Prelude – Holy, Holy, Holy
Greeting and Welcome
Lighting of the Candles
Hymn of Invocation – The Church’s One Foundation (LSB 644)
The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.
Elect from ev’ry nation,
Yet one o’er all the earth;
Her charter of salvation:
One Lord, one faith, one birth.
One holy name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses
With ev’ry grace endued.
Yet she on earth has union
With God, the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won.
O blessèd heav’nly chorus!
Lord, save us by Your grace
That we, like saints before us,
May see You face to face.
+ Preparation +
P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
P: Our help is in the name of the Lord,
C: who made heaven and earth.
P: If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
C: But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared.
P: Since we are gathered to hear God’s Word, call upon Him in prayer and praise, and receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of this altar, let us first consider our unworthiness and confess before God and one another that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition. Together as His people let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God, our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ, and saying: God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
C: Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to everlasting life. Amen.
P: Almighty God, merciful Father, in Holy Baptism You declared us to be Your children and gathered us into Your one, holy Church, in which You daily and richly forgive us our sins and grant us new life through Your Spirit. Be in our midst, enliven our faith, and graciously receive our prayer and praise; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C: Amen.
+ Word +
Introit
P: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!
C: Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
P: Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
C: Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
P: He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
C: He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
P: He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name!
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: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!
Kyrie
Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.
Gloria in Excelsis
To God on high be glory
And peace to all the earth;
Goodwill from God in heaven
Proclaimed at Jesus' birth!
We praise and bless You, Father;
Your holy name we sing—
Our thanks for Your great glory,
Lord God, our heav'nly King.
To You, O sole-begotten,
The Father's Son, we pray;
O Lamb of God, our Savior,
You take our sins away.
Have mercy on us, Jesus;
Receive our heartfelt cry,
Where You in pow'r are seated
At God's right hand on high—
For You alone are holy,
You only are the Lord.
Forever and forever,
Be worshiped and adored;
You with the Holy Spirit
Alone are Lord Most High,
In God the Father's glory.
"Amen!" our glad reply.
Salutation and Collect of the Day
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Let us pray. Almighty God, whom to know is everlasting life, grant us to know Your Son, Jesus, to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow His steps in the way that leads to life eternal; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
First Reading – Proverbs 9:1–10
Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her seven pillars.
She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
She has sent out her young women to call
from the highest places in the town,
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks sense she says,
“Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Leave your simple ways, and live,
and walk in the way of insight.”
Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle – 1 Corinthians 13:1–13
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
The Baptism of Sophia Prudence
P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.
C: Amen.
P: By water and the Spirit we share Christ's death.
C: And through his resurrection we have new life.
P: O almighty and merciful God, we thank and praise you that you extend your Family through this means of grace and that you have called
Sophia Nicole Prudence to be your child through the water of Holy Baptism and the power of your Word. We humbly pray that you would keep her always aware of this covenant of love that you have made with her and nurture the seed of faith you are planting in her heart, that she may faithfully grow to lead a life pleasing to you and, finally, with all your saints obtain the promised inheritance in heaven; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C: Amen.
Sophia Nicole Prudence, receive the sign of the holy cross both upon your forehead + and upon your heart + as a sign, symbol and seal of God's love for you.
Our Lord commanded baptism, saying to his disciples in the last chapter of Matthew, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)
Hear also his invitation, "People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.' And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them." (Mark 10:13-16)
P: It is your task to confess with the whole Christian Church our faith in the Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - in whose name she is to be baptized.
Moreover, you are at all times to remember her in your prayers, call to her attention her baptism and, as much as you are able, to lend your counsel and support that she may be nurtured in the true knowledge and love of God through Jesus Christ, that she may grow in faith and witness for as long as she lives.
This, then, you intend gladly and willingly to do?
Sponsors: Yes, with the help of God.
P: May God enable you to will and to do this faithful and loving work and with his grace fulfill what we are not able to do.
P: Parents, in obedience to Christ's command and with faith in his promises, you have presented Sophia here today to receive Holy Baptism and all the gifts that God conveys through it. On her behalf, therefore, I ask you to join with me and the rest of this congregation in the confession of the faith in which we baptize.
Do you renounce the devil, all his works and all his ways?
I do renounce him.
Do you believe in God the Father?
Yes, I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son?
Yes, I believe in Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God
The Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and dead.
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?
Yes, I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
P: Who brings this child to be baptized?
Parents: We do, her father and mother.
P: And what have you named her?
Parents: Sophia Nicole Prudence
Sophia Nicole Prudence, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given you the new birth of water and of the Spirit and has forgiven you all your sins, strengthen you with his grace to life everlasting.
Sophia, peace be with you. Amen.
Receive this burning light to show that you have received Christ who is the Light of the world. Live always in the light of Christ, and be ever watchful for His coming, that you may meet Him with joy and enter with Him into the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which shall have no end.
Sophia Nicole Prudence, infant daughter of Ryan and Nicole Prudence, was born on February 23, 2020 in St. Louis, Missouri. Sophia’s sponsors are Sean Prudence and Jenny Shipley.
Almighty and most merciful God and Father, we thank and praise You that You graciously preserve and enlarge Your family and have granted Sophia the new birth in Holy Baptism and made her a member of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and an heir of Your heavenly kingdom. We humbly implore You that, as she has now become Your child, You would keep her in her baptismal grace, that according to Your good pleasure she may faithfully grow to lead a godly life to the praise and honor of Your holy name and finally, with all Your saints, obtain the promised inheritance in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Alleluia and Verse
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
These things are written that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Holy Gospel – John 6:51-69
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the sixth chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”
But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
Children’s Hymn – His Banner over Me Is Love (AGPS 118)
I’m feasting at His banqueting table;
His banner over me is love.
I’m feasting at His banqueting table;
His banner over me is love.
I’m feasting at His banqueting table;
His banner over me is love,
His banner over me is love.
He placed my feet on the firm foundation;
His banner over me is love.
He placed my feet on the firm foundation;
His banner over me is love.
He placed my feet on the firm foundation;
His banner over me is love,
His banner over me is love.
Children’s Sermon – Pastor Scott
Hymn of the Day – They’ll Know We Are Christians (LSB 237))
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored. Refrain
Refrain: And they’ll know we are Christians by our love,
By our love, Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand,
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand,
And together we’ll spread the news that God is in our land. Refrain
We will work with each other, we will work side by side,
We will work with each other, we will work side by side,
And we’ll guard each man’s dignity and save each man’s pride. Refrain
Sermon
Offertory
