Our Mission: In Jesus, Gather, Grow,

and Go

October 25 & 26, 2020

Welcome to Bethlehem!

We welcome our guests who are worshipping with us today. Thanks for joining us! We’d love to have you join us again soon. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do for you.

Today’s Worship

What is our God like? Jesus gives us the answer through three parables about three different characteristics of God. They are:

1. God is not fair2. God wants hearts3. God welcomes sinners – This week’s focus

To Prepare Our Hearts for Worship

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I have come to worship you. Draw near to me in your gracious Word and assure me of your loving kindness. Curb my wandering thoughts, that with undivided attention I may hear your voice and sing your praise.

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– We Gather for Worship –

HYMN | “Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now” CW 230M: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.C: Amen.

– We Confess Our Sins & Receive Forgiveness –

M: God invites us to come to him and find nourishment and refreshment for our souls. Yet we often avoid him and look elsewhere for that which he alone can give us. Let us, then, rightly examine our hearts, our actions, and our words as we confess our sins together:

C: O Lord, as I examine my heart and life, I confess that I have not kept my heart and life free from sin.  I have been

guilty of pride and arrogance, hateful anger, neglect of your Word, thoughtless worship and neglected prayer

life.  For this I ought to be eternally separated from you and your love. God be merciful to me, a sinner!

M: God, our heavenly Father, is indeed gracious and merciful. He sent his one and only Son who took on the world’s guilt–your guilt and mine–on himself, paid the price demanded by God, and completed the task of earning our forgiveness and salvation. Through his death and resurrection, we have assurance that our sins are forgiven and we are at peace with God.

C: Amen.

– God Comes to Us Through His Word –

HYMN | “Jesus Sinners Does Receive” CW 304:1-2v.1 – Men

v. 2 – Women

FIRST READING | Isaiah 25:6-9

On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare    a feast of rich food for all peoples,a banquet of aged wine—    the best of meats and the finest of wines.7 On this mountain he will destroy    the shroud that enfolds all peoples,the sheet that covers all nations;8     he will swallow up death forever.The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears    from all faces;he will remove his people’s disgrace    from all the earth.The Lord has spoken.9 In that day they will say,“Surely this is our God;    we trusted in him, and he saved us.This is the Lord, we trusted in him;    let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”HYMN | “Jesus Sinners Does Receive” CW 304:3SECOND READING | Philippians 4:4-13

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4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.HYMN | “Jesus Sinners Does Receive” CW 304:5-7

v.5 – Women

v. 6 – Men

v.7 - All

GOSPEL READING | Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

THE APOSTLES’ CREED | Used by Christians as a statement of faith since 250AD

I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

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 is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there He will come to

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judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection

of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

HYMN | “Jesus Your Blood and Righteousness CW 376MESSAGE FROM GOD’S WORD | Pastor Loren Fritz

Dinnertime

1. We have been invited to a beautiful banquet, vs. 1-4

2. Many refuse the invitation, vs. 5-10

3. The King still calls us, vs. 1-4

– We Thank God for Speaking to Us –PRAYER

M: O Lord, our God, you are wise and powerful, good and gracious. Every morning we wake to find new mercies for our souls.C:   Each day we rise to find that you have taken care of the needs of our bodies.

M: We find ample evidence that you are faithful to your promises; now LORD,C:   we ask that you would help us to be faithful to our promises to you.

M: Help us to look for spiritual food in the right place, in your Word which is rich in the nourishment that we will need to battle against the enemies of our souls.

Special Prayers & Intercessions

– We Go With God’s Blessing –

THE AARONIC BLESSING | Numbers 6:22-27

M: The Lord bless you and keep you.The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace. Amen.

HYMN | “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow” 334

OFFERING | In place of a regular offering during the service, offering plates have been placed outside the sanctuary. If you’d like to

give online, go to bethlehem-wels.com/giving (or scan the QR code below) to offer a one-time or recurring gift.

Other options include mailing or dropping your offering envelope off at the church office.

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Bethlehem’s Mission

We believe that there is no more important message in the world than the one about Jesus. He’s the world’s savior. That’s Good News!

It’s all because of that message that we make it our goal to reflect God’s love by:

1. Gathering | Making worship of our Savior a top priority each week

2. Growing

1. Strengthening and maturing in our faith through daily contact with God’s Word

2. Fostering Christian friendships for mutual encouragement and support

3. Using our unique gifts in our callings inside and outside of this congregation

3. Going | Sharing the good news of God’s forgiving love with others

Copyright Information: All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from

the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by

Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. All music in

the service, unless noted, is used by permission and reprinted under One License.net

A726510.

Pastor

Tristan Paustiantpaustian@bethlehem-wels.com

920.779.6761 ext. 324 (office)262.612.3870 (cell/text)Principal

John Kujathjkujath@bethlehem-wels.com

920.779.6761 ext. 326Early Learning Director

Elaina Mercieremercier@bethlehem-wels.com

920.779.6761 ext. 325Church

752 E. Grandview Dr.Hortonville, WI 54944Office

126 N Pine St.Hortonville, WI 54944office@bethlehem-wels.com

920.779.6761Weekly Services

Sundays at 8:00am & 10:30amMondays at 6:30pmStreamed at 8:00 and 10:30am on .