First Service
SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Lord, Teach Us to Pray!
May 17, 2026
AS WE GATHER
Christians are “faith alone” people. We most often think of that in terms of salvation: we are saved by faith alone! But throughout our daily life, Christians function by faith alone. We practice generous stewardship by faith alone, trusting in the God who supplies all our needs. We keep God’s commands by faith alone, confident that His ways are better than our ways. And we pray by faith alone, assured our loving God has opened His door and His heart to hear and answer us. It is faith, and faith alone, that fuels us for life today and secures us for the life to come.
+ PREPARATION +
HYMN Crown Him with Many Crowns TLH 341 vs 1, 3-5
Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! How the heav’nly anthem drowns all music but its own!
Awake my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King thro’ all eternity.
Crown Him the Lord of Love! Behold His hands and side
Rich wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his wond’ring eye at mysteries so bright.
Crown Him the Lord of Life! Who triumphed o’er the grave;
And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save.
His glories now we sing, who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring and lives that death may die.
Crown Him the Lord of heav’n! Enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the King to whom is given the wondrous name of Love.
Crown Him with many crowns As thrones before Him fall;
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns, For He is King of all.
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES John 3:16; 17:3
Pastor: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son,
People: that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Pastor: And this is eternal life,
People: that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Pastor: Holy and gracious Lord, the earth was made to be filled with Your glory. Despite Your love and care, we have not lived lives worthy of being called Your people.
Pause for silent reflection
Pastor: Forgive our sins and shortcomings. Overcome our inability and inaction. Replace our selfish and faithless nature with hearts that glorify You.
People: O Lord, be gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Amen.
Pastor: Having accomplished the work given Him to do, Jesus Christ has paid for all of your sins, has risen for your justification, and has claimed His seat at the Father’s right hand to intercede on your behalf. As a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
+ WORD +
HYMN OF PRAISE I Sing Praises CH 5
I sing praises to Your name, O Lord, praises to Your name, O Lord,
For Your name is great and greatly to be praised!
I sing praises to Your name, O Lord, praises to Your name, O Lord,
For Your name is great and greatly to be praised!
I give glory to Your name, O Lord, glory to Your name, O Lord,
For Your name is great, and greatly to be praised!
I give glory to Your name, O Lord, glory to Your name, O Lord,
For Your name is great and greatly to be praised!
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: Let us pray. O King of glory, Lord of hosts, uplifted in triumph far above all heavens, leave us not without consolation but send us the Spirit of truth whom You promised from the Father; for You live and reign with Him and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
FIRST READING Acts 1:12–26 (Trusting in the Lord’s guidance, the apostles select faithful Matthias to complete the Twelve.)
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. 15 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, 16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” 18 (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong] he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “‘Let another take his office.’ 21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
EPISTLE 1 Peter 4:12–19; 5:6–11 (Peter prepares believers for suffering and points them to the God who cares for them.)
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory[a] and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
HOLY GOSPEL John 17:1–11 (Christ prays for the unity and safety of those who believe.)
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. 6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
HYMN In Christ Alone
In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song.
This cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when striving cease.
My comforter, my all in all, here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone – who took on flesh, fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness, scorned by the ones He came to save.
‘Til on that cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied.
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid, here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay, light of the world by darkness slain.
Then bursting forth in glorious day up from the grave He rose again.
And as He stands in victory sin’s curse has lost its grip on me.
For I am His and He is mine –
bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the pow’r of Christ in me.
From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
can ever pluck me from His hand.
‘Til He returns or calls me home, here in the pow’r of Christ I stand.
SERMON
NICENE CREED
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 Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe 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.
GREETING/ANNOUNCEMENTS
OFFERING
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: Our Lord Jesus Christ gives us a pattern for prayer, and so we pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all according to their needs.
Heavenly Father, may Your name be hallowed throughout all the earth. By the Spirit’s power, make us worthy witnesses of Your grace and glory. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Eternal King, we pray for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done among us. Intervene where sin runs rampant and make Your church an instrument of reconciliation and peace. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Generous God, we praise You for caring for our daily needs of shelter and sustenance. Continue to provide Your people with plenty, that we may have opportunity to be reflections of Your generosity in our giving to others. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Merciful Savior, make Your people quick to turn to You in repentance, and by Your abundant pardon, equip us to be messengers of Your mercy to the world. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Faithful Deliverer, we pray for Your merciful rescue from the evils still present in our world. We lift up those struggling with sickness or grief, [especially . . .], and ask that Your hand would lead them to hope and faithfulness. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: O Triune God, we rejoice in Your faithfulness. Make Your dwelling in us and keep us in faith until the day of Christ’s returning.
People: Amen.