A Prayer Upon Entering Church

For You alone

does my soul

wait in silence,

O Lord.

From You

comes the joy

of salvation.

Continue to be

my Rock and

my Fortress.

For only in

you will I not

be greatly

shaken.

Only on you,

O God, does

rest my salva-

tion and my

glory. Amen.

(Psalm 62:1-2,

7)

The Third Sunday after Pentecost June 13, 2021 + 9:00 A.M. Welcome to the Lord’s Day. Where is the Kingdom of God? Is it here or isn’t it? The answer to the second question will help us understand the first: Yes! Confused? That’s okay, the disciples were too. The Kingdom of God came in the flesh and floated upon the words of Jesus Christ. Yet the Kingdom of God still remained hidden to many people. The Kingdom was hidden in plain sight. But one day the Kingdom wouldn’t be hidden any longer. So it goes today. The Kingdom is here through Word and Sacrament, yet we await it’s fullness to overwhelm this age that is passing away.

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Sharing God’s Blessings Today Sunday’s Radio Broadcast is sponsored by Herbert Zahrt for blessings received

on Marion’s 90th birthday on June 9. The flowers at the altar are sponsored by Carol and Leonard Edelburg in honor of

their 67th wedding anniversary on June 12. The bulletins are sponsored by Sue and Dan Gruetzmacher in celebration of their

62nd Wedding Anniversary on June 13. New Green Altar Cloths Thanks to God’s abundance, shared in the generous donations of many and the skill and artistry of Ecclesiastical Sewing, new green altar cloths (or “paraments”) grace Zion’s worship space this Pentecost Season. Pentecost is a time in which the Church preaches the new and growing life of Christ, bestowed on the Church at Baptism in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These themes are found throughout the green paraments. On the altar cloth, the symbols of the Father, Son, and Spirit appear in the exact same order that they appear above Zion’s front doors. On the chasuble, they ap-pear in an order that recalls Christ’s baptism: the Father (a hand from heaven) pours out the Spirit (a dove) on the Son (pictured in portrait fashion). The pastors’ stoles, as well as the altar cloth, are also marked with symbols of the life-giving sac-raments (Baptismal shell and Communion chalice). On the lectern, the words of the Creed are embroidered on two intertwined sym-bols of the Trinity (a triangle for three; a circle for one). On the pulpit, a budded cross (for it is our Tree of Life!) is framed by similar symbols. The chapel parament contains symbols of the twelve apostles, and the communion veil is embroidered with the Word of Institution. The green banner portrays the Church, symbolized as a ship, traveling across life’s choppy waters, guided by the providential hand of God.

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PRELUDE “O Worship the King” … Joel Raney

RINGING OF THE BELLS

Please stand.

INVOCATION P: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy

Spirit.

C: Amen

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION P: Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known,

and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our

hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may per-

fectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through

Jesus Christ our Lord.

C: Amen

P: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is

not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and

just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteous-

ness.

Please kneel. Silence for reflection.

Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. ~ Proverbs 27:5-6

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P: Most merciful God,

C: we confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free our-

selves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and

deed, by what we have done and by what we have left un-

done. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have

not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your

Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us,

and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in

your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen

P: Almighty God, in his mercy, has given his Son to die for us

and, for his sake, forgives us all our sins. As a called and or-

dained minister of the Church, and by the authority of Christ,

I therefore forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father,

and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen

Please stand.

ENTRANCE HYMN “O Worship the King”

O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. ~ Psalm 69:5

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5 Frail children of dust and feeble as frail, In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail. Thy mercies, how tender, how firm to the end, Our maker, defender, redeemer, and friend!

6 O measureless Might, ineffable Love,

While angels delight to hymn Thee above, Thy humbler creation, though feeble their lays, With true adoration shall sing to Thy praise.

GREETING P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the

communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

C: And also with you.

KYRIE P: In peace, let us pray to the Lord.

I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithful-ness and your salvation; I have not con-cealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. ~ Psalm 40:10

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P: For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to

the Lord.

P: For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the holy

Church, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.

P: For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship

and praise, let us pray to the Lord.

P: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

GLORIA P: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.

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SALUTATION and COLLECT P: The Lord be with you.

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P: Let us pray . . . Blessed Lord, since You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for-ever.

C: Amen Please be seated.

OLD TESTAMENT Ezekiel 17:22-24 22Thus says the Lord God: “I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. 24And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.” L: The Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God.

PSALM 1 L: Blessèd is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the | wicked,* nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of | scoffers;

C: but his delight is in the law | of the LORD,*

and on his law he meditates | day and night.

Christ is the blessed man who does not walk, stand, or sit with the wicked, but delights in constant meditation on His Father’s word. He is the tree who yields ongo-ing fruit… Blessed is that man, God’s Son, our Messiah. And blessed are we who live and trust in Him. ~ Chad Bird,

Unveiling Mercy, 2020 A.D.

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L: He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not | wither.* In all that he does, he | prospers.

C: The wicked | are not so,*

but are like chaff that the wind | drives away. L: Therefore the wicked will not stand in the | judgment,*

nor sinners in the congregation of the | righteous;

C: for the LORD knows the way of the | righteous,*

but the way of the wicked will | perish.

All: 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

EPISTLE 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 1We know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eter-nal in the heavens. 2For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being bur-dened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be fur-ther clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6So we are always of good cour-age. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10For we must all appear before the judg

Those who heard/read [the Gospel of] Mark were meant to see these par-ables as ex-plaining fail-ures and disap-pointments in their own ex-perience of Christianity and as a sign of hope that ulti-mately there would be tre-mendous growth and abundant har-vest. ~ Raymond

Brown, Christ in the Gospels of the Ordinary Sundays, 1998 A.D.

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ment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. L: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

Please stand.

VERSE

GOSPEL P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the 4th chapter.

26[Jesus] said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, be-cause the harvest has come.” 30And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” 33With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34He did not speak to them

Mustard is a curative, and one available to anyone. It is part of the good world God gives us; like the sun, which insists on shining, the seed in-sists on grow-ing, to be used by any-one who finds the plant… The invita-tion to par-take is a uni-versal one, as the birds so neatly dem-onstrate...

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without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

P: The Gospel of the Lord.

APOSTLES CREED P: Let us confess the faith with one heart:

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

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was con-

ceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered un-

der Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He de-

scended 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.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the com-

munion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of

the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

Please be seated.

...Instead of looking at the plant as a noxious weed, we might be better off see-ing it as part of the gifts of nature; some-thing so small, al-lowed to do what it natu-rally does, produces pro-digious ef-fects. ~ Amy-Jill

Levine, Short Sto-ries by Je-sus,

2014 A.D.

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HYMN OF THE DAY “Creator Spirit, by Whose Aid”

SERMON “Caught in the Middle”

Please kneel.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH P: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for

all creation according to its needs.

P: . . . Lord in your mercy,

C: hear our prayer.

One would naturally ex-pect the King-dom to be spoke of in terms of judg-ment, of set-ting things right, and of obedience to God’s will; instead, we have parables which imply that the King-dom is pre-sent and not yet present, and which continue the theme...of the contrast be-tween what is now hidden and what will assuredly be revealed….

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P: Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray,

trusting in your mercy; through your Son, Jesus Christ our

Lord.

C: Amen

Please be seated.

OFFERTORY “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”

The Vocalists will sing Stanzas 1-3.

The Congregation will sing Stanza 4 (on following page)

1 Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heav’n, to earth come down!

Fix in us Thy humble dwelling, all Thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, Thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love Thou art; Visit us with Thy salvation, enter ev’ry trembling heart.

2 Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit

Into ev’ry troubled breast; Let us all in Thee inherit; let us find Thy promised rest. Take away the love of sinning; Alpha and Omega be; End of faith, as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty.

3 Come, Almighty, to deliver; let us all Thy life receive;

Suddenly return, and never, nevermore Thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessing,

Serve Thee as Thy hosts above, Pray and praise Thee without ceasing, glory in Thy perfect love.

...Just as the harvest comes from the grain sown in the earth, and the mustard bush springs from the almost invisible seed, so the King-dom will fol-low from the ministry of Jesus. Unlike the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1-9), there is no hint here of even partial failure. ~ Morna D.

Hooker, The Gospel Ac-cording to Mark,

1991 A.D.

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Congregation:

Please stand.

OFFERTORY PRAYER P: Let us pray . . . Merciful Lord, C: we do not come to your table trusting in our own righteous-

ness but in your manifold and great mercies. Grant us so to eat the flesh of your dear Son, Jesus Christ, and so to drink his blood that we may ever dwell in him, and he in us. Amen

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING P: The Lord be with you.

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P: Lift up your hearts.

P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

P: It is indeed right and salutary . . . we praise your name and join

their unending hymn:

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WORDS OF INSTITUTION P: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when he was betrayed,

took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and

gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is my body,

which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me.”

In the same way also he took the cup after the supper, and

when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying: “Drink

of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in my blood,

which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as

often as you drink of it, in remembrance of me.

THE LORD’S PRAYER P: Lord, remember us in your kingdom, and teach us to pray:

C: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy

kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our tres-

passes, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead

us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is

the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen

ACCLAMATION P: As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup,

C: we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

AGNUS DEI (“Lamb of God”)

A theology of glory calls evil good and good evil. A theology of the cross calls the thing what it actu-ally is. This is clear: He who does not know Christ does not know God hidden in suf-fering. There-fore he pre-fers ,works to suffering, glory to the cross, strength to weakness, wisdom to folly, and, in general, good to evil. These are the people whom the apostle calls »enemies of the cross of Christ, for they hate the cross and suf-fering and love works and the glory of works...

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Please be seated.

DISTRIBUTION The congregation is ushered forward for Communion. The pastor will

hand you the holy Body. Please take a cup of the holy Blood as directed.

Those who do not commune may cross their arms over their chest as they

come forward to ask for a blessing.

Holy Communion is the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which

He joyfully gives to His Church to eat and to drink. This gift bestows tre-

mendous benefits. His Body and Blood forgives ours sins, strengthens our

faith, binds us to the Lord, and unites us with each other. In this is life

and salvation.

The Lord therefore invites to His altar baptized Christians who trust that

they will receive in Holy Communion all that He promises there: His body

and blood, the forgiveness of sins, union with Christ and His Church, life,

and salvation. Know that He gives it to you with great joy.

...Thus they call the good of the cross evil and the evil of a deed good. God can be found only in suffering and the cross, as has already been said. Therefore the friends of the cross say that the cross is good and works are evil, for through the cross works are dethroned and the old Adam who is especially edi-fied by works, is crucified… (continued next page)

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COMMUNION HYMNS The musicians will share the following music during the distribution.

“Menuet from ‘Water Music’ Suite No. 3” … G.F. Handel

“Chief of Sinners Though I Be”

Chief of sinners though I be, Jesus shed His blood for me, Died that I might live on high, lives that I might never die. As the branch is to the vine, I am His, and He is mine.

Oh, the height of Jesus’ love, higher than the heav’ns above,

Deeper than the depths of sea, lasting as eternity! Love that found me—wondrous thought! Found me when I sought Him not.

Only Jesus can impart balm to heal the wounded heart,

Peace that flows from sin forgiv’n, joy that lifts the soul to heav’n, faith and hope to walk with God In the way that Enoch trod.

Chief of sinners though I be, Christ is all in all to me;

All my wants to Him are known, all my sorrows are His own. He sustains the hidden life safe with Him from earthly strife.

O my Savior, help afford by Your Spirit and Your Word!

When my wayward heart would stray, keep me in the narrow way; grace in time of need supply while I live and when I die.

“Almighty God, Your Word is Cast”

Almighty God, Your Word is cast like seed into the ground; Now let the dew of heav’n descend and righteous fruits abound.

Let not the sly satanic foe this holy seed remove,

But give it root in ev’ry heart to bring forth fruits of love.

(continued from previous page)

...It is impos-sible for a person not to be puffed up by his good works unless he has first been deflated and destroyed by suffering and evil until he knows that he is worth-less and that his works are not his but God’s.

~ Martin

Luther, “Explana- tion to the 20th Thesis of the Hei-delberg Dis-putation,” 1518 A.D.

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Let not the world’s deceitful cares the rising plant destroy, But let it yield a hundredfold the fruits of peace and joy.

So when the precious seed is sown, life-giving grace bestow

That all whose souls the truth receive its saving pow’r may know.

Please stand after all have received the sacrament.

POST-COMMUNION CANTICLE

POST-COMMUNION PRAYER P: We give you thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us

through the healing power of this gift of life; and we pray that

in your mercy you would strengthen us, through this gift, in

faith toward you and in fervent love toward one another; for

the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

C: Amen

The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly king-dom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. ~ Saint Paul,

Second Letter to Timothy 4:18

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BENEDICTION P: The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.

SILENT PRAYER

POSTLUDE “Giga from Sonata No. 5” … G.F. Handel

+ Soli Deo Gloria + To God alone be glory

A Prayer As You Go

Though much in this world is uncertain and pass-ing away, I know Your Kingdom is here and is still yet to come in all of its full-ness. Open the eyes of my heart to see this Kingdom revealed in the Sacra-ment of the Altar even as I prepare myself for it’s full un-veiling when Je-sus, my Lord with all the hosts of heaven. Amen.

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Serving at Worship Presiding: The Rev. Dr. Steven K. Gjerde Preaching: The Rev. Christopher S. Johnson (Pr. Gjerde to Bethany at 10:30am) Organist: Kantor Irene Beethe Piano: Molly Roseman Flute: Jacob Roseman Vocal Ensemble: Rick Hovda; Vicky Radunz; Jim Speckhard; Anna Mae Zeinemann

Lector: Mark Gehrke Radio Announcer: Scott Schubring Acolyte: Sarah Gjerde Elder: Ken Rodemeier Ushers: Jan Dettmering; Marty Dettmering; Gary Wolslegel; Sue Woleslegel Altar Guild: Bonnie Waack; Anna Mae Zeinemann

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Acknowledgements The liturgy is reprinted from the Lutheran Book of Worship, © 1978. Used by permission of Augsburg Fortress license #SB129062. Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. Used by permission. “O Worship the King”: Tune and Text: Public Domain. “Creator Spirit, by Whose Aid”: Text and Tune: Public Domain “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”: Text and Tune: Public Domain “Chief of Sinners Though I Be”: Text: Public Domain. “Almighty God, Your Word is Cast”: Text: Public Domain.

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Church Telephone: 715-848-7286 Senior Pastor Steven K. Gjerde

Associate Pastor Christopher S. Johnson Int. Assoc. Pastor Theodore B. Gulhaugen

Kantor Irene Beethe Office Manager Pam Gabriel Secretary Jessica G. Ray

Deployed Chaplain Joseph C. Pinzl

To contact us by email: zion@zionlutheranwausau.com To visit our webpage: www.zionlutheranwausau.com Host of the Wausau Lutheran Hour Sundays, 9:00 am, WSAU Radio 550AM (or click “Listen Live” at www.wsau.com) Member Congregation of Lutheran Core www.lutherancore.org

Zion Lutheran Church Sixth and Grant Streets, Wausau, Wisconsin 54403

Those who trust in the Lord shall be like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. (Psalm 125:1)