Website: www.stpaulpreston.org              

 

Email: splcms@sctelcom.net (Office)        

 

 

 

(Lutheran Service Book, #766, st. 6)

 

 

For eternal gifts in Christ Jesus, and for all provisions for our daily needs, we give thanks to God our Father.

For healing and strength from the Lord for Brian Houtwed as he receives medical care; that the Lord will answer our prayers on behalf of all who suffer illness, injury, and affliction, that they will have peace, healing, and help in their time of need.

For the Sunday School, Midweek School, and Bible Classes at St. Paul, that they will be opportunities for this congregation to grow in God’s Word.

For wisdom from God’s Word to be faithful stewards of all He has given us to manage.

 

(From Luther’s Large Catechism, The Lord’s Prayer, The Fifth Petition)

 

 

Introit                                                                               Psalm 143:1–2; antiphon: v. 9

Deliver me from my enemies, | O Lord!*
   I have fled to you for | refuge!
Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for | mercy!*
   In your faithfulness answer me, in your | righteousness!
Enter not into judgment with your | servant,*
   for no one living is righteous be- | fore you.
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.
Deliver me from my enemies, | O Lord!*
   I have fled to you for | refuge!

 

Collect of the Day

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.

 

Old Testament Reading                                                                    Genesis 50:15–21

   15When 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.” 16So 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. 18His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

 

Gradual                                                                                               Psalm 34:9, 19, alt.

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.

 

Epistle                                                                                                     Romans 14:1–12

   1As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3Let 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. 4Who 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.

   5One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6The 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. 7For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8If 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. 9For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

   10Why 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; 11for it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
   and every tongue shall confess to God.”

12So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

 

Holy Gospel                                                                                         Matthew 18:21–35

   21Peter came up and said to [Jesus], “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

   23“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25And 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. 26So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28But 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.’ 29So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31When 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. 32Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

NEWS AND EVENTS AT ST. PAUL 

September 13, 2026 

 

A MIDWEEK 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 on dates indicated on the sheet, please sign up. Suppers will be held on most first Wednesdays of the month, as well as after our evening Advent services in December. 

 

SUNDAY SCHOOL AND BIBLE CLASSES for children and adults continue each week at St. Paul. Every Sunday morning, this takes place in the church basement and upstairs youth room from 9:00 to 9:45 am. Thursday evening Bible Class happens each week at 6:30 pm. Welcome to all as we grow in God’s Word. 

 

ADULT CHOIR REHEARSALS will begin this week on Wednesday, September 16th at 7:00 pm. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly . . . singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16). 

 

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. 

 

THE LUTHERAN HOUR - “Forgiveness is a Non-Negotiable” (Matthew 6:12). In God’s family, forgiveness is non-negotiable. It’s not up for debate because forgiveness is what makes us who we are. Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler. 

 

A LIFE THOUGHT in the Church Year for September 13 – Pentecost 16: Joseph was a man wronged, repeatedly. However, as we find him in Genesis 50, those wrongs against him did not lead him to live with bitterness or a desire for revenge. Instead, we find that God provided him with patience and compassion even against those who had so terribly sinned against him. We are often quick to anger and slow to forgive. May He work patience and wisdom in our hearts when we hear about the numerous ways God’s gifts are twisted. Thanks be to God that He is “slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8). 

 

STEWARDSHIP SENTENCES based on Romans 14:7 – “For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.” We just don’t belong to ourselves — we belong first of all to God, and through Him, we belong to our neighbors. We are here to serve God in our service to one another. God has called you to this service through your vocation: as a Christian you serve others in the church, as a neighbor you serve others in society, and as a son or daughter, husband or wife, father or mother, you serve your family. 

 

HEAD USHER: Gary McGuire 

ELDERS: Derek Liggett, Shan Hullman, 
Lee Van Slyke 

 

ALTAR COMMITTEE: Carol Gordan, Coleen Sallee, Samantha Houtwed