Prelude
Greeting and Welcome
Lighting of the Candles
Hymn of Invocation – On Eagles’ Wings (LSB 727)
You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord,
Who abide in His shadow for life,
Say to the Lord: “My refuge,
My rock in whom I trust!” Refrain
Refrain: And He will raise you up on eagles’ wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His hand.
The snare of the fowler will never capture you,
And famine will bring you no fear;
Under His wings your refuge,
His faithfulness your shield. Refrain
You need not fear the terror of the night,
Nor the arrow that flies by day;
Though thousands fall about you,
Near you it shall not come. Refrain
For to His angels He’s given a command
To guard you in all of your ways;
Upon their hands they will bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone. Refrain
+ Preparation +
Invocation
P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Easter Acclamation
P: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
C: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Confession and Absolution
P: We have come to worship our great God. However, in our sinful condition, we cannot get near to Him. Let us confess our sins to God and one another.
C: I confess to You, heavenly Father, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned in my thoughts, words, and actions. I am unable to save myself, to turn from my errors, and to atone for my sins. I plead to God for grace and mercy.
P: By the grace of God, there is One who is worthy to take our requests for forgiveness to God’s throne of grace. Jesus Christ alone is worthy, for He is God’s own Lamb and has ransomed us from our sins by dying for us and rising in glory. He declares us to be saints, able to go to God in all confidence, and priests, offering our prayers for one another and all people. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, 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
P: All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you!
C: One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
P: On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
C: They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
P: They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
C: The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.
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: All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you!
Salutation and Prayer of the Day
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Let us pray. O God, through the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world.
C: Grant to Your faithful people, rescued from the peril of everlasting death, perpetual gladness and eternal joys;
P: through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
First Reading – Acts 9:1–22
But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.
For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle – Revelation 1:9-20
I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white like wool, as white as snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
The Baptism of India Nicole Jean Sisler
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 India Nicole Jean Sisler 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.
P: India Nicole Jean Sisler, 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 India 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?
C: I do renounce him.
P: Do you believe in God the Father?
C: Yes, I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
P: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son?
C: 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.
P: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?
C: 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: India Nicole Jean Sisler
P: India Nicole Jean Sisler, 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. India, peace be with you. Amen.
P: 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.
India Nicole Jean Sisler, daughter of John & Melissa Sisler, was born on March 26, 2020 in Columbia, Missouri. Serving as sponsors for India are Rosella Pike and Andrew Sisler.
P: Almighty and most merciful God and Father, we thank and praise You that You graciously preserve and enlarge Your family and have granted India 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.
Holy Gospel – John 20:19-31
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the twentieth chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”
Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
Children’s Hymn – Jesus Loves Me (LSB 588)
Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong. Refrain
Refrain: Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me! He who died
Heaven’s gates to open wide.
He has washed away my sin,
Lets His little child come in. Refrain
Children’s Sermon – Pastor Scott
Hymn of the Day – Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (LSB 802)
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above
Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.
To all life Thou givest—to both great and small—
In all life Thou livest, the true Life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree
And wither and perish—but naught changes Thee.
Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
All laud we would render: O help us to see
’Tis only the splendor of light that hides Thee.
Sermon
