Holy Cross Lutheran Church of Wartburg
5765 Maeystown Road – Waterloo, IL 62298
Pastor Dan Ostlund
Office: 618-939-7094 – cell 618-301-6358
Office: hcwartb@htc.net, Pastor: wartburg.pastor@gmail.com
Website: www.holycrosswartburg.com
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
August 23, 2026
Guests Welcome! We are delighted that you are with us for worship this morning. Consider us your church home– at least for today. We hope we will see you again soon!
We celebrate Holy Communion: In this Supper of our Lord we receive the true body and blood of Jesus Christ under the earthly forms of bread and wine for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. Since this Holy Communion is also a sign of how we commonly confess the Christian faith, we welcome to the Lord’s Table those who are confirmed members of congregations of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. If this is your first time communing with us, please speak with the pastor or an usher before the service begins. If you are a guest who has not been instructed concerning the Lord’s Supper and our church’s teaching, and desire to commune with us, we invite you to first attend our instructional classes.
Divine Service Setting 4 – page 203
Confession and Absolution
The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.
P In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
P Our help is in the name of the Lord,
C who made heaven and earth.
P If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
C But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared.
P Since we are gathered to hear God’s Word, call upon Him in
prayer and praise, and receive the body and blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ in the fellowship of this altar, let us first consider
our unworthiness and confess before God and one another that
we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and that we cannot
free ourselves from our sinful condition. Together as His
people let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God, our
heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ, and
saying: God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
C Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to everlasting life. Amen.
P Almighty God, merciful Father, in Holy Baptism You declared us to be Your children and gathered us into Your one, holy Church, in which You daily and richly forgive us our sins and grant us new life through Your Spirit. Be in our midst, enliven our faith, and graciously receive our prayer and praise; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C Amen.
(remain standing)
Entrance Hymn #912 Christ Is Our Cornerstone
Service of the Word
Introit Psalm 2:6–7; 117; antiphon: Psalm 115:18
But we will bless the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!
As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.
I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”
Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
But we will bless the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!
Kyrie LSB 204
C Lord, have mercy;
Christ, have mercy;
Lord, have mercy.
Gloria in Excelsis LSB 204
C 1 To God on high be glory
And peace to all the earth;
Goodwill from God in heaven
Proclaimed at Jesus’ birth!
We praise and bless You, Father;
Your holy name, we sing—
Our thanks for Your great glory,
Lord God, our heav’nly King.
2 To You, O sole-begotten,
The Father’s Son, we pray;
O Lamb of God, our Savior,
You take our sins away.
Have mercy on us, Jesus;
Receive our heartfelt cry,
Where You in pow’r are seated
At God’s right hand on high—
3 For You alone are holy;
You only are the Lord.
Forever and forever,
Be worshiped and adored;
You with the Holy Spirit
Alone are Lord Most High,
In God the Father’s glory.
“Amen!” our glad reply.
Text: Stephen P. Starke
Salutation and Collect of the Day
P The Lord be with you.
C And also with you.
P Let us pray.
Almighty God, whom to know is everlasting life, grant us to know Your Son, Jesus, to be the way, the truth, and the life that we may boldly confess Him to be the Christ and steadfastly walk in the way that leads to life eternal; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
Sit
Old Testament Reading Isaiah 51:1–6
1“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
that I might bless him and multiply him.
3For the Lord comforts Zion;
he comforts all her waste places
and makes her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.
4“Give attention to me, my people,
and give ear to me, my nation;
for a law will go out from me,
and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.
5My righteousness draws near,
my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will judge the peoples;
the coastlands hope for me,
and for my arm they wait.
6Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and they who dwell in it will die in like manner;
but my salvation will be forever,
and my righteousness will never be dismayed.”
A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Gradual Psalm 34:9, 19, alt.
Fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing!
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Epistle Romans 11:33—12:8
33Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
35“Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
36For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
1I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Please stand if you are able
Alleluia and Verse
C Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
C These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
C Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Holy Gospel Matthew 16:13–20
P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the sixteenth chapter.
C Glory to You, O Lord.
13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C Praise to You, O Christ.
Nicene Creed
C I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,
whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life + of the world to come. Amen.
Sit
Hymn of the Day #645 Built on the Rock
Sermon Matthew 16:13-20 “Solid Ground”
Please stand if you are able
Prayer of the Church
Sit
Offering
Service of the Sacrament
If you are visiting and desire to receive Holy Communion, please see our
Communion statement on the front of our bulletin
Please stand if you are able
Preface LSB 208
P The Lord be with you.
C And also with you.
P Lift up your hearts.
C We lift them to the Lord.
P Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
P It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, for the countless blessings You so freely bestow on us and all creation. Above all, we give thanks for Your boundless love shown to us when You sent Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into our flesh and laid on Him our sin, giving Him into death that we might not die eternally. Because He is now risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity, all who believe in Him will overcome sin and death and will rise again to new life. 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 208
C Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth adored;
Heav’n and earth with full acclaim shout the glory of Your name.
Sing hosanna in the highest, sing hosanna to the Lord;
Truly blest is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
Text: Stephen P. Starke
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
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 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 it, in remembrance of Me.”
Pax Domini
P The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C Amen.
Agnus Dei LSB 210
C 1 O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God,
You take the sin of the world away;
O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God,
Have mercy on us, Lord, we pray.
2 O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God,
You take the sin of the world away;
Have mercy on us, Jesus Christ,
And grant us peace, O Lord, we pray.
Text: Stephen P. Starke
Sit
Distribution
Distribution Hymns
#623 Lord Jesus Christ, We Humbly Pray
#619 Thy Body, Given for Me, O Savior
#818 In Thee Is Gladness
Dismissal
Please stand if you are able
Nunc Dimittis LSB 211
C 1 O Lord, now let Your servant
Depart in heav’nly peace,
For I have seen the glory
Of Your redeeming grace:
A light to lead the Gentiles
Unto Your holy hill,
The glory of Your people,
Your chosen Israel.
2 All glory to the Father,
All glory to the Son,
All glory to the Spirit,
Forever Three in One;
For as in the beginning,
Is now, shall ever be,
God’s triune name resounding
Through all eternity.
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.
C Amen.
Benedicamus LSB 212
A Let us bless the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Benediction
P The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and + give you peace.
C Amen.
Closing Hymn #575 My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less
Acknowledgments
Divine Service, Setting Four 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.
OUR PRAYERS
For the sick and/or injured – Rich Brege (rehab), Babe Matzenbacher (recovering after hospitalization), Howard Schmidt (cancer).
Tripp Dodson (leukemia – Myah Grossheim’s cousin), Donny Fausz (broken femur – Mike Fausz’s dad), LeeAnn Hauptfleisch (cancer – Debbie Nobbe’s cousin), Cindy Kerr (cancer – Arlene Baum’s niece), Susan McFadden (cancer – friend of Pastor & Deb), Herb Phillips – (stroke- cousin of Connie Kostecki), Butch Rednour (hospice – cousin of Julie Robert), Leo David Trost (many health challenges/born with scoliosis – grandson of Kathy Bollinger), Beth Vincent (ALS – friend of Kenny & Radar), Janice Whelan (recovery-friend of Ron & Pearl Braun).
For those in Nursing Homes, the home bound, and those unable to be
with us in worship.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Serving Today
Organist: Connie Kostecki
Ass’t Elder: Greg Reinhardt & Rob Mallon
Ushers: Greg Reinhardt & Philip Reinhardt
Acolyte: Kegan Schultheis
Altar Care: Deb Ostlund & Leslie Reinhardt
Serving Next Sunday August 30, 2026
Organist: Connie Kostecki
Ass’t Elder: Darren Johanning & Kerry May
Ushers: Spencer & Tyler Kostecki
Acolyte: Kelsey Crook
Altar Care: Deb Ostlund & Leslie Reinhardt
This Week at Holy Cross
Today 9:00 a.m. Worship Service
10:00 a.m. Fellowship
Monday Pastor Day Off
Thursday Aug 27th 9:30 a.m. Quilting
Sunday Aug. 30th 9:00 a.m. Worship Service
10:00 a.m. Fellowship
Birthday
Colleen Miller Aug. 23 Kaleb Biffar Aug. 24
Collin Mudd Aug. 29
Our Service can be found on your radio at 87.9 FM
LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS:
In need of Sunday School Teachers and Subs. We can have weekly, biweekly, monthly teachers. We will work with your schedule. Please contact Kathy Bollinger 573-286-7003
To our Sisters in Christ here at Holy Cross,
You are invited to join us with our fellow lady family and friends for a baby shower for Daisy Dunker on Saturday, September 19 at 12:00 p.m. in our fellowship area. We look forward to a joyful afternoon of fellowship, food, and celebration. Jilliane and Brett are registered for Daisy at Babylist.com for those who wish to bring a gift and need ideas. We know several of you have already given gifts, but please come and celebrate with us. As part of the fun, we are hosting a diaper drive—bring any size package of diapers (besides preemie and newborn) and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a grand prize. Please RSVP to Debbie at 618.201.4736 by September 6. We hope you can join us to shower them with love and support!
Join us for our Rally Day celebration on September 13th. Rally Day is a day of celebration as we begin our Sunday school year, Bible study, and confirmation class. After our worship service we plan to have some fun, games, fellowship and food. All the meat will be provided. You are welcome to bring side dishes or a dessert. If not, just show up and enjoy!
We will also be continuing Holy Cross’ 185th anniversary with a reunion celebration of confirmation classes from 1948-2026. Holy Cross has been blessed by God the past 185 years through the means of grace that he has given to us, the Word and Sacraments. Rev. Lyle Buettner, a son of the congregation, will be guest preacher. We welcome any memories you may have relating to school days, concerts, dartball and VBS. We hope you will share them and/or photos with us.
God’s Grace in a Country Place II, a history of our church,is available for $10.00. The book was authored by Arlene A. Baum. Read how God was with the church beginning in 1841. The congregation withstood three disasters in the first decade. The first church building, located 2 miles north, burned in 1844, some people joined another denomination and the deadly cholera epidemic raging the country, took the lives of 18 members in July 1849. We presently worship in the stone church built in 1863 at the height of the U.S Civil War.
Other options to donate to church is to use the QR code to make a
donation to support Holy Cross Lutheran Church of Wartburg.
Thank you!
If you have any questions, contact Kathy Reifschneider 618-444-2188
Or kreifschneider4@gmail.com
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