St. Matthew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church & School
(Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod)
709 Milton Ave., Janesville, WI 53545
Church & School Phone: 752-1304
James Janke, Pastor 563-4383
Arden Wentzel, Staff Minister 758-4693
Kevin Proeber, Principal 752-5035
www.stmatthewsjanesville.org
Worship for St. Matthew’s 75th Anniversary
April 23, 2017
Invitation to Worship (Psalm 100)
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Opening Hymn: #735 “Speak, O Lord” (Please turn to pages 7 & 8 of the bulletin.)
Invocation
P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.
C: And also with you.
The Confession of Sins
P: Beloved in the Lord: let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins to God our Father,
C: asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us.
P: Most holy and merciful Father, we are sinful from birth
C: and we have sinned against you in our thoughts, in our words, and in our actions.
P: We have done what is evil and failed to do what is good.
C: Have mercy on us, Lord.
P: We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness; the pride, the apathy, and impatience in our live.
C: Have mercy on us, Lord.
P: Our negligence in worship and prayer, and our failure to confess with our lives the faith that is in us
C: we confess and plead with you, for Jesus’ sake to forgive us.
P: God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Prayer of the Day
P: O God, you have promised to be with your Church forever. We thank you for those who founded this community of believers and for the signs of your favor over these past years. Increase our faith, knit us together in the bonds of love, and make our fellowship an example to all people; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
Hymn: #392 “Not unto Us” (Please turn to page 9 of the bulletin.)
Old Testament: Deuteronomy 7:6-13
6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
7 The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. 10 But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction;
he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.
11 Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.
12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. 13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers.
Psalm: (by choirs) Psalm 118 (arr. Brian Henkelmann)
Epistle: I Corinthians 15:1-10
Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
Hymn: #753 “Father, God of Grace, You Knew Us” (arr. Paul Eickmann) (Please turn to pages 10 & 11 of the bulletin.)
Sermon Text: Matthew 9:9-13
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘‘Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and ‘‘sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
St. Matthew’s: Making a Name for 75 Years
I. Not by itself but by Christ
II. Not for itself but for Christ
The Apostles’ Creed: (CW, p.19)
Offering “In Christ Alone” (sax ensemble arr. Alex Schroeder)
Prayer of the Church
P: Praise, glory, and honor be to you, Lord Jesus Christ, for establishing your Church in this place, in which for 75 years we have been permitted to hear your holy Word and celebrate your blessed sacraments.
C: Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
P: We praise you for showing us the way of salvation, for warning us of the wages of sin and for comforting us with the message of forgiveness through your cross.
C: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
P: We praise you for the children you have made your own through holy Baptism, who were instructed in the saving doctrine of your Word, who made profession of their faith before your altar pledged their loyalty to you. We thank you for all the faithful members of this congregation over the years whose hearts you moved to do your work so generously and joyfully. We thank you for those whose guilt you pardoned, whose doubts you dispelled, whose fears you calmed, whose tears you dried with your everlasting comfort, and for those you kept faithful unto death and who received the crown of everlasting life.
C: Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.
P: We praise you for causing your Church to grow and for preserving your pure Word among us. Mercifully continue to grant your blessing to this congregation and its school. Give your people faithful pastors and teachers who will lead your flock into the green pastures of your Word and sacraments, and feed your sheep and lambs your life-giving Gospel. Grant the members of this congregation hearing ears and open and willing hearts to gladly hear your Word and obey it.
C: May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us.
P: Grant that this Church may continue to carry out your command to feed your lambs and preach the Good News to all creation. Bless the efforts of your people and abide among us with your grace, your Word, your light, your peace, your protection, and your love that at last we may enter your eternal rest.
C: May the favor of the LORD our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands. Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
Hymn: #770 “O Christ, Who Called the Twelve” (Please turn to pages 12 & 13 of the bulletin.)
Prayer
P: Almighty God, grant to your Church the Holy Spirit and the wisdom that comes from above. Let nothing hinder your Word from being freely proclaimed to the joy and edifying of Christ’s holy people, so that we may serve you in steadfast faith and confess your name as long as we live, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: (sing) Amen.
Benediction
P: The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.
C: (sing) Amen. Amen. Amen.
Closing Hymn: (by Choirs) “Here I Stand” (Composed by Alex Schroeder to celebrate St. Matthew’s 75th Anniversary. From Joshua 24, selected Psalms, and Martin Lutheran Man of God.)
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Members of St. Matthew’s Orchestra
Beth Stirmel, Hannah Schwark, Mark Butzow, Carrie Schroeder,
Annika Butzow, Deidre May, Claire Fox, Eddie May, Noah North,
Dave Fenske, Troy Moench, Ben May, Noah Schwark,
Kathryn Hendee, Alex Schroeder, Tom May Ruth Fenske,
John Schroeder, Meredith Moeller, Todd Schwark, Kathi Hendee,
Don Dickinson, Theron Schroeder
St. Matthew’s Senior Choir Singers 2016-2017
Mike Fox, Mike Lenser, Kevin Proeber, Craig Sonntag, Chris Hosbach,
Tom Heth, Jill Proeber, Katie Hosbach, Bev Boughton, Linda Hilker,
Mary Howard, Brenda Moench, Pam Brudos, Laurie Benson,
Diane Schroeder, Carol Hirsch, Sally Biddick, Ann Janke,
Karen DeLong-Eichman, Jessica May
Members of St. Matthew’s Junior Choir
Tannica Jones, Treyton Jones, Jenny Schwartz, David Johnson,
Emma Scott, Sara Stanelle, Charlie Newlin, Sam Schmidt, Sydney Kanable,
Jenna Shadoski, Sara Scott, Alyssa Burns, Amerlia Pfund,
Andrew Treptow, Noah Schwark, Riley Schmidt
Announcements:
1. Thank You A sincere thank you to Pastor Phillip Sievert for bringing us the good news from God’s Word this morning as we celebrate our 75th anniversary here at St. Matthew’s. Pastor Sievert is the son of Pastor David Sievert who served St. Matthew’s from 1973 until 2005. Pastor Phil Sievert now serves as pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Thornton, Colorado. We thank Pastor Sievert for making the long journey from Colorado to help us celebrate 75 years of following Jesus at St. Matthew’s. You will have an opportunity to visit with Pastor Sievert during the fellowship time that is scheduled for between services today, and then during the dinner hour after the 10:30 service.
2. Thank You A sincere thank you to Matthew Proeber for handling the liturgy for our anniversary services today. Matt is completing his second year of study at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wisconsin. His next year of study will be spent in a congregation serving as a vicar, or assistant to a pastor. He will receive his vicar assignment on Tuesday, May 16. Our sincere thanks to Matt for serving as our liturgist today.
3. Thank You Our sincere thanks to the members of our Anniversary Planning Committee: George Ehlers, Carol Hirsch, Beverly Boughton, Mary Howard, Diane Schroeder, Peter Sather, Mr. Proeber, and Doug McIlvain. This committee has done outstanding work planning and organizing for our anniversary year and for this special anniversary service. “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God” II Corinthians 9:12.
4. A special thank you to Craig and Cathy Sonntag and the students of our school for making over 300 table favors for ourAnniversary Luncheon.
5. The flowers on the altar have givenby the Evening Guild in celebration of our special 75th Anniversary Service.
6. Bible Class & Sunday School—Please note that Sunday School and Bible Class will not meet this morning.
7. Thursday Evening Services Our Thursday evening services will resume on Thursday, April 27 . The Thursday evening services will begin at 6:30 p.m.
8. Pictorial Directories the 75th Anniversary edition of our church pictorial directories have arrived! If you had your picture taken for our directory, you will find your complimentary copy available on the tables in the narthex. If you didn’t have your picture taken, but are interested in purchasing one, please sign up at the table also.