Hymn “Good Christian Friends, Rejoice and Sing” LSB # 475
1 Good Christian friends, rejoice and sing! Now is the triumph of our King!
To all the world glad news we bring: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
2 The Lord of life is ris'n this day; Bring flow'rs of song to strew His way;
Let all the world rejoice and say: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
3 Praise we in songs of victory That love, that life which cannot die,
And sing with hearts uplifted high: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
4 Your name we bless, O risen Lord, And sing today with one accord
The life laid down, the life restored: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
P: In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
P: Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. Our help is in the name of the Lord,
C: who made heaven and earth.
P: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord,
C: and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
(We reflect on God’s Word and examine ourselves)
P: O almighty God, merciful Father,
C: I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You, and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.
P: Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
The Introit is read…
(Sung)
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
The Antiphon is read…
(Sung)
Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us.
(Glory be to God on high)
…and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory. O Lord God, heav’nly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sin of the world, receive our prayer. Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us. For Thou only art holy; Thou only art the Lord. Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Let us pray.
Collect of the Day:
P: O God, You make the minds of Your faithful to be of one will. Grant that we may love what You have commanded and desire what You promise, that among the many changes of this world our hearts may be fixed where true joys are found; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
Hymn “’Tis Good, Lord, to Be Here” LSB # 517 vv. 1, 7, 3
1 By all Your saints in warfare, For all Your saints at rest,
Your holy name, O Jesus, Forevermore be blest!
For You have won the battle That they might wear the crown;
And now they shine in glory Reflected from Your throne.
7 Praise for the first of martyrs Who saw You ready stand
To help in time of torment, To plead at God’s right hand.
Like You, our suff’ring Savior, His enemies he blessed,
With “Lord, receive my spirit,” His faith, by death, confessed.
3 Then let us praise the Father And worship God the Son
And sing to God the Spirit, Eternal Three in One,
Till all the ransomed number Fall down before the throne,
Ascribing pow'r and glory And praise to God alone.
Scripture Readings
First Reading (Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60)
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them…
And Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me…
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle Reading (1 Peter 2:2-10 )
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
P: The holy Gospel according to St. John, the 14th chapter.
C: (sung) Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
(John 14:1-14)
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: (sung) Praise be to Thee, O Christ.
Confession of Faith -- Apostles’ Creed
C: 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 “Christ Sits at God’s Right Hand” LSB # 564
Christ sits at God’s right hand, His saving work complete,
To reign till every foe will lie Beneath His feet.
All that the Father planned, The Son sought to fulfill,
When first He said, “Lord, here am I to do Your will.”
Christ was that priest God swore, uniquely First and Last,
Who would in righteousness and love be unsurpassed;
“A priest forevermore,” An oath God would not break,
“A priest within the order of Melchizedek.”
Christ’s altar was the tree, where on the wolrd’s behalf
He shed a blood, unlike the blood of goat or calf,
To seal God’s guarantee of grace that cannot fail;
With blood He entered for our good behind the veil.
What costly sacrifice to cover human sin!
Who but Christ Jesus had the right to enter in?
His blood, that sprinkled price, so we might be assured
That our inheritance in light has been secured.
Then let us now draw near, Washed in that precious flood
And enter the Most Holy Place by Jesus’ blood.
From hearts that are sincere, Let tongues our hope profess,
And trust anew God’s faithful grace That we confess.
All praise to Christ we bring, Our Lord who intercedes,
Our great High Priest enthroned above Who knows our needs;
And to the Father sing Our songs of thankful praise,
Who with the Spirit reigns in love for endless days.
Sermon
Prayer of the Church
P: Lord, in your mercy,
C: Receive our prayer.
The 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
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And with thy spirit.
P: Bless we 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 “Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me” LSB # 722
1 Lord, take my hand and lead me upon life’s way;
Direct, protect, and feed me from day to day.
Without Your grace and favor I go astray;
So take my hand. O Savior, and lead the way.
2) Lord, when the tempest rages, I need not fear;
For You, the Rock of Ages, are always near.
Close by Your side abiding, I fear no foe,
For when Your hand is guiding, in peace I go.
3) Lord, when the shadows lengthen and night has come,
I know that You will strengthen my steps toward home,
And nothing can impede me, O blessed Friend!
So take my hand and lead me unto the end.