 ¹⁷As [Jesus] was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ¹⁹You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’ ” ²⁰He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” ²¹Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” ²²When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

 ²³Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

 ²⁸Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” ²⁹Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, ³⁰who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. ³¹But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

The peace of Christ be with you always.

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy... we praise your name and join in their unending hymn:

hallowed be thy name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

as we forgive those

who trespass against us;

but deliver us from evil.

and the power, and the glory,

The body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.

Let us pray. Lord of life, in the gift of your body and blood you turn the crumbs of our faith into a feast of salvation. Send us forth into the world with shouts of joy, bearing witness to the abundance of your love in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Go in peace. You are the body of Christ.

Postlude

Many hands gathered last Sunday to pack fabric and health kits for Lutheran World Relief. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with the planned outdoor project, so weather permitting, we will gather Sunday, October 17 at 12:30 at the Webster Museum to do some staining and other projects around the property. Please plan to join in this time of service and fellowship. This is a combined effort with St. Martin and Bethlehem Lutheran Churches. You can make a difference!

Everyday paper items are always needed by hospice houses. Webster Comfort Care and Pines of Peace in Ontario are two homes in the area we will be helping out. Immanuel will collect rolls of toilet paper and paper towels October 3 and 10. This is a small way to support these wonderful facilities serving so many families. A collection box is located in the downstairs entryway. Please bring toilet paper or paper towels on Sunday, October 3 and 10. Thank you for your support in this ministry!

Have you ever gone through the day on autopilot and wondered what happened to the day? Having really no recollection of the happenings, feelings, the beauty and love all around us? God's presence? Well, you are not alone. While it is in the nature of our mind to go on autopilot, our mind also holds the deep innate capacity to help us awaken to our moments and use them to our advantage, for others, and for the world we inhabit. This is mindfulness. In essence wakefulness. We call the cultivating of our own mind to bring it to wakefulness, meditation. Join us on October 11th at 7:00 pm for, "One Night Only" as we dip our toes or minds into the waters of mindfulness and meditation.

After a summer of getting out-and-about, visiting with family and friends, the adult class will meets today at 9:30. The class will continue the study, Introduction to the Gospels. Even if you didn’t participated in the spring, you are welcome to join the class—each gospel overview stands on its own. We will be starting with an overview of the gospel of Matthew, sharing the background and context for the writing of that gospel.

Join us on Sundays at 9:30, in person in the fellowship hall. Bring your favorite version of the Bible. Should you be more comfortable joining remotely, Zoom log-in is:

Meeting ID: 892 4142 0205

Passcode: 891269

or click the link below.

Wednesday morning Bible Study is in full swing again Wednesday mornings at 9:00. Each week we talk about the upcoming lessons for Sunday, digging more deeply into God’s story of love and grace. No prior bible study experience is necessary. Our mornings are filled with conversation, laughter, questions, and fun. Plan to be a part of this wonderful way to grow in our faith! We meet on Zoom.

Meeting ID: 854 6566 1417

Passcode: 987872

or click the link below:

If you would like to serve as an usher or greeter, reader, or communion assistant, please contact the church office and we will get you on the list!

We also need garden gnomes - or rather, some help with pulling the weeds to keep our gardens looking beautiful, and harvesting veggies for our farmstand beside the Little Pantry.

If you are able to help with any of these tasks, please contact the office.

God Whose Giving Knows No Ending, Text © 1961, ren 1989 The Hymn Society of America, admin. Hope Publishing Co.  Reprinted by permission under OneLicense #A-714459.