SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2025 13th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
CHRIST THE KING LUTHERAN CHURCH
PASTOR: Rev. Harry M. Krolus
CHURCH: 410-356-3400 CELL: 410-707-7663
Church email: ctklclcms@yahoo.com
Church Web Site: ctklchurch.org
****************************************
WELCOME to everyone who is worshiping with us today. We are glad that you are here! We pray that your worship experience here at Christ The King is spiritually uplifting and rewarding. If you are visiting, please sign our guest book and introduce yourself to Pastor Harry.
(Please turn off all electronic devices before worship begins; or, if you are using a Bible app to enhance your worship experience or to use PayPal, please enable the do not disturb function on your phone.)
THE HANDSHAKE OF CHRISTIAN PEACE
OPENING HYMN: 814 “O Bless The Lord, My Soul”
THE CALL TO WORSHIP
L. We lift up our hearts to the Lord! We praise you, our Father; Giver of all things. We acknowledge you as Creator and Source of all that is.
C. Lord God, you made us! You have poured out your bounty upon us. You have opened your hand and satisfied the needs of every living thing!
L. We praise you, Jesus, Son of God, and Son of man. You are the Lamb of God; the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
C. Lord Jesus, you have gone to the cross for us, and by your death and resurrection, you have made it possible for us to be restored to life. You have opened your hands, loved us, embraced us, and made us your own!
L. We praise you, Spirit of God, our Counselor and Lord of Life. You were sent from the Father and the Son to call us to faith and to new life.
C. Holy Spirit, you are the Giver of Life. You breathe in us, and we are made new. You open your hands, and we are recreated, redesigned, and remodeled. Open our hearts, we pray, that we
may walk in your way, praising you in all things and serving you with gladness!
THE CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS
L. We confess our sins together.
C. O Lord our God, you call us to life in you, and to follow you. Sometimes, we flatly refuse. Forgive our arrogance, O Lord, and remodel us once again for service in your Kingdom. O Lord our God, you call us to life in you and to follow you. Sometimes, we say “yes,” but mean “no.” Forgive our foolish and dishonest games, O Lord, and remodel us once again for service in your Kingdom. O Lord our God, you call us to life in you and to follow you. Sometimes, we say “yes,” and mean “yes,” but wander off and do our own thing anyway. Forgive our weakness, O Lord, and remodel us once again for service in your Kingdom.
L. We all like sheep have gone astray; we each have turned to our own way.
C. But, the Lord laid on Christ the iniquity of us all.
L. He bore our griefs.
C. He carried our sorrows.
L. He was wounded for our transgressions.
C. He was bruised for our iniquities.
L. We have good news to share with one another! Because of Jesus Christ our Savior, because of his suffering, death, and resurrection; we are really free! Our sins are forgiven! Our Savior even gives us the power we need to live for him, to follow him, and to serve in his Kingdom.
THE FIRST LESSON: Deuteronomy 30:15-20
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
THE SECOND LESSON: Philemon 1-21
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul — an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus — I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son
while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
I am sending him — who is my very heart — back to you. I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good — no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.
So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back — not to mention that you owe me your very self. I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
VOLUNTEER TIME
THE GOSPEL LESSON: Luke 14:25-35
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
THE SERMON HYMN: 728 “How Firm A Foundation”
THE SERMON: “Pajama Joe”
THE PROCLAMATION OF FAITH
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth and of all that is seen and unseen.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried; On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven, And is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the
Prophets. I believe one holy Christian and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
THE OFFERING
AN OFFERING SONG (783)
Take my life, that I may be consecrated, Lord, to thee;
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use every pow’r as thou shalt choose.
RESPONSIVE PRAYERS
L. Almighty and everlasting Lord, we thank you for entrusting to us your holy Word. Its light shines in the darkness of this world to enlighten us, to strengthen us, to change and remodel us by the grace of Christ.
C. Hear our prayer of thanksgiving.
L. We pray for all people according to their needs. We also remember to pray for ourselves.
(A moment for personal petitions.)
L. From the spiritual storms of life that sometimes rage within us, weakness of faith; lack of spiritual growth; lack of trust in your care; selfishness, pride, and unchristian character; even when you so lovingly have remodeled us in Christ:
C. Good Lord, deliver us.
L. From the daily storms that rage about us in our world, attacks on your teaching and your way of living; attacks on families and children from peers and media; attacks directly, especially on those who have been redesigned by Christ:
C. Good Lord, deliver us.
L. From the physical storms of life that seem always present; perils of weather; quarrels and violence; illness and death; unemployment and job related troubles; helplessness and fatigue:
C. Good Lord, deliver us.
L. For the joys we receive at your hand, both spiritual and temporal; for your forgiveness and love; for Word and Sacrament; for unity and peace; for good government, families, homes, churches, schools, and for one another:
C. Good Lord, receive our thanks!
L. For all the ministries of the Church, for professional church workers and laymen; for parents, teens, and children; for old and young; for missionaries everywhere:
C. Good Lord, receive our thanks, grant to them all, your blessing.
L. For the many opportunities and abilities to love and serve you whom we adore:
C. Good Lord, receive our thanks!
L. For unity in the Church, that we could join together as one, living for him who died and was raised again; and that all who have been redeemed and remodeled by Christ might proclaim and live your grace and Gospel:
C. Good Lord, grant us your Spirit.
L. Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C. Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
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.
THE DISMISSAL
L. Father, we thank and praise you for all things...
C. For the giving of your Son to be our Savior; for the pouring out of your Spirit that we might have faith; for the admonition and direction of your Word; for making us, and remaking us; for life, and life in Christ, and eternal life; for loved ones, friends, and each other; for opportunities to live as your children; and for the privilege of sharing the Gospel. Empower us, that we may give ourselves to you and to your service. Amen.
THE BENEDICTION
L. Go now in the spirit of our risen Lord. Seek his will in all things. And may he guide us and bless us.
C. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN: 919 “Abide, O Dearest Jesus”
