Prelude – A Mighty Fortress
Greeting and Welcome
Lighting of the Candles
Hymn of Invocation – A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (LSB 656)
A mighty fortress is our God,
A trusty shield and weapon;
He helps us free from ev’ry need
That hath us now o’ertaken.
The old evil foe now means deadly woe;
Deep guile and great might
Are his dread arms in fight;
On earth is not his equal.
With might of ours can naught be done,
Soon were our loss effected;
But for us fights the valiant One,
Whom God Himself elected.
Ask ye, Who is this? Jesus Christ it is,
Of Sabaoth Lord,
And there’s none other God;
He holds the field forever.
Though devils all the world should fill,
All eager to devour us,
We tremble not, we fear no ill;
They shall not overpow’r us.
This world’s prince may still scowl fierce as he will,
He can harm us none.
He’s judged; the deed is done;
One little word can fell him.
The Word they still shall let remain
Nor any thanks have for it;
He’s by our side upon the plain
With His good gifts and Spirit.
And take they our life, goods, fame, child, and wife,
Though these all be gone,
Our vict’ry has been won;
The Kingdom ours remaineth.
+ Preparation +
Invocation
P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Opening Sentences – Psalm 46:1a, 2a; Romans 3:23–24a; John 8:31b–32
P: God is our refuge and strength;
C: therefore we will not fear.
P: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
C: and are justified by His grace as a gift.
P: If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples,
C: and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Confession and Absolution
P: Lord of hosts,
C: hear our confession of sins and grant us Your mercy and forgiveness. We have not trusted in Your promised protection and strength but have looked elsewhere for help and refuge. You alone have provided the remedy for that which truly causes our separation, troubles, and death. For the sake of Christ, Your Son, our Redeemer, grant us forgiveness and deliverance from all that would keep us from Your present help. We ask it in the name of Jesus.
P: There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. Because that river of grace and power has flowed over us in our Baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ, in spite of our fear, the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. By grace God has created each of us and everything that exists, and in the person of His Son entered our history and paid for our every sin and sin itself. In Christ’s resurrection, God’s promises have been made sure. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen. The Lord of hosts is with us! The God of Jacob is our fortress!
+ Word +
First Reading – Revelation 14:6–7
Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle – Colossians 1:15–29
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
You, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Holy Gospel – John 8:31–36
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the eighth chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
Children’s Hymn – Jesus in the Morning (AGPS 143)
Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus in the morning, Jesus in the noontime
Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus when the sun goes down.
Love Him, Love Him,
Love Him in the morning, Love Him in the noontime,
Love Him, Love Him,
Love Him when the sun goes down.
Children’s Sermon
Hymn of the Day – I Know My Faith Is Founded (LSB 587)
I know my faith is founded
On Jesus Christ, my God and Lord;
And this my faith confessing,
Unmoved I stand on His sure Word.
Our reason cannot fathom
The truth of God profound;
Who trusts in human wisdom
Relies on shifting ground.
God’s Word is all-sufficient,
It makes divinely sure;
And trusting in its wisdom,
My faith shall rest secure.
In faith, Lord, let me serve You;
Though persecution, grief, and pain
Should seek to overwhelm me,
Let me a steadfast trust retain;
And then at my departure,
Lord, take me home to You,
Your riches to inherit
As all You said holds true.
In life and death, Lord, keep me
Until Your heav’n I gain,
Where I by Your great mercy
The end of faith attain.
Sermon
