Service outline for Sunday, May 2, 2021

Welcome to worship at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church!

PRELUDE   Abide With Me                ar. D.L. McKenzie     

 CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God,

whose voice is upon the waters,

whose mercy is poured out upon all people,

whose goodness cascades over all creation.

Amen.

 

Let us confess our sin, trusting in the abundant grace of God.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy God,

you search us and know us.

You are acquainted with all our ways.

We confess that our hearts are burdened by sin—

our own sins and the broken systems that bind us.

We turn inward, failing to follow

your outward way of love.

We distrust those who are not like us.

We exploit the earth and its resources

and fail to consider generations to come.

Forgive us, gracious God,

for all we have done and left undone.

Even before the words are on our tongues,

you know them;

receive them in your divine mercy.

Amen.

How vast is God's grace!

Through the power and promise of + Christ Jesus,

our sins are washed away

and we are claimed as God's own beloved.

Indeed, we are forgiven.

In the wake of God's forgiveness,

we are called to be the beloved community

living out Christ's justice

and the Spirit's reconciling peace.

Amen.

 

HYMN   Awake, O Sleeper, Rise from Death     #452 v. 1,3,5

GREETING

The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

KYRIE

HYMN OF PRAISE                                                                                      #391 v. 1

 PRAYER OF THE DAY

Children's message

FIRST READING: Acts 8:26-40

²⁶Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.) ²⁷So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship ²⁸and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it." ³⁰So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" ³¹He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. ³²Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:

            "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,

            and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth.

³³In his humiliation justice was denied him.

            Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."

³⁴The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" ³⁵Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus.

³⁶As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" ³⁸He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. ³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

 

PSALM: Psalm 22:25-31

²⁵From you comes my praise in the ^| great assembly; I will perform my vows in the sight of

those who ^| fear the LORD.

²⁶The poor shall eat ^| and be satisfied, Let those who seek the LORD give praise!

May your hearts ^| live forever!

²⁷All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn ^| to the LORD; all the families of nations

shall bow ^| before God.

²⁸For dominion belongs ^| to the LORD, who rules o- ^| ver the nations.  R

²⁹Indeed, all who sleep in the earth shall bow ^| down in worship; all who go down to the dust, though they be dead, shall kneel be- ^| fore the LORD.

³⁰Their descendants shall ^| serve the LORD, whom they shall proclaim to genera- ^| tions to come.

³¹They shall proclaim God's deliverance to a people ^| yet unborn, saying to them, "The ^| LORD has acted!"  R

 

SECOND READING: 1 John 4:7-21

⁷Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

¹³By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. ¹⁵God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. ¹⁶So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. ¹⁷Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. ¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰Those who say, "I love God," and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. ²¹The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

GOSPEL: John 15:1-8

[Jesus said:] ¹"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. ²He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. ³You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. ⁵I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

 

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

 

SERMON

 

HYMN     Alleluia! Jesus Is risen!          #377 v. 1,3,5

 

APOSTLES CREED

 

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

 

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's 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 to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come 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

 

PRAYERS AND PEACE

OFFERING

COMMUNION PRAYER

LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION

POST COMMUNION PROCLAMATION

POST COMMUNION PRAYER

BLESSING

HYMN   Let All Things Now Living            #881 

DISMISSAL

POSTLUDE       Now the Green Blade Rises           Sedio

 

Liturgy and hymns printed and streamed with permission through OneLicense. A-710659  

Service outline for Sunday, April 25, 2021

 Welcome to worship at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church!

 PRELUDE   A Piano Interpretation of Psalm 23        Smith     

 

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

All may make the sign of the cross, the sign that is marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.

      Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God,

whose voice is upon the waters,

whose mercy is poured out upon all people,

whose goodness cascades over all creation.

Amen.

Let us confess our sin, trusting in the abundant grace of God.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy God,

you search us and know us.

You are acquainted with all our ways.

We confess that our hearts are burdened by sin—

our own sins and the broken systems that bind us.

We turn inward, failing to follow

your outward way of love.

We distrust those who are not like us.

We exploit the earth and its resources

and fail to consider generations to come.

Forgive us, gracious God,

for all we have done and left undone.

Even before the words are on our tongues,

you know them;

receive them in your divine mercy.

Amen.

 

How vast is God's grace!

Through the power and promise of + Christ Jesus,

our sins are washed away

and we are claimed as God's own beloved.

Indeed, we are forgiven.

In the wake of God's forgiveness,

we are called to be the beloved community

living out Christ's justice

and the Spirit's reconciling peace.

Amen.

HYMN   Good Christian Friends, Rejoice and Sing!        #385 v. 1,2,3

GREETING

The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

KYRIE

HYMN OF PRAISE                                                      #391 v. 1

 

 

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Children's message

FIRST READING: Acts 4:5-12

⁵The next day [the] rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, ⁶with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. ⁷When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" ⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, ⁹if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, ¹⁰let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. ¹¹This Jesus is

            'the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;

            it has become the cornerstone.'

¹²There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved."

 

PSALM: Psalm 23

 ¹The LORD ^| is my shepherd; I shall not ^| be in want.

²The LORD makes me lie down ^| in green pastures and leads me be- ^| side still waters.

³You restore my ^| soul, O LORD, and guide me along right pathways ^| for your name's sake.

⁴Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall ^| 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, and my cup is ^| running over.

⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days ^| of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the ^| LORD forever. 

 

SECOND READING: 1 John 3:16-24

¹⁶We know love by this, that [Jesus Christ] laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. ¹⁷How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

¹⁸Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. ¹⁹And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him ²⁰whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ²¹Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; ²²and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

²³And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. ²⁴All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

 GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

GOSPEL: John 10:11-18

 [Jesus said:] ¹¹"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹²The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care 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. ¹⁶I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. ¹⁷For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

 

SERMON

 

HYMN         Have No Fear, Little Flock                                 #764

1          Have no fear, little flock;

            have no fear, little flock,

            for the Father has chosen

            to give you the kingdom;

            have no fear, little flock!

 

2          Have good cheer, little flock;

            have good cheer, little flock,

            for the Father will keep you

            in his love forever;

            have good cheer, little flock!

 

3          Praise the Lord high above;

            praise the Lord high above,

            for he stoops down to heal you,

            uplift and restore you;

            praise the Lord high above!

 

4          Thankful hearts raise to God;

            thankful hearts raise to God,

            for he stays close beside you,

            in all things works with you;

            thankful hearts raise to God!

 

Text: Luke 12:32, st. 1; Marjorie Jilson, b. 1931, sts. 2-4

Text © 1973 Concordia Publishing House

APOSTLES CREED

 

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

 

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's 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 to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come 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

 

 PRAYERS AND PEACE

OFFERING

COMMUNION PRAYER

LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION

POST COMMUNION PROCLAMATION

POST COMMUNION PRAYER

BLESSING

HYMN      Savior, like a Shepherd Lead Us    #789 v. 1,2,4

DISMISSAL

POSTLUDE    Live Divine, All Loves Excelling      Hustad

 

Liturgy and hymns printed and streamed with permission through OneLicense. A-710659 

Service outline for Sunday, April 18, 2021

                                        Welcome to worship at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church!

PRELUDE    At The Lamb’s High Feast We Sing          Schack     

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

All may make the sign of the cross, the sign that is marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.

Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God,

whose voice is upon the waters,

whose mercy is poured out upon all people,

whose goodness cascades over all creation.

Amen.

 

Let us confess our sin, trusting in the abundant grace of God.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy God,

you search us and know us.

You are acquainted with all our ways.

We confess that our hearts are burdened by sin—

our own sins and the broken systems that bind us.

We turn inward, failing to follow

your outward way of love.

We distrust those who are not like us.

We exploit the earth and its resources

and fail to consider generations to come.

Forgive us, gracious God,

for all we have done and left undone.

Even before the words are on our tongues,

you know them;

receive them in your divine mercy.

Amen.

 

How vast is God's grace!

Through the power and promise of + Christ Jesus,

our sins are washed away

and we are claimed as God's own beloved.

Indeed, we are forgiven.

In the wake of God's forgiveness,

we are called to be the beloved community

living out Christ's justice

and the Spirit's reconciling peace.

Amen.

HYMN     The Day of Resurrection!             #361 v. 1,4

GREETING

The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

 

KYRIE

HYMN OF PRAISE                                                  #391 v. 1

 

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Children's message

fIRST READING: Acts 3:12-19

 ¹²[Peter] addressed the people, "You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? ¹³The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. ¹⁴But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, ¹⁵and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. ¹⁶And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

¹⁷"And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. ¹⁸In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. ¹⁹Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out."

 

PSALM: Psalm 4

¹Answer me when I call, O God, defender ^| of my cause; you set me free when I was in distress; have mercy on me and ^| hear my prayer.

²"You mortals, how long will you dishon- ^| or my glory; how long will you love illusions and seek ^| after lies?"

³Know that the LORD does wonders ^| for the faithful; the LORD will hear me ^| when I call.

⁴Tremble, then, and ^| do not sin; speak to your heart in silence up- ^| on your bed.  R

⁵Offer the appointed ^| sacrifices, and put your trust ^| in the LORD.

⁶Many are saying, "Who will show us ^| any good?" Let the light of your face shine upon ^| us, O LORD.

⁷You have put gladness ^| in my heart, more than when grain and ^| wine abound.

⁸In peace, I will lie ^| down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me ^| rest secure.  R

 

SECOND READING: 1 John 3:1-7

 ¹See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ²Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. ³And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

 ⁴Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. ⁵You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. ⁶No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. ⁷Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

 

GOSPEL: Luke 24:36b-48

^36bJesus himself stood among [the disciples] and said to them, "Peace be with you." ³⁷They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. ³⁸He said to them, "Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." ⁴⁰And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" ⁴²They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³and he took it and ate in their presence.

 

⁴⁴Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." ⁴⁵Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, ⁴⁶and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things."

 

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

 

SERMON

HYMN       Lord, You Give the Great Commission    #579 v. 1,2,5

APOSTLES CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

 

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's 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 to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come 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

 

PRAYERS AND PEACE

OFFERING

COMMUNION PRAYER

LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION

POST COMMUNION PROCLAMATION

POST COMMUNION PRAYER

BLESSING

HYMN     Christ Is Alive! Let Christians Sing      #389 v. 1,2,5

 

DISMISSAL

POSTLUDE    Alleluia!                     Mozart

 

Liturgy and hymns printed and streamed with permission through OneLicense. A-710659