St. Matthew Lutheran Church

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Sixth Sunday after Easter

Welcome and Announcements

Gathering Song “Come, Thou Almighty King” – LBW # 522, vs 1- 4

Confession & Forgiveness

Greeting & Kyrie

Canticle of Praise “Glory to God…”

Prayer of the Day

First Reading, Acts 17:16-31

Psalm # 66

Second Reading, 1 Peter 3:13-22

Holy Gospel, John 14:15-21

Sermon

Hymn of the Day “Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart” – LBW # 486, vs 1 - 4

Nicene Creed

Prayers of the Church

The Lord’s Prayer

Blessing & Response

Dismissal

Sending Song “Holy, Holy, Holy” - LBW # 165, vs 1 - 4

Service Supplement

(Congregational responses are in bold print)

Welcome and Announcements Pastor John

Gathering Song “Come, Thou…” LBW # 522, vs 1 - 4

Come, Thou Almighty King, Help us Thy name to sing, Help us to praise. Father, all glorious, O’er all victorious, Come, and reign over us, Ancient of Days.

Come, Thou incarnate Word, Gird on Thy mighty sword, Our prayer attend: Come, and Thy people bless, And give Thy word success; Spirit of holiness, On us descend.

Come, holy Comforter, Thy sacred witness bear In this glad hour: Thou who Almighty art, Now rule in every heart, And ne’er from us depart, Spirit of power.

To Thee, great One in Three, Eternal praises be Hence evermore. Thy sov’reign majesty May we in glory see, And to eternity Love and adore.

Confession & Forgiveness

Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, who forgives all our sin, whose mercy endures forever. Amen.

God of all mercy and consolation, come to the help of your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your Holy Spirit that we may confess our sin, receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another. Gracious God, have mercy on us. We confess that we have turned from you and given ourselves into the power of sin. We are truly sorry and humbly repent. In your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things we have done and things we have failed to do. Turn us again to you, and uphold us by your Spirit, so that we may live and serve you in newness of life through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts through faith. Amen.

Greeting

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

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.

Canticle of Praise “Glory to God…”

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Prayer of the Day

Let us pray…O God, all good things can come from you alone; generously consider then our humble prayers. Inspire us to consider what is true and direct us to accomplish what is right; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. He lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Amen.

First Reading: Acts 17:16-31

As Paul continues his missionary journey in the city of Athens, he is confronted with idol worshipers who wonder what his message is really about. Paul proclaims the Good News of the living God to all those who worship stones and statues.

¹⁶Now while Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. ¹⁸Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities” — because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? ²⁰For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” ²¹Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. ²²So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. ²³For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, ²⁵nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. ²⁶And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, ²⁷that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, ²⁸for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ ²⁹Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. ³⁰The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” This is the word of the Lord, thanks be to God.

Psalm: Psalm # 66

God’s people have undergone suffering at the hands of their enemies. Like silver is refined in the fire of the silversmith, so God has refined his people through the fires of suffering. The psalmist praised God for his gracious rescue and restoration.

Bless our God, you peoples; make the voice of his praise to be heard;

Who holds our souls in life, and will not allow our feet to slip.

For you, O God, have proved us; you have tried us just as silver is tried.

You brought us into the snare; you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.

You let enemies ride over our heads; we went through fire and water; but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.

I will enter your house with burnt offerings and will pay you my vows, which I promised with my lips and spoke with my mouth when I was in trouble.

I will offer you sacrifices of fat beasts with the smoke of rams; I will give you oxen and goats.

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he has done for me.

I called out to him with my mouth, and his praise was on my tongue.

If I had found evil in my heart, the Lord would not have heard me;

But in truth God has heard me; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer, nor withheld his love from me.

Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:13-22

Peter continues his teaching by encouraging the faithful not to fear if they should encounter suffering for the sake of their faith in Christ. He urges them to be ready to give a sure defense of their faith when anyone questions them. He assures them that their good behavior and obedience to the Lord’s command will put to shame those who want to harm. Even though they suffered for Christ, they will be blessed.

¹³Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? ¹⁴But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. ¹⁸For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, ²⁰because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. ²¹Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²²who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. This is the Word of God, word of life, thanks be to God.

Holy Gospel: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the 14^th Chapter. Glory to you, O Lord. John 14:15-21: Jesus indicates to the disciples that to love him with the fullness of their hearts means they will keep his commandments. In order to help them when he is absent from them, he promises to send an Advocate who will guide them, encourage them, and never leave them alone. This helper is the Holy Spirit of God who will dwell in them when they can no longer see their Master in the flesh.

¹⁵Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. ¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” This is the gospel of the Lord, praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon Pastor John

Hymn of the Day “Spirit of God…” ELW # 486, vs 1 - 4

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart; Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move. Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art, And make me love Thee as I ought to love.

Hast Thou not bid me love Thee, God and King? All, all Thine own, soul, heart and strength and mind. I see Thy cross; there teach my heart to cling: Oh, let me seek Thee, and, oh, let me find!

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh; Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear, To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh; Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love, One holy passion filling all my frame; The kindling of the heav’n-descended Dove, My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.

Nicene Creed:

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Prayers of the Church:

(P): With a new heart and new life, let us pray for the church, the world, and all those who are in need. A brief silence.

(W): Holy God, your Son Jesus promised to the first disciples that he would send them a comforter in the Holy Spirit. Grant that we would be filled with that same Spirit, that our faith would burn like fire, and that we would take the Good News into the world with joy and hope. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(W): God of all peace, grant us your peace which passes all understanding. Fill our hearts with such a calm that we would be able to calm others with your love. Remind us of your never- failing promises of your abiding presence in our lives and in the life of the world. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(W): Healing God, Jesus suffered greatly in his life so that we might have peace, wholeness and new life. Be with all those this day who are struggling with their health. Bring renewal to their minds, bodies and spirits in the name of the one who poured himself out for us. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(W): Almighty God, we ask your watchful eye to be over all those who serve in the armed forces and those who serve the public every day. Keep them safe from harm, give them wise judgment, as well as courage in the face of trouble. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(P): Passing from darkness to light, from bondage to freedom, from death to life, we commend you, gracious and ever-living God, all for whom we pray. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer:

Lord, remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray…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.

Blessing:

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord’s face shine on you with grace and mercy. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. Amen.

Dismissal: (WA)

Go in peace. Christ is with you. Thanks be to God.

Sending Song “Holy, Holy, Holy…” LBW # 165, vs 1 - 4

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea; Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee, Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee, Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see; Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee, Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea; Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!