Sunday's Sermon Video

Full Service Stream Replay (available after service has concluded): Full Service Video

Service Bulletin for this week's service: Weekly Bulletin

Hymn lyrics for the service can be found at the links below:

Hymn: 463 For All the Saints Who from Their Labors Rest

Hymn: 459 Come, My Soul, thy Suit Prepare

Closing Hymn: 465 Christ is Our Corner-Stone

Thanks to Grace Lutheran in Fridley MN for supplying The Lutheran Hymnal Supplement music downloads.

Due to copy right restrictions and recorded music availability, some hymns from the supplement are not available online or included in the video.

Sermon Text: Luke 18: 1-14

18 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Theme: “How to Pray and Not to Pray”

➢ Give a few reasons why so much attention is often turned to the posture and form of prayer over and above the attitude and heart regarding prayer:

➢ If you are feeling guilty about your prayer life being less than stellar, what can be done about that?

➢ Write down a good definition for what a Parable is:

➢ What is the main point of the Parable of the “Unjust Judge?”

➢ Consider the difference between “Self-Confidence and Self-Knowledge” and why is knowing that important:

➢ Name the great danger of “trusting in yourself”

➢ How would you summarize the prayer of the Pharisee:

➢ How would you summarize the prayer of the Tax Collector:

➢ In what way is the word translated “merciful” so rich and deep:

➢ What is the great reversal in the text and what are we learning?