Author: Julie Raffa

Introit Psalm 86:11–15; antiphon: v. 6
Give ear, O Lord, | to my prayer;* listen to my | plea for grace. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk | in your truth;* unite my heart to | fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with | my whole heart,* and I will glorify your name for- | ever. For great is your steadfast | love toward me;* you have delivered my soul from the depths | of Sheol. O God, insolent men have risen up against me; a band of ruthless men | seek my life,* and they do not set you be- | fore them. But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and | gracious,* slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and | faithfulness. 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. Give ear, O Lord, | to my prayer;* listen to my | plea for grace.
Collect of the Day
O God, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that, ever mindful of Your final judgment, we may be stirred up to holiness of living here and dwell with You in perfect joy hereafter; 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 Isaiah 44:6–8
6Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 7Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. 8Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.”
Gradual Romans 11:33, 36
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Epistle Romans 8:18–27
18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Holy Gospel Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43
24[Jesus] put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” . . .
36Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, and the good seed is the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. 41The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”
Announcements
LORD’S SUPPER: If you are in need of the Lord’s Supper during the week, in addition to the Divine Services on Sunday and Thursday, please call the office to set up an appointment.
Due to the global pandemic, we have made some changes to the 2020 Issues, Etc. "Making the Case" Conference. First, we have switched to a virtual format. Second, our speaking lineup has changed.
"Making the Case for Informed Christian Citizens"
Mark Hemingway of RealClearInvestigations
Mollie Hemingway of The Federalist
"Making the Case against Woke Ideology"
Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire
"Making the Case for the Trinity"
Rev. Chris Rosebrough of Fighting for the Faith
"Making the Case for Discussing Christian Convictions"
Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason
"Making the Case for Children's Rights"
Katy Faust of Them Before Us
"Making the Case for the Obedience of Christ"
Rev. Hans Fiene of Lutheran Satire
The premier conference for Christian laity begins in ten days with a live broadcast of Issues, Etc. at 3 p.m. Central on Friday, July 24. The $135 registration fee includes the ability to watch live and on-demand.

7th Sunday after Pentecost
Divine Service
Lutheran Service Book: Page:
Liturgy: Setting 1 151
Apostles Creed 159
Hymns:
How Firm a Foundation 728
In Holy Conversation 772
Communion Hymns: 761
892
700
750
My Hope is Built on Nothing Less 575
Scripture Readings:
Old Testament: Isaiah 44:6-8
Epistle: Romans 8:18-27
Gospel: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
X X X
In our prayers, we remember:
X Christians throughout the world persecuted for the confession of the faith.
XAll who serve in law enforcement, protecting our communities, and their families
X All who serve in the military, protecting our country, home and away.
X For all who live under the flag of our nation, for those who govern in this country, and for the causes of peace and justice.
X Pastors, Missionaries, and all who serve God’s people with the gifts of Christ.
X All those struggling with health issues: Donna Sommer, Pat Knuth, Deb Ziemann, Kandie Darmody, Orville Heckendorf, Lois Pritzlaff, Jerry & Gert Sullivan, Tracey Leffin-Hedrick, June Fry, Elaine Kuenzel, Richard Reich, Judy Clark, Louise Kreis, Diane Behrens, Eric Johanen, Jennifer Jensen, those upon our hearts.
X X X
Preacher: Rev. Joseph Fisher
Liturgist: Rev. Christopher Raffa
Organist: Ben Grosskreuz, Sam Grosskreuz
Elders: Brian S., Gary E., Gary J.

Coming Up at Pilgrim
Saturday, July 18:
7:00 a.m. Men’s Breakfast & Bible Study
Sunday:
6:00 a.m. Cable Worship on WB 987
and AT&T Uverse 99
8:00 & 10:30 a.m. Divine Service
9:15 a.m. Adult Class: The Chosen
12:30 p.m. Adult Bible Study: Galatians
Monday:
4:00 p.m. Cable Worship on WB 987 and AT&T Uverse 99
Tuesday:
11:30 a.m. Cable Worship on WB 987 and AT&T Uverse 99
Wednesday:
9:00 a.m. Cable Worship on WB 987 and AT&T Uverse 99
6:30 p.m. The Lutheran Difference Class
Thursday:
7:00 p.m. Divine Service
Wednesday, September 9:
4:00 p.m. 1st Day of Youth Catechesis
5:30 p.m. Parents’ Meeting
Sunday, September 13:
9:15 a.m. 1st Day of Sunday School
12:00 p.m. Church Picnic

7th Sunday after Pentecost
July 16-19, 2020
“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom
of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”
Matthew 13:43
Welcome and blessings to you through our Lord Jesus Christ!
We welcome all who gather with us around the Altar and Pulpit to hear the Word of God. If you are visiting, we are happy that you could join us today. Please sign the guest book in the narthex and fill out one of the pew cards and pass it in with the offering plate to leave a record of your visit.
Communion Statement: By the design and specific warning of our Lord Jesus Christ in His Word, the precious gift of the Lord’s Body and Blood is to be shared with His blessing only with those prepared to take it rightly. (1 Cor 11:23-32) At the first communion our Lord did not commune all believers, but only those who had been instructed by Him daily for three years. The custom of our church is to offer the Sacrament only to confirmed members of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. So that our pastors would faithfully fulfill their obligations, (1 Cor 4:1; Heb 13:17; 1 Cor 11:27), all first-time visitors should speak to one of the pastors prior to communing. Our pastors are eager and available to provide instruction leading to a right and salutary reception our Lord’s holy Body and Blood, so that in the future you may join us in the blessing of this sacrament.

Pilgrim Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession
The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod
462 Meadowbrook Drive, West Bend, WI 53090
(262) 334-0375 www.pilgrimlutheran-westbend.org