Today’s Readings and Hymns: (Click on each blue arrow to expand/collapse each section.)
18
Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord!
Why do you want the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, not light;
19
as if someone fled from a lion,
and was met by a bear;
or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall,
and was bitten by a snake.
20
Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light,
and gloom with no brightness in it?
21
I hate, I despise your festivals,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals
I will not look upon.
23
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
24
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
1
Be pleased, O God, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me.
2
Let those who seek my life be put to shame and confounded;
let those who take pleasure in my misfortune draw back and be disgraced.
3
Let those who say to me “Aha!” and gloat over me
turn back because of their shame.
4
Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
let those who love your salvation say forever, “Great is the Lord!”
5
But as for me, I am poor and needy; come to me quickly, O God.
You are my helper and my deliverer; O Lord, do not tarry.
13We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 15For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. 16For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.
[Jesus said to the disciples:] 1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ 13Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
Oh, happy day when we shall stand amid the heav’nly throng; and sing with hosts from ev’ry land the new celestial song, the new celestial song.
Oh, blessed day when Christ shall come and show himself as Lord, and thousands meet in their new home which Jesus has prepared, which Jesus has prepared.
Oh, what a mighty rushing flood of joy and love and peace will roll down over us with good and blessedness and grace, and blessedness and grace.
O Lord, your grace is ev’rything; your love has made us free to stand among the saints and sing the glory that we see, the glory that we see.
When long before time and the worlds were begun, when there was no earth and no sky and no sun, and all was deep silence and night reigned supreme, and even our Maker had only a dream—
The silence was broken when God sang the Song, and light pierced the darkness and rhythm began, and with its first birth-cries creation was born, and creaturely voices sang praise to the morn.
The sounds of the creatures were one with their Lord’s, their harmonies sweet and befitting the Word; the Singer was pleased as the earth sang the Song, the choir of the creatures reechoed it long.
Though down through the ages the Song disappeared, its harmonies broken and almost unheard, the Singer comes to us to sing it again, our God-is-with-us in the world now as then.
Soon and very soon we are goin’ to see the King, soon and very soon we are goin’ to see the King, soon and very soon we are goin’ to see the King. Hallelujah, hallelujah, we’re goin’ to see the King!
No more cryin’ there, we are goin’ to see the King, no more cryin’ there, we are goin’ to see the King, no more cryin’ there, we are goin’ to see the King. Hallelujah, hallelujah, we’re goin’ to see the King!
No more dyin’ there, we are goin’ to see the King, no more dyin’ there, we are goin’ to see the King, no more dyin’ there, we are goin’ to see the King. Hallelujah, hallelujah, we’re goin’ to see the King!
Soon and very soon we are goin’ to see the King, soon and very soon we are goin’ to see the King, soon and very soon we are goin’ to see the King. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.
Worship Leaders: Pastor Colleen Cox, Madison Werner
Music: Deb Jenks (organ and piano), Nancy Kennedy and Sylvia Klett (piano), Brad Hill (percussion), Senior Choir, Peals of Grace
Additional Resources:
View and print the pre-reader’s version of this Sunday’s children’s bulletin: Pre-reader’s Version View and print the reader’s version of this Sunday’s children’s bulletin: Reader’s Version
The radio program Sing for Joy follows the weekly Sunday lectionary through music and reflection. To listen, click here: Sing for Joy. Program host Pastor Bruce Benson ties the biblical readings of the day with musical selections from a number of sources brought together by Dr. John Ferguson, retired professor of organ and church music. The program is produced by St. Olaf College.
Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE #A-730287 and CCLI licenses #21502973 and #21502966. All rights reserved.
