Faith Lutheran Church

REFORMATION DAY Set Free Do Not Fear: The Lord of Hosts Is with Us October 25, 2020... PRAYER OF THE DAY Let us pray. Almighty and gracious Lord, pour out Your Holy Spirit on Your faithful people. Keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, protect and deliver us in times of temptation, defend us against all enemies, and grant to Your Church Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. AS WE GATHER To the consternation of His opponents, Jesus announced that those who abide in His Word know the truth, which sets them free. And the truth, Paul points out in the Epistle, is that God has declared us justified, not guilty under His Law, because of His gracious gift of faith in Christ. That gift frees us from fearing God’s righteous wrath; we are confident that the Lord of hosts is with us. Sure of His presence and protection, we need not fear the forces of nature, the conflicts of people and nations, and the wiles of the devil. Rather, in all that we think, say, and do, we are free to respond to the angelic invitation we hear today: fear God and give Him glory . . . and worship Him who made heaven and earth (Revelation 14:7). FIRST READING Revelation 14:67 (An angel announces the time for judgment.) EPISTLE Romans 3:1928 (We need not fear the Law’s accusation, for we are justified by grace.) HOLY GOSPEL John 8:3136 (We are freed from slavery to sin; we are free indeed.) CLOSING SENTENCES Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while He is near; let the wicked forsake their ways, and the unrighteous their thoughts; Let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly return. Peace of the Lord be with us all. Amen. https://youtu.be/1IO1-Q51ToA

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. It also happens to be our beloved retired Pastor Schleef's birthday month (10/24). Due to COVID stay home orders and other circumstances, we haven't seen much of him since his retirement in early May. Today, after service the members of Faith Lutheran executed a little "drive by" birthday/appreciation celebration just to say... "We honor you, Dietrich Schleef! We appreciate the many years of service to Faith Lutheran and the Inglewood community and we wish you a very Happy Birthday!"

Did you see Pastor Anthony Foster deliver a powerful message on Conversations, Connections & Community? No? We'll post the link for the replay as soon as it's available! #MissionWest link posted in comments! Please watch, it was an awesome conference

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Here is the info for The Mission West Conference, please register for the event, even if you are unable to watch the live streaming. If you register you will receive the link to watch the event at a later date. Peace and Blessings, Pastor Anthony K Foster... Faith Lutheran Church, Inglewood CA PLEASE NOTE - Rev. Anthony K Foster will be doing a devotion during the conference. Click below to register. https://www.psd-lcms.org/missionwest

NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST At the Table of God...Conversations, Connections, Community October 11, 2020 PRAYER OF THE DAY... Pastor: Let us pray. Almighty and eternal God, You have called us in Christ to live as those who are joyfully assured of Your forgiveness and care. Grant us a full sense of being a community gathered together in Your love as we await the company of saints and angels in Your eternal kingdom. This we ask for the sake of Jesus, our Savior and our King. Amen AS WE GATHER Come to the table. In our daily experiences, there is no invitation that is more readily received and fully appreciated. To be at the table is to be assured of nourishment and refreshment. In Psalm 23, we are told of a table that is prepared under challenging circumstances. Yet, even there, the cup of God’s blessing overflows. Our gathering for worship and our coming to the Table of the Lord is a weekly experience of overflowing blessing filled with signs of God’s gracious presence. We rejoice that we are invited to His amazing table! OLD TESTAMENT READING Isaiah 25:69 (The Lord will bring salvation to His people.) EPISTLE Philippians 4:413 (Encouragement for joyful Christian living) HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 22:114 (The parable about the wedding feast) CLOSING PRAYER Almighty God, You invite us to trust in You for our salvation. Deal with us not in the severity of Your judgment but by the greatness of Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. People: Amen. https://youtu.be/hwChgqSX_us

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST In the Vineyard of the Lord Ready for God’s Harvest Day October 4, 2020... PRAYER OF THE DAY Let us pray. Lord God, You call us to work in Your vineyard. Supply us with diligence for tasks in Your kingdom, always rejoicing with those to whom Your Spirit has come; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. AS WE GATHER The vineyard is frequently used in Scripture to denote a special place in God’s creation. To have a vineyard and enjoy its fruit is a blessing. When the prophet Isaiah speaks of the goodness of the Lord, he says that God’s favored people shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit (Isaiah 65:21). Vineyards were planted with a fruitful harvest in mind. We are the Lord’s planting, and we eagerly await our harvest home. OLD TESTAMENT READING Isaiah 5:17 (The vineyard of the Lord is judged.) EPISTLE Philippians 3:4b14 (Paul witnesses to the congregation at Philippi.) HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 21:3346 (The parable of the tenants in the vineyard) CLOSING PRAYER O Lord, I see now in truth that all men have not faith. I believe, dear Lord, yet help my unbelief! You will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoldering wick, O Jesus, for You sit at the right hand of God, representing and interceding for me, that my faith may not die. Be the founder and perfecter of faith, that I may extinguish the fiery darts of the evil one. Let me believe, even though I do not see, and so obtain salvation. Amen. https://youtu.be/Ob82LjmM_rQ

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST What Do You Think? God’s Good Pleasure! September 27, 2020... PRAYER OF THE DAY Let us pray. Almighty God, You exalted Your Son to the place of all honor and authority. Enlighten our minds by Your Holy Spirit that, confessing Jesus as Lord, we may be led into all truth; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. AS WE GATHER We always want to know why. The rulers of the people wanted to know why Jesus was saying what He said and doing what He did. But Jesus challenged them with His Word and with the prophetic voice of John the Baptist. Why did they not listen, and why did they not repent? Why do we not listen and repent? Jesus told a parable of two sonsone whose words were yes but his heart was no, and the other whose words were no but whose heart said yes. We are called to listen. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and we shall be saved. OLD TESTAMENT READING Ezekiel 18:14, 2532 (The Lord takes no pleasure in the death of anyone, so turn to Him.) EPISTLE Philippians 2:118 (At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow.) HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 21:2332 (Which of the two did the will of his father?) CLOSING PRAYER Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. https://youtu.be/w31eeEEIH0c

FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST Completely Dependent The Penitent’s Posture September 6, 2020... PRAYER OF THE DAY Let us pray. O God, our gracious and loving Father, we are Your dependent children. Although we in no way deserve Your goodness, You freely offer Your grace to all who turn to You. Grant us faith to trust in Your Son, who humbled Himself for our salvation.We pray this through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. AS WE GATHER Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Jesus’ disciples asked. Our Lord responded by welcoming a child into His midst. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Children are highly valued by our gracious God because they are completely dependent. On their own, they have nothing, yet they need everything. This is true for all of us in our relationship with God! On our own, we have only our sinful, broken lives and are unable to please God and fulfill His commands. Yet, in Jesus Christ, we possess everything we need! Forgiveness of sins and the guarantee of life forever with God are freely given to those who turn from their sin and receive the forgiveness earned by our crucified and risen Savior. In Jesus, we are, like children, completely dependent. We have nothing to offer, yet everything we need is ours to receive from the gracious hands of our Savior. OLD TESTAMENT READING Ezekiel 33:79 (The watchman warns the wicked to turn from his way.) EPISTLE Romans 13:110 (Love is the fulfilling of the law.) HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 18:120 (Jesus calls the children of God to humility and repentance.) CLOSING PRAYER O Lord, because You desire and direct me to pray and come to You, therefore I come, bringing many reasons for prayer, particularly that which most hinders me and keeps me from You, which is my sin which weighs on me and oppresses me, that You might take it away from me and forgive me, through Jesus Christ. Amen https://youtu.be/7wEpSIz37NM

THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST Overcome Evil with Good A Love That Doesn’t Retaliate August 30, 2020 ... PRAYER OF THE DAY Let us pray. Almighty God, Your Son willingly endured the evil of sin and death at the cross for our redemption. Enable us to stand in the goodness of our Savior so that we are not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. AS WE GATHER In the quiet refuge of this sanctuary, it may be easy to forget that we live in a world that has been marred by sin, cursed by death, and filled with wickedness. Although we confront it every day, this very present evil will not overcome us. God’s desire is for us to be saved and delivered by His Son, Jesus, so that we are enabled to love, to live, and to overcome evil with good. In our worship service today, we receive the same Jesus who once overcame evil by carrying His cross to suffer for our salvation. Trouncing over all the evil we will ever face, our risen Savior lives to love, to bless, and to deliver us as His people. OLD TESTAMENT READING Jeremiah 15:1521 (The Lord gives His precious, saving words.) EPISTLE Romans 12:921 (With genuine love, overcome evil with good.) HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 16:2128 (Jesus calls His disciples to take up their cross and follow Him.) CLOSING PRAYER O Father and God of all comfort, grant us by Your Holy Word and Spirit, a firm, cheerful, and grateful faith, that we may blessedly overcome this and every distress and finally taste and see that it is true when Christ, Your beloved, Son, Himself says, Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Amen. https://youtu.be/F6YWXfp1kbY

TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST I Believe in the Holy Spirit Built on The Christ August 23, 2020 ... PRAYER OF THE DAY Let us pray. Almighty God, You inspired Peter to confess Jesus as the Christ, Your living Son. Keep Your Church firm on the rock of this faith, that in unity and peace the Savior will be proclaimed throughout the world until the end of time as the Holy Spirit works in the lives of Your people. This we ask through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. AS WE GATHER Acknowledging Jesus as the Christ is central to our confession of faith as individual Christians and vital in our worship as the gathered people of God. In our use of that divine title, we echo the words of the angel who spoke to the shepherds in the field outside of Bethlehem with the Gospel message, For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). We are blessed in knowing that Jesus, the Christ, is not only God in person in human form but that He is God for us. St. Patrick poetically spoke his confession with the words Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me. As we confess Jesus as the Christ this day, we are joining with saints and angels as well as with the sisters and brothers that surround us gathered for worship! OLD TESTAMENT READING Isaiah 51:16 (The salvation of the Lord will be forever.) EPISTLE Romans 11:3312:8 (We are one Body in Christ.) HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 16:1320 (Jesus is confessed as the Christ, the Son of the living God, by Peter.) CLOSING PRAYER Almighty, everlasting God, gracious maker of all things, I thank You that You have given me a sound body and gracious protected my tongue, ears, and other members from the evil foe; and I beseech You to grant me Your grace, that I may use my ears and tongue rightly, with my ears diligently hearing and marking Your Word, with my tongue praising and extolling Your grace, that no one may be caused to stumble by my tongue, but that everyone may be edified thereby. Amen. https://youtu.be/LmdQg3bmC2s

TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST In the Name of God the Father Who Is This Jesus? August 9, 2020... AS WE GATHER The Gospel stories of Jesus often have a familiarity to us that may diminish what the sacred writer wants us to understand. Simply put, there has never been any individual on this earth like Jesus. He has divine power that can heal the sick, revive the dead, and multiply bread and fish to feed multitudes. And He can even walk on water. Nobody else has ever done that. Only Jesus. As we worship and hear the Gospel account shared today, let us rediscover in Jesus our one and only Savior. PRAYER OF THE DAY Let us pray. God of love, in His ministry, Your Son, Jesus, showed His mastery over all the forces of nature, including those of great power. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on Him and to trust His guidance in all things as we pass through this world, confident in His care; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen OLD TESTAMENT READING Job 38:418 (God tells Job of His lordship over all creation.) EPISTLE Romans 10:517 (Faith comes from hearing the Gospel.) HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 14:2233 (Jesus walks on the water on the Sea of Galilee.) PSALM READING - 117 Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love towards us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. 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 https://youtu.be/8LarEcy-4wU

#MemoryVerseMonday 1 Timothy 1:15

NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST They All Ate and Were Satisfied Miraculous and Simple August 2, 2020... PRAYER OF THE DAY Let us pray. Heavenly Father, though we do not deserve Your goodness, still You provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may acknowledge Your gifts, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. AS WE GATHER Happiness and contentment are hard to find. Even with our abundance of possessions and opportunity, our hearts remain restless for things new and different, for the promise of something better. Paul reminds us that contentment does not come from having everything we desire, but with faith in the Lord, who is gracious and merciful and supplies all our needs. Today, we hear the terrible news of John the Baptist’s martyrdom and a crowd restless with hunger. In the midst of it all, Jesus shows forth grace to rest our fears and satisfy us with all we need. We pray that we learn to trust in the Lord and to find contentment and peace in His grace sufficient for all things. OLD TESTAMENT READIN Isaiah 55:15 (Come, all who hunger and thirst, and the Lord will satisfy you with all that you need.) EPISTLE Romans 9:15 (613) (Paul anguishes over the people of Israel.) HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 14:1321 (Jesus feeds the five thousand, and all were satisfied.) CLOSING PRAYER O almighty God, who by Your Son have promised to us the forgiveness of sins and deliverance from eternal death: we beseech You to strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit, that we may daily increase in the confidence in Your grace through Christ and hold fast the hope that we will not die but sleep in peace, and by Your Son, Jesus Christ, be raised up on the Last Day unto eternal life. Amen https://youtu.be/YPlz_FV-W34

EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST Hidden Treasure, Unfettered Love July 26, 2020 PRAYER OF THE DAY... Almighty and everlasting God, give us an increase of faith, hope, and love, that, receiving what You have promised, we may love what You have commanded; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. AS WE GATHER Treasures are hard to find and even harder to hold on to. Jesus describes the kingdom of God as a great treasure hidden in a field, a pearl of great price, and a net full of fish. But this treasure is one of God’s own making. He esteems us His treasured possession and delivers up His own Son that we might be His own and live under Him in His kingdom without end. On earth that treasure is hidden in the dirt, found side by side among cheap trinkets, and in nets that hold good and bad fish. But one day, it will all be clear. They will be set apart and the false treasures exposed. For now, it is enough to believe His Word and trust in His promise and hold steadfast to His Son. OLD TESTAMENT READING Deuteronomy 7:69 (Because the Lord loves you, He has chosen you to be His treasured possession.) EPISTLE Romans 8:2839 (Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ our Savior.) HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 13:4452 (The kingdom of God is like a hidden treasure.) CLOSING PRAYER Almighty, everlasting God, who by Your Son have promised us forgiveness of our sins, justification, and eternal life. We beseech You to govern and quicken our hearts by Your Holy Spirit that we may by daily prayer, especially in all trails, seek such help from Him, and by steadfast faith in His Word and promise, be sure to find and receive it, and through Him at last obtain eternal salvation. Amen https://youtu.be/rRDfXubhc4Q