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Bethany Lutheran Church Long Beach, California

(562) 421-4711

6th SUNDAY OF EASTER + + + MAY 17, 2020

+ God Gathers Us In His Presence + WELCOME INVOCATION:

Leader: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. People: Amen. Leader: Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. Leader: Our help is in the name of the Lord, People: who made heaven and earth. CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS: Leader: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, People: and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

(Silence for reflection on God’s Word and for self-examination.)

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Leader: Almighty God, our maker and redeemer, we poor sinners confess unto You that we are by nature sinful and unclean and that we have sinned against You by thought, word, and deed.

Wherefore, we flee for refuge to Your infinite mercy, seeking and imploring Your grace for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. People: O most merciful God, who has given Your only-begotten Son to die for us, have mercy upon us and for His sake grant us remission of all our sins; and by Your Holy Spirit increase in us true knowledge of You and of Your will and true obedience to Your Word, to the end that by Your grace we may come to everlasting life;

through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Leader: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, has had mercy upon us and has given His only Son to die for us and for His sake forgives us all our sins. To those who believe on His name He gives power to become the children of God and has promised them His Holy Spirit. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. Grant this, Lord, unto us all. People: Amen.

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OPENING HYMN: “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” LSB 700

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+ God Gives Us the Gift of His Word + FIRST SCRIPTURE: 1 John 4:7-21

Dear friends, we must love each other because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born from God and knows God. The person who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, because God is love. God has shown us His love by sending His only Son into the world so that we could have life through Him. This is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the payment for our sins. Dear friends, if this is the way God loved us, we must also love each other. No one has ever seen God. If we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is perfected in us. We know that we live in Him and He lives in us because He has given us His Spirit. We have seen and testify to the fact that the Father sent His Son as the Savior of the world. God lives in those who declare that Jesus is the Son of God, and they live in God. We have known and believed that God loves us. God is love. Those who live in God’s love live in God, and God lives in them. God’s love has reached its goal in us. So we look ahead with confidence to the day of judgment. While we are in this world, we are exactly like Him with regard to love. No fear exists where His love is. Rather, perfect love gets rid of fear, because fear involves punishment. The person who lives in fear doesn’t have perfect love. We love because God loved us first. Whoever says, “I love God,” but hates another believer is a liar. People who don’t love other believers, whom they have seen, can’t love God, whom they have not seen. Christ has given us this commandment: The person who loves God must also love other believers. – GW ® THE HOLY GOSPEL: John 14:15-21

“If you love me, you will obey my commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another helper who will be with you forever. That helper is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it doesn’t see or know Him. You know Him, because He lives with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you all alone. I will come back to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. You will live because I live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father and that you are in me and that I am in you. Whoever knows and obeys my commandments is the person who loves me. Those who love me will have my Father’s love, and I, too, will love them and show myself to them.” – GW®

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+ We Give Thanks for God’s Word + OFFERING: If you so desire, Text Giving is now available.

Text GIVE to 562-210-0463. Thank you!

MINISTRY OF MUSIC: “Instruments of Your Peace”

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CHILDREN'S MESSAGE

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PRAYERS:

Leader: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.

Brief silence

For the faithful proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who do not know Him, that through hearing the Word of the Lord many may be brought to faith and to the knowledge of the truth of your love, let us pray to the Lord: People: Lord, have mercy. Leader: For the Church of God here and everywhere, that all who confess Jesus Christ may be united in faith and witness, defended against all the assaults of the enemy, and in eager expectation that we will gather together around Your Word and Sacrament in love. let us pray to the Lord: People: Lord, have mercy. Leader: For this congregation, for the work of the Kingdom in our community, and for the resources to accomplish all that God desires, that His name may be glorified among us and His purpose fulfilled in our words and works, let us pray to the Lord: People: Lord, have mercy. Leader: For the agencies and institutions through which we love our neighbor and provide for those in need, for the destitute and homeless, and for everyone who suffers unemployment and underemployment, that we may aid them in their needs and assist them to find honorable labor to supply all their needs, let us pray to the Lord: People: Lord, have mercy. Leader: For the lonely who suffer the burdens of life without friendship or family, for those depressed or weary of pandemic measures, and for the fellowship of the Church, that we may bear one another’s burdens and live in community with Christ as our head, let us pray to the Lord: People: Lord, have mercy. Leader: For the sick and those who suffer, that God would grant healing to their bodies, peace for their minds, and consolation in their grief and sorrows, let us pray to the Lord: People: Lord, have mercy.

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Leader: For the nation, for those who lead, for the end of the pandemic, for peace among nations, and for an end to terror and violence, that we may work for the common good so that justice may prevail, life be protected and truth abound, let us pray to the Lord: People: Lord, have mercy. Leader: O Lord, our God, as we recall the obedient life and life-giving death of Your Son for our salvation, we pray You to strengthen our faith and to make our hearts bold, that we may not fear but address our prayers to You in all humility. Hear us on behalf of Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, who even now stands before You on our behalf, pleading our cause with His own blood, until that day when we are delivered from the changes and chances of this mortal life and stand before You in heaven and who has taught us to pray… People: 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.

APOSTLE’S CREED:

(* catholic means the universal Christian Church)

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy *catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

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HYMN: “Awake, O Sleeper, Rise from Death” LSB 697

MESSAGE: “Beloved... Be Loved... Be Love” Text: John 14:15-21 & 1 John 4:7-8

+ God Sends Us Forth for Lives of Love and Service +

THE BLESSING: Leader: The LORD bless you and keep you. The LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The LORD lift his countenance upon you and + give you peace. People: Amen.

+ + + + + +

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ARE YOU RECEIVING THE BETHANY BULLET?

If you would like to receive the Bethany Bullet please email Aimee Coleman (acoleman@bethanylutheran.org) with your name and email address. The Bethany Bullet is a weekly capsule of worship highlights and big information that your brain may or may not have 'downloaded' from the prior Sunday. The purpose is to bolster you in faith, build you up in the key Biblical themes shared the previous Sunday in worship, to bring to mind the important issues on Bethany's plate and to broaden your awareness of opportunities of service to your Lord, your church, and your community. Tell a friend about the Bethany Bullet! COPYRIGHTS:

Liturgy (or the appropriate portion thereof) from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission. License #000012696. “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” LSB 700 Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-88 Tune: Rowland H. Prichard, 1811-87; setting: Service Book and Hymnal, 1958 Text and music: Public Domain “Instruments of Your Peace CCLI Song # 1136271. Deby Dearman | Kirk Dearman © 1993 Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.) Expressions Of Praise Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use All rights reserved. www.ccli.com Reprinted and podcasted under CCLI License # 396555 “Awake, O Sleeper, Rise from Death” LSB 697 Text: F. Bland Tucker, 1895-1984 Tune: Carl G. Gläser, 1784-1829; setting: Lowell Mason, 1792-1872 Text: © 1984Augsburg Publishing House All rights reserved, reprinted and podcasted under ONE LICENSE # A-706149-A Music: Public Domain