Prelude – We Praise You
Greeting and Welcome
Lighting of the Candles
Hymn of Invocation – When Morning Gilds the Skies (LSB 807)
When morning gilds the skies,
My heart, awaking, cries,
“May Jesus Christ be praised!”
When evening shadows fall,
This rings my curfew call:
“May Jesus Christ be praised!”
When mirth for music longs,
This is my song of songs:
“May Jesus Christ be praised!”
God’s holy house of prayer
Hath none that can compare
With “Jesus Christ be praised!”
No lovelier antiphon
In all high heav’n is known
Than “Jesus Christ be praised!”
There to the eternal Word
The eternal psalm is heard:
“May Jesus Christ be praised!”
+ Preparation +
Invocation
P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Opening Sentences – Psalm 34:8; 104:24, 31; 147:11
P: The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
C: in those who hope in His steadfast love.
P: Taste and see that the LORD is good!
C: Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
P: O LORD, how manifold are Your works!
C: In wisdom have You made them all.
P: May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
C: may the LORD rejoice in His works.
Confession and Absolution
P: As penitent people, we ask God for His grace and mercy. Humble yourselves then before God, confess your sins to Him, and implore His forgiveness.
C: O almighty God, most merciful Father, I, a repentant sinner, confess to You all my sins and iniquities with which I have offended You. By nature I am a sinful creature. In thought, word, and deed I have continually transgressed Your Law. For this I justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of the sufferings and death of Your Son, Jesus Christ, be gracious and merciful to me, a penitent and contrite being. Forgive me all my sins and grant me the power of Your Holy Spirit that I may amend my sinful life and bear fruit in keeping with true repentance.
P: God be gracious to you and strengthen your faith.
C: Amen.
P: As you believe, so let it be. 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.
+ Word +
Introit – Psalm 145:1–2, 8, 10, 21; antiphon: John 16:16
P: A little while, and you will see Me no longer;
and again a little while, and you will see Me.
C: I will extol You, my God and King,
and bless Your name forever and ever.
P: Every day I will bless You
and praise Your name forever and ever.
C: The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
P: All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD,
and all Your saints shall bless You!
C: My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,
and let all flesh bless His holy name forever and ever
All: 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: A little while, and you will see Me no longer;
and again a little while, and you will see Me.
First Reading – Joshua 7:1–9
But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the LORD burned against the people of Israel.
Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.” So about 3,000 men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water.
Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?”
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle – 1 John 4:1–11
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Holy Gospel – John 15:1–8
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the fifteenth chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
[Jesus said:] “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
Nicene Creed
C: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life + of the world to come. Amen.
Children’s Hymn – Seek Ye First (LSB 712)
Seek ye first the kingdom of God,
And His righteousness.
And all these things shall be added unto you!
Allelu, alleluia!
Ask and it shall be given unto you,
Seek and ye shall find,
Knock and the door shall be opened unto you,
Allelu, alleluia!
Man does not live by bread alone,
But by ev’ry word
That proceeds from the mouth of the Lord,
Allelu, alleluia!
Children’s Sermon
Hymn of the Day – Thine the Amen, Thine the Praise (LSB 680)
Thine the amen Thine the praise
Alleluias angels raise
Thine the everlasting head
Thine the breaking of the bread
Thine the glory Thine the story
Thine the harvest then the cup
Thine the vineyard then the cup is lifted up lifted up.
Thine the life eternally
Thine the promise let there be
Thine the vision Thine the tree
All the earth on bended knee
Gone the nailing gone the railing
Gone the pleading gone the cry
Gone the sighing gone the dying what was loss lifted high.
Thine the truly Thine the yes
Thine the table we the guest
Thine the mercy all from Thee
Thine the glory yet to be
Then the ringing and the singing
Then the end of all the war
Thine the living Thine the loving evermore evermore.
Sermon
Offertory – Sweet Hour of Prayer
