20th Sunday After Trinity ~ 2026

 

Today's Service Leader is Rev. Brett Cornelius, Pastor, Holy Cross Lutheran Church

 

Today's liturgy is the Divine Service THREE, page 184ff.

 

Opening Hymn

 

670 Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones

Text: J. Athelstan L. Riley, 1858–1945, alt.
Tune: Geistliche Kirchengesäng, 1623, Köln
Text and tune: Public domain

 

Stand

 

The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.

 

Invocation

P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

 

Exhortation LSB 184

P Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.

P Our help is in the name of the Lord,

C who made heaven and earth.

P I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord,

C and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

 

Kneel/Stand

 

Silence for reflection on God’s Word and for self-examination.

 

Confession of Sins LSB 184

P O almighty God, merciful Father,

C I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.

 

Absolution LSB 185

P Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

 

Stand

 

Introit Psalm 48:1, 9–11; antiphon: Liturgical Text

The Lord is righteous in all he has | done to us,*
for we have not obeyed his com- | mandments.
Glorify your name, | O Lord;*
and deal with us according to your great | mercy.
Great is the Lord and greatly | to be praised*
in the city of our God, his holy | mountain.
We have thought on your steadfast love, | O God,*
in the midst of your | temple.
As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends | of the earth.*
Your right hand is filled with | righteousness.
Let Mount Zion | be glad!*
Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your | judgments!
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.
The Lord is righteous in all he has | done to us,*
for we have not obeyed his com- | mandments.
Glorify your name, | O Lord;*
and deal with us according to your great | mercy.

 

Kyrie LSB 186

 

Gloria in Excelsis LSB 187

 

Salutation and Collect of the Day

P O Lord, grant to Your faithful people pardon and peace that they may be cleansed from all their sins and serve You with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

Sit

 

Old Testament Reading Isaiah 55:1–9

¹“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
²Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
³Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
⁴Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
⁵Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.

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.”

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

 

Gradual Psalm 145:15–16

The eyes of all | look to you,*
and you give them their food in due | season.
You open | your hand;*
you satisfy the desire of every | living thing.

 

Epistle Ephesians 5:15–21

¹⁵Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, ²⁰giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

 

Stand

 

Alleluia LSB 190

 

Holy Gospel Matthew 22:1–14

P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the twenty-second chapter.

¹Again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, ²“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, ³and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. ⁴Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ ⁵But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ⁶while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. ⁷The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. ⁸Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. ⁹Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ ¹⁰And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. ¹²And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. ¹³Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴For many are called, but few are chosen.”

P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

 

Apostles’ Creed

C I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

     maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,

     who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

     born of the virgin Mary,

     suffered under Pontius Pilate,

     was crucified, died and was buried.

     He descended 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 Christian Church,

          the communion of saints,

     the forgiveness of sins,

     the resurrection of the body,

     and the life T everlasting. Amen.

 

Sit

 

Sermon Hymn

 

686 Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Text: Robert Robinson, 1735–90, alt.
Tune: Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second, 1813, Harrisburg
Text and tune: Public domain

 

Sermon - Rev. Brett E. Cornelius ~ Holy Cross Lutheran Church

 

Votum

P The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

C Amen.

 

Stand

 

Offertory LSB 192

 

Sit

 

Offering

 

Stand

 

Prayer of the Church

 

Preface LSB 194

 

Proper Preface

P It is truly meet, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who, out of love for His fallen creation, humbled Himself by taking on the form of a servant, becoming obedient unto death, even death upon a cross. Risen from the dead, He has freed us from eternal death and given us life everlasting. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:

 

Sanctus LSB 195

 

Lord's Prayer

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 trespasses 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.

 

The Words of Our Lord LSB 197

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 T body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way also He took the cup after 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 T blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

 

Pax Domini LSB 197

 

Agnus Dei LSB 198

 

Sit

 

Distribution Hymns

 

628 Your Table I Approach

 

5 O grant, most blessèd Lord,
    That earth and hell combined
May not about this sacrament
    Raise doubt within my mind.

 

6 Oh, may I never fail
    To thank You day and night
For Your true body and true blood,
    O God, my peace and light.

Text: Gerhard Wolter Molanus, 1633–1722; tr. Matthias Loy, 1828–1915, alt.
Tune: Trente quatre Pseaumes de David, 1551, Geneva, ed. Louis Bourgeois
Text and tune: Public domain

 

568 If Your Beloved Son, O God

Text: tr. The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941, alt.; (sts. 1–4): Johann Heermann, 1585–1647; (st. 5): Neu-vermehrtes . . . Gesangbuch, 1661, Braunschweig
Tune: Etlich Cristlich lider, 1524, Wittenberg
Text and tune: Public domain

 

689 Let Me Be Thine Forever

Text: tr. Matthias Loy, 1828–1915, alt.; (st. 1): Nicolaus Selnecker, 1532–92; (sts. 2–3): Gesang-Büchlein, 1688, Rudolstadt
Tune: Musika Teutsch, 1532, Nürnberg
Text and tune: Public domain

 

Stand

 

Nunc Dimittis LSB 199

 

Thanksgiving LSB 200

 

Post-Communion Collect

A Let us pray.

We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we implore You that of Your mercy You would strengthen us through the same in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one another; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

Salutation LSB 201

 

Benedicamus LSB 202

 

Benediction LSB 202

 

Closing Hymn

 

666 O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe

Text: Jacob Fabricius, 1593–1654; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–78, alt.
Tune: German, 1534, Nürnberg
Text and tune: Public domain

 

Acknowledgments

Divine Service, Setting Three from Lutheran Service Book

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2026 Concordia Publishing House.