REFORMATION DAY (Observed) October 26, 2025
ORDER OF WORSHIP: LSB - Divine Service, Setting Three, pgs. 181ff
HYMNS: 566 - 656 - (627 - 585 - 655) - 582
SERMON: The Truth Sets Us Free
TEXT: John 8:31-36
A PRAYER FOR TODAY:
O Lord God, Your prophets foretold the coming of Jesus Christ and Your apostles testified of His completed work for our salvation. Receive our prayers of thanks and praise for the righteousness You have declared to be ours because of the bitter suffering and death endured by Jesus to pay for our sin. As people redeemed to be Your children by His holy life lived for us and the precious blood He shed for us, give us love for Your commandments. Guide us in the newness of life in which we honor and worship You and serve one another according to Your will. Hear us for the sake of Jesus Christ crucified and risen for us. Amen
IN OUR PRAYERS THIS WEEK:
“The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:7).
▫ Thanks to the heavenly Father for His gifts to us of daily bread.
▫ For peace in this country and for repentance for those who resist and refuse the life and salvation that is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
▫ That the Holy Spirit will guide and keep our congregation through growth in His Word and faithfulness to its teaching.
▫ For all in our congregation and among our families, friends, and neighbors who suffer affliction in body and mind; for continued benefit to Glen Honeman through medical care; for strength to endure serious injury after accident for JoCarol Fritzemeier (sister-in-law to Charles Fritzemeier) and for patience and peace for her family as they care for her.
▫ For heads of families, that they will wisely use Luther’s Small Catechism to teach doctrines from the Bible in a simple way to their households.
WE OBSERVE REFORMATION DAY TODAY -- In addition to receiving Holy Communion, we sing Reformation hymns, Luther hymns and hear appropriate Scripture readings during worship. Come and enjoy a potluck dinner after worship today. Thank God for Jesus’ sake that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, revealed in Scripture alone. Sola!
SEE THE TABLES at our church entrances for devotional materials (Portals of Prayer, My Devotions, Happy Times). Please take extras to use or to share.
THIS MORNING IN THE DIVINE SERVICE we celebrate the Sacrament of the Altar in which the Lord gives to us the gifts of His body and blood for our forgiveness, life, and salvation. With deep love for God’s Word and respect for fellowship of faith in confessing His Word, we practice closed communion. Visitors to our congregation today who desire to receive the Lord’s Supper should speak with the pastor before the service. To those joining in Holy Communion from a congregation of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, please fill out an attendance card that we may inform your congregation of your communion with us. Pastor will offer the chalice after the elder has distributed the individual cups.
ST. PAUL QUILTERS. . . The quilters are in need of full size to king size blankets to use as “middles” for our quilts for missions. We can use blankets that have a tear or small hole, even slightly stained are useable. Do you have an electric blanket that is no longer working? We remove the wires and use those, too. Thank you for donating clean blankets to this worthwhile project.
PRATT COUNTY FOOD BANK. . . The food item that is being requested for donation in November is cans of tuna and/or chicken. These or other non-perishable food items may be donated in the box for that purpose at the south entrance of the church.
CONCORDIA ACADEMY WICHITA with Wichita Grand Opera will present its third annual Concert Series featuring Mendelssohn’s Te Deum. This will be held Friday, November 14 at Risen Savior Lutheran Church of Wichita, beginning at 7:00 pm. See the posted flier in the church basement for more information.
A SCRAPBOOK of St. Paul Lutheran Church’s 125th Anniversary Celebration is being compiled. If you have pictures or items you would like included in the scrapbook, please give the pictures/items to Jan Jorns or leave them in her church mailbox. If possible identify all people shown in the pictures.
CIRCUITS 10 AND 11 Reformation Festival – Immanuel Lutheran Church of Wichita will host this annual festival next Sunday, November 2nd, at 4:00 pm. A potluck supper will follow. The guest preacher will be the Rev. Larry Beane of Salem Lutheran Church in Gretna, Louisiana. Pastor Beane is a teacher and chaplain of Wittenberg Academy and a contributor to the publication Gottesdienst. Join your Lutheran brothers and sisters in worship and fellowship. Please bring a dish and beverages to share. The offering at the service is designated for an honorarium for the guest preacher and the Joint Seminary Fund. More information is available in fliers posted here at St. Paul.
HEAD USHER: Gary McGuire ALTAR COMMITTEE: Carol Gordon
ELDERS: Derek Liggett, Shan Hullman, Lee Van Slyke Chris Gordon Coleen Sallee Samantha Dutton Marianne McGuire
TODAY - 8:00 am - The Lutheran Hour, KGNO (Dodge City, 1370 AM)
8:00 am - The Lutheran Hour, KCVW (Wichita, Hutch., 94.3 FM)
8:25 am - The Lutheran Hour, KMMM (Pratt, 1290 AM)
8:30 am - The Lutheran Hour, KWBW (Hutchinson, 1450 AM)
10:00 am - St. Paul Radio Broadcast, KMMM (Pratt, 1290 AM)
6:00 pm - The Lutheran Hour, KREJ (88.1 FM)
MONDAY - 8:00 - 11:00 am - Secretary’s Office Hours
TUESDAY - 9 am-2 pm - Quilters meet
WEDNESDAY - 8:00 - 11:00 am - Secretary’s Office Hours
6:30 pm - Midweek
7:10 pm - Choir Rehearsal
THURSDAY - 6:30 pm - Bible Study
7:30 pm - Bell Practice
FRIDAY - 8:00 - 11:00 am - Secretary’s Office Hours
SUNDAY - 9:00 am - Sunday School and Bible Class
10:00 am - Worship with Holy Communion
THE LUTHERAN HOUR - “Worn In” (Numbers 20:13). Are you feeling worn down or worn out? Through faith, God conforms us to the pattern of Christ. Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler.
HIGHER THINGS CONFERENCE registration will open November 1, 2025. Consider attending summer 2026 at one of the following locations and dates:
• St. Louis, Missouri at Washington University · June 23-26
• St. Louis, Missouri at Washington University · June 30-July 3
• Ft. Collins, Colorado at Colorado State University · July 14-17
The Church is dying is a constant refrain sung by both a culture departed from virtue and those who whisper “remember when” to each other amidst crumbling spires, dwindling numbers, and struggling institutions. Christ builds His church at the gates of hell, and hell will not prevail against it. The God of Jacob is our fortress. The church is marked by being near to Jesus. Look around. The Word is preached faithfully. The sacraments are administered rightly. This is how it’s supposed to be. DYING CHURCH… RISING HOPE is the theme of the conference. “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).
About the Cover: Martin Luther’s seal symbolizes the rock-solid confession of the Reformation. It was not about Luther. It was about Christ and His cross at the center of everything. Christ enlivens our hearts, makes us holy, gives us joy, and has won eternal life for us. We have a firm foundation of refuge and strength to stand on because Christ is our rock.
FIRST READING - Revelation 14:6-7
EPISTLE - Romans 3:19-28
HOLY GOSPEL - John 8:31-36