| Prelude Greeting and Welcome Lighting of the Candles Hymn of Invocation – Borning Cry I was there to hear your borning cry, I’ll be there when you are old. I rejoiced the day you were baptized, to see your life unfold. I was there when you were but a child, with a faith to suit you well; I’ll be there in case you wander off and find where demons dwell. When you found the wonder of the Word, I was there to cheer you on; You were raised to praise the living God, to whom you now belong. Should you find someone to share your time and you join your hearts as one, I’ll be there to make your verses rhyme from dusk till rising sun. In the middle ages of your life, not too old, no longer young, I’ll be there to guide you through the night, complete what I’ve begun. When the evening gently closes in and you shut your weary eyes, I’ll be there as I have always been with just one more surprise. I was there to hear your borning cry, I’ll be there when you are old. I rejoiced the day you were baptized, to see your life unfold. + Preparation + Invocation P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. Opening Sentences – Psalm 34:1-3, 5, 22 P: I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. C: My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. P: Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together! C: Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. The Lord redeems the life of His servants; none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned. Confession and Absolution P: Almighty God, we know and admit that we are sinners. We are conceived and born sinful, and we add on to that burden of sin throughout our lives by our heedless thoughts, careless words, and loveless deeds. Indeed, we deserve God’s punishment now and eternally. When we reflect honestly on our lives, we readily see that we need repentance and renewal that can only come through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Let us then make confession to our gracious God. C: Almighty God, we repent of our sins in thought and in word and in deed. You know too well our failings and our transgressions. Be merciful to us and for the sake of Jesus, grant us Your forgiveness so that, as Your redeemed people, we may find rest in You and with refreshed hearts serve You in time and in eternity. P: In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I 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: Blessèd are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. C: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! P: My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. C: Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. P: Blessèd are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! 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: Blessèd are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. Salutation and Prayer of the Day P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. P: Let us pray. Almighty God, source of all power and restorer of health and life, draw us ever closer to You and supply us with the living water that will quench our great thirst for time and for eternity. This we ask in the name of Jesus, who offered Himself as our Savior and our Redeemer. C: Amen. First Reading – Exodus 17:1–7 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Epistle – Romans 5:1–8 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Holy Gospel – Matthew 19:13-15 P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the nineteenth chapter. C: Glory to You, O Lord. Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away. P: This is the Gospel of the Lord. C: Praise to You, O Christ. Apostles' Creed I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And 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 the dead. 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. Amen.
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 Message – Tim Cosby Hymn of the Day – Have No Fear, Little Flock (LSB 735) Have no fear, little flock; Have no fear, little flock, For the Father has chosen To give you the Kingdom; Have no fear, little flock! Have good cheer, little flock; Have good cheer, little flock, For the Father will keep you In His love forever; Have good cheer, little flock! Praise the Lord high above; Praise the Lord high above, For He stoops down to heal you, Uplift and restore you; Praise the Lord high above! Thankful hearts raise to God; Thankful hearts raise to God, For He stays close beside you, In all things works with you; Thankful hearts raise to God! Sermon | 
