First Service
TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
The Bridegroom Is Coming Soon
November 8, 2026
AS WE GATHER
The Lord is grieved by the empty worship of His people. Their songs and their offerings mean nothing when their hearts are far from Him, and He will not accept them any longer (Amos 5:21–23). And the day of the Lord will actually catch them off guard and unprepared. Jesus offers the same warning in the parable of the ten virgins, calling His disciples to watch for a bridegroom who will come at an unknown day and hour (Matthew 25:13). Jesus’ warning calls us to attention as we reflect on our own position of waiting for His return. His warning is followed by Paul’s further description of what our waiting looks like. Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, our waiting is also filled with hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13–14).
+ PREPARATION +
HYMN Great Is Thy Faithfulness CH 139
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God, my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not; Thy compassions, they fail not. As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
Refrain: Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter And springtime and harvest Sun, moon, and stars In their courses above
Join with all nature In manifold witness To Thy great faithfulness Mercy and love
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow – Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside! (Refrain)
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Psalm 70:1
Pastor: Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
People: O Lord, make haste to help me!
Silent reflection on God’s Word and for self-examination
Pastor: Let us then confess our sins to God, who is our help and our deliverer.
People: Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We confess the ways that our worship has fallen into empty words, disconnected from the life to which You have called us. We confess that we have been inattentive in our waiting for Christ’s return. Forgive us, renew us, and call us back to You, that we may wait with hope and joy, to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
Pastor: Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. He does not delay! His righteousness flows like an ever-flowing stream. As a called and ordained 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.
People: Amen.
PRAISE SONG Oh, Bless the Lord, My Soul TLH 27 vs 1 – 3 & 6
Oh, bless the Lord, my soul! Let all within me join
And aid my tongue to bless His name Whose favors are divine.
Oh, bless the Lord, my soul, Nor let His mercies lie
Forgotten in unthankfulness And without praises die!
'Tis He forgives thy sins; 'Tis He relieves thy pain;
'Tis He that heals thy sicknesses And makes thee young again.
His wondrous works and ways He made by Moses known,
But sent the world His truth and grace By His beloved Son.
+ WORD +
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: Let us pray. Lord God, heavenly Father, send forth Your Son to lead home His Bride, the church, that with all the company of the redeemed we may finally enter into His eternal wedding feast; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Amos 5:18–24 (The day of the Lord will bring justice and righteousness that silences all false and shallow worship.)
18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light, 19 as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. 20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? 21 “I hate, I despise your feasts, 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 peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. 23 Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. 24 But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
EPISTLE 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (We grieve with hope and await the day when Christ will awaken all who are asleep.)
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 25:1–13 (Watch for the Bridegroom, who will return at any moment.)
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
HYMN How Great Thou Art CH 147 vs 1, 3 &4
O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Refrain: Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
And when I think that God, His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin. (Refrain)
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration and there proclaim: My God, how great Thou art! (Refrain)
SERMON
CATECHISM The Second Article
People: I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
Pastor: What does this mean?
I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death,
that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.
This is most certainly true.
GREETING/ANNOUNCEMENTS
OFFERING
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: As the Bride of Christ, waiting for our Bridegroom to return, let us pray for the whole church of God and for all people according to their needs.
Lord of Light, in Your Son You brought light into this world that no darkness could overcome and no one could extinguish. Bless all pastors and church workers in their work of tending to the church’s lamp through the ministry of Word and Sacrament, that they be faithful in calling us to attention and pointing us to the One for whom we wait with hope. You are our help and our deliverer.
People: O Lord, do not delay.
Pastor: Loving Father, in Holy Baptism You have given us the gift of faith, making us wise to the salvation You have brought in Jesus. Keep us from falling into foolish ways and embolden us to share the blessing of all that Jesus has done with those who have no hope. You are our help and our deliverer.
People: O Lord, do not delay.
Pastor: Vigilant Lord, we know neither the day nor the hour that Jesus will return, but You do. Keep us mindful of the ways we have fallen asleep in our waiting, that we remain alert to the ways You are active and ruling in our world, especially through the ones You have given authority to watch and protect us: our president and Congress; all law enforcement, fire protection, and medical personnel; and all who serve in the military. Guide their work of shielding Your people with mercy and justice. You are our help and our deliverer.
People: O Lord, do not delay.
Pastor: Merciful Lord, even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest at Your altars. Look upon the faces of Your anointed and all those whose needs we bring to Your altar: all who are suffering and hurting and all who are waiting and longing, [especially . . .]. Be their sun and shield, withholding no good thing from those who walk uprightly. You are our help and our deliverer.
People: O Lord, do not delay.
Pastor: Lord of Life, since Jesus died and rose again, You have transformed the ways that we grieve, filling those moments with hope. Be with all who are in mourning, that they be comforted with the sure and certain hope of the resurrection and of the reunion with those who have died in the faith. You are our help and our deliverer.
People: O Lord, do not delay.
Pastor: For all who gather to commune at Your altar today, we pray that they be prepared to partake in the wedding feast of Christ’s body and blood for the forgiveness of sins that they may receive their Bridegroom with joy. You are our help and our deliverer.
People: O Lord, do not delay.
Pastor: Though we know neither the day nor the hour, we wait in hope, O Lord, trusting that You hear our prayers and will preserve Your people. This we pray through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.