5th Sunday of Easter
Service of Prayer and Preaching
OPENING VERSICLES
L This is the day which the Lord has made;
C let us rejoice and be glad in it.
L From the rising of the sun to its setting,
C the name of the Lord is to be praised.
L Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere;
C I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
L Make me to know Your ways, O Lord.
C Teach me Your paths.
L Sanctify us in Your truth.
C Your Word is truth.
L From the rising of the sun to its setting,
C the name of the Lord is to be praised.
C Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT CANTICLE Isaiah 12, LSB 261
The Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.
With joy will you draw water from the wells of salvation.
And you will say in that day:
“Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name,
make known His deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that His name is exalted.”
The Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.
Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitants of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
The Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
The Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.
READINGS
Psalm 66:1–8
1Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
2sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!
3Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
4All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.”
2sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!
3Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
4All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.”
5Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
6He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him,
6He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him,
7who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let not the rebellious exalt themselves.
8Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard,
James 1:16–21
16Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
19Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires. 21Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
L This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
John 16:5–15
5[Jesus said:] “But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
L This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Sermon:
“The Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2)
and he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2)
If we’d learn to sing this refrain, it would be good for our faith and our outlook on life. When we are weak and struggling, The Lord God is our strength and our song. When we are lost, in danger, at risk for disease or death, we can count on God, our salvation.
Don’t think of your salvation as being an idea, a principle, or a religion. Remember this refrain, from Isaiah chapter 12, He, the Lord God, has become my salvation. Our salvation is not just some concept, some wishful thinking, some state of mind we are trying to attain. Our salvation is a Person, our Lord God who sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us and rose again on the third day to win our salvation and now He lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, our salvation.
In verse 3 of this song of praise Isaiah tells you “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Drink deeply from the well which is your salvation in God. Drink, long refreshing, satiating swallows that end with the pleasurable, peaceful “Aah!”. And then say, the Lord God is my salvation.
Isaiah was preaching to the people of God in crisis. Their enemies had defeated them, and were now oppressing them. Isaiah advised the people to have hope in the Lord God. Deliverance and rescue would come. The Lord God would be their strength, their song, their salvation and Isaiah their preacher promised them that on the day when they’d see their salvation, they would say,
“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.”
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.”
That’s how people of God cope in crisis situations. They prepare and look forward to the day when they will see their salvation, because they know their help is coming. God said so.
Even in the moment of the crisis, when things are the worst, the darkest, the most painful, there is an opportunity to Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, Make know his deeds among the peoples.
We need to repent before God of the selfish ways we handle crises. We must repent of our shaky, misguided faith. Because when difficulties rise up, we are slow to turn to the Lord as we should.
We are not praising God, as we should, if we are worrying and complaining about the situation we’re in.
We are not calling upon the Lord, as we should, if we are stuck in pessimism and despair, convincing ourselves and each other that things are only going to get worse.
We aren’t making his deeds known to others, we aren’t showing others the salvation of our Lord God, as we should, when we are sitting there looking inward, feeling sorry for ourselves.
Let’s learn this song. Let’s keep singing this song. Whether you can sing or not, have it in your memory and in your heart.
When you are in the moment, visibility can be a little foggy. You can’t tell which direction your salvation is coming from or when it will arrive. But the Word of God is given to us so that we can know God’s salvation beyond the moment of today. God’s word is clear that in the past, the Lord God has become our salvation. God’s promises are clear that in the future, we shall see that salvation clearly, completely.
In the past God became our salvation, like in the Psalm for today, Psalm 66, it reminded us,
“Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
He turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the river on foot.”
The history of the Bible, including the crossing of the Red Sea in Exodus is the story of salvation. And the history of our Lord Jesus is the story of our salvation when He did all that was needed to save us, rescue us from sin and death and the devil and restore us to eternal life.
And beyond this moment, we have the promises of the Lord God’s salvation to come, that we may enjoy life in Him, our salvation, forever. Amen.
TEN COMMANDMENTS
C You shall have no other gods.
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
APOSTLES’ CREED
C 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 again 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 T everlasting. Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
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.
COLLECT OF THE DAY
L O God, You make the minds of Your faithful to be of one will. Grant that we may love what You have commanded and desire what You promise, that among the many changes of this world our hearts may be fixed where true joys are found; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
COLLECT FOR THE WORD
L Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and take them to heart that, by the patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
OTHER PETITIONS
L Holy God, Your power brought all things into being and still You preserve what You have made. Bless our president, the Congress of these United States, our governor, and all elected and appointed civil servants so that they may honor You and Your purpose, establishing order and justice, encouraging virtue and protecting all life. Give wisdom and moderation to them in their leadership for the well-being of the nation.
C Amen.
L O merciful Father, You have compassion upon the sick and those in need and have promised not to ignore them in their afflictions. Turn back the pandemic across the globe, and give us relief. Bless the sick with healing, those who suffer with strength and patience, and the dying with peace. Do not let Your Word be bound, but let it have free course among us. Preserve those in isolation from idleness, and instead let our minds be renewed in Scripture and prayer.
C Amen.
FOR OUR MOTHERS
L Gracious God, You have established the home and blessed those who show us Your love. Bless all mothers and the children in their care. Bless all families and make their homes places of blessing and love, where Your Word is spoken, forgiveness reigns and love is displayed. Give us good examples to inspire youth to all that is good and pure, and to seek after these things.
C Amen.
FOR THE GRADUATES
L O Holy Spirit, from who flow all good counsel, wisdom and understanding, we thank you for all the blessings you have given to our graduates, Cody and Gina. Continue to guide and teach them in the years ahead. Proseper them in their rightful callings, that they may faithfully serve you and the Father and the Son.
C Amen.
MORNING PRAYER
C I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me.
BLESSING
L Let us bless the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
L The almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, the T Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve us.
C Amen.
523 O WORD OF GOD INCARNATE
1 O Word of God incarnate,
O Wisdom from on high,
O Truth unchanged, unchanging,
O Light of our dark sky:
We praise You for the radiance
That from the hallowed page,
A lantern to our footsteps,
Shines on from age to age.
O Wisdom from on high,
O Truth unchanged, unchanging,
O Light of our dark sky:
We praise You for the radiance
That from the hallowed page,
A lantern to our footsteps,
Shines on from age to age.
2 The Church from You, dear Master,
Received the gift divine;
And still that light is lifted
O’er all the earth to shine.
It is the chart and compass
That, all life’s voyage through,
Mid mists and rocks and quicksands
Still guides, O Christ, to You.
Received the gift divine;
And still that light is lifted
O’er all the earth to shine.
It is the chart and compass
That, all life’s voyage through,
Mid mists and rocks and quicksands
Still guides, O Christ, to You.
3 O make Your Church, dear Savior,
A lamp of burnished gold
To bear before the nations
Your true light as of old!
O teach Your wand’ring pilgrims
By this their path to trace
Till, clouds and darkness ended,
They see You face to face!
A lamp of burnished gold
To bear before the nations
Your true light as of old!
O teach Your wand’ring pilgrims
By this their path to trace
Till, clouds and darkness ended,
They see You face to face!
Text: Public domain
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Service of Prayer and Preaching from Lutheran Service Book
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2018 Concordia Publishing House.
No comments:
Post a Comment