Hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” LSB # 507
1 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
2 Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Which wert and art and evermore shalt be.
3 Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see,
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in pow'r, in love, and purity.
4 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
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 in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. 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
C: Amen.
Hymn “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word” LSB #655
1 Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word; Curb those who by deceit or sword
Would wrest the kingdom from Your Son And bring to naught all He has done.
2 Lord Jesus Christ, Your pow'r make known, For You are Lord of lords alone;
Defend Your holy Church that we May sing your praise eternally.
3 O Comforter of priceless worth, Send peace and unity on earth;
Support us in our final strife And lead us out of death to life.
(Sung)
Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.
To God on high be glory and peace to all the earth;
Good will 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.
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.
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.
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Let us pray.
Collect for the day:
Almighty and everlasting God, You have given us grace to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of a true faith and to worship the Unity in the power of the Divine Majesty. Keep us steadfast in this faith and defend us from all adversities; for You, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
Scripture Readings
Old Testament Reading (Isaiah 6:1-8)
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Second Reading (Acts 2:14, 22-36)
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words…
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,
“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
P: The holy Gospel according to St. John the 3rd chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
(John 3:1-17)
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
Confession of Faith -- Athanasian Creed
*Catholic means “universal”
P: Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic* faith.
C: Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt perish eternally.
P: And the catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity,
C: neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.
P: For the Father is one person, the Son is another,
C: and the Holy Spirit is another.
P: But the Godhead of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is one:
C: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
P: Such as the Father is, such is the Son,
C: and such is the Holy Spirit:
P: the Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Spirit uncreated;
C: the Father infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite;
P: the Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal.
C: And yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal,
P: just as there are not three Uncreated or three Infinites,
C: but one Uncreated and one Infinite.
P: In the same way, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, the Holy Spirit almighty;
C: And yet there are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.
P: So the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God;
C: and yet there are not three Gods, but one God.
P: So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord;
C: and yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord.
P: Just as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge each distinct person
as God and Lord,
C: so also are we prohibited by the catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or
Lords.
P: The Father is not made nor created
C: nor begotten by anyone.
P: The Son is neither made nor created,
C: but begotten of the Father alone.
P: The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son,
C: neither made nor created nor begotten, but proceeding.
P: Thus, there is one Father,
C: not three Fathers;
P: one Son,
C: not three Sons;
P: one Holy Spirit,
C: not three Holy Spirits.
P: And in this Trinity none is before or after another;
C: none is greater or less than another;
P: but the whole three persons are coeternal with each other and coequal, so that in all
things, as has been stated above,
C: the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity is to be worshiped.
P: Therefore, whoever desires to be saved
C: must think thus about the Trinity.
P: But it is also necessary for everlasting salvation
C: that one faithfully believe the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
P: Therefore, it is the right faith that we believe and confess
C: that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is at the same time both God and man.
P: He is God,
C: begotten from the substance of the Father before all ages;
P: and He is man,
C: born from the substance of His mother in this age:
P: perfect God and perfect man,
C: composed of a rational soul and human flesh;
P: equal to the Father with respect to His divinity,
C: less than the Father with respect to His humanity.
P: Although He is God and man,
C: He is not two, but one Christ:
P: one, however, not by the conversion of the divinity into flesh
C: but by the assumption of the humanity into God;
P: one altogether, not by confusion of substance,
C: but by unity of person.
P: For as the rational soul and flesh is one man,
C: so God and man is one Christ,
P: who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day
from the dead,
C: ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, God Almighty,
from whence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
P: At His coming all people will rise again with their bodies
C: and give an account concerning their own deeds.
P: And those who have done good will enter into eternal life,
C: and those who have done evil into eternal fire.
P: This is the catholic* faith;
C: whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved.
Closing Hymn “Glory Be to God the Father” LSB # 506
1 Glory be to God the Father, Glory be to God the Son,
Glory be to God the Spirit: Great Jehovah, Three in One!
Glory, glory While eternal ages run!
2 Glory be to Him who loved us, Washed us from each spot and stain:
Glory be to Him who bought us, Made us kings with Him to reign!
Glory, glory To the Lamb that once was slain!
3 Glory to the King of angels, Glory to the Church’s King,
Glory to the King of nations; Heav'n and earth, your praises bring!
Glory, glory To the King of glory sing!
4 Glory, blessing, praise eternal! Thus the choir of angels sings:
Honor, riches, pow'r, dominion! Thus its praise creation brings.
Glory, glory, Glory to the King of kings!
Sermon
Offering/Offertory
Prayer of the Church
P: Lord, in Your mercy
C: hear 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
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.
Hymn “O Blessed Light, O Trinity” # 890
1 O blessed Light, O Trinity, O everlasting Unity:
As now the fiery sun departs, Send forth Your light into our hearts.
2 To You our morning song of praise, To You our evening prayer we raise;
We praise Your light in every age, The glory of our pilgrimage.
3 All glory be to God above And to the Son, the Prince of love,
And to the Spirit, One in Three! We praise You, blessed Trinity!