Sermon by Pastor David Matthews

Dearly Beloved Saints in Christ,

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father, and from Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text for our mediation this morning is from the Gospel account of St. Luke, the ninth chapter.

This sermon might make you uncomfortable, but that's okay, being a Christian isn't supposed to be comfortable.  The reason why is because why do we treat the treat as a country club?  What I mean is why do we come and go as we please, and do not show up regularly?  Why are our priorities different on Sundays than any other days?  We get up early to work, why cannot we not on a Sunday morning?  Why is going to the lake more important than going to a sacred place called church?  Why is going to sporting events more important for our children and grandchildren, than having them sit in the pews to listen to scripture and sing hymns?

People make excuses all the time.  It's too early and I want to sleep in.  There is a solution: go to bed at a decent time.  My children have sporting events.  There is a solution:  they do no have to go to every single sporting event, especially if it is on a Sunday.  You do not have to put your children in sports, that is a choice.  Church and following Christ are a priority.  The third commandment says, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.  On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.  For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.  Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

But many people do not see it a as a priority.  I am not trying to bash anybody, but I guess as a child I was in a privileged household: both of my parents wanted to take their children to church.  Sadly our society has made us busy to keep us from going to church.  It is even busier than it was ten years ago.  Our public school system does not care about our churches and activities.  We saw that on Maundy Thursday.  The school had a track meet whenever churches would have services.  That blatant disregard for our churches is intentional.  

I'll finally get off my soap box.  I know that this may have sounded harsh.  But whenever we treat the church the way we do and then allow schools to fully disregard religion.  We have a problem.  We do not want to follow Jesus as we should.

You can see in the second portion of Luke's passage this morning that people make excuses for wanting to follow Jesus, in fullness.  Jesus is not trying to be unkind to these individuals along the road.  Rather he is trying to prove a point.  We cannot achieve our place in the kingdom of God, by ourselves.  Instead it is through the grace of God, that we are heirs of the kingdom of God.

The first individual, Jesus, says to the man, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Jesus uses nature as imagery once again.  He points to the fact that foxes have a place that protects them from the outside world, they have a place of shelter, a place to put their food, and and place from bad weather, known as a burrow or den.  The birds of the skies have nests, where they raise their young and have protection.

Jesus is pointing to the fact that He doesn't have that.  Instead He goes from each town and city and is persecuted, and He is often interrupted whenever He is trying to sleep or rest from crowds.  A specific example is whenever He had just preached at the feeding of the five thousand and served them by the disciples giving the people bread and fish to eat, since they were famished for not eating for three days.  Jesus wanted to find a quiet place, but instead He went over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  This is also how life as a Christian is, there are not really times of peace and tranquility.  It also means that we might have to give up comfort and stability to follow Jesus.

And then a second man Jesus says, "Follow me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." And Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead.  But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."  To our 21st century ears, this sounds like an odd and rude response from Jesus.  But it is what the man needed to hear.  It is what we need to hear as 21st century Christians.  Of course Jesus wants this man to honor his father and mother, as the ten commandments command him, but Jesus is telling him that He(Jesus) should take precedence over everything else in his life.

That is actually why I brought up treating the church as a country club, coming and going.  Sadly our human nature does not want Jesus to take precedence over everything else in our lives.  But as a saint, an heir of the kingdom of God, we should make church, God, and Jesus a priority.  It is vitally important for our faith.

Here is what scripture says about meeting together as a community in Christ, in Hebrews chapter ten, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and goods works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

A big lie that a lot of people believe, is that we do not need to go to church, to be a Christian.  If you think about it is hard to be a Christian by yourself.   We are supposed to be offering praise, singing, worshipping, praying, etc. together in a community.  That is because from the passage I just read, we are not to neglect to meet together.

So I encourage you as Christians at Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sutherland, Iowa, to encourage the rest of the members of our congregation to come to church, and hear the word of God, and receive the Lord's Supper.

Scripture also says, in 1 Corinthians 12:26, "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together."  That me metaphor in scripture, wants us to care for our neighbors, and you would want people to reach out to you, if you weren't coming right?  I know I would.  We also want to know what is going on in your life.  We want to care for our neighbors with love.

Simply, because being a Christian requires sacrifices.

And the third man in the text, also does not follow Jesus.  Here is the third dialogue, "Yet another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home."  Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.""

Again the response of Jesus is odd to us.  Jesus is telling him, you are going to be distracted along the way, of following me, and is that not the truth with us?  How many of us get distracted by worldly things that distract us away from following Jesus?  I am going to guess all of us have been distracted at one point or another.  For example: do we have enough money to cover our expenses this month?  For clothing, shoes, etc.?  Another example: Our child has sporting events on a weekend again.  Guess I have to skip church.  Another example:  Stressful work environment that takes you away from going to church.  I need to rest.  The reality is that a lot of things distract us from following Jesus in a full way.

But that is why the graciousness of God is amazing.  Even though we are distracted Jesus still loves us, and He showed that on the cross.  He loved us enough to die for all of our sins.  He died knowing you would be distracted and couldn't carry the cross that He did.  And we as Christians also have crosses that we bear, but Jesus has also faced all of those crosses as man, and defeated sin, death, and Hell.

An important passage that highlights this is 1 Corinthians 10:13, which says,"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  Jesus was a man who has been tempted hy Satan himself, but He was not overtaken by those temptations.  Instead He went to the cross undistracted for you, that you may be saved.  Let that be your peace forevermore.

In the Name of Jesus.  Amen. 

 

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

June 22, 2025

Isaiah 65:1–9

Galatians 3:23–4:7

Luke 8:26–39

Jesus Brings Release from the Bonds of Sin, Death and the Devil

The Lord finds those who did not seek Him or ask for Him. He spreads out His hands “to a rebellious people” (Is. 65:2) and calls them to be His people and to dwell in peace upon His holy mountain (Is. 65:9). For wherever Jesus Christ enters in, Satan is cast out. Those who were enslaved and driven mad by the assaults and accusations of the devil are set free by the Word of Christ. He drowns and destroys the old Adam in us with the waters of Holy Baptism and thereby brings us out of death into life. No longer naked in our shame, living “among the tombs” (Luke 8:27), we are brought into the Lord’s house, fully clothed by Christ; He has come in “the fullness of time” (Gal. 4:4) to fulfill the Law on our behalf and to redeem us from its every accusation. Therefore, having been justified by His grace through faith in His Gospel, “you are no longer a slave, but a son” (Gal. 4:7).

 

Sermon - by Pastor David Matthews

Dearly beloved saints in Christ, 

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father, and from Our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen. 

The text for our mediation is our Psalm and Introit for this morning, the third Psalm. 

PSALM 3

O Lord, how many are my foes!
    Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul,
    there is no salvation for him in God.

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
    my glory, and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the Lord,
    and he answered me from his holy hill.

I lay down and slept;
    I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
    who have set themselves against me all around.

Arise, O Lord!
    Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
    you break the teeth of the wicked.

Salvation belongs to the Lord;
    your blessing be on your people!

 

To understand this Psalm, we need to look at the heading that is above the Psalm. It says, “A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.” This Psalm’s background is from second Samuel, chapter fifteen. 

In that portion of scripture, we are told of Absalom’s conspiracy against his father King David. We need to remember that King David was chosen by God to rule Israel, while Absalom is not. If you remember the story. Absalom was sitting at the gate of the city and telling individuals if I was king, no one would have injustices, unlike what you have under King David. It is ironic that King David never caught on, but this simple action of Absalom turned the hearts of many from loyalty to King David to himself. 

He then would seize Jerusalem for a time, but ultimately, he would be defeated and King David would reign again. But David doesn’t not push all underneath the rug, instead He weeps for his son’s death. We also have to remember that this event occurred due to the sin of David by committing adultery with Bathsheba, where Nathan rebuked David through God, by saying, “You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house…” 

What is happening in Psalm three, is a direct result of the sin of David. And that is how one little sin can escalate into death, murder, and revenge. 

This is why King David is despairing in our text. His own son wants to kill him. Can you imagine the sorrow in David’s heart? I hope none of you had to experience that in your life as a parent. But that is why King David says, O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me…” 

David is right in acknowledging that He has many foes against him. He has Absalom, his own son, some of his loyal advisors, and the people against David. He himself believes that this is an uphill battle against a great enemy, his own Son. 

Honestly as a Christian in the 21st century it can feel like this as well. There are many foes that try to distort the Christian worldview. A lot of so-called political hot point issues are actually morality issues. Abortion for example is against the fifth commandment, “Thou shall not kill.” That is a morality issue. Saying babies in the womb are not children, is like saying bald people have a lot of hair. People who promote abortion, are telling themselves that it is a clump of cells, but in reality, is a child. The Same-Sex movement distorts Christianity and marriage. Leviticus 20:13, says this about same-sex relations, “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.” Honestly, I do not know how so-called Christian bodies can get around that. But they will argue that it is in the Old Testament, and Jesus fulfilled the law. He did. But there is even more damning evidence in the New Testament, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, not thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” 

The reality of it. Are that people in openly unrepentant sin, do not inherit the kingdom of God. That is the truth, that many people do not want to swallow. They want to keep sinning, instead of repenting, which is turning away from the thing that is harming them. 

The great thing though is that there is forgiveness for all of these sins, and every sin. And that is through the Holy and precious of Jesus, who shed His blood for the sins of the whole world. 

There are many foes around us as Christians that want to distort Christianity and tell us our views are outdated. But scripture tells us that “the word of our God will stand forever.” 

Stand of the testaments of God’s words. For they “will stand forever.” 

Because if we do, God will raise up our heads, just like He did for King David. 

I have been called a pessimistic person, and there is truth in that. But like King David, the Lord, was “a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from His holy hill.” 

Some of you know this, but a majority don’t. I have suffered from anxiety and depression for over fourteen years of my life, mainly due to childhood trauma. In my deepest depths of depression during college, I even attempted to kill myself multiple times. But my God’s great love and devotion in my life, taking the Lord’s Supper twice every week (two different churches), the Lord lifted up my head many times. 

That is how Christ is with His people. Even in our darkest moments, the Lord protects us. He delivers us from our afflictions, whether they are mental, physical, or emotional. In Ephesians 6:11, it says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” All our afflictions are schemes of the devil. No matter if they are mental, physical, or emotional.

In Ephesians 6:16-17, it says, “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

This is the shield that David is talking about, the shield of faith. In his deepest sorrow, the Lord was a shield to David. In any of our sorrows, the Lord is also with us. He sustains us that we might run the good race. He sustains through His Word, and the Sacraments. The flaming darts of the evil one, have no power over us, because we have the helmet of salvation. In other words, we have baptism. Baptism saves us, and makes us an heir of God the Father. 

Through baptism, we have the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. 

Through baptism, we are able to lay down at night and sleep, and be sustained for the next day. Especially if the next day is Sunday, and receive the precious gift of the Lord’s Supper, which sustains us until life everlasting. These gifts of the Sacraments, prepare us for the life of enduring hardships, temptations, and sin. And the word of God teaches us how. 

David says, “I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” As Christians, we ought not be afraid of the people who attack us because of our beliefs. For Matthew 5:10-12, says, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” 

It is a blessing to actually be persecuted for what you believe in, the truth of the Word of God. If anyone utters evil against you, take it as a compliment, because you are just the messenger of the truth of God. It is not you there are against, there are against God. So do not falter whenever the world says you are outdated. 

There is a widespread quote, that is truthful today, as it was many years ago. “Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.”

Right now, “the good ole times” as people call it, is why society is in such shambles. It created a culture of weak men, who do not stand for anything. But the hard times are also hitting us. It will create strong men, like King David, who believed in the Scriptures, who will marry young, raise families, and create a God-centered society. 

King David also says, “Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.” That is what is going to happen on the Last Day, Judgement Day. Breaking the teeth of the wicked, renders the beast with sharp teeth, useless and no power. On the Last Day, God will tell the sheep, the Christian, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

To the goat, the unbeliever, He will say, “Depart from, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” 

The enemies of God will be useless and cast away into Hell. 

For King David, even adds, Salvation is only from the triune God, just like I mentioned last week, there is only one way to Heaven, and that is through Jesus, our intercessor, our mediator, and our Savior. And that gift of salvation was proclaimed at your baptism. You were made an heir of God, due to what Jesus has done for you. He became a sinner for you in His own baptism, He suffered in your name, He was crucified for you, He was risen and ascended into the Heavens for you. So, as Jesus was risen and ascended into Heaven, you also will on the Last Day. 

In the name of Jesus. Amen. 

THE HOLY TRINITY

June 15, 2025

 

Proverbs 8:1–4, 22–31

Acts 2:14a, 22–36

John 8:48–59

The Triune God Reveals Himself in Christ Jesus

The divine Word of the Father also is the holy wisdom who “was beside him, like a master workman,” who “was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always” (Prov. 8:30). This Word became flesh and suffered death in order to bestow life by the preaching of His Gospel “to the children of man” (Prov. 8:4). He honors the Father, and the Father glorifies Him by raising Him from the dead, so that all who keep His Word “will never see death” (John 8:51). Long ago, “father Abraham rejoiced” in the day of Christ, for “he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). Though Christ was “crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men,” “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death” (Acts 2:23, 24). As He “received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:33), so it is by and through the Son that God the Father pours out the Holy Spirit upon His Church.

 

✠ Welcome✠

Divine Service 1, Page 151 (LSB) - **Sung with the computer**

 

OPENING HYMN #913                 "O HOLY SPIRIT, ENTER IN"

 

Stand

Invocation

P   In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C   Amen.

 

Confession and Declaration of Grace

P   If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

C   But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

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

P   Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.

C   Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

 

P   In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for His sake God forgives us all our sins. To those who believe in Jesus Christ He gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

C   Amen.

 

 

INTROIT                                                              Psalm 16:8-11 antiphon Liturgy Response

P Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity.
    C Let us give glory to him because he has shown his mercy to us.
P I have set the Lord always before me;
    C because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
P Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
    C my flesh also dwells secure.
P For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
    C or let your holy one see corruption.
P You make known to me the  path of life;
    C in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
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.
P Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity.
    C Let us give glory to him because he has shown his mercy to us.

 

KYRIE**                                                                              LSB 152

P   In peace let us pray to the Lord.

C   Lord, have mercy.

P   For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.

C   Lord, have mercy.

P   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.

C   Lord, have mercy.

P   For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.

C   Lord, have mercy.

P   Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

C   Amen.

 

THIS IS THE FEAST**                                                                           LSB 155

 

SALUTATION**                                                              LSB 156

P   The Lord be with you.

C   And also with you.

 

COLLECT OF THE DAY**                                           LSB 156

P   Let us pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, You have given us grace to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of a true faith and to worship the Unity in the power of the Divine Majesty. Keep us steadfast in this faith and defend us from all adversities; for You, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, now and forever.

 C   Amen.

 

Sit

OLD TESTAMENT READING                                         Proverbs 8:1–4, 22–31

1Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice?
2On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand;
3beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
4“To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man . . .

22“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.
23Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
24When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.
25Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth,
26before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world.
27When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep,
29when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 
    30then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always,
31rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.”

 

P   This is the Word of the Lord.

C   Thanks be to God.

 

SECOND READING                                          Acts 2:14a, 22–36

14Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, 

22“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
    for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
    my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
    or let your Holy One see corruption.
28You have made known to me the paths of life;
    you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

29“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,
    35until I make your enemies your footstool.’

36Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

 

P   This is the Word of the Lord.

C   Thanks be to God.

 

Stand

 

ALLELUIA AND VERSE                                                                        LSB 156

C   Alleluia.

Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.

Alleluia, alleluia.

 

 

HOLY GOSPEL                                                                         John 8:48–59

P The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the eighth chapter.

C Glory to You, O Lord.

 

48The Jews answered [Jesus], “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

 

P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

C Praise to You, O Christ.

 

Sit

HYMN OF THE DAY #506     "GLORY BE TO GOD THE FATHER"

 

Given by Pastor David Matthews

 

ATHANASIAN CREED

L   Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic faith.

C   Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt perish eternally.

L   And the catholic faith is this,

C   that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.

L   For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Holy Spirit is another.

C   But the Godhead of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.

L   Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit:

C   the Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Spirit uncreated;

L   the Father infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite;

C   the Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal.

L   And yet there are not three Eternals, but one Eternal,

C   just as there are not three Uncreated or three Infinites, but one Uncreated and one Infinite.

L   In the same way, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, the Holy Spirit almighty;

C   and yet there are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.

L   So the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God;

C   and yet there are not three Gods, but one God.

L   So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord;

C   and yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord.

L   Just as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge each distinct person as God and Lord, so also are we prohibited by the catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or Lords.

C   The Father is not made nor created nor begotten by anyone.

L   The Son is neither made nor created, but begotten of the Father alone.

C   The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor created nor begotten, but proceeding.

L   Thus, there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.

C   And in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another;

L   but the whole three persons are coeternal with each other and coequal, so that in all things, as has been stated above, the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity is to be worshiped.

C   Therefore, whoever desires to be saved must think thus about the Trinity.

L   But it is also necessary for everlasting salvation that one faithfully believe the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

C   Therefore, it is the right faith that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is at the same time both God and man.

L   He is God, begotten from the substance of the Father before all ages; and He is man, born from the substance of His mother in this age:

C   perfect God and perfect man, composed of a rational soul and human flesh;

L   equal to the Father with respect to His divinity, less than the Father with respect to His humanity.

C   Although He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ:

L   one, however, not by the conversion of the divinity into flesh, but by the assumption of the humanity into God;

C   one altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.

L   For as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ,

C   who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead,

L   ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

C   At His coming all people will rise again with their bodies and give an account concerning their own deeds.

L   And those who have done good will enter into eternal life, and those who have done evil into eternal fire.

C   This is the catholic faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved.

 

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Each petition ends with: 

P     … Lord, in Your mercy,                        C  Hear our prayer.

 

P     … one God, now and forever.             C  Amen.

 

Sit

OFFERING

Stand

OFFERTORY**                                                                           LSB 159

C   What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me?

I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call on the name of the Lord. I will take the cup of salvation and will call on the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all His people, in the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

 

PREFACE**                                                                                                LSB 160

P   The Lord be with you.

C   And also with you.

P   Lift up your hearts.

C   We lift them to the Lord.

P   Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C   It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

P   It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, who with Your only-begotten Son and the Holy Spirit are one God, one Lord. In the confession of the only true God, we worship the Trinity in person and the Unity in substance, of majesty coequal. Therefore, with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:

SANCTUS**                                                                                                  LSB 161

C   Holy, holy, holy Lord God of pow’r and might:

Heaven and earth are full of Your glory.

Hosanna. Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

 

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING                                                           LSB 161

P       Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have had mercy on those whom You created and sent Your only-begotten Son into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior. With repentant joy we receive the salvation accomplished for us by the all-availing sacrifice of His body and His blood on the cross.

     Gathered in the name and the remembrance of Jesus, we beg You, O Lord, to forgive, renew, and strengthen us with Your Word and Spirit. Grant us faithfully to eat His body and drink His blood as He bids us do in His own testament. 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.

C   Amen.

 

LORD’S PRAYER                                                                            LSB 162

P   Lord, remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:

C   Our Father who art in heaven,

     hallowed be Thy name,

     Thy kingdom come,

     Thy will be done on earth

          as it is in heaven;

     give us this day our daily bread;

     and forgive us our trespasses

          as we forgive those

          who trespass against us;

     and lead us not into temptation,

     but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom

     and the power and the glory

     forever and ever. Amen.

THE WORDS OF OUR LORD

P   Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My T body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”

 

In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My T blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

 

PAX DOMINI**                                                                                         LSB 163

P   The peace of the Lord be with you always.

C   Amen.

 

AGNUS DEI**                                                                                            LSB 163

 

 

 

 

HYMN #507                                          "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY"          

Text: Reginald Heber, 1783–1826
Tune: John B. Dykes, 1823–76
Text and tune: Public domain

 

HYMN #540 "CHRIST, THE WORD OF GOD INCARNATE"

 

 

5    Christ, the way that leads unfailing
    To the Father’s home on high,
Christ, the truth that frees the captive,
    Christ, the life that cannot die.
Mediator to the Father,
    Sacrifice and great High Priest:
Lead us to Your heav’nly mansions,
    There to share Your wedding feast.

 

D 6    Christ, the Alpha and Omega,
    Christ, the firstborn from the dead,
Christ, the life and resurrection,
    Christ, the Church’s glorious head:
Praise and thanks and adoration
    And unending worship be
To the Father and the Spirit
    And to You eternally.

HYMN #822                           "ALLELUIA! LET PRAISES RING"

Stand

THANK THE LORD**                                                     LSB 164

 

POST-COMMUNION COLLECT**

P   Let us pray.

Gracious God, our heavenly Father, You have given us a foretaste of the feast to come in the Holy Supper of Your Son’s body and blood. Keep us firm in the true faith throughout our days of pilgrimage that, on the day of His coming, we may, together with all Your saints, celebrate the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which has no end; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C   Amen.

 

 

BENEDICTION**                                                                LSB 166

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.

HYMN TO DEPART #810             "O GOD OF GOD, O LIGHT OF LIGHT"

Text: John Julian, 1839–1913, alt.
Tune: Johann Störls . . . Schlag- Gesang- Und Noten-Buch, 1744, Stuttgart
Text and tune: Public domain