Service for the Fourth Sunday of Easter and Mother’s Day
Rev. Gregory Mech, pastor | 8:00 and 10:30 | Voter’s Meeting between services to Call a Transitional Pastor
Special thanks to all who helped to make this service and broadcast possible:
Rev. Gregory Mech, DCE Jason Glaskey, organist Betty Lingenfelter, Altar Guild, Board of Elders, and all of our volunteers!
ACCLAMATION
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 7:10, 12
HYMN “Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia” 466
Christ has arisen, alleluia.
Rejoice and praise Him, alleluia.
For our Redeemer burst from the tomb,
Even from death, dispelling its gloom.
Let us sing praise to Him with endless joy;
Death’s fearful sting He has come to destroy.
Our sin forgiving, alleluia! Jesus is living, alleluia!
For three long days the grave did its worst
Until its strength by God was dispersed.
He who gives life did death undergo;
And in its conquest His might did show.
Let us sing praise to Him with endless joy;
Death’s fearful sting He has come to destroy.
Our sin forgiving, alleluia! Jesus is living, alleluia!
The angel said to them, “Do not fear!
You look for Jesus who is not here.
See for yourselves the tomb is all bare;
Only the grave cloths are lying there.”
Let us sing praise to Him with endless joy;
Death’s fearful sting He has come to destroy.
Our sin forgiving, alleluia! Jesus is living, alleluia!
“Go spread the news: He’s not in the grave;
He has arisen this world to save.
Jesus’ redeeming labors are done;
Even the battle with sin is won.”
Let us sing praise to Him with endless joy;
Death’s fearful sting He has come to destroy.
Our sin forgiving, alleluia! Jesus is living, alleluia!
Christ has arisen; He sets us free;
Alleluia, to Him praises be.
Jesus is living! Let us all sing;
He reigns triumphant, heavenly King.
Let us sing praise to Him with endless joy;
Death’s fearful sting He has come to destroy.
Our sin forgiving, alleluia! Jesus is living, alleluia!
INVOCATION
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep, and has taken it up again. From His place in glory He has spoken: “Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last. I am the Alpha and the Omega. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever. And I hold the keys to death and Hades.” Revelation 1:17b-18
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 7:12
CONFESSION OF SIN
We praise You, O Christ, as our Good Shepherd, for You willingly offered up Your life to save us, Your lambs and sheep. Yet, it is on account of our wanderings that it became necessary for You to sacrifice all on our behalf. Therefore, we humbly come before You, confessing our sin and awaiting Your word of forgiveness and comfort.
(Silence for personal reflection and confession.)
O Lord, so often we have not listened to Your voice as we should.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
We have strayed from You and have been disobedient.
Have mercy on us, O Christ.
We have been rebellious and have turned to our own way, following our own wisdom, relying on our own strength.
Have mercy on us, O Lord. Renew, restore and refresh us by Your unending mercy and grace.
WORD OF FORGIVENESS
Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, laid His life down for His sheep on the cross. There He sacrificed His life that all who believe in Him will not perish but have forgiveness for their sins and eternal life in His name. In the name of Jesus Christ and by His authority, I, a called and ordained servant of the risen Savior, forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
HYMN OF PRAISE “Alleluia! Let Praises Ring” 822
Alleluia! Let praises ring!
To God the Father let us bring
Our songs of adoration.
To Him through everlasting days
Be worship, honor, pow’r and praise,
Whose hand sustains creation.
Singing, ringing:
Holy, holy, God is holy;
Spread the story
Of our God, the Lord of glory.
Alleluia! Let praises ring!
Unto the Lamb of God we sing,
In whom we are elected.
He bought His Church with His own blood,
He cleansed her in that blessed flood,
And as His Bride selected.
Holy, holy
Is our union And communion.
His befriending
Gives us joy and peace unending.
Alleluia! Let praises ring!
Unto the Holy Ghost we sing
For our regeneration.
The saving faith in us He wrought
And us unto the Bridegroom brought,
Made us His chosen nation.
Glory! Glory!
Joy eternal, Bliss supernal;
There is manna
And an endless, glad hosanna.
Alleluia! Let praises ring!
Unto our triune God we sing,
Blest be His name forever!
With angel hosts let us adore
And sing His praises evermore
For all His grace and favor!
Singing, ringing:
Holy, holy, God is holy;
Spread the story
Of our God, the Lord of glory!
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
KIDS’ TALK
FIRST READING Acts 20:17-35
Now from Miletus Paul sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he said to them:
“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me.In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
HYMN “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” 709
The King of love my shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never.
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.
Where streams of living waters flow,
My ransomed soul He leadeth
And, where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me
And on His shoulder gently laid
And home rejoicing brought me.
In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
With Thee, dear Lord, beside me,
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.
Thou spreadst a table in my sight;
Thine unction grace bestoweth;
And, oh, what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!
And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever!
SECOND READING Revelation 7:9-17
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
ALLELUIA AND VERSE (Revelation 7:10, 17)
Alleluia! Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd.
He will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Alleluia!
GOSPEL READING John 10:22-30
The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the tenth chapter.
Glory to You, O Lord.
At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
This is the Gospel of our Lord and Shepherd.
Praise to You, O Christ.
APOSTLES’ CREED
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 everlasting. Amen.
HYMN “Savior, Like a Shepherd, Lead Us” 711
Savior, like a shepherd lead us;
Much we need Your tender care.
In Your pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use Your fold prepare.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
You have bought us; we are Yours.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
You have bought us; we are Yours.
We are Yours; in love befriend us,
Be the guardian of our way;
Keep Your flock, from sin defend us,
Seek us when we go astray.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Hear us children when we pray.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Hear us children when we pray.
You have promised to receive us,
Poor and sinful though we be;
You have mercy to relieve us,
Grace to cleanse, and pow’r to free.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Early let us turn to You.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Early let us turn to You.
Early let us seek Your favor,
Early let us do Your will;
Blessed Lord and only Savior,
With Your love our spirits fill.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
You have loved us, love us still.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
You have loved us, love us still.
SERMON
PRAYERS
OFFERING
LORD’S PRAYER
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.
BENEDICTION
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.
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 7:12
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
HYMN “Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus” 685
Let us ever walk with Jesus,
Follow His example pure,
Through a world that would deceive us
And to sin our spirits lure.
Onward in His footsteps treading,
Pilgrims here, our home above,
Full of faith and hope and love,
Let us do the Father’s bidding.
Faithful Lord, with me abide;
I shall follow where You guide.
Let us suffer here with Jesus
And with patience bear our cross.
Joy will follow all our sadness;
Where He is, there is no loss.
Though today we sow no laughter,
We shall reap celestial joy;
All discomforts that annoy
Shall give way to mirth hereafter.
Jesus, here I share Your woe;
Help me there Your joy to know.
Let us gladly die with Jesus.
Since by death He conquered death,
He will free us from destruction,
Give to us immortal breath.
Let us mortify all passion
That would lead us into sin;
And the grave that shuts us in
Shall but prove the gate to heaven.
Jesus, here with You I die,
There to live with You on high.
Let us also live with Jesus.
He has risen from the dead
That to life we may awaken.
Jesus, You are now our head.
We are Your own living members;
Where You live, there we shall be
In Your presence constantly,
Living there with You forever.
Jesus, let me faithful be,
Life eternal grant to me.
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CELEBRATIONS
IMMANUEL’S MISSION PRAYER
Heavenly Father, We pray to see the future as You see it, so we may live the present as You will it. We pray we may be grounded in Christ as a Lutheran congregation, and guided by Your grace as we walk in forgiveness. We pray we are growing continually in faith as servants in Christ’s Kingdom proclaiming the Gospel. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
COMMON DOXOLOGY 805
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host:
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. From Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.
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