06/01/25

As We Gather

 Unity is elusive. Unity depends not on us but on the sacrifice of Christ for us. The Readings help us move closer toward recognizing that unity. Ezekiel reminds Israel that it is for God’s sake and His name that He acts for their good in returning them to their homeland. The overwhelming glories of heaven and Jesus’ return can be reason enough to act as faith-filled servants. But perhaps the strongest impetus to serve is listening to Him pray for us in His High Priestly Prayer in the Gospel. In short, we need to set aside other matters and pray in Jesus’ name. Only then can we dwell together in unity.

Activity Bags We value children in our worship services. If needed, there is a family room available for families with children. The family room has a diaper changing table, toys and books for children. The family room is located across from the kitchen in the long hallway, the first door on the right, just past the bathrooms. There are “King’s Kids” bags with activities for children to help them worship. They are near the usher’s station on a small rack. Please return the bag to the rack after the service.

Holy Communion The Scripture teaches the Lord’s Supper is a precious gift of God in which Christ gives us His true body and blood (in a miraculous way), together with the bread and wine, for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. Because the Bible teaches that this Sacrament may also be spiritually harmful if misused (1 Cor: 11:27), and that participation in the Lord’s Supper is an act of confession of faith, we ordinarily commune those who have been instructed in the teachings of our church and who have confessed their faith in these teachings. If you have a question, please speak to Pastor Ralph before the service. For those who prefer a non-alcoholic alternative, there is grape juice at the center of each tray. Those not receiving the Sacrament, including children, are invited to come to the altar, cross their arms over their chest, and receive a special blessing.
 Why Sins of the Saints Are Recorded “This story (the incest of Lot) is also recorded in order to illustrate that no man is so holy or stands so firmly that he cannot fall again. If this man could fall so deeply, is it surprising that we stumble? Yet this gives no one a covering or an excuse for sinning. Rather it is written as a comfort for those who believe, to keep them from despairing even though they fall now and then… If you do fall here or there, do not despair: rise again!”  What Luther Says # 3984

Easter 7

June 1, 2025

Welcome 

Opening Hymn                  Christ Is Our Cornerstone                                     LSB 912

Invocation, Confession and Absolution (Psalms 133 and 134)

P:   We gather in the name and at the invitation of our great and gracious triune God;

C:   In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

P:   How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! 

C:   It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, 

      running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. 

P:   It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. 

C:   For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. 

P:   Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord 

C:   who minister by night in the house of the Lord. 

P:   Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord. 

C:   May the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.

P:   Let us come before God, to whom all hearts are open and from whom no secrets are hidden and confess our sins in the name of Him who died and rose again to give us forgiveness and life.

(Silence for meditation and reflection)

C:   I confess that I have lived as if God did not matter and as if I mattered most. My Lord’s name I have not honored as I should; my worship and prayer have faltered. I have not let His love have its way with me and so my love for others has failed. I have sinned against God and against you, my brothers and sisters. There is no health in me. But for the promise of Christ, I would have no hope. Because of Christ’s promise, I am made bold to ask for mercy. Forgive me, renew me, and lead me, O Lord, so that I may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

P:   Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. Upon this your confession, I, as a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His authority, therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C:   Amen.

Hymn of Praise     A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing                          LSB 493

Prayer of the Day

All:  Merciful Father, You have given us Your Word and with it Your Spirit, that by the testimony of the prophets and evangelists, we may know the truth that sets us free from sin and fear. Guard Your Word within us, that by this faithful testimony we may be made bold in witness and faithful in service; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

O T Lesson     (The exiled will be returned by God to their land.)         Ezekiel 36: 12-28

Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. ²³ I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes. ²⁴ “ ‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. ²⁵ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. ²⁸ You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God.

2^nd Lesson                                   (“Whoever has the Son has life.”)                    1 John 5:1–21

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ³ No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. ⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. ⁶ The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.” “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. ¹⁴ “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. ¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” ¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. ¹⁸ I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. ¹⁹ And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. ²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. ²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. 

Holy Gospel     (Jesus prays that we may be one as He and the Father are one.)   John 17:11b–19

Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. ¹² While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. ¹³ “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. ¹⁴ I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. ¹⁵ My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Message Song                              What a Beautiful Name                     Fielding/Ligertwood                  

You were the Word at the beginning,    One with God the Lord Most High

Your hidden glory in creation,    now revealed in You, our Christ.

Chorus 1      What a beautiful name it is,    What a beautiful name it is,

The name of Jesus Christ, my King.   What a beautiful name it is,

Nothing compares to this.   What a beautiful name it is,    the Name of Jesus.

You didn’t want heaven without us,    so Jesus You brought heaven down.

My sin was great, Your love was greater;    What could separate us now?

Chorus 2         What a wonderful name it is,    What a wonderful Name it is,

The Name of Jesus Christ, my King.     What a wonderful Name it is,

Nothing compares to this.   What a wonderful name it is,

The name of Jesus.   What a wonderful name it is,    the Name of Jesus

Bridge one and two

Death could not hold You,   the veil tore before You.    You silence the boast of sin and grave. 

The heavens are roaring     the praise of Your glory    for You are raised to life again.

You have no rival,   You have no equal.     Now and forever God, You reign.

Yours is the kingdom,   Yours is the glory,   Yours is the name above all names…

Chorus 3     What a powerful name it is, What a powerful name it is,

The name of Jesus Christ, my King. What a powerful name it is,  Nothing can stand against.

What a powerful name it is, the Name of Jesus. 

What a powerful name it is, the Name of Jesus. 

What a powerful name it is, the Name of Jesus. 

CCLI Song # 7068424 © 2016 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia        All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI License # 1139077

Message                                         Unity More Than Ever!

1. Our need of the Father’s ___________________________________________.
2. Our need of ______________________________________ the world.
3. Our need to ______________________ while we serve our Savior and His Kingdom.

Notes:

Nicene Creed

 C:   I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary  and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father.  And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end. 

And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life ✠ of the world to come. Amen.

Offering 

Offertory                                  We Give Thee But Thine Own           LSB 781  vs 1-2

Prayers of the Church  

After each petition:

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.

The Lord’s Supper

Preface                                                                      page 194 in the hymnal

P:  The Lord be with you.

C:  ♪ And with thy spirit.

P:  Lift up your hearts.

C:  ♪ We lift them up unto the Lord.

P:  Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C:  ♪ It is meet and right so to do.

P:  It is truly good, right, and salutary …. And with the host of heaven we sing:

Sanctus — Holy, Holy, Holy                                          page 195 in the hymnal

P:  ♪ Ho -ly, ho-ly, ho-ly Lord God of Sa – ba – oth. Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.   

          Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He, blessed is He, blessed is

          He who cometh in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

The Words of Institution (Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper)

Pax Domini—The Peace of the Lord                    page 197 in the hymnal

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always.                        

C:  ♪ Amen.

Agnus Dei – Lamb of God                                                             page 198 in the hymnal 

C:  ♪ 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 takes away the sin of the world; 

         grant us Thy peace.  A – men.

Distribution                              Oh, That the Lord Would Guide Our Ways        LSB  707

Nunc Dimittis                                                                                   page 199 in the hymnal        

C: ♪ 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.                                                                                                                                          

Post Communion Collect                                                                                 

All: We give thanks to You, heavenly Father, that You have again reminded us of Your Son’s singular sacrifice for all sinners. We pray that, so united, we may seek out ways to serve You and the people around us, empowered by Your great love; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 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.

Sending Hymn                          Son of God, Eternal Savior                            LSB 842

Announcements 

Dismissal

P:   Go in peace as you serve the Lord.      

C:   Thanks be to God!   

Postlude