11/23/25

As We Gather

There is a phrase familiar to both preschoolers and powerbrokers. When they see that someone else has something they want, they declare, “That’s mine!” seizing either toys or territory for themselves. This phrase is not unfamiliar to our God either. But where humans are motivated by selfishness, the Lord acts out of love. He claims you as His own because He loves you and He wants you to be with Him for eternity. You are His treasured possession! 

Family Room & Children 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, a closed-circuit T. V. to watch the worship service, 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. 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 the LCMS ordinarily communes only those who have been instructed in the teachings of our church and who have confessed their faith in these teachings. Please speak to Pastor Ralph before the service if you have a question about this. 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.

 Luther’s plea for Faithfulness “If I were to live a hundred years longer and by God’s grace could quiet not only the former and the present but also all future sects and windstorms, nevertheless, as I clearly foresee, our descendants will have no rest; for the devil lives and rules. Therefore, I am praying for a blessed end and have no longer any desire to live. You who come after us should also earnestly pray and diligently use God’s Word. Preserve the poor lamp of God. Be forewarned and prepared. Every hour you must expect the devil to break a pane or a window, or to burst through the door or the roof, in an effort to put out the light. Therefore be sober and watch; he neither sleeps; nor does he die before the Last Day. You and I must die, and when we are dead, he remains what he has always been. He cannot stop his storming. May Christ, our dear Lord. who has crushed his head, come finally to redeem us from his fury.” What Luther says # 1512

Scripture: New International Version 1984

Last Sunday of the Church Year

November 23, 2025

Opening Hymn                        Come Thou Almighty King                             LSB  905

Invocation, Confession and Absolution  (Psalm 113)

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.

All:   Praise the Lord.

P:   Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. 

C:   Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. 

P:   From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, 

C:   the name of the Lord is to be praised. 

P:   The Lord is exalted over all the nations, 

C:   his glory above the heavens. 

P:   Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, 

C:   who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? 

P:   He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; 

C:   he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people. 

P:   He settles the barren woman in her home 

C:   as a happy mother of children. 

All:   Praise the Lord. 

P:   Almighty God and King,

C:   we confess that we have broken trust with You. We have doubted Your goodness, neglected Your ways, and sought to satisfy our sinful nature. We do not think, speak, or act like Your treasured possession. We bring before You our faults and failures, honestly and humbly recognizing that we deserve to be cast out of Your kingdom. Have mercy, O Lord, for the sake of Jesus Christ. Cleanse us from our sin, that we serve You in righteousness, innocence, and blessedness now and always. Amen.

(Silence for Meditation)

P:   On His cross, Jesus Christ, was made to be sin that you may become His righteousness. Now crowned with glory, the risen and reigning Christ lives to declare sins forgiven. Therefore, as a called and ordained servant of Christ, I 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             All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name     LSB 549  vs 1, 3, 6-7

Prayer of the Day

All:   Lord Jesus Christ, You reign among us by the preaching of Your cross. Forgive Your people their offenses that we, being governed by Your bountiful goodness, may enter at last into Your eternal paradise; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

O T Lesson                                 (The Day of the Lord)                                       Malachi 4:1-6

Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. ² But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. ³ Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things,” says the Lord Almighty. ⁴ “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. ⁵ “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. ⁶ He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.” 

N T Lesson                   (Christ has reconciled all things to Himself)    Colossians 1:13–20

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Gospel Lesson                             (Repentance brings paradise)               Luke 23:27–43

²⁷ A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. ²⁸ Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ ³⁰ Then “ ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’³¹ For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” ³² Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. ³³ When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. ³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 

³⁵ The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” ³⁶ The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar ³⁷ and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” ³⁸ There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews. ³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” 

Message Song                                             O Church Arise

O Church, arise, and put your armor on; Hear the call of Christ, our Captain.

For now the weak can say that they are strong, In the strength that God has given.

With shield of faith and belt of truth, We’ll stand against the devil’s lies;

An army bold, whose battle-cry is Love, Reaching out to those in darkness.

Our call to war, to love the captive soul,  But to rage against the captor;

And with the sword that makes the wounded whole, We fight with faith and valor.

When faced with trials on ev’ry side, We know the outcome is secure.

And Christ will have the prize for which He died, An inheritance of nations.

Chorus

Arise, shine, for your Light has come  Arise, shine for the risen Son

Lift your eyes, we are His radiant bride. Arise, O Church , arise.

Come, see the cross, where love and mercy meet, As the Son of God is stricken;

Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet, For the Conqueror has risen.

And as the stone is rolled away  And Christ emerges from the grave,

This vict’ry march continues till the day  Ev’ry eye and heart shall see Him.

So Spirit come, put strength in every stride, give grace for every hurdle

That we may run with faith to win the prize, of a servant good and faithful.

As saints of old still line the way, retelling triumphs of His grace,

We hear the call and hunger for the day, when with Christ we stand in glory.       

Chorus

CCLI Song # 7065980 © 2016 S. D. G. Publishing | sixsteps Songs | Thankyou Music | Worship Together Music | Getty Music Publishing For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI License # 11390779

Message                                                  If Men Do These Things When….

When Christ returns…

1. Humanity’s darkest day will see people running and hiding and seeking to die rather than repent   .

2. Mankind will have gotten more and more depraved and degraded even as the time draws near.

3.  God’s people are kept by and in the strength of our powerful Savior and King, Jesus Christ! 

The Apostle’s Creed            

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 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.

Offering

Offertory                           Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow                     LSB 805

Prayers of the Church 

After each petition:

P:    Lord, in Your mercy,

C:    hear our prayers.

The Lord’s Prayer                                                                                  

The Lord’s Supper

Preface                                                                       page 160 in the hymnal

P:  The Lord be with you.

C:  ♪ And also with you.

P:   Lift up your hearts.

C:  ♪ We lift them to the Lord.

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

C:   ♪ It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

P:   It is truly good, right, and salutary …. And ever more praising You and singing:

Sanctus — Holy, Holy, Holy                                         page 161 in the hymnal

C:  ♪ Holy, holy, holy Lord God of pow’r and might: Heaven and earth are full of   

         Your glory. Hosanna. Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is He who  

         comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

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

Pax Domini—The Peace of the Lord                   page 163 in the hymnal

P:   The peace of the Lord be with you always.C:   ♪ Amen.Agnus Dei – Lamb of God

C:  ♪ 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.

Distribution of Communion

Distribution Hymn                               O Worship the King                       LSB  804 vs 1-2, 4-5 

Post Communion Canticle                                                        page 155 in the hymnal

C:  ♪ Thank the Lord and sing His praise; tell ev’ryone what He has done.  Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear His name.  He recalls His promises and leads His people forth in joy with shouts of thanksgiving. Alleluia, alleluia.

Post Communion Thanksgiving

All:    We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we implore You that of Your mercy You would strengthen us through the same in faith towards You and in fervent love towards one another; 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. Alleluia. Amen!                                                

Sending Song                                      Before You, Lord We Bow             LSB 966 vs 1, 3, 5

 Announcements 

Dismissal

P:   Go in peace as you serve the Lord.      

C:   Thanks be to God!   

Postlude