First Service
TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
The Swallowing of Death
October 11, 2026
AS WE GATHER
What is more difficult to believe: a fable about a man defeating a deadly dragon by eating it or a prophet’s prediction that the Creator God would defeat death itself by swallowing it? What does Isaiah, the prophet, mean by saying God “will swallow up death forever” (Isaiah 25:8)? Does God eat?
The mighty, eternal, creator God is life Himself and has no need for sustenance. In order to “swallow death,” God took on our human form. We die because of the corruption of sin. To “swallow death,” the incarnate Savior “ate,” or consumed, death by taking the sin of the world onto Himself on the cross of Calvary. Jesus did not die for Himself. Jesus died your death for your sin. So it is that when a sinner is baptized into Christ Jesus, he or she is “baptized into His death” (Romans 6:3). Thereby, “you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).
Even with saving faith in Christ, we still have Christian funerals. But by faith we wait, hope, and fully expect to be raised in the resurrection to eternal life, to be present at the great feast of salvation. In Christ, the enemy, death itself, has been transformed for us by God now to be but His divine remedy, freeing us from sin and eternal death. Therefore, by faith in Christ we no longer need to fear death but rather can see it as a peaceful sleep from which we are promised to be awakened to eternal life and the wedding feast of the Lamb in His kingdom.
+ PREPARATION +
HYMN At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing LSB 633 vs. 1-4 & 8
At the Lamb's high feast we sing Praise to our victorious King,
Who has washed us in the tide Flowing from His piercèd side. Alleluia!
Praise we Him, whose love divine Gives His sacred blood for wine,
Gives His Body for the feast--Christ the victim, Christ the priest. Alleluia!
Where the paschal blood is poured, Death's dread angel sheathes the sword;
Israel's hosts triumphant go Through the wave that drowns the foe. Alleluia!
Praise we Christ, whose blood was shed, Paschal victim, paschal bread;
With sincerity and love Eat we manna from above. Alleluia!
Father, who the crown shall give, Savior, by whose death we live,
Spirit, guide through all our days; Three in One, Your name we praise. Alleluia!
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES Psalm 43:4; 124:8; Isaiah 25:9
Pastor: I will go to the altar of God,
People: to God my exceeding joy.
Pastor: Our help is in the name of the Lord,
People: who made heaven and earth.
Pastor: Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save us.
People: This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Pastor: The Lord God, the King of the universe, has invited all, both bad and good, to the wedding feast of salvation. Let us not reject that invitation but fill His house as guests of repentance and faith.
Baptized into the name of the most Holy Trinity, you are buried with Christ and your sin is taken away. By His Spirit now living within you, He calls you His child. Therefore, as a called and ordained servant of Christ, I forgive you all your sins. By faith, God restores your hope to enter the gate of His presence both now in the Divine Service and at the final gate of the great heavenly feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end.
People: Amen.
+ WORD +
HYMN OF PRAISE We Praise Thee O God Our Redeemer TLH 568
We praise Thee, O God, our Redeemer, Creator, In grateful devotion our tribute we bring.
We lay it before Thee, we kneel and adore Thee,We bless Thy holy name, glad praises we bring.
We worship Thee, God of our fathers, we bless Thee, Thro’ life’s storm and tempest our Guide hast Thou been.
When perils o’ertake us, escape Thou wilt make us,, And with Thy help, O Lord, our battles we win.
With voices united our praises we offer, To Thee, great Jehovah, glad anthems we raise
Thy strong arm will guide us, our God is beside us. To Thee, our great Redeemer, fore’er be praise.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: Let us pray. 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.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Isaiah 25:6–9 (A feast for all peoples)
6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
EPISTLE Philippians 4:4–13 (Exhortation and encouragement)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 22:1–14 (The parable of the wedding feast)
And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
HYMN The Church’s One Foundation TLH 473
The Church’s one foundation, Is Jesus Christ, her Lord; She is His new creation, by water and the Word:
From heav’n He came and sought her, to be His holy bride; With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.
Elect from every nation, yet one o’er all the earth, Her charter of salvation: one Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy name she blesses, partakes one holy food; And to one hope she presses, with ev’ry grace endued.
The Church shall never perish Her dear Lord, to defend, To guide, sustain, and cherish, Is with her to the end.
Tho’ there be those that hate her, False sons within her pale, Against both foe and traitor She ever shall prevail.
Though with a scornful wonder Men see her sore oppressed, By schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed,
Yet saints there watch are keeping; Their cry goes up, “How long?” And soon the night of weeping Shall be the morn of song.
‘Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war, She waits the consummation, of peace forevermore;
Till with the vision glorious, her longing eyes are blest, And the great Church victorious, shall be the Church at rest.
SERMON
NICENE CREED
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made: who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And he will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
GREETING/ANNOUNCEMENTS
OFFERING
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: Almighty and eternal God, worthy to be held in reverence by all people everywhere, we give You thanks for the innumerable blessings that You have bestowed on us, especially for the gift of true repentance of our sins and faith in Your gracious gift of forgiveness and the hope of everlasting life. For Your saving Word and Holy Sacraments, we give You praise. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Bestow Your grace upon all nations of the earth. Bless especially our country, its inhabitants, and all who are in authority, in order that mercy and truth, righteousness and peace may abound everywhere. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Defend us, Lord, from all calamity of fire and water, from war and pestilence, from scarcity and famine, and from every other evil. Be the God and Father of the lonely and the forsaken, the helper of the sick and needy, the comforter of the distressed and of those who sorrow. We pray especially for . . . Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Accept, we beseech You, our bodies and souls, our hearts and minds, and all that we are to be a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice to You. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Graciously receive our prayers, deliver and preserve us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.