FIRST SERVICE
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Who Is Counting?
September 13, 2026
AS WE GATHER
We know that it is our calling in Christ to forgive one another, but that does not eliminate the question of how much or how often we should forgive others. It becomes a particularly vexing question when we are asked to forgive the same sin over and over again. The great temptation is for us to make forgiveness conditional upon the person no longer offending us with their words or actions, but God applies no such condition upon us. Our temptation is to count how often we forgive but to forget how often we are forgiven. Our weakness counts the sins of others, but could it be that God counts only the times we refused to forgive from the heart? We know the riches of the Lord’s limitless grace to forgive us without counting the cost. Today, we pray that we may joyfully receive this precious gift of forgiveness and joyfully forgive others in Christ’s name, counting not the cost to forgive but the cost to refuse forgiveness.
+ PREPARATION +
HYMN I Lay My Sins on Jesus TLH 652
I lay my sins on Jesus, The spotless Lamb of God;
He bears them all and frees us From the accursed load.
I bring my guilt to Jesus To wash my crimson stains
White in His blood most precious Till not a spot remains.
I lay my wants on Jesus, All fulness dwells in Him;
He healeth my diseases, He doth my soul redeem.
I lay my griefs on Jesus, My burdens and my cares;
He from them all releases, He all my sorrows shares.
I rest my soul on Jesus, This weary soul of mine;
His right hand me embraces, I on His breast recline.
I love the name of Jesus, Immanuel, Christ the Lord;
Like fragrance on the breezes His name abroad is poured.
I long to be like Jesus, Meek, loving, lowly, mild;
I long to be like Jesus, The Father's holy Child.
I long to be with Jesus Amid the heavenly throng
To sing with saints His praises, To learn the angels' song.
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Pastor: Since we are here assembled to hear God’s Word, to call upon Him in prayer, and to receive the body and blood of Christ, let us first think of our unworthiness; confess before God our sins of thought, word, and deed; and acknowledge also that we, by our own strength, cannot free ourselves from our sinful nature or the sins we have committed. Therefore, let us take refuge in the infinite mercy and grace of our heavenly Father, seeking and imploring Him to behold us through Jesus Christ, saying:
People: God have mercy on me, a poor, sinful being, forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and grant to me the Holy Spirit that I may amend my sinful ways; through Jesus Christ, my Lord, I pray. Amen.
Pastor: God, have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to life everlasting. As a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
+ WORD +
HYMN OF PRAISE Now Thank We All Our God TLH 36
Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things hath done, in whom His world rejoices;
Who, from our mothers’ arms, hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
Oh, may this bounteous God thro’ all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed,
And free us from all ills in this world and the next.
All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given,
The Son, and Him who reigns with them in highest heaven,
The one eternal God, whom earth and heav’n adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: Let us pray. O God, our refuge and strength, the author of all godliness, hear the devout prayers of Your church, especially in times of persecution, and grant that what we ask in faith we may obtain; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Genesis 50:15–21 (“Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin.”)
15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: 17 ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people[a] should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
EPISTLE Romans 14:1–12 (Each of us must give an account before the Lord our God.)
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. 10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 18:21–35 (“Forgive your brother from your heart.”)
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
HYMN Lord of Glory, Who hast Bought Us TLH 442 vs 1, 2 & 5
Lord of Glory, who hast bought us With Thy life-blood as the price,
Never grudging for the lost ones That tremendous sacrifice;
And with that hast freely given Blessings countless as the sand
To the unthankful and the evil With Thine own unsparing hand;
Grant us hearts, dear Lord, to yield Thee Gladly, freely, of Thine own;
With the sunshine of Thy goodness Melt our thankless hearts of stone
Till our cold and selfish natures, Warmed by Thee, at length believe
That more happy and more blessed 'Tis to give than to receive.
Lord of Glory, who hast bought us With Thy life-blood as the price,
Never grudging for the lost ones That tremendous sacrifice,
Give us faith to trust Thee boldly, Hope, to stay our souls on Thee;
But, oh! best of all Thy graces, Give us Thine own charity.
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: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ and for all people according to their needs.
Grant us, O Lord, wisdom to consider the manifold sins Your grace has forgiven and courage to show this forgiveness to others in Your name. Keep us from being stingy with the mercy You have so generously shown to us in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and teach us not to count the cost of forgiving. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Give boldness to Your church, that we who know the Gospel of Jesus Christ crucified and risen proclaim it to the ends of the earth. Bless the pastors who faithfully deliver these gifts to us in Word and Sacrament and the church workers who serve us in Your name. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Deliver us, O Lord, from the burden of those who would lead us without the wisdom and counsel of Your Word and give to us in this land and throughout the world leaders who will act with integrity and justice to all. Bring peace to the troubled regions of our world and help us to work together for the common good. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Bless this congregation and all missions and mission fields with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit, that the work of Your kingdom would prosper among us for the glory of Your holy name. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Deliver, O Lord, the troubled in mind, the wounded in body, and those whose spirits despair, that by Your healing and strength they endure the day of their trial and be kept safe in Your arms to everlasting life, [and especially for . . .]. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Give Your blessing to the homes in which Your people dwell, to the married and single, to those with children, and to those whose desire for a child has not been fulfilled, that in every place and at every time we rejoice in Your goodness in ordering all things for our good. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Deliver us, O Lord, from every temptation that would befall us and teach us to lean upon Your strength and to be covered with the righteousness of Christ when the devil comes seeking whom he may devour. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Make us to be of one mind and one will, perfectly united in doctrine and faith, so that our communion here will testify to this harmony of belief; and grant to us grace so that we receive this Sacrament of Christ’s body and blood always for our good and never in judgment against us. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: You know our needs and have promised to give us all things needful for this life and to bring us to everlasting life. Grant us also grateful hearts that we be cheered by Your mercies, new every morning, and live and rest in Your peace; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.