BULLETIN

St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church—LCMS 
40291 NE 40th Ave., Preston, Kansas 67583
 
Website: www.stpaulpreston.org              
Telephone: (620) 672-5354
 
Email: splcms@sctelcom.net (Office)        
mslcms@sctelcom.net (Pastor)
 
Rev. Michael Schotte, Pastor
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost ▪ September 20, 2026 
 
The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him. (Nahum 1:7) 
 
A PRAYER FOR TODAY: O God our Father, it is Your will that we come to you in sincere humility and call upon you in prayer for Jesus’ sake. Hear us as we give thanks to You for the life and salvation we have in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Hear us as we give thanks to You for graciously providing for our daily needs according to Your will. By Your Holy Spirit, move Your people who call upon You to be of one mind in a pure confession of Jesus Christ Your Son, that we may strive in unity to keep the faith given us, which is in Your Son the Savior. Make Your Church to be the lamp which brightly shines the grace and peace of Christ Jesus, that through Your Word Your kingdom will be increased. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 
 
IN OUR PRAYERS THIS WEEK: “For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5). 
• For safety in our daily travel, wisdom for our daily work, and protection upon those whose duty leads them into difficulty and danger. 
• For the Lord’s help and healing to come through medical treatment and the care and concern of family and friends for Brian Houtwed, Cade Liggett (after surgery), Lisa Petrowsky (medical testing), Judy Fox, Luke Hullman (Cody and Hayley’s son), Louis Keeling, Leo and Cathy Hergenrader, Pastor Jacob Anderson (Holy Cross, Wichita) and all for whom we pray. 
 
THIS MORNING IN THE DIVINE SERVICE we celebrate the Sacrament of the Altar in which the Lord gives the gifts to us of His body and blood for our forgiveness, life, and salvation. With deep love for God’s Word and respect for the fellowship of faith in confessing His Word, we practice closed communion. As the Scriptures teach, we receive in this Sacrament both the bread and wine and the true body and blood of Jesus Christ given and shed on His cross (1 Cor. 10:16; 11:27). We are also instructed: “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Cor. 11:28). Visitors to our congregation today who desire to receive the Lord’s Supper should speak with the pastor before the service. To those joining in Holy Communion from a congregation of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, and having visited with the pastor, please fill out an attendance card that we may inform your congregation of your communion with us. Christian Questions with Their Answers (LSB, pgs. 329-330) are helpful in preparation for the Sacrament of the Altar. 
 
ORDER OF WORSHIP TODAY: LSB, pg. 184 
HYMNS DURING WORSHIP: 827, 566, 573, 585, 923 
 
Introit 
Psalm 116:12–13, 15–16; antiphon: v. 17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanks- | giving* and call on the name | of the LORD. What shall I render | to the LORD* for all his bene- | fits to me? I will lift up the cup of sal- | vation* and call on the name | of the LORD. Precious in the sight | of the LORD* is the death | of his saints. O LORD, I am your | servant;* I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have | loosed my bonds. Glory be to the Father and | to the Son* and to the Holy | Spirit; as it was in the be- | ginning,* is now, and will be forever. | Amen. I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanks- | giving* and call on the name | of the LORD. Collect of the Day Lord God, heavenly Father, since we cannot stand before You relying on anything we have done, help us trust in Your abiding grace and live according to Your Word; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 
 
Old Testament Reading 
6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” 
 
Gradual 
Fear the LORD, | you his saints,* for those who fear him lack | nothing! Many are the afflictions of the | righteous,* but the LORD delivers him out | of them all. Isaiah 55:6–9 Psalm 34:9, 19, alt. 
 
Epistle 
Philippians 1:12–14, 19–30 12I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. . . . 19for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. 27Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. 
 
Holy Gospel 
1 Matthew 20:1–16 [Jesus said:] “The kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16So the last will be first, and the first last.”
NEWS AND EVENTS AT ST. PAUL 
September 20, 2026 
 
THE HUTCHINSON ZONE LWML FALL MEETING will be held Saturday, October 17th at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Haven (8513 E. Arlington Rd.). Registration begins at 9:00 am, with the day’s activities starting at 9:30. Gifts from the Heart will be received for the Haven Food Bank. For information about suggested items, or more information about the meeting, see the flyer posted at the church’s south entrance. RSVP is requested by October 11th to 316-215-2853 or jmschmidt74@gmail.com. 
 
A MIDWEEK SUPPER/ADVENT SUPPER SIGN-UP SHEET is located on the table at the south entrance of the church. If there are families or groups at St. Paul who would like to provide suppers for dates indicated there, please sign up. Suppers will be held on most first Wednesdays of each month, as well as after our evening Advent services in December. 
 
MEN’S RETREAT – Registration is open for the 2026 Lutheran Men’s Retreat on October 16th and 17th at Rock Springs Ranch near Junction City, Kansas. This retreat is being organized by Trinity Lutheran Church of Wichita. This year’s speaker will be Rev. Dr. Jordan Cooper of Just And Sinner and AALC. Rev. Dr. Cooper will be giving a 3-part introduction to the fields of Dogmatics, Apologetics, and Polemics. Plan to join Lutheran men of Kansas, young and old, for two days of theological education, discussion, and fellowship. To register: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/mens-retreat--2026-7. 
 
ADULT CHOIR REHEARSALS have begun. Rehearsals are at 7:00 pm on Wednesday evenings. Everyone is welcome to come join in praising God. 
 
A BENEFIT SOUP DINNER sponsored by BTI for Brian Houtwed and his family will be held Friday, October 2nd beginning at 6:00 pm. This will be held at the Cunningham High School footfall field. For more information see the fliers posted at our church’s entrances. 
 
THE LUTHERAN HOUR - “High Bar to Clay Jar” (Matthew 20:16). In Jesus, we don’t need to compare ourselves to anyone else. Instead, we are free to better appreciate them. Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler. 
 
BREAKFAST AT ST. PAUL will take place next Sunday during our Christian Education hour, beginning at 9:00 am. All are welcome. 
 
KFUO Radio, the broadcast voice of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, shares Christ for you anytime, anywhere on KFUO.org via worship services, Bible and theology studies, practical talk programs, and sacred music. Find programs on demand at kfuo.org and wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on social: @KFUOradio on Facebook, X, and Instagram. 
 
STEWARDSHIP SENTENCES based on Matthew 20:9 – “And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.” Behold the generosity of God! He gives out of His grace, not what we deserve to receive. Living a godly life means living in imitation of God — and surely one of the foundations of God’s being is His generosity. (lcms.org/stewardship) 
 
HEAD USHER: Gary McGuire 
ELDERS: Derek Liggett, Shan Hullman, 
Lee Van Slyke 
 
ALTAR COMMITTEE: Carol Gordan, Coleen Sallee, Samantha Houtwed

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