Come, let us sing for joy unto the Lord
Let us shout to the rock of our salvation
Oh, let us sing to him with thankful hearts
Shout for joy with music and song

Oh, come...

refrain:

For the Lord is a great God (x2)
In his hands are the earth, the seas (x2)
For the Lord is the great king (x2)
The seas are his, he has made them (x2)

Come, oh, come, let’s bow down in worship
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker
Oh, for he, he is our God
We are his, we are his children, his children

refrain

Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise,
in the city of our God, his holy mountain.

As we have heard, so we have seen
in the city of the Lord Almighty,
in the city of our God:

God makes her secure forever.

Within your temple, O God,
we meditate on your unfailing love.
Like your name, O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with righteousness. (from Psalm 48:1, 8-10)

All people that on earth do dwell
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice
Serve him with joy, his praises tell
Come now before Him and rejoice

Know that the Lord is God, indeed
He formed us all without our aid
We are the flock he surely feeds
The sheep who by his hand were made

O enter then his gates with thanks
Within his courts his praise proclaim
Let thankful songs your tongues employ
Oh, bless and magnify his name

Because the Lord our God is good
His mercy is forever sure
His faithfulness at all times stood
And shall from age to age endure

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Merciful Father,

We confess that in our weakness and impatience, instead of seeking you we have sought our own way. We have relied on our own ways and means, and have turned against you in thought, word, and deed— in the things we have done but also in the things we have not done that would have been loving to our families and neighbors and, ultimately, to you. The psalmist leads us in prayer:

Turn to me and have mercy on me,
as you always do to those who love your name.
Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me. (Psalm 119:132-133)

from 1 Thessalonians 1:5, 9—

For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.

Know that you are forgiven and be at peace.

Thanks be to God.

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art
Thou, my best thought by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light

Be thou my wisdom and thou my true Word
I ever with thee, and thou with me, Lord
Thou, my great Father and Spirit and Son
Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee, one

Riches I heed not nor man's empty praise
Thou mine inheritance, now and always
Thou and thou only, first in my heart
High king of heaven, my treasure thou art

High king of heaven, my victory won
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven’s sun
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all

from Romans 15:13—

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Amen.

Let us go forth and serve our world as those who love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God!