05/31/26

As We Gather

We usually think of ourselves as small, humble creatures. We are subject to the creation in which we live and often are at the mercy of the forces around us. But we are reminded in Genesis that we are the crown of God’s creation, part and parcel of all He has made. We cannot understand Him, but we know enough. We are reminded in Scripture of the triune nature of God. The one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit   work perfectly together bringing order out of chaos, life out of death. Jesus tells the Church to make disciples as we go along life’s way. But we do not have to do it alone, the triune God is with us each day in His strength, mercy, and forgiving love.

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 TV 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 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, 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.

Take It Or Leave It – and Take the Consequences “This is the faith; so faith teaches; here stands the faith. Naturally, I mean the Christian faith, which is grounded in Scripture. But he who does not want to believe Scripture but runs after reason – why, let him run. … This is a matter either of believing or of being lost.”  (concerning the Athanasian Creed) What Luther Says # 4469

Holy Trinity Sunday

May 31, 2026

Welcome 

Opening Hymn                                   Holy, Holy, Holy                                           LSB 507

Invocation, Absolution and Confession (Portion of Psalm  8)

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:   O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! 

C:   You have set your glory above the heavens. 

P:   From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies,

C:   to silence the foe and the avenger. 

P:   When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, 

C:   the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 

P:   what is man that you are mindful of him, 

C:   the son of man that you care for him?

P: Beloved of God, let us confess together that we are by nature sinful and unclean and that daily we have sinned against our gracious God and deserve His punishment now and eternally. We have not fully nurtured and cared for the handiwork of God, the Creator. We have not given Jesus, our Savior, the full lordship of our lives. We have not fully followed the promptings and leading of the Holy Spirit. 

C: Almighty God, heavenly Father, we repent of our sins and seek Your mercy. In Your mindfulness of us, be gracious to us and for the sake of Jesus, our Redeemer, grant us Your forgiveness so that, as Your redeemed people, we may find the joy of absolution and, with hearts renewed by the Spirit, serve You in time and in eternity.

(Silence for Meditation)

P: 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.            

C:   Amen.

Hymn of Praise                       Glory Be to God, The Father                         LSB 506 vs 1, 4

Prayer of the Day

All:  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.

O T Lesson                               (The account of creation)                           Genesis 1:1–2:4a

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. ³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. ⁶ And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” ⁷ So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. ⁹ And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. ¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. ¹² The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. ¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. ²⁰ And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” ²¹ So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” ²³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. ²⁴ And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. ²⁵ God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. ²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” ²⁹ Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. ³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. ² By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. ³ And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. 

Gospel Lesso       (Jesus gives His Great Command to the disciples)  Matthew 28:16–20

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

   Because We Believe

(Men) We believe in God the Father, (Ladies) We believe in God the Father

We believe in Christ, the Son; We believe in Christ the Son

We believe in the Holy Spirit,  We believe in the Holy Spirit

We are the church and we stand as one.  We are the Church and we stand as one.

(Men) We believe in the holy Bible, (Ladies) We believe in the holy bible.

We believe in the virgin birth;    We believe in the virgin birth

We believe in the resurrection,    We believe in the resurrection.

That Christ one day will return to earth.   That Christ one day will return to earth.

Chorus

Holy, holy, holy is our God;  Worthy, worthy, worthy is our King!

All glory and honor are His to receive; To Jesus we sing because we believe.

(Men)  We believe in the blood of Jesus,  (Ladies) We believe in the blood of Jesus.

We believe in eternal life;      We believe in eternal life.

We believe in His blood that frees us,     We believe in His blood that frees us.

                    To become the bride of Christ.     To become the bride of Christ.        Chorus

Message                        Bringing Order Out of Disordered Lives

1.      Bringing      order      out of      chaos          is the work of the Triune God, Father. Son and Holy Spirit! (Eccl. 4:12)

2.      A disordered world breeds               disorder and degradation!  (Isaiah 6: 5-6)

3.      It is the love of God, in Christ, that brings      order        out of disordered lives!                                                                                                                                                                                                                        (1 Peter 2: 9-10);  (2 Tim 3:15; Psalm 90:12); (Titus 3: 4)

Athanasian Creed  (see insert or screen)

Athanasian Creed
P: Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic faith.
C: Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt
perish eternally.
P: And the catholic faith is this,
C: that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither
confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.
P: For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Holy Spirit is
another.
C: But the Godhead of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is
one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
P: Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit:
C: the Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Spirit uncreated;
P: the Father infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite;
C: the Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal.
P: And yet there are not three Eternals, but one Eternal,
C: just as there are not three Uncreated or three Infinites, but one
Uncreated and one Infinite.
P: In the same way, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, the Holy Spirit
almighty;
C: and yet there are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.
P: So the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God;
C: and yet there are not three Gods, but one God.
P: So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord;
C: and yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord.
P: Just as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge each
distinct person as God and Lord, so also are we prohibited by the
catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or Lords.
C: The Father is not made nor created nor begotten by anyone.
P: The Son is neither made nor created, but begotten of the Father alone.
C: The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor
created nor begotten, but proceeding.

P: Thus, there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons;
one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
C: And in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or
less than another;
P: but the whole three persons are coeternal with each other and coequal,
so that in all things, as has been stated above, the Trinity in Unity and
Unity in Trinity is to be worshiped.
C: Therefore, whoever desires to be saved must think thus about the
Trinity.
P: But it is also necessary for everlasting salvation that one faithfully
believe the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
C: 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.
P: 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:
C: perfect God and perfect man, composed of a rational soul and human
flesh;
P: equal to the Father with respect to His divinity, less than the Father with
respect to His humanity.
C: Although He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ:
P: one, however, not by the conversion of the divinity into flesh, but by the
assumption of the humanity into God;
C: one altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
P: For as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one
Christ,
C: who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the
third day from the dead,
P: 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.
C: At His coming all people will rise again with their bodies and give an
account concerning their own deeds.
P: And those who have done good will enter into eternal life, and those
who have done evil into eternal fire.

C: This is the catholic faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and
firmly cannot be saved.
Athanasian Creed
P: Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic faith.
C: Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt
perish eternally.
P: And the catholic faith is this,
C: that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither
confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.
P: For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Holy Spirit is
another.
C: But the Godhead of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is
one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
P: Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit:
C: the Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Spirit uncreated;
P: the Father infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite;
C: the Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal.
P: And yet there are not three Eternals, but one Eternal,
C: just as there are not three Uncreated or three Infinites, but one
Uncreated and one Infinite.
P: In the same way, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, the Holy Spirit
almighty;
C: and yet there are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.
P: So the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God;
C: and yet there are not three Gods, but one God.
P: So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord;
C: and yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord.
P: Just as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge each
distinct person as God and Lord, so also are we prohibited by the
catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or Lords.
C: The Father is not made nor created nor begotten by anyone.
P: The Son is neither made nor created, but begotten of the Father alone.

C: The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor
created nor begotten, but proceeding.
P: Thus, there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons;
one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
C: And in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or
less than another;
P: but the whole three persons are coeternal with each other and coequal,
so that in all things, as has been stated above, the Trinity in Unity and
Unity in Trinity is to be worshiped.
C: Therefore, whoever desires to be saved must think thus about the
Trinity.
P: But it is also necessary for everlasting salvation that one faithfully
believe the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
C: 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.
P: 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:
C: perfect God and perfect man, composed of a rational soul and human
flesh;
P: equal to the Father with respect to His divinity, less than the Father with
respect to His humanity.
C: Although He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ:
P: one, however, not by the conversion of the divinity into flesh, but by the
assumption of the humanity into God;
C: one altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
P: For as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one
Christ,
C: who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the
third day from the dead,
P: 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.
C: At His coming all people will rise again with their bodies and give an
account concerning their own deeds.

P: And those who have done good will enter into eternal life, and those
who have done evil into eternal fire.
C: This is the catholic faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and
firmly cannot be saved.

Offering / Offertory     Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow     (8 am) LSB 805

                                                      O God, Almighty Father           (10:30am) Ascension Choir

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 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                                                            page 163 in the hymnal                                      

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 Hymn                     O Blessed, Holy Trinity                         LSB 876

                                                   God Who Made the World Green                       (Choir 10:30)

Nunc Dimittis                                                                                  page 211 in the hymnal

C: ♪ O Lord, now let Your servant      Depart in heav’nly peace,    For I have seen the glory     Of Your redeeming grace:     A light to lead the Gentiles    Unto Your holy hill,    The glory of Your people,   Your chosen Israel.  All glory to the Father,   All glory to the Son,  All glory to the Spirit,    Forever Three in One;    For as in the beginning,    Is now, shall ever be,   God’s triune name resounding    Through all eternity.                                                                                                                                         

Post Communion Thanksgiving

All:   Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us a foretaste of the feast to come at the Table of the Lord. Strengthen us through the blessed gift we have received and grant that we faithfully respond to the workings of the Spirit in us. Grant that we graciously carry out the Great Commission given us by our Lord, Jesus Christ, as we await that time when we come at last to that heavenly banquet in Your kingdom where joy knows no ending. This we ask through Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Benediction                                                                                                    

P:   The Lord God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit 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                             The Lord, My God, Be Praised                                LSB 794

Announcements 

Dismissal

P:   Go in peace as you serve the Lord.      

C:   Thanks be to God!   

Postlude

¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”