A PRAYER BEFORE WORSHIP of service... · 2017-04-23 · O risen Lord, You came to Your disciples...

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April 23, 2017 WELCOME We invite you to the continuing celebration of Easter in the promises of God's prophetic Word. Our celebration of new life begins daily through faith in Jesus. We share in Christ's resurrection and victory over sin and death in the gift of faith created by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel. Therefore, let us once again refresh our- selves in the spring of God's spiritual waters, the well-spring of His Word, and drink unto eternal life. Let us also lift up our hearts and voices in triumphant worship, to offer our praises and thanks to Jesus for His countless blessings. To those of you seeking a church home, we offer you fellowship with our living Redeemer, Jesus Christ, membership in His Church, and citizenship in His eternal Kingdom. Please sign our guest register before you leave and come again. If you would like more information about St. John's Lutheran Church, please speak to Pastor Grant. He will gladly try to answer any questions you might have. The First Sunday in Easter St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church - WELS 26 Arbor St. Battle Creek, MI 49015 A PRAYER BEFORE WORSHIP Your Word is clear, *Jesus. It reflects Your holiness and my sinfulness. Forgive me for the sake of Your innocent suffering and death, and grant me salvation. Bless the preaching of Your Word in this hour of worship that I might be led to cherish Your Word as a personal letter written to me, a letter full of encouragement and comfort. May You also enliven my heart and soul through the gift of faith to believe that You have assuredly written my name into Your book of life through Your all-atoning sacrifice. Amen. THE DIVINE SERVICE % Ringing of the Church Bell - Call to Worship % PROCESSIONAL HYMN 167 “Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense” COLOSSIANS 3:16 M: In the name of the Father, and of the @ Son, and of the Holy Spirit. MATTHEW 28:19 The Pastor makes the sign of the cross in remembrance of our being so marked in our baptism, while invoking Matthew 28:19. You are also invited to make the sign of the cross, remembering your baptism. CONFESSION OF SINS ACTS 2:38; 1 JOHN 1:8-9 M: Beloved in the Lord: let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins to God our Father, asking Him in the name of our Lord *Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. * At the name of Jesus you may bow your head slightly in reverence. PHILIPPIANS 2:10 M: Our help is in the name of the LORD. C: Who made heaven and earth M: I said, I will confess my transgressions to the LORD. C: and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful and that I have disobeyed You in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good. For this I deserve Your punishment both now and in eternity. But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior *Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Transcript of A PRAYER BEFORE WORSHIP of service... · 2017-04-23 · O risen Lord, You came to Your disciples...

Page 1: A PRAYER BEFORE WORSHIP of service... · 2017-04-23 · O risen Lord, You came to Your disciples and took away their fears with Your word of peace. Come to us also by Word and Sacrament,

April 23, 2017

WELCOME We invite youto the continuing

celebration of Easter in thepromises of God's propheticWord. Our celebration of newlife begins daily through faith inJesus. We share in Christ'sresurrection and victory over sinand death in the gift of faithcreated by the Holy Spiritthrough the Gospel. Therefore,let us once again refresh our-selves in the spring of God'sspiritual waters, thewell-spring of His Word, and drink unto eternal life. Let usalso lift up our hearts and voices

in triumphant worship, to offerour praises and thanks to Jesusfor His countless blessings.

To those of you seeking achurch home, we offer youfellowship with our livingRedeemer, Jesus Christ,membership in His Church, andcitizenship in His eternalKingdom. Please sign our guestregister before you leave andcome again. If you would likemore information about St. John'sLutheran Church, please speak toPastor Grant. He will gladly tryto answer any questions youmight have.

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A PRAYER BEFORE WORSHIP

Your Word is clear, *Jesus. It reflects Your holiness and my sinfulness. Forgive me for the sakeof Your innocent suffering and death, and grant me salvation. Bless the preaching of Your Word in thishour of worship that I might be led to cherish Your Word as a personal letter written to me, a letter full ofencouragement and comfort. May You also enliven my heart and soul through the gift of faith to believethat You have assuredly written my name into Your book of life through Your all-atoning sacrifice. Amen.

THE DIVINE SERVICE

% Ringing of the Church Bell - Call to Worship %

PROCESSIONAL HYMN 167 “Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense” COLOSSIANS 3:16

M: In the name of the Father, and of the @ Son, and of the Holy Spirit. MATTHEW 28:19The Pastor makes the sign of the cross in remembrance of our being so marked in our baptism, while invoking

Matthew 28:19. You are also invited to make the sign of the cross, remembering your baptism.

CONFESSION OF SINS ACTS 2:38; 1 JOHN 1:8-9

M: Beloved in the Lord: let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins to God ourFather, asking Him in the name of our Lord *Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. * At the name of Jesus you may bow your head slightly in reverence. PHILIPPIANS 2:10

M: Our help is in the name of the LORD.C: Who made heaven and earth

M: I said, I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.C: and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful and that I havedisobeyed You in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have done what is evil andfailed to do what is good. For this I deserve Your punishment both now and ineternity. But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior *Jesus Christ,I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

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LORD, HAVE MERCY Kyrie MARK 10:47

M: God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given His only Son to be theatoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called and ordained servant of Christ andby His authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the X Sonand of the Holy Spirit. JOHN 20:21-23

PRAYER AND PRAISE

GLORY TO THE FATHER Gloria Patri

GLORY TO GOD Gloria in Excelsis LUKE 2:14

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PRAYER OF THE DAY PHILIPPIANS 4:6; 1 TIMOTHY 2:1

M: The Lord be with you.

M: Let us pray. The Pastor prays the Prayer of the Day.

O risen Lord, You came to Your disciples and took away their fears with Your word ofpeace. Come to us also by Word and Sacrament, and banish our fears with Your holy absolutionand the comforting assurance of Your abiding presence; for You live and reign with the Fatherand the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

THE WORD ACTS 17:11; ROMANS 10:17

FIRST LESSON Ezekiel 37:1 - 14His breath, His words are Spirit and life. They raise up our dry, dead bones and give us

new and everlasting life.

The hand of the LORD was upon me, andhe brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and setme in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2

He led me back and forth among them, and I saw agreat many bones on the floor of the valley, bonesthat were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man,can these bones live?”

I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you aloneknow.”

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to thesebones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the wordof the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD

says to these bones: I will make breath enter you,and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons toyou and make flesh come upon you and cover youwith skin; I will put breath in you, and you will

come to life. Then you will know that I am theLORD.’ ”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded.And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, arattling sound, and the bones came together, boneto bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appearedon them and skin covered them, but there was nobreath in them.

9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to thebreath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This iswhat the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the fourwinds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, thatthey may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as hecommanded me, and breath entered them; theycame to life and stood up on their feet—a vastarmy.

11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones arethe whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones aredried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12

Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is whatthe Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am goingto open your graves and bring you up from them; Iwill bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then

you, my people, will know that I am the LORD,when I open your graves and bring you up fromthem. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you willlive, and I will settle you in your own land. Thenyou will know that I the LORD have spoken, and Ihave done it, declares the LORD.’ ”

L: The Word of the Lord.The congregation may respond to the reading by saying:

C: Thanks be to God.

PSALM OF THE DAY Psalm 16The Refrain and “Glory be . . . ” are sung in unison. The Pastor or Lay Reader sings (says) the first strophe andthe congregation responds by singing (saying) the second.

Hoping beyond hope, Abraham believed the Lord’s promise of a son born to him long after inwas humanly possible and the Lord “credited it tho him as righteousness.

Keep me 'safe, O God,* for in you I take 'refuge.

I said to the Lord, "You 'are my Lord;* apart from you I have 'no good thing."

I have set the Lord always be'fore me.* Because he is at my right hand, I will not be'shaken.

Refrain

My heart is glad and my tongue re'joices;* my body also will 'rest secure,

because you will not abandon me 'to thegrave,* nor will you let your Holy One 'see decay.

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You have made known to me the 'path oflife;* you will fill me with joy in your 'presence.

Glory be to the Father and 'to the Son* and to the Holy 'Spirit,

as it was in the be'ginning,* is now, and will be forever. 'Amen.

Refrain

SECOND LESSON 1 John 5:4-10Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. Christian faith has Christ Jesus, the Savior of sinners, as its content.If Christ is not the content of faith, then faith has no value and cannot save. If Christ is the content of faith, thenfaith conquers all sin, death, temptation, and fear of judgement. This is why the Apostle John directs us to theSpirit, the water, and the blood. By the Word and Sacraments, faith is bestowed and strengthened, which isanother way of saying, by the Word and Sacraments, Christ is given to us. If we have Him, then we have allthings.

Everyone born of God overcomes theworld. This is the victory that has overcome theworld, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomesthe world? Only he who believes that Jesus is theSon of God. 6 This is the one who came by water

and blood – *Jesus Christ. He did not come bywater only, but by water and blood. And it is theSpirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7

For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water

and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9 Weaccept man's testimony, but God's testimony isgreater because it is the testimony of God, which hehas given about his Son. 10 Anyone who believes inthe Son of God has this testimony in his heart.Anyone who does not believe God has made himout to be a liar, because he has not believed thetestimony God has given about his Son.

L: The Word of the Lord.The congregation may respond to the reading by saying:

C: Thanks be to God.

VERSE OF THE DAYThe Lay Reader speaks the Verse, the congregation sings the following Alleluia. PSALM 103; REV. 19:5-7

Alleluia. Alleluia. He is risen from the dead, and is going before you into Galilee. Alleluia.After eight days Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Alleluia.

THE GOSPEL (PLEASE STAND.) John 20:19 - 31The Gospel lesson is read from the Gospel horn of the Altar (liturgical north). [A reminder of the lamb’s

blood dashed on the Old Testament Altar of Burnt Offerings.] The congregation stands and sings wordsof acclamation out of respect for the words of Christ, our King.

"Peace be with you" were the first words out of Jesus' mouth when He greeted the disciples for thefirst time after His resurrection. They bestow forgiveness of sins to penitent sinners and they createfaith where there is unbelief and a tortured conscience. These words were coupled with the flesh andbone appearance of Jesus to the Twelve who were called to be eyewitnesses of His resurrection. Nowthey, who themselves had been comforted and strengthened in the faith, would proclaim this sameWord of peace to others. Jesus gave them an important promise for us: "Blessed are those who havenot seen and yet have believed." This guarantees to us that, although we still look forward to seeingand touching Jesus in His body, we, nevertheless, have the full benefits of His peace.

After the announcement of the Gospel, the congregation sings:

19 Then, the same day at evening, beingthe first day of the week, when the doors wereshut where the disciples were assembled, for fearof the Jews, *Jesus came and stood in the midst,and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 WhenHe had said this, He showed them His hands andHis side. Then the disciples were glad when theysaw the Lord.

21 So *Jesus said to them again, “Peaceto you! As the Father has sent Me, I also sendyou.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathedon them, and said to them, “Receive the HolySpirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they areforgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, theyare retained.”

24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one ofthe twelve, was not with them when *Jesus came.25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “Wehave seen the Lord.”

So he said to them, “Unless I see in Hishands the print of the nails, and put my finger into

the print of the nails, and put my hand into Hisside, I will not believe.”

26 And after eight days His disciples wereagain inside, and Thomas with them. *Jesus came,the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, andsaid, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands;and reach your hand here, and put it into My side.Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

28 And Thomas answered and said toHim, “My Lord and my God!”

29 *Jesus said to him, “Thomas, becauseyou have seen Me, you have believed. Blessedare those who have not seen and yet havebelieved.”

30 And truly *Jesus did many other signsin the presence of His disciples, which are notwritten in this book; 31 but these are written thatyou may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Sonof God, and that believing you may have life inHis name.

After the reading of the Gospel, thecongregation sings:

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THE NICENE CREED MATTHEW 10:32,33; Romans 10:9,10; HEBREWS 13:15

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, *Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,begotten, not made, of one being with the Father.

Through Him 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 became fully man.

For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried.

On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,

and His kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord, the Giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father and the Son, Who in unity with the Father and the Son is *worshiped and glorified, Who spoke through the prophets.

We believe in one holy Christian and Apostolic Church.We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead

and the Life @ of the world to come. Amen.

HYMN OF THE DAY 165 “O Sons And Daughters Of The King” vss 2 - 8

SERMON The Sermon is usually based on the Gospel.

The Doors Locked by Mankind’s FearsAre Opened by The Word of Christ!

After the sermon, the congregation sings:

PSALM

51:10-12

THE OFFERING 1 CORINTHIANS 16:2; 2 CORINTHIANS 9:7

The offering plates are given to the ushers by the Pastor.

THE OFFERING HYMN 168 “With High Delight Let Us Unite”While the offering of our gifts to Lord for use by His church is being received by the ushers, the Pastor is preparingthe communion vessels for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

THE OFFERING PRAYER ROMANS 12:1; HEBREWS 13:15,16

M: Father of all mercies, accept, we implore You, our bodies and souls, our hearts andminds, and all that we are and all that we bring to Your altar to be a holy, reasonable,and lively offering to You for the work of Your Church. Graciously receive our offeringsof praise and thanksgiving, born of Your Spirit through the Gospel, even as You havereceived Your Church’s worship since the world began, for You have redeemed us to beYour own that we may live to You with all we are and all we have. May our offerings ofpraise, given in the same spirit as the gifts of the Magi to the Babe of Bethlehem, *Jesus,the Word Incarnate and our Deliverer, be borne by the hand of Your holy angel to Youraltar on high, before the sight of Your divine Majesty; through *Jesus Christ, who livesand reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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PRAYER OF THE CHURCH PHILIPPIANS 4:6; 1 TIMOTHY 2:1,2

It is a prayer which “understandingly and unselfishly reveals true concern for the Church in all of its operations,the state and its governance, the home and its welfare, while it also remembers before God all mankind in theirrespective callings and necessities.” (Luther Reed)

In the joy and hope of the resurrection of our Lord *Jesus Christ, let us pray for the Church and forall the sons and daughters of Christ who have been grafted into His death and resurrection by Holy Baptism, thatthey would continually receive with true faith the peace which God affords them through the merits of Histriumphant Son, Christ *Jesus.

For all who are nourished in the one true faith by the pure spiritual milk of God’s Word, that by it theymay grow up in their salvation, and that, in no way doubting, but firmly believing in *Jesus’ all sufficientsacrifice, they would hail Him as Lord and God. Bless the Sunday School and Bible classes of this congregation,and give the guidance of Your Holy Spirit to those who teach, so that we confess with Thomas, that *Jesus is ourLord and our God. Restore to Yourself those who endanger their faith by neglecting worship, those who aredoubting Your promises, and those who have wandered away from You. Do not allow them or any of us todeceive ourselves by saying that we have no sin, but lead us to admit our iniquity, knowing that Your Soncleanses us from all unrighteousness.

For the mission of the Church to make known among the nations what the Lord has done, telling of allHis wonderful acts, that all the faithful would give testimony to *Jesus, the living One, who was dead now livesforever.

For the enemies of the church, that God would frustrate and bring to an end all the schemes of those whohate His Word and who attempt to damage the faith of His little ones. That our gracious Father would beckonthem to repentance, restore them to a peaceable life, and fill their hearts with a new song.

For our nation and those duly appointed to govern it, that our leaders would serve with honesty andintegrity.

For the members of our armed forces, that God would grant them safety and protection, and for areduction of hostilities around the world, that those who are inciting violence may be subdued and that thehumanitarian needs of the people may be met.

For a resurgence of virtue among us and throughout our land, that love, joy, peace, patience and all fruitof the Spirit would everywhere abound. Watch over and provide help to children who have lost their parents,widows and widowers who have no family to care for them, those who have been abused, those who are lonelyand friendless, those who have no work, and those who seek a purpose in life. Lead us to be generous to thehelpless and to the agencies that serve them.

For all those who grieve the death of loved ones, that the good cheer of *Jesus’ resurrection would liftup their hearts, provide a bracing hope in the midst of their sorrow, and grant them assurance that, since death nolonger has mastery over Christ, so has its power been broken for those who are in Christ *Jesus. Your mercy hasno boundaries; no limits. We pray for those who are ill, shut-in, in need of surgery or recovering, undergoingchemo, radiation, those who are homebound and those who desire to remembered in our prayers (including Linda,Marge, Tom Hall, Herb Hancock, Mike, Don Ingle, Dick and Pat Packard,, Juanita, Terry, Pam, and GenePursell, Greg, Connie, Ruby, Sandy Frey, Jean Hamilton, John Kenyon, Lynn Mischke, Albert & Barbara Moll,Jarielle Winkleman --- and those we now name in our hearts. . .). Be with them, and strengthen and heal themaccording to Your will.

For a renewed appreciation of the arts among us, that the talents of artisans would be used to the glory ofGod, that the Lord would bless their labor, and that the beauty and majesty of the God’s creation and especiallythe Holy Gospel would be magnified through the arts to inspire the hearts of many and for the praise of His name.

Being assured of Your good favor, dear Father, by the resurrection of Your beloved Son from the dead,we present our prayers to You as we seek Your mercy and Your good and gracious will, for You live and reign,with Your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

THE SACRAMENT

PREFACE

M: The Lord be with you. RUTH 2:4

M: Lift up your hearts. PSALM 86:4,5; 141:2

M: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God. 2 THESSALONIANS 1:11,12

M: It is truly good and right that we should at all times and in all places give You thanks, OLord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, through *Jesus Christ, our Lord, . . .

PROPER PREFACEThis variable preface “connects a particular phase of our Lord’s redemptive work as the special occasion forthanksgiving.” (Luther Reed)

and we praise you especially for the glorious resurrection of Your Son, the true Passover Lamb,who by His sacrifice took away the sins of the world and by His resurrection restored everlastinglife.

Therefore, with all the saints on earth and hosts of heaven, we praise Your holy name and jointheir glorious song: REVELATION 7:4-17

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HOLY, HOLY, HOLY ISAIAH 6:3, MATTHEW 21:9

Sanctus

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER / PRAYER OF THANKSGIVINGJesus took bread and gave thanks. The Greek word “eucharist” means thanksgiving. MATTHEW 26:26

M: Blessed are You, O Lord of heaven and earth. Almighty God, heavenly Father, wepraise and thank You for Your tender mercy. You sent Your only Son, *Jesus Christ tous, and we remember the great acts of love through which He has ransomed us from sin,death and the devil’s power. By His incarnation, He became one with us. By His perfect and obedient life, Hefulfilled Your holy will. By His innocent suffering and death upon the cross, Heredeemed us. He made there a full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice, and satisfaction forthe sins of the whole world and overcame the power of hell. By His rising from thegrave, and His glorious ascension, He restores us as Your children and opens heaventhat we may commune with You eternally.

In His Holy Gospel, *Jesus instituted and commanded us to celebrate a perpetualremembrance of His precious death until He comes again. Thus invited by Your grace,we now approach Your table with repentant and joyful hearts.

EPICLESIS JAMES 1:17,18

This prayer incorporates a prayer of First Century Jewish Christians and Luther’s explanation of the sacramentalunion in the Lord’s Supper.

M: O merciful Father, King of all creation, every good and perfect gift comes down fromYou, the Father of heavenly lights. Send down Your Holy Spirit upon Your gifts ofbread and wine, and bless them and hallow them; that we might be led by *Jesus’ wordsof institution to proclaim that in, with, and under the bread and wine that this bread is theprecious Body of Our Lord and God and Savior *Jesus Christ; and this cup is theprecious Blood of our Lord and God and Savior *Jesus Christ, which was shed for thelife of the world.

WORDS OF INSTITUTION MATTHEW 26:26-28; 1 CORINTHIANS 11:24,25

(Speaking the Words of Institution, the Pastor proclaims the words of Jesus to the congregation and sets apart thebread and wine for the Lord’s use. The sign of the cross reminds us of Christ's death and atonement of sins.)

M: Our Lord *Jesus Christ, on the night He was betrayed, took bread; and when He hadgiven thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, and said: “Take, eat; this is My @ body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me.” In the same way also, He took the cup after supper and when He had given thanks, Hegave it to them, saying: “Drink from it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My @blood which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, whenever you drink it,in remembrance of Me.”

PRAYER FOR COMMUNICANTSIn His word, God makes it clear that Holy Communion is to be shared by people of a common confession of faith;agreement in teaching and belief (1 Corinthians 11:26, 1 Corinthians 10:16). So without judging anyone’s hearts,or faith, we invite those who share in this confession by their membership in our congregation or one of our sistercongregations, and who are properly prepared (1 Corinthians 11:27-29), to receive the Sacrament.

M: Earnestly desiring Your Fatherly goodness, to mercifully accept our offering of praiseand thanksgiving: we most humbly implore You to grant that, by the merits and death ofYour Son *Jesus Christ, and through faith in His blood, we and Your whole church mayobtain remission of our sins and all other benefits of His Passion. We humbly implore You that all who partake of this Holy Communion may worthilyreceive the most precious Body and Blood of Your Son *Jesus Christ, and be filled withYour grace and heavenly benediction, and being made one body with Him, may dwell inHim, even as He dwells in us.

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Strengthen us now through Christ’s body and blood, and preserve us in the true faithuntil we feast with Him and all His ransomed people in glory everlasting. Through Him, with Him, in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honorare Yours, almighty Father, now and forever. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER MATTHEW 6:9-13

P: Taught by our Lord and trusting His promise, we are bold to pray:

Prayed jointly by the Pastor and congregation:

C: 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 PEACE OF THE LORDHolding the Host over the Chalice, the Pastor elevates the Sacrament in deference to the sacramental union ofChrist with the earthly elements, turns toward the congregation and blesses them, saying:

M: The peace @ of our Lord *Jesus Christ,@ the Lamb of God, be with you @ always!

O CHRIST, LAMB OF GOD JOHN 1:29

Agnus DeiJesus is God’s Lamb (“Agnus Dei”) of sacrifice; of redemption and atonement offered up for the sins of the world.

DISTRIBUTION OF OUR LORD’S BODY AND BLOOD 1 CORINTHIANS 11:27-29

The Pastor distributes the Sacrament to those eligible communicants who present themselves.

Note: Those persons who desire to commune and who are not members of St. John’s are asked to speak tothe Pastor prior to the start of this morning’s divine service, since we believe that the Lord's Supper is anintimate expression of our unity based on all that we believe and teach according to the Bible as taught in1 Corinthians 10:17. We believe that our unity is determined by agreement with the teachings and beliefsof the Bible as practiced by the Wisconsin Synod (WELS) or Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) andexpressed through membership. Therefore, we encourage guests and visitors to learn more about what webelieve and teach. Our practice is not meant to be a reflection on anyone's faith or lack of faith in Jesus.We encourage those who are communing to read page 156 of the Hymnal in preparation to receive theLord’s Supper. 1 Cor. 11:23-29 (Communion Prayers are also printed on page 11 of the Hymnal.)

I give You thanks, Lord God heavenly Father, that You have refreshed me with the Body andBlood of Your Son *Jesus Christ. O Lord, cling to my members; and grant that no stain of sin remain inme, whom You have refreshed with a pure and holy sacrament; and I further pray, that this heavenly foodmay strengthen my faith that I may bear all crosses, sicknesses and trials with patience and trust; throughthe same *Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

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DISTRIBUTION HYMN(S) 161 vs 1-5 “Christ Jesus lay in Death’s Strong Bands”Note: Verse 5 was omitted from our hymnal. It is printed below.

Vs. 5 Then let us feast this Easter day on Christ, the Bread of heaven; The Word of Grace has purged away the old and evil leaven. Christ alone our souls will feed;

He is our meat and drink indeed; Faith lives upon no other! Alleluia!

THANKSGIVING

SONG OF SIMEON LUKE 2:29-32

Nunc DimittisThe “Nunc Dimittis” (“Dismiss now”) is also known as “The Song of Simeon.” Through God’s word andsacrament, we have seen Jesus Christ, and like Simeon we find divine peace and comfort through faith in theSavior.

M: O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.

POST COMMUNION PRAYER

M: We give thanks, almighty God, that You have refreshed us with this holy supper. Wepray that through it You will strengthen our faith in You and increase our love for oneanother. We ask this in the name of *Jesus Christ, our Lord, Who lives and reigns withYou and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

BLESSING NUMBERS 6:24-26

(The blessing of Aaron is more than a pious wish. It is God’s own promise to His people, a pronouncement of Hisprotection and love.)

M: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look on you with favor and @ grant you His peace.

CLOSING HYMN 166 “The Day of Resurrection”

Lay Reader: Mr. Kurt DobberteenOrganist: Ms. Jennifer Cook

Cary P. Grant, Pastor Office / Church / Cell 269-986-2059Email: [email protected] WEB Site: http://www.stjohnsbc.net

StJohns Lutheran BattleCreek-wels - Like us on Facebook WELS is the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod

© 2002 Northwestern Publishing House. Reprinted by permission.

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April 23 - April 30

Today - Celebration of the Lord’s Supper

Friday - Breakfast Bible Study 9:00 AM - Holiday Inn Harper Village off Beckley Rd

Next Sunday - Bible Class 9:30 - Celebration of Communion- Sunday School 10:30 - Organist: Mrs. Pat Packard- Worship 10:30 - Lay Reader: Mr. Gary Cook

May: 07 - Church Potluck Meat and beverages will be provided.11 - Elder’s Meeting at 7:00 PM Council at 7:30 PM14 - Mother’s Day Brunch???21 - Ladies Circle Bake Sale

- Last Day of Sunday School30 - Summer Worship Schedule Begins

Divine Worship starts at 9:30 AM

Remembering our Sick and Shut-in with our prayers and visits:Mike Hillyer - Home Juanita, Pam, Terry, and Gene Pursell - Home

In the Service of Our Lord & His Church - April Altar Guild & Custodians: The Dobberteen Family Ushers: Don Barker & Dave Radtke