Sunday, April 25, 2021
Saturday, April 24, 2021
Manuscript for Easter 4
+ The 4th Sunday of Easter +
1 Joyful, joyful we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love!
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee,
Praising Thee, their sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness,
Drive the gloom of doubt away.
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day.
2 All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heav’n reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Flow’ry meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird, and flowing fountain
Call us to rejoice in Thee.
3 Thou art
giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Wellspring of the joy of living,
Ocean-depth of happy rest!
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Fountainhead of love divine:
Joyful, we Thy heav’n inherit!
Joyful, we by grace are Thine!
Text: Public domain
KYRIE
In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Amen.
COLLECT OF THE DAY
P Almighty God, You show those in error the light of Your truth so that they may return to the way of righteousness. Grant faithfulness to all who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s Church that they may avoid whatever is contrary to their confession and follow all such things as are pleasing to You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Isaiah
40:25–31
25To whom then will you
compare me,
that I should be like him? says the
Holy One.
26Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these?
He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power
not one is missing. 27Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is
disregarded by my God”?
28Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of
the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
29He gives power to the faint, and to him who
has no might he increases strength.
30Even youths shall faint and be weary, and
young men shall fall exhausted;
31but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up
with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
PSALM147
1Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises | to our God;* for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is | fitting.
2The Lord builds
up Je- | rusalem;* he
gathers the outcasts of | Israel.
3He heals the broken- |
hearted* and binds |
up their wounds.
4He determines the number |
of the stars;* he gives to all of | them their names.
5Great is our Lord, and abun- | dant in power;* his
understanding is beyond | measure.
6The Lord lifts up
the | humble;* he
casts the wicked | to the ground.
7Sing to the Lord with thanks- |
giving;* make melody to our God | on the lyre!
8He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares
rain | for the earth;*
he makes grass grow | on the hills. 9He gives
to the | beasts their food,*
and to the young ravens | that cry.
10His delight is not in the strength | of the horse,* nor his
pleasure in the legs | of a man,
11but the Lord
takes pleasure in those who | fear him,* in those who hope in his |
steadfast love.
EPISTLE 1
Peter 2:11–20
11Beloved,
I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh,
which wage war against your soul. 12Keep your
conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as
evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of
visitation.
13Be
subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the
emperor as supreme, 14or to governors as sent by
him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15For this is the will of God, that by doing good you
should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16Live
as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but
living as servants of God. 17Honor everyone.
Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
18Servants,
be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle
but also to the unjust. 19For this is a gracious
thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20For what credit is it if, when you sin and are
beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you
endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
HOLY GOSPEL
P The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the sixteenth chapter.
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
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
everlasting. Amen.
“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a
cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” (1 Peter
2:16)
On the third day, he rose again from the dead. On
Good Friday, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had wrapped Jesus up like a
mummy in linen cloths with spices. That was the burial custom of the ancient
Middle East. The dead body of Jesus was
bound in the cloths. Just prior, the dying body of Jesus was bound, hands and
feet, nailed to the cross. All throughout the ordeal, since the night when he
was betrayed, our Lord had been held captive, bound, in the custody of angry,
violent men. But now, Easter, Jesus our Lord and Savior stepped out of the tomb
alive and free. Free from bonds. Free from the control of the evil men who had
crucified him. Free from the devil and all his powers, who had wanted to bind
Jesus. Free from death.
You who believe in Jesus have been brought by Him
into his resurrection and life. Because
He lives, you will live. Because He is free, you are free. The Apostle Peter
preaches to us today and says, “You are free! So live like you’re free!”
Easter is the High point of the Church year, the high point
of the Christian life. At Easter we learn what Jesus did and we learn who we
are. We are the people Jesus died for and rose for to save and to set free –
free from sin -- free from death. Let’s use the rest of the year to get used to
living like we’re free. Regularly hearing God’s word will help us do just that.
The Old Testament reading today, Isaiah 40, tells you what to
do. “Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these?”
First thing, “Lift up your eyes.” Another way of saying that
would be, “Chin up, Buttercup!”
Second thing, “and see”. When you lift your eyes
up out of your navel and look up you can see glorious things, especially on a
clear night you see the glories of the created universe and you get a better
understanding of your precious but small place in that universe.
Third thing to consider: “Who created these?”
God, of course, created all those stars and galaxies. He determines the number
of the stars; He gave names to them all. (Psalm 147:4) “and because he is
strong in power not one is missing.”
What is it that keeps you from living like you’re free? Are
you scared or worried about anything? God determines the number of the stars;
do you think he can’t help you in your little details?
Are you bound by the sins you won’t let go of?
Anger for instance. There are people in this world, people in your life every
day, who do some pretty bad things, who say some rather stupid words, who
deserve nothing but your disapproval and your punishment. Lift up your eyes and
see. God is in control of the universe. So do you really think you have to take
things down here into your own hands and fix what’s wrong about your neighbor?
Peter tells you to live like you’re free. Then he gets
specific about it. Live as servants of God. You’re free. So be a servant.
You’re free to run off and do whatever you want. Or you’re free to love God and
praise God and say to God, I’m your servant and I want to do whatever you want.
St. Peter continues, in verse 17 of our reading:
“Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the
emperor.” The emperor at that time, by
the way, was probably Nero. Not an easy one to honor. He was horrible, cruel.
He persecuted the Christians. If he could lay his hands on any, he’d throw them
to the beasts and the gladiators in the Coliseum. We servants of God, honor
authority, we respect the office of emperor or president or congress or police
or whatever the office, we honor it because God establishes such offices for
our good and for the good order of society. If the occupant of the office is a
cruel and evil person, we will honor the office. We can keep clear in our minds
a distinction between office and person. Let’s try to remember as we talk with
each other or we talk with others outside of our church, that we are serving
God when we honor the authorities.
This is part of loving your neighbor. The 5th
Commandment says, “You shall not murder.” It means that we should care to
protect their life. Likewise, the 7th Commandment says, “You shall
not steal.” It means we should help our neighbor protect their property. The
problem we so often have is that we by ourselves are powerless to protect
everyone else’s lives and property. There’s no way to, no resources to help
everyone. And much of the time it’s not your office to defend the life or
property of someone, if you don’t know their problems and their business. So
you have to trust God who defends the weak. And you can trust the offices he
establishes. Like government, law enforcement, the legal system, and
healthcare. “Honor the emperor.” Even if the person holding that office would
be despicable. Trust God. Trust the offices He establishes.
When you only go by what you see in this world,
you end up frustrated and disappointed. When you go by what you believe, there
is joy and a peace of mind. We who believe in Christ and who are living on this
side of His resurrection from the dead, don’t just go by what we see, but what
we believe. We are free from sin, by the forgiveness Jesus got us at the cross.
If you only spend your time looking around the
world and seeing what everyone else is doing wrong, it will make you bitter and
angry. You’ll gripe about the neighbors, you’ll complain about politics, you’ll
despise others just because they are on the other side of the issue.
So lift up your head and see. Chin up, Buttercup!
God is in control, in the heavens and on earth. You don’t have to fix all their
problems. You have to trust God. Believe He is fixing the problems, because He
overcomes sin. He overcomes sin, by the preaching of forgiveness in the
Gospel, and as the Apostle Peter would
have us to believe, God is overcoming sin in this world by providing the
authorities we are to honor. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
P Let us pray to the Lord:
P Preserve Your Church from every sorrow and mockery of the enemy; that in this little while between Christ’s resurrection and our own, the threats of persecution, loss or discomfort would not turn us from the joy and confidence of the redemption we have in Christ. Sustain all preachers, keeping them faithful to their calling. Keep all Christians firm in the faith for life, especially we pray this for our Missionary in Tawian, Rev. Michael Paul and his family and your people there whom he serves. And Vicar Tan, as he is training under Missionary Paul to be a pastor there.
P O Holy Spirit of God, be present and working in all Christian homes, that family members may be a blessing to each other and an example to their neighbors. Preserve all married couples in love and faithfulness. Strengthen all parents as teachers of the faith. Uphold the unmarried, to be honorable and unashamed in their station,
P Lord God almighty, for every human authority, we trust you and ask you to so order things here on earth, that those in authority would exercise the authority You give from above to punish those who do evil and praise those who do good. So grant us good government at every level, under which we may honor everyone, love the brotherhood and fear and love You. Inspire us and all Christians, that our subjection would be offered always for Your sake as sojourners and exiles in this world, and that any suffering we must endure would be unjust and borne mindful of you, our Lord.
P Lord God, of Your fatherly goodness You allow Your children to
come under Your chastening rod to conform us to Your only begotten Son here in
suffering on earth and hereafter in glory. Comfort us by Your Holy Spirit in
all temptations and afflictions, that we would not despair, but trust
continually in Your Son’s promise that our trials will endure but a little
while, and then be followed by eternal joy. Grant that we would overcome all
evil in patient hope and at last obtain eternal salvation; through the same
Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C 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.
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 T give you peace.
C Amen.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Divine Service, Setting One 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 © 2021 Concordia
Publishing House.
Sunday, April 18, 2021
Saturday, April 17, 2021
Manuscript for the Third Sunday in Easter
P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
709 THE KING OF LOVE MY SHEPHERD IS
5 Thou spreadst a table in my sight;
Thine unction grace bestoweth;
And, oh, what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!
6 And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever!
Text and tune: Public domain
COLLECT OF THE DAY
P O God, through the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world. Grant to Your faithful people, rescued from the peril of everlasting death, perpetual gladness and eternal joys; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
OLD TESTAMENT READING Ezekiel 34:11–16
11“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.”
A This is the Word of the Lord.
PSALM 23
1The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
HOLY GOSPEL
P The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the tenth chapter.
11[Jesus said:] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C Praise to You, O Christ.
APOSTLES’ CREED
SERMON
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” So says, our Lord Jesus. (John 10:11)
Through the ages, the Lord God comforts people with words like these, “You are my sheep, I am your Shepherd.” In the Old Testament reading from Ezekiel, you can hear God tenderly telling how “As a shepherd. . . will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered.”
King David taught all God’s people to say, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.”
Then, about a thousand years after King David, Jesus picks up this same message, but he can explain it better, clearer, in more detail. In Jesus and in His work on the cross, We sheep learn fully what it means to have a Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep.
There have been bad shepherds, careless, thoughtless, lazy shepherds, only in it for the money. There have been mean shepherds, who mistreated the sheep. There had been weak and scared shepherds who wouldn’t stand up to the wolves and the thieves. So because of bad shepherds, many sheep of God’s flock have been scared and scattered, scandalized and discouraged, left hopeless and lost.
Remember some of the examples of bad shepherds. At Mt Sinai, just as Moses is getting the 10 Commandments from the hand of the Lord God, down at the base of the mountain some influencers among the people are saying, “Wouldn’t it be better if we had a god we could see? Let’s make a god for ourselves, a gold statue, we can worship it.”
One of the descendants to King David was King Ahab, who favored and sponsored false prophets, bad shepherds who led the people to worship Baal and neglect the true God. The sheep were led down the murky paths of idolatry.
Then by the time of Jesus there were the Pharisees, leaders of the Jews who had the arrogance and self-righteousness to believe their goodness and their worth was to be found in themselves. They looked up to God not with repentance and faith, but with smug pride, as if they deserved the most special, preferred treatment. And the yeast of the Pharisees was spreading through the whole loaf.
These cases have been recorded for the sake of future generations of believers, like us. We have to listen to the voice of the true Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and learn His word. Then when the false shepherds try to lead us away, we recognize their tricks and lies and return to the Good Shepherd. Jesus would have us not be surprised, and caught with our guard down. There will be bad shepherds, even in the Christian Church, the church founded by Jesus, by his message.
Some bad shepherds are out to make an easy buck at the expense of those who can be duped. Some bad shepherds act out of arrogance, supposing that they know better than the Bible, as if they know better than God, what is good and what is right, and what people should do and believe. Some bad shepherds act as children of Satan, the father of lies. They go along with his lies and even make up some of their own to boot.
You know this already. This is just a reminder. You know, if you’ve been around enough people, over the years, that there will be people who lie to you from time to time. Some will find ways to benefit by deceiving you. In spiritual matters, moral matters, financial matters, in heavenly things or in earthly things, people will be dishonest and deceptive. We gotta expect it. We gotta be prepared for it. But we don’t necessarily have to be discouraged by it. We don’t have to be cynical about everything, just because we’ve been duped a time or two. On the one hand, it’s a shame that sometimes we are too gullible. On the other hand, it’d be a shame if we never trust anyone or anything. Lord help us be discerning. And, Lord forgive us our pessimism.
Jesus invites you to trust Him completely, absolutely, unhesitatingly. Take heart. There is someone you can count on. He says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” If a person gets too cynical, too desperate, too knocked down by a life of abuse and mistreatment, it’s hard to trust anyone. You get to thinking even the Lord God in heaven has some other ulterior motive, unknown motive, that’s got nothing to do with what’s good for you. So Jesus tells you otherwise. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. That’s the Lord you got in heaven. That’s the Lord you’ve got to pray to, to entrust your ways to. That’s the Lord who comes to us as He has promised, wherever two or three are gathered in His name. That’s the Lord who feeds us, and leads us and guards and keeps us.
On Friday I watched the funeral service of Iowa State Patrolmen Jim Smith. In the line of duty, he was brutally shot down in a criminal, evil act of violence. It would be an exercise in futility to try to find some reason, some good purpose in that tragedy. We trust, even when we don’t understand. One good to come out of it all is that many of us go to know about a godly man. Before this, he was just another cop, another guy out doing his job. Now he has been a testimony of faithfulness, an example to follow, as being faithful in his office, good and faithful as a husband and father, a good leader in his church, a witness to Jesus Christ and an encouragement in dark times. God hasn’t abandoned us all. He still raises up people who will serve him, work in their vocations, serve the good of others and glorify their Savior. The Good Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep, still guides them tenderly, cares for them and provides for them.
There’s a long standing tradition of reading this Good Shepherd Gospel reading on the third Sunday of Easter. So 500 years ago, Martin Luther would have had this passage in church on Sunday and then later in the week, presumably with the Good Shepherd’s promises still on his mind, he would have to go before Emperor Charles V, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. Charles was trying to get peace and uniformity in his empire. Luther was stirring up trouble, calling into question the false teaching, anti-Gospel in the catholic church of that time. The Emperor ordered him to stop preaching the Gospel and in fact, to take back all that he said and written so far. Luther boldly stood before the most powerful man in the world, and confessed the the Gospel and the Lord Jesus. He was willing to lay down his career, his future, his reputation, his freedom, even his own life for the sake of the Gospel, and for the sheep of God who would hear the Gospel and be fed in it’s green pasture.
This is the 500th anniversary of Luther’s bold stand. It’s a lesson for Christians today, to listen carefully to the messages coming at us. Take caution for the bad shepherds, the hireling who would lead you away into false belief and confusion. Know your Good Shepherd Jesus. Listen to Him. And when you hear other competing voices, ask, “Does this sound something like my Good Shepherd would say.”
But don’t get cynical. Don’t give up hope. Trust the Lord is still at work. He is still gathering us sheep into his flock, and leading his flock by the preaching of His pure and true gospel. He leads us to follow him throughout our life and even through the valley of the shadow of death, that we may dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
P Let us pray:
P Dear Lord, our Good Shepherd, you have sought out your sheep and gathered us with them into one flock. Keep us always in His fold and guard us from every wolf and snare. Lord, in your mercy,
C Hear our prayer.
P Bless and keep your Church, Dear God. Send faithful shepherds to care for your flock scattered throughout the world; We especially remember before you today, Missionary Michael Paul in Taiwan and the pastors and people of the China Evangelical Lutheran Church in Taiwan. Keep them devoted to You and Your truth; Spare your flock from hirelings who serve ego, belly or the world’s doctrines; and give discerning ears to Your sheep to listen for the voice of our Good Shepherd, Lord, in your mercy,
C Hear our prayer.
P Lord, God, the Maker of heaven and earth, Giver of Life, comfort those who mourn. . . Comfort them with the hope of a glorious resurrection for all who believe. Lead all of us to remember that we are mortal so that we will ever prepare our hearts to fall asleep in faith and finally receive the glory promised to all who trust in your Son. Lord, in your mercy,
C Hear our prayer.
P We give thanks to you, everlasting God, for you glorified your Son Jesus in his resurrection form the dead, after he had given himself into death as the payment and for our sins. You transformed the “little while” of sadness and defeat into the joy and victory of the resurrection. Grant us the consistent hope and assurance that our eyes shall yet behold him, when according to your promise, our Redeemer shall at the end stand upon the earth and receive us and all who believe in him into the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world. Lord, in your mercy,
C Hear our prayer.
P Bestow your favor upon our land. Give us a government that preserves liberty, upholds justice, seeks righteousness, curbs lawlessness, and provides order. Prosper everyone in their rightful calling. Let all Christians citizens in accordance with your will accept our lawful obligations cheerfully and dutifully, giving respect and honor to all.
C Lord, have mercy.
P Lord God, out of Your fatherly goodness You have remembered us poor, miserable sinners and given Your beloved Son to be our Shepherd — not only to nourish us by His Word, but also to defend us from sin, death and the devil. Grant us Your Holy Spirit, that even as this Shepherd knows us and helps in every affliction, we also may know Him, trust Him, seek help and comfort in Him, heartily obey His voice and obtain eternal salvation; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C 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.
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 T give you peace.
C Amen.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Divine Service, Setting One 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 © 2021 Concordia Publishing House.
Sunday, April 11, 2021
Manuscript for Easter 2
P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
THIS IS THE FEAST LSB 155
C This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Power, riches, wisdom, and strength, and honor, blessing, and glory are His.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Sing with all the people of God, and join in the hymn of all creation:
Blessing, honor, glory, and might be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
For the Lamb who was slain has begun His reign. Alleluia.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
COLLECT OF THE DAY
P Almighty God, grant that we who have celebrated the Lord’s resurrection may by Your grace confess in our life and conversation that Jesus is Lord and God; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Ezekiel 37:1–14
1The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.’ 12Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”
A This is the Word of the Lord.
EPISTLE 1 John 5:4–10
4For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7For there are three that testify: 8the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
HOLY GOSPEL
P The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the twentieth chapter.
19On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”
24Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
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.
471 O SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE KING
ref Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
1 O sons and daughters of the King,
Whom heav’nly hosts in glory sing,
Today the grave has lost its sting!
Alleluia!
2 That Easter morn, at break of day,
The faithful women went their way
To seek the tomb where Jesus lay.
Alleluia!
3 An angel clad in white they see,
Who sits and speaks unto the three,
“Your Lord will go to Galilee.”
Alleluia!
4 That night the_apostles met in fear;
Among them came their master dear
And said, “My peace be with you here.”
Alleluia!
5 When Thomas first the tidings heard
That they had seen the risen Lord,
He doubted the disciples’ word.
Alleluia!
6 “My piercèd side, O Thomas, see,
And look upon My hands, My feet;
Not faithless but believing be.”
Alleluia!
7 No longer Thomas then denied;
He saw the feet, the hands, the side;
“You are my Lord and God!” he cried.
Alleluia!
8 How blest are they who have not seen
And yet whose faith has constant been,
For they eternal life shall win.
Alleluia!
9 On this most holy day of days
Be laud and jubilee and praise:
To God your hearts and voices raise.
Alleluia! Refrain
Text: Public domain
SERMON -- Believe and Live
(John 20) 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Note the order of the words here: "Believe" and "life". Believing in Jesus allows you to have life. Believing produces life -- eternal life and life in the present. Jesus had said it before and He will say it again, whoever believes will have eternal life. That’s something for us believers to look forward to. What is more, we have this eternal life now. Believing in Jesus will open eternal life to us. Believing in Jesus gives us life now, shapes and directs our life daily, especially in times of crisis. We have celebrated our Lord’s resurrection from the dead. Now we believe and live.
The disciples of Jesus, now only eleven, were in crisis mode. Behind locked doors for fear, they hid. You know how it’s said that there are two reactions to trouble: fight or flight. There had been a quick, thoughtless gesture of fight among the disciples when Jesus was first arrested. Peter drew his sword, fortunately he could only manage to get off a glancing blow and cut off and the ear of one of the men in the posse that had come for Jesus. But fighting wasn’t going to help anything and Jesus told them to put the sword away. It’s not the way. So they had the other response, flight. They all fled, ran away and hid. That’s where Jesus finds them and calls them to something else, something much better. Fight or flight are reactions to fear. Jesus tells them “Fear not. Believe.”
Rather than hide in fear, Jesus tells them to believe and live. Their lives, from that moment forward, had new purpose. As his servants and his representatives they were to do his work and his will. Specifically they were to go out and find sinners, talk to them about their sin and forgive them in Jesus’ name. It is absolutely necessary that the Christian church today remembers what she is called to do, believe in Jesus, and proclaim his forgiveness of sins.
The Christian Church on earth is in a time of crisis. There are loud voices, some of them even from within the church itself, saying we need to do things differently. We need to change the morality that we preach. We need to accept immoral behavior. We need to abandon old fashioned ideas. “God doesn’t judge sinners”, they want us to say. We are under pressure to stop believing and stop preaching what God says is true. And that pressure will continue and grow.
The Christian church could take one of two reactions to the threats of the world: fight or flight. Should we urge rebellion, try to get our way by force? Should we hide and try not to be noticed? Those are the fear responses. Jesus says, “Fear not. Believe. Live the life of faith, which includes forgiving sins of those who are sorry and withholding forgiveness from the impenitent until they repent.”
When you find yourself in a crisis, you have another option rather than fight or flight. You can believe and live.
This takes patience. Jesus told his disciples, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Patience is one of the gifts the Spirit gives His people. Patience means not being quick to draw the weapon and fight back. But running away from trouble and hiding is not patience either. Patience is defined so well in the Psalms that tell you: “Wait for the Lord.” Believing in Jesus, you have a life of faith to live, even if you must wait.
Ezekiel had this kinda weird experience that the Lord God put him through. He was told to prophesy to these dead, dry bones. He preached to them, and they rose up and came alive. The Lord then explains that there was a purpose, a moral to this. The people at that time were like dead bones. They weren’t believing. They weren’t living. They had given up. They said, “Our hope is lost. We are clean cut off.” Giving up is an impatient reaction to crises. It’s impatient to just sit there in hopelessness, immobilized by fear. It’s certainly not living. It’s just like dry bones.
If you have a crisis of health, or of money, or of family, or of work, you know better than to fight, right? That response doesn’t ever help matters. But flight? Maybe it seems like it’d be better to just run away and hide from problems. But that’s not what you are called to do. You are called to believe and live.
Believe in your Lord who has victory of death and sin. Believe that you can overcome. 1 John 5:5: “Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” Believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus is for you.
Believe and live. Live as God calls you to live. For the disciples, and the church they founded, God’s call was that they would forgive sinners. Your call in life is, first of all to hear that, believe that forgiveness. Each of you then as forgiven believers of Jesus Christ put thought into what your particular calling is, are you a father, mother, brother, sister, worker, employer, neighbor? Work at these things faithfully -- even through crises -- while you wait for the Lord. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs. God of life and peace, since you have given your church the gift of absolution, show us the depth of our sin, so that we confess sincerely and fill us with faith so that we receive your life giving forgiveness with joy. Give to every pastor faithfulness to use your keys for the good of your people. Lord in your mercy.
God of life and peace have mercy on those who have been absent from worship. Restore those who are doubting your promises and call back those who have wandered away from you. Do not allow any of us to deceive ourselves by saying that we have no sin but lead us to admit our iniquity knowing that your son cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Lord in your mercy.
God of life and peace because you care about the lives of all people be with those who lead our nation and our community including our local officials our mayor and all who lead our local government. Teach them to be diligent in the tasks that you've entrusted to them to act according to your will and to work for the good of all people. Lord in your mercy.
O Lord Heavenly. Father, we here remember the suffering and death of your beloved Son Jesus Christ for our salvation. Praising his victorious resurrection from the dead we draw strength from his ascension before you where he ever stands for us as our own High Priest. Gather us together, we pray from the ends of the earth to celebrate with all the faithful the marriage feast of the Lamb in his kingdom, which has no end. Graciously, receive our prayers deliver and preserve us to you alone, O Father be all glory honor and worship with the Son and the Holy Spirit one God, now and forever, 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.
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 T give you peace.
C Amen.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Divine Service, Setting One from Lutheran Service Book
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 © 2021 Concordia Publishing House.
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