Holy Trinity Sunday/ 1st Sunday after Pentecost 5/24
Trinity Sunday 5.26.24 PDF DS 2
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
THE HOLY TRINITY
MAY 26, 2024
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, WELCOME TO ST. PAUL’S!
✠ ✠ ✠
THE ENTRANCE RITE
PRELUDE Voices to You We Offer Setting: Scott M. Hyslop
WELCOME
ENTRANCE HYMN Voices Raised to You We Offer LSB 795
1 Voices raised to You we offer;
Tune them, God, for songs of praise.
Hearts and hands we bring in tribute
For Your gifts through all our days.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Triune God, to You we sing!
2 All creation joins to praise You;
Earth and sky Your works display.
Art and music, gifts You lend us,
We return to You today.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
God, Creator, source of life!
3 Christ, the song of Love incarnate,
Touching earth with heaven’s grace,
For Your living, suff’ring, dying,
For Your rising, hear our praise!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Christ, Redeemer, Lord of life!
4 Spirit, flaming through creation,
Kindle faith within each heart.
Lift our voices high in chorus;
Through our hands Your love impart.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Spirit, Helper, breath of life!
5 How can any praise we offer
Measure all the thanks we owe?
Take our hearts and hands and voices—
Gifts of love we can bestow.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Triune God, to You we sing!
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION LSB 167
In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Silence for reflection on God’s Word and for self-examination.
Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.
Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
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 T Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
KYRIE LSB 168
In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Amen.
THIS IS THE FEAST LSB 171
This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia.
Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be
people of God.
Power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and blessing and
glory are His.
This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia.
Sing with all the people of God, and join in the hymn of all creation:
Blessing and honor and glory and might be to God and the Lamb forever.
Amen.
This is the feast of victory for our God, for the Lamb who was slain has
begun His reign.
Alleluia, alleluia.
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. 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. Amen.
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THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST LESSON (Be seated) Isaiah 6:1-8
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. 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. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 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!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
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.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 29 (Sung responsively)
Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord
flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!
SECOND LESSON Acts 2:14a,22-36
Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them,
“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— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 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;
therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
“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. 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, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 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. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.’
Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
10:30 CHILDREN’S SERMON
ALLELUIA VERSE (Stand)
Alleluia. Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia.
GOSPEL John 3:1-8
The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the 3rd chapter.
Glory to You, O Lord.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 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.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 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?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 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.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON (Be seated)
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus. Amen. Dear friends in Christ:
The Gospel lesson just read comes from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. His words here point ahead to the work of the Spirit and the new life which the Spirit gives.
But we have been observing events at the end of Jesus’ ministry. Two Sundays ago we remembered his Ascension into heaven. And last Sunday we remembered his giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Today’s second reading is a continuation of Peter’s sermon given on that day of Pentecost, and it will serve as our main text for this sermon.
When we observed the Ascension, we heard Jesus say to his disciples: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes.” And when the Spirit arrived, at Pentecost, that power was on full display. It was seen in the visible tongues of fire appearing on the disciples, and felt in the mighty rushing wind, and heard in the ability of those disciples to speak in many different languages, and experienced in the conversion of three thousand people to the faith.
Today, we should recall that this same power has been given to us. The prophet Joel, whom Peter quoted in his Pentecost sermon, said that “in the last days” the Spirit would be “poured out on all flesh.” As we know from Jesus, these are the last days. Thus the Spirit is working in Christ’s people as promised.
All that being said, on this first Sunday after Pentecost, as we begin this season of emphasizing the Spirit’s power, the church first reminds us that we are also to use this power rightly.
Last Sunday at the children’s sermon I illustrated the idea of power by showing two tools – a simple hand-held screwdriver and a large, battery-operated, multi-purpose driver – and asked which one was the power tool. The kids knew immediately, of course.
After making my point, I also felt compelled to warn the kids about the dangers of power tools. Extra power can mean extra injury, so power tools must be used carefully. I’ve learned this lesson by ruining many pieces of wood. Thankfully no fingers or toes.
The Holy Spirit has given the church many great tools. Power tools! The Spirit has also moved us to use these tools. But we need to use them rightly.
Our opening hymn this morning led us in offering to God our voices in praise. The hymn’s first line stated this purpose clearly. But the hymn also asked God to “tune” our voices. And that’s because we need to offer a proclamation to the world that is not just powerful but powerful in a good way. And unless God has tuned our voices – and also our actions – we won’t be helpful.
A rightly tuned use is a balanced use. When we Lutheran Christians think about balance, we immediately think about the important balance between Law and Gospel.
A properly balanced proclamation will make it clear that we are not all about the Law. The Law is important because it reflects God’s commands and is both helpful and necessary. Jesus gave a Law statement when he said we must be born again. But the Law cannot be the only message we preach. In fact, the Gospel must predominate over it. As was the case with Jesus.
The Gospel is the good news of our forgiveness and our salvation. Jesus has given us this message through his ministry, especially his death on the cross.
But again, we don’t proclaim this message exclusively. We must also proclaim why the Gospel is necessary. It’s necessary because of the Law. We dare not make the Gospel into a message of license or complete freedom in all things, as if the Law no longer applied.
A proper balance between Law and Gospel is essential to our life and message. In the same way, we must also balance the Spirit-given power to take God’s message forward, with the necessity to get that message right. That’s why the church dedicates the first Sunday in the Pentecost season to a focus on correct doctrine.
Some say such concentration is a squelching of the spirit. But it’s not. Rather, it’s the Spirit understood rightly. Remember, Jesus said the Spirit would lead his disciples into all truth. Truth is important.
Trinity Sunday comes right after Pentecost to make sure we think rightly about God’s message. And notice that it starts us off with thinking about God’s name.
In this, the church follows the example of the first disciples, as evidenced already in Peter’s Pentecost sermon. In the part of the sermon which we read today, Peter directs a very blunt statement squarely at his hearers. He says: “This Jesus you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” Up until this point the sermon had been mostly informational. But now it was getting personal.
Notice, however, that Peter didn’t go on to heap up words of condemnation or guilt. He simply names their sin and quickly moves to speaking about the resurrection. He names the truth of what they had done, then gives them the truth of what God did for them in response.
God, we see, is about resurrection. He raised up Jesus from the dead. And those first hearers of this news would recognize that resurrection as an act of justice. For Jesus was innocent. And the people knew it.
Thus when Peter’s sermon was finished, the people cried out: “what then shall we do?” Peter’s response to them makes clear that God is not only just but also merciful. He tells them that those who repent of their sin and put their faith in God’s Son will be raised up from the dead just like Jesus. Here Peter gives them the Gospel, following on the Law which he had given them earlier.
To further explain Jesus’ resurrection, Peter then links it to Old Testament – just like he did when telling of the Spirit. Here Peter quotes Psalm 16—a beautiful psalm about God not abandoning those who have died. Many of you know this psalm from its use at funerals.
Peter uses this text to not only remind his hearers about God’s faithfulness beyond death, but also to lift up Jesus as THE Holy One—THE one who “makes known to me the paths of life.”
As Peter is explaining these things, notice that he is then moved to speak in Trinitarian language. He says: “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.”
We shouldn’t be surprised at this language. For Trinitarian references are the only way one can truly express what God does for us in Jesus.
Peter’s sermon, empowered by the Holy Spirit, was leading people into truth. It started with the truth of God’s prophecies. It included the truth about the hurtful thing the people had done. Then it moved quickly to the truth about the resurrection of Jesus. And in all of this, the full truth about God’s person and work was being revealed as well.
Like Peter’s sermon, all Holy Scripture is a means for God’s Spirit to be poured into people’s hearts, leading us to the truth. In it we hear the truth about the best way to live and the truth about God’s plan to deal with us in our rebellion and sinfulness. We hear the Law and the Gospel. We hear that God judges and condemns our sin, and that he has also provided payment for our sin – through his Son Jesus, who poured out his blood for us on the cross.
In telling us these things, we see the roles of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And this then leads us to the truth that God is Triune—three in one.
For the remainder of the sermon, I’d like us to think a little more about this truth. As we do so, let me share with you an old saying attributed to Luther. The saying is: “to deny the Trinity endangers your salvation; to try and comprehend the Trinity endangers your sanity.” Yes, the teaching that God is both one and three is greatly paradoxical. And we will always have questions about it – even after reading through the great Athanasian Creed, which is certainly the church’s finest word on the subject. But I do think that a few reflections can be helpful.
The doctrine of the Trinity, it seems to me, can help us to have a balanced truth about God. And having a balanced truth is important because our thoughts can easily become unbalanced. Think of it like having balanced tires on your vehicle. Vehicles don’t run very well when the tires are out of balance. Likewise, we don’t run very well when our theological understanding is out of balance. Sometimes we need a little adjustment.
When we understand God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, this helps us remember important teachings. Let me share just two.
The first is that it reminds us that God is above us, and among us, and within us.
God the Father reminds us that God is above us. Just as fathers are taller than their children (at least for a time) and as fathers know more than their children (usually always!), so also God is certainly above us. He’s above us in what he knows. He’s above us in holiness. And he’s above us in status – or at least he should be.
It is extremely important that we see God as above us. For we need to see him as our authority. And we need to see him as the source of truth. And we need to see him as the one who manages the world. Without these beliefs we descend into chaos and despair.
Likewise, God the Son reminds us that God is among us and not just above us. He’s among us – all of us – as our brother. And as our brother he knows what life’s really like, having been challenged and suffered as we have.
Not only that, but the Son – while still being among us – has also gone ahead of us into heaven. And this shows us our future.
God the Holy Spirit reminds us that God is within us. For not only has the Holy Spirit been “poured out,” as Joel and Peter (v.33) tell us, but the Spirit has been poured into our hearts. Romans 5:5 says: “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.” And 2 Corinthians 1:21–22 says: “It is God who… has given us his Spirit in our hearts, as a guarantee.”
The doctrine of the Trinity witnesses to the presence of God – above us, among us and within us. Furthermore, this doctrine also leads us to a balanced view of who God is and what he does.
The Athanasian Creed teaches us to speak of God as “Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity.” To me this speaks of balance.
If we had a “Father only” view, God might seem distant—as if he gave us life but now, we’re on our own. Many people in fact hold this view. It’s what we call a Deist view—God got everything started and now just sits back and watches.
The Son and the Spirit remind us that God, instead, is very involved. God intervenes, helps and intercedes. The Son and Spirit are present with us, which means we’re not on our own.
Likewise, if we had a view of God as Son only, then we would miss the idea of him being above us as an authority and source of holiness. God, instead, would just be “one of us.” And this is the God who ends up being one god among many—like so many ancients believed, and like some still today. This is the God we make in our image – our own personal God. When we do this, God ends up being our buddy—either one who is always on our side, or one who we are constantly bargaining with, saying: “You do this for me and I’ll do this for you.”
God the Father and God the Holy Spirit remind us that God is different than us. They communicate his holiness and great power. And this teaches us that God cannot be manipulated.
Finally, if we only had a Holy Spirit view of God, we might think of God as merely some kind of impersonal force—a Star Wars god if you will. This is the God who is all mystery and no revelation. It’s the God of no commands, just inspiration. It’s the pantheistic view of God—which says: “all is God and God is all,” whatever that means.
The Father and the Son remind us that God is a being, with emotions such as anger and love. And this is a God we can relate to. Which is good; because God wishes to relate with us.
On this Trinity Sunday, as we praise the God who is Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity, let us also examine ourselves to see if we have a balanced view of God. Let us offer prayers to him, asking that we would understand and live in the truth he has given us.
And then, having become oriented again to the truth, let us ask God to guide us in our witness to others. Our Pentecost journey is one of sharing the Good News of Christ’s Gospel. Today we have paused to acknowledge and remember the holy name of our God. Tomorrow, let us go forward in the power of his Spirit.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY (Stand) Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest LSB 498
1 Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,
And make our hearts Your place of rest;
Come with Your grace and heav’nly aid,
And fill the hearts which You have made.
2 To You, the Counselor, we cry,
To You, the gift of God Most High;
The fount of life, the fire of love,
The soul’s anointing from above.
3 In You, with graces sevenfold,
We God’s almighty hand behold
While You with tongues of fire proclaim
To all the world His holy name.
4 Your light to ev’ry thought impart,
And shed Your love in ev’ry heart;
The weakness of our mortal state
With deathless might invigorate.
5 Drive far away our wily foe,
And Your abiding peace bestow;
With You as our protecting guide,
No evil can with us abide.
6 Teach us to know the Father, Son,
And You, from both, as Three in One
That we Your name may ever bless
And in our lives the truth confess.
7 Praise we the Father and the Son
And Holy Spirit, with them One,
And may the Son on us bestow
The gifts that from the Spirit flow!
ATHANASIAN CREED LSB 319
Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic faith.
Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt perish eternally.
And the catholic faith is this,
that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.
For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Holy Spirit is another.
But the Godhead of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit:
the Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Spirit uncreated;
the Father infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite;
the Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal.
And yet there are not three Eternals, but one Eternal,
just as there are not three Uncreated or three Infinites, but one Uncreated and one Infinite.
In the same way, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, the Holy Spirit almighty;
and yet there are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.
So the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God;
and yet there are not three Gods, but one God.
So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord;
and yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord.
Just as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge each distinct person as God and Lord, so also are we prohibited by the catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or Lords.
The Father is not made nor created nor begotten by anyone.
The Son is neither made nor created, but begotten of the Father alone.
The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor created nor begotten, but proceeding.
Thus, there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
And in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another;
but the whole three persons are coeternal with each other and coequal, so that in all things, as has been stated above, the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity is to be worshiped.
Therefore, whoever desires to be saved must think thus about the Trinity.
But it is also necessary for everlasting salvation that one faithfully believe the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, it is the right faith that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is at the same time both God and man.
He is God, begotten from the substance of the Father before all ages; and He is man, born from the substance of His mother in this age:
perfect God and perfect man, composed of a rational soul and human flesh;
equal to the Father with respect to His divinity, less than the Father with respect to His humanity.
Although He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ:
one, however, not by the conversion of the divinity into flesh, but by the assumption of the humanity into God;
one altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
For as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ,
who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead,
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.
At His coming all people will rise again with their bodies and give an account concerning their own deeds.
And those who have done good will enter into eternal life, and those who have done evil into eternal fire.
This is the catholic faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved.
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
Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Lord of hosts, Your ways are inscrutable and Your judgments unsearchable, but through Your Holy Word you indicate to us the depth of Your riches and wisdom and love. Guide us in our understanding of your Word, that we may live in its light and glorify You forever. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord of hosts, we thank you for all of those, like Isaiah, who have heard your voice calling them to your service. And we remember especially Matthew our Synod president, Bill our district president, and all our pastors who proclaim your word and speak to our needs. Grant them a full measure of your Spirit, so that they will continue to say: “Here I am! Send me.” Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord of hosts, according to Your definite plan and foreknowledge You delivered up Your Son to be our Savior. Make our hearts glad in this faith, so that our tongues may rejoice and our flesh may dwell in hope. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord of hosts, You sit enthroned as King forever. Bless Joseph our President, Glen our Governor, and all who rule us in Your stead, giving them wisdom and understanding so that truth and justice may prevail in our land and lawlessness may be kept at bay. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord of hosts, we thank You for the many blessings You have bestowed upon this nation. On this Memorial Day weekend, grant us a long memory to recall those who gave the full measure of devotion to our country’s peace and security. And bring to mind the sacrifices of those who served faithfully until death in the protection of our freedom and the defense of our land. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord of hosts, by your truth, uphold those on our prayer list, those we name in our hearts, and all who suffer in our midst. Remind them that since You are at their right hand they cannot be shaken. Gladden their hearts, cause their tongues to rejoice, and make their flesh dwell in hope. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord of hosts, take away our guilt and atone for our sin by touching our unclean lips with Christ’s cleansing body and blood, that we may not be lost but abide in Your holy presence forever. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, heavenly Father, we gratefully remember the sufferings and death of Your dear Son, Jesus Christ, for our salvation. Rejoicing in His victorious resurrection from the dead, we draw strength from His ascension before You, where He ever stands for us as our own High Priest. Graciously receive our prayers, for to You alone we give all glory, honor and worship, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT
OFFERTORY LSB 176
What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me?
I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call on the name of the Lord.
I will take the cup of salvation and will call on the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all His people,
in the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
PREFACE LSB 177
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
It is truly good right and salutary…evermore praising You and saying:
SANCTUS LSB 178
Holy, holy, holy Lord, Lord God of pow’r and might:
Heav’n and earth are full of Your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING LSB 178
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD LSB 179
PROCLAMATION OF CHRIST
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.
PAX DOMINI LSB 180
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
Amen.
AGNUS DEI LSB 180
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; grant us peace.
THE COMMUNION (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.
DISTRIBUTION HYMN Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent LSB 621
1 Let all mortal flesh keep silence
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly-minded,
For with blessing in His hand
Christ our God to earth descending
Comes our homage to demand.
2 King of kings yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords in human vesture,
In the body and the blood,
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heav’nly food.
3 Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way
As the Light of Light, descending
From the realms of endless day,
Comes the pow’rs of hell to vanquish
As the darkness clears away.
4 At His feet the six-winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
“Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!”
PRAYER (Stand)
BENEDICTION
SENDING 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, blessèd 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, blessèd Trinity!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE Holy, Holy, Holy Setting: David A. deSilva
FELLOWSHIP: Board of Fellowship
Those serving:
8:00 a.m.:
Greeter: Bob Juenger
Comm. assist: Dede Dixon
Reader: Melissa Hecht
10:30 a.m.:
Greeter: Lynn Jacquez
Comm. assist: Judy Koucky
Reader: Michael Chamberlain
Acolyte: Elise Yashar
AV Assist: Noah Cha
Acknowledgments
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.
795 Voices Raised to You We Offer Text: Herman G. Stuempfle, Jr., 1923–2007
Tune: Carolyn Jennings, 1936 Text: © 1997 GIA Publications, Inc. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: © 1996 Carolyn Jennings. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
498 Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest Text: attr. Rabanus Maurus, 776–856; tr. Edward Caswall, 1814–78, alt. Tune: Geistliche Lieder auffs new gebessert, 1533, Wittenberg, ed. Joseph Klug Text and tune: Public domain
621 Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence Text: Liturgy of St. James, 5th cent.; tr. Gerard Moultrie, 1829–85, alt. Tune: French, 17th cent. Text and tune: Public domain
507 Holy, Holy, Holy Text: Reginald Heber, 1783–1826 Tune: John B. Dykes, 1823–76 Text and tune: Public domain
