Sunday, May 5, 2024
++ PREPARATION +
HYMN What A Friend We Have In Jesus TLH 457
What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry ev’rything to God in prayer.
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry ev’rything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful? Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our Refuge; Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer.
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, thou wilt find a solace there.
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES Psalm 146:1–2, 5, 10
Pastor: Praise the Lord!
People: Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Pastor: I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
People: I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Pastor: Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
People: whose hope is in the Lord his God.
Pastor: The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations.
People: Praise the Lord!
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Pastor: Let us now confess our sin to God, our merciful Father.
People: Gracious God, in heartfelt repentance we admit and confess our sinfulness. We are sin-stained people by nature. Each day we have sinned and done things we ought not to have done and have not done that which we are to have been doing as Your servants. We have not seen people in the loving way that You see them. We have not always been ready to care and quick to help. We do indeed deserve Your punishment in this life and for eternity. Trusting in Your mercy, we come to You for forgiveness. Our trust is in the merits of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Have mercy on us, O God. Abide with us and grant us forgiveness of all our sins. By the power of the Holy Spirit at work within our hearts and lives, lead us into ways that reflect Your goodness and love.
Pastor: God is loving and merciful. He sees us with loving eyes and graciously hears our supplications. By the command of our Lord and as His called and ordained servant, I forgive you all of your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
+ WORD +
HYMN Stand Up! Stand Up For Jesus TLH 451 vs 1 & 4
Stand up! Stand up for Jesus, Ye soldiers of the Cross!
Lift high His royal banner it must not suffer loss.
From vict’ry unto vict’ry His army shall He lead.
Till ev’ry foe is vanquished And Christ Is Lord indeed
Stand up! Stand up for Jesus! The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle, The next, the victor’s song.
To him that overcometh A crown of life shall be;
He with the King of Glory Shall reign eternally.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: Let us pray. O God, the giver of all that is good, by Your holy inspiration grant that we may think those things that are right and by Your merciful guiding accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
FIRST READING Acts 10:34–48 (People from every nation are accepted by God.)
34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.
EPISTLE 1 John 5:1–8 (The victory of Christ overcomes the world.)
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.
HOLY GOSPEL John 15:9–17 (Obeying Christ’s commands and remaining in His love)
9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
HYMN Now Thank We All Our God TLH 36
Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things hath done, in whom His world rejoices;
Who, from our mothers’ arms, hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
Oh, may this bounteous God thro’ all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed,
And free us from all ills in this world and the next.
All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given,
The Son, and Him who reigns with them in highest heaven,
The one eternal God, whom earth and heav’n adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.
SERMON
THE THIRD ARTICLE OF THE APOSTLES CREED
Pastor: The First Reading today tells how the gift of the Holy Spirit was given to Gentiles as well as to Jews—which includes all the peoples of the world. Sharing words of faith confessed around the world, we speak together the words of the Apostles’ Creed regarding the Third Person of the Holy Trinity and then express our confession of its meaning in the Small Catechism words of Martin Luther.
People: 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 everlasting. Amen.
Pastor: What does this mean?
People: I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.
In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.
In this Christian Church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers.
On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.
This is most certainly true.
GREETING/ANNOUNCEMENTS
OFFERING
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
We thank God for the Christian Church and pray that God’s people may live confidently and would joyfully share the message of salvation in word and deed. Gathered by the Holy Spirit, we pray that we may be blessed with all grace and give evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Lord, be with us and bless us.
We pray for our families, our neighborhoods, and our communities. We ask the blessing of our bountiful God on all those who share in our Christian fellowship and join with us in worship. Also, we pray for all who are part of the household of faith, whose presence here this day supports and strengthens us.
We also pray for those with special concerns and needs this day: those who are hospitalized or shut in, those who are grieving at this time, the unemployed and underemployed, the chronically ill, and all those whose needs are known to us, [especially . . .]. Lord, grant that we may bring Your blessing to situations of need in all places.
Pastor: Most merciful God, we thank You for all those faithful people whose words and actions have guided us in the past, especially remembering those no longer with us on earth, who now share in Your eternal presence. By the working of Your Holy Spirit, direct us to walk Your servant way throughout our lives, seeing each person through Your loving eyes, until that day when we stand in Your glorious presence in heaven.
People: Amen.