The Second Sunday in Lent 2/25/2024
THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT
FEBRUARY 25, 2024
ST. PAUL’S LUTHERAN CHURCH, FALLS CHURCH, VA
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PRELUDE Jesus Thy Boundless Love to Me Settings: 1. Mark Sedio 2. Robert J. Powell
WELCOME
ENTRANCE HYMN (Stand) Jesus Thy Boundless Love to Me LSB 683
1 Jesus, Thy boundless love to me
No thought can reach, no tongue declare;
Unite my thankful heart to Thee,
And reign without a rival there!
Thine wholly, Thine alone I am;
Be Thou alone my constant flame.
2 O grant that nothing in my soul
May dwell, but Thy pure love alone;
Oh, may Thy love possess me whole,
My joy, my treasure, and my crown!
All coldness from my heart remove;
My ev’ry act, word, thought be love.
3 This love unwearied I pursue
And dauntlessly to Thee aspire.
Oh, may Thy love my hope renew,
Burn in my soul like heav’nly fire!
And day and night, be all my care
To guard this sacred treasure there.
4 In suff’ring be Thy love my peace,
In weakness be Thy love my pow’r;
And when the storms of life shall cease,
O Jesus, in that final hour,
Be Thou my rod and staff and guide,
And draw me safely to Thy side!
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS LSB 184
In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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,
who made heaven and earth.
I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord,
and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
(We kneel and reflect our need before God)
O almighty God, merciful Father,
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.
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.
Amen.
INTROIT (Stand)
Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and `merciful,
Slow to anger and abounding in `steadfast love.
Jesus said: If any man would come `after me,
Let him deny himself and take up his cross and `follow me.
Christ was wounded for our `transgressions;
He was bruised for our `iniquities.
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.
KYRIE
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
HYMN OF PRAISE (omitted during Lent)
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. O God,
You see that of ourselves we have no strength. By Your mighty power defend us from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST LESSON (Be seated) Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. . . .
And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
10:30 PSALM 22:23-31 (Sung Responsively)
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
For kingship belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.
All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.
Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.
SECOND LESSON Romans 5:1-11
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
(10:30) CHILDREN’S SERMON
GOSPEL VERSE (Stand) from One and All Rejoice
O come, let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
the founder and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame,
and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
GOSPEL Mark 8:27-38
The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark the 8th chapter
Glory to You, O Lord.
And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
And he called to him the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus. Amen. Dear friends in Christ:
As you may recall, in the season of Epiphany, which we concluded two Sundays ago, our readings focused on the early ministry of Jesus. Those readings revealed that God was doing a powerful new thing through Jesus. And they shared, as well, that the people perceived Jesus’ authority through his preaching, and that his authority was made visible in many helpful miracles.
This then caused people to wonder about Jesus’ true identity. The people noted that in many ways he was like their great prophets of old – Moses, Elijah and others – but also that he was different in certain ways. For instance, he didn’t simply call the people to greater faithfulness. Rather, he called them to accept new teachings.
In the season of Lent, our readings skip around a bit – meaning that some come from Jesus’ early ministry, and some come from later on. Today’s reading comes from a point at just about the middle of his ministry and it addresses that question of his identity head on.
Up until this point, Jesus hadn’t broached the subject directly. He was content to let his teachings and miracles speak for themselves. He didn’t want to create controversy too soon. Showing was more effective than telling anyway.
But here we see that Jesus is ready to tell his closest disciples. Because they will need to know.
So, Jesus brings up the subject. He does so by asking: “Who do people say that I am?”
When the disciples share certain answers that they’ve heard people give, he then asks: “but who do you say I am?”
One of the disciples, Peter, pipes up and says: “you are the Christ.” Christ is the Greek translation of Messiah, and the Messiah was the chosen one God had promised to send to save his people.
Jesus then quickly tells the disciples to keep this message to themselves. It was not yet time for his true identity to be publicly shared.
But here we should recall that when Matthew tells this story, Jesus first commends Peter for his confession, and then adds words of blessing upon all who share the same belief. These are very important words to consider, of course. But since they come up at other times in our schedule of readings, I won’t comment on them today.
Like Matthew, and Luke as well, Mark then tells how Jesus begins to teach the disciples about the difficult future he will experience. He may be the Christ, but he will also suffer, be rejected by the leaders of the people, and be killed.
To this listing of difficulties, Jesus also adds the good news that he will rise again on the third day. But Peter, who has just made a right confession of Jesus’ identity, doesn’t seem to hear this last part. We know this because he takes Jesus aside and begins to rebuke him.
And here we are left to wonder at this presumption of Peter. Who was he to rebuke the Messiah?
But of course we know who he is. He is you and me… a person who naturally questions the authority of others, God’s Messiah included.
And just as much, he represents all of us too in that he is sometimes ruled by his emotions. Peter didn’t want his master to suffer, be rejected and be killed, and he certainly didn’t want this to happen to the Messiah. It hurt him to hear those words from Jesus. His strong rebuke no doubt came from that hurt.
As for his missing of the “rising on the third day” part, Peter either didn’t hear it in his great emotional state, or perhaps he thought Jesus was using the phrase symbolically. The Old Testament is filled with references to things happening in “three days.” So maybe he thought it was simply a way of saying “in the right time” or “eventually” – in which case it could then be a resurrection on the last day, one like we will all experience.
Ultimately, however, what Peter seemed to hear in the words of Jesus was defeat. The suffering and death of the Christ sounded to him like a sad and painful loss – one quite unbefitting of the Messiah.
And this conclusion of Peter’s was incorrect, of course. Jesus was indeed the Christ, and he was going to die. But before we get into all of that, let’s pause a bit to consider how we, like Peter, also get emotional when faced with defeat.
None of likes to lose. We don’t even like the teams we follow to lose. And why is it that we are so concerned about winning? Is it because it feels so good? Or is it because we fear that if we don’t, we might miss out? Or be left behind? Or forced to wear an unpopular label? Maybe we’ve grown to believe, like a certain movie character did, that “if you’re not first, you’re last?”
Hold that thought for a bit while we return to today’s reading.
When Peter expressed his disapproval of what Jesus had told him, Jesus quickly and emphatically told Peter to back down. He said: “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Notice he said this after “turning and seeing his disciples.” Seeing those disciples, and thinking about the work they were to do in his name, certainly reminded him of how dangerous this
misunderstanding of Peter’s was. Peter’s beliefs needed to be corrected. Or else those beliefs – like any false doctrine – would cause great damage.
The fact of the matter was that Jesus’ suffering and death would not be a defeat. Not at all. Rather, it would pay the price for the sins of the world. It would make possible the great victory Paul so elegantly speaks about in our second reading today – one that offered “justification by faith,” “peace with God,” “access by faith into grace,” “love that has been poured into our heart,” “reconciliation” with God, and being “saved by his life.”
Jesus’ suffering and death would be a victory! A great victory, shared with all!
That being said, it would also be one other thing as well. It would be a call to service. And this call would necessitate something that both he and his disciples would need to endure. Suffering.
Jesus makes this clear in his next words – words given to all the disciples. He says to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Jesus’ death would take place upon a cross, which is why he no doubt uses that same awful image to speak about our calling. He does this so that we can understand how our suffering, like that of his, will ultimately end in victory.
And to help us grasp the kind of suffering to which we are called, Jesus adds two short phrases of explanation – one given before his mention of the cross and one given after it.
The first of these is “deny yourself.” By this he means that we are called to submit our desires to those of God. God desires that we obey his commandments, be his witnesses, and love and serve our neighbors. Where any of our desires run counter to these desires of God, we are to deny them.
As we know, this is not easy. For we have natural desires of the flesh that God has told us to control but that we would like to gratify. We have desires, as well, for things such as glory, prestige, and wealth and have discovered that these can be more easily attained when we abandon God’s commands.
The temptation for these desires is strong. But God calls us to stand against the temptation to take them in sinful ways. We are, instead, to deny ourselves the pleasure they promise.
Jesus expounds on this idea when he says: “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” We tend to think that the only way to save our life is to do things our own way. But Jesus calls us to submit ourselves to his ways instead, and to trust in his salvation.
Jesus’ second statement of explanation – the one which follows the call to “take up the cross” – is his command to “follow me.” This, remember, was quite literally the first call given to many of those disciples. And it represented to them – as it should us – the call of commitment to Christ.
In particular, this is a call to commit to Christ in the face of persecution. Jesus ends his teaching here by saying: “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
We are tempted to feel shame when someone questions our following of Jesus. They may seem to make good arguments. But are those arguments really sound?
St. Paul once said to the Roman church: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation” (1:16). God’s power in Christ might not always be seen. But it is there, nonetheless. It may be hidden from our eyes at certain times, but at other times it is quite visible and sure.
Our call is to follow Jesus and trust that God will bring about good in our lives and in the lives of others. His ways are surely best, which we will see when we look closely. The truth of Jesus’ power to help has been proven again and again over time.
But in our weakness, we often doubt. And that is why we must continue to hear his call.
Back to those thoughts on winning and losing. Again, we tend to think this is simply the way life must be: that some people will win, and others will lose. That’s the way it works with our games, so we think that’s the way it must work in real life.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Jesus may have lost his life for a time, but he was quickly resurrected. He was a winner throughout; in that he kept faith. So it can be with us.
Jesus’ win was the right kind of win because it was not at the expense of others. It was only at the expense of evil. Evil lost when he rose from the dead. And people won since his victory is shared with all.
The caveat to this, of course, is when people choose evil. Sinful choices drive us away from God and set us on a path of destruction. This is why we must repent of our sins – expressing our sorrow over them and resolving not to commit them again. God will always hear our repentance and extend his forgiveness.
Among other things, the shunning of evil means to stop seeking wins at the expense of others. We are, instead, to work toward the building up of all people. We are to do our part humbly and faithfully, putting away the greed which tempts us to take more than we need.
When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, remember that Satan’s final promise was to give him all that he could see if he would only bow down and worship him. Jesus didn’t give in to this temptation. Because he knew that God alone should be worshiped. And he also knew that he didn’t have to have all those things the devil showed him. What God had given him was enough. This is to be our belief as well.
“Take up your cross,” Jesus tells us. And by this he means that we are to deny our selfish desires and follow him instead.
As Jesus shows, the way of the cross will involve suffering. And this suffering is in addition to that which simply comes from living in a world bound by the curse of death.
Likewise, our suffering will also come from our own bad choices. And it will sometimes come from our good choices too.
But when we suffer with faith, we can be sure that God brings salvation and vindication. Our suffering will be our service, just as the cross tells of God’s service to us.
“Get behind me, Satan,” Jesus once said to Peter, “for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Let us, too, put the things of Satan behind us and set our minds on the things of God, remembering always that the way of God is the way of the cross.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY (Stand) Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart LSB 708
1 Lord, Thee I love with all my heart;
I pray Thee, ne’er from me depart,
With tender mercy cheer me.
Earth has no pleasure I would share.
Yea, heav’n itself were void and bare
If Thou, Lord, wert not near me.
And should my heart for sorrow break,
My trust in Thee can nothing shake.
Thou art the portion I have sought;
Thy precious blood my soul has bought.
Lord Jesus Christ, my God and Lord, my God and Lord,
Forsake me not! I trust Thy Word.
2 Yea, Lord, ’twas Thy rich bounty gave
My body, soul, and all I have
In this poor life of labor.
Lord, grant that I in ev’ry place
May glorify Thy lavish grace
And help and serve my neighbor.
Let no false doctrine me beguile;
Let Satan not my soul defile.
Give strength and patience unto me
To bear my cross and follow Thee.
Lord Jesus Christ, my God and Lord, my God and Lord,
In death Thy comfort still afford.
3 Lord, let at last Thine angels come,
To Abr’ham’s bosom bear me home,
That I may die unfearing;
And in its narrow chamber keep
My body safe in peaceful sleep
Until Thy reappearing.
And then from death awaken me,
That these mine eyes with joy may see,
O Son of God, Thy glorious face,
My Savior and my fount of grace.
Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer attend, my prayer attend,
And I will praise Thee without end.
APOSTLES’ CREED Hymnal, back cover
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.
INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS
OFFERING
Offerings support the church’s mission work – both here and through our many partners. Offerings may be placed in the box at the sanctuary entrance or sent to the church through our website or the mail. Fellowship Cards help us welcome new people and track participation. Please fill one out and place it in the offering box following the service.
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH (Kneel)
Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Heavenly Father, give us Your Holy Spirit, that we might deny ourselves, take up the crosses You give, and follow Your Son through this troubled life into heaven. Remind us that we give up our lives knowing that Christ has already saved them. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, give the Church and all her servants grace to fulfill the ministries to which You have called them. And grant each of us the strength to confess Christ boldly before the world. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, teach us not to shun our Lord’s suffering; nor that of our own. When persecution or ridicule comes for being Your child, give us faith to endure. Remind us of your promise to deliver us out of the hand of the wicked and redeem us from the grasp of the ruthless. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O God, as you blessed and multiplied Abraham’s family, so also bless and multiply ours – and especially the church. Protect mothers with child, equip parents to lead their households well, and guide us all to live peacefully and joyfully with one another. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, all kingship belongs to You, and You rule over the nations. Bless Joseph, our president, Glen, our Governor, and all those who govern among us and throughout the world, that they may rule wisely and in accord with Your will. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Great Physician, heal and restore your people according to your grace. We remember especially those on our prayer list and those we name in our hearts at this time… Give them Your holy care and strengthen them to bear their crosses, that they may endure to see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, at Your table we eat and are satisfied. Deepen our hunger for this table, so that we may enjoy all the benefits which come from Christ’s saving life. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, receive our praise this day for St. Peter and for all who confess Jesus as the Christ. We rejoice that Your Son builds His Church upon this rock and that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. Keep us in this same faith all our days; through the Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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THE LITURGY OF HOLY COMMUNION
OFFERTORY LSB 192-198
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy free spirit. Amen.
PREFACE TO HOLY COMMUNION
The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up unto the Lord.
Let us give thanks unto the Lord, our God.
It is meet and right so to do.
It is truly good right and salutary…evermore praising You and saying:
SANCTUS
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth;
heav’n and earth are full of Thy glory.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He, blessed is He, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
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.
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD
PAX DOMINI
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
Amen.
AGNUS DEI
O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.
O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.
O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, grant us Thy peace. Amen.
DISTRIBUTION (Be seated)
Those wishing to commune at the foot of the steps should come forward first. Those wishing to commune at the altar rail should come forward after these, front rows first, from both sides of the aisle. After receiving, all should return to their seats. A common dismissal will be given at the end.
COMMUNION HYMN Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed LSB 437
1 Alas! And did my Savior bleed,
And did my sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?
2 Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity, grace unknown,
And love beyond degree!
3 Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in
When God, the mighty maker, died
For His own creatures’ sin.
4 Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt mine eyes to tears.
5 But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away:
’Tis all that I can do.
NUNC DIMITTIS AND CONCLUDING LITURGY LSB 199-202
Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word,
for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people,
a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel.
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.
SENDING HYMN Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus LSB 685
1 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.
2 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.
3 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.
4 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 (Be seated)
DISMISSAL
POSTLUDE Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart Setting: Walter L. Pelz
FLOWERS: Flowers are given in loving remembrance of Jerry Keppler and Winnie Doersam, my brother and sister. Thankfulness to God for the many blessings he showered upon each of us. By Marge Glass
FELLOWSHIP: Preschool Committee
Those serving:
8:00 a.m.:
Greeter: Steve Berg
Comm. assist: Dede Dixon
Reader: Anne Kauzlarich
10:30 a.m.:
Greeter: Charles Fisher
Comm. assist: Holly Siebrass
Reader: Charles Fisher
Acolyte: Daniel Wang
AV Assistants: Hannes Buuck, Andreas Buuck
Acknowledgements
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2024 Concordia Publishing House.
198 O Come, Let Us Fix Our Eyes on Jesus Text: Hebrews 12:2, alt. Tune: Mark L. Bender, b. 1951 Text: © 2001 Crossway Bibles. Used by permission: OAR Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: © 2009 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: OAR Hymn License no. 110005326
683 Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me Text: Paul Gerhardt, 1607–76; tr. John B. Wesley, 1703–91, alt. Tune: Norman Cocker, 1889–1953 Text: Public domain Tune: © Oxford University Press. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
708 Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart Text: Martin Schalling, 1532–1608; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–78, alt. Tune: Zwey Bücher . . . Tabulatur, 1577, Strassburg Text and tune: Public domain
437 Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed Text: Isaac Watts, 1674–1748, alt. Tune: Hugh Wilson, 1764–1824 Text and tune: Public domain
685 Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus Text: Sigismund von Birken, 1626–81; tr. Lutheran Book of Worship, 1978, alt. Tune: Georg G. Boltze, 18th cent. Text: © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: Public domain
