| Prelude Greeting and Welcome Lighting of the Candles Hymn of Invocation – The Church’s One Foundation (LSB 644, verses 1-2, 5) 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 + Invocation P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. Opening Sentences P: Alleluia! Christ is risen! C: He is risen indeed! Alleluia! P: Christ is our cornerstone; C: on Him alone we build. P: In Him we are a newborn, chosen, priestly people. C: We are called to proclaim His excellencies to the world. Confession and Absolution P: Though Christ is our cornerstone and has changed our identity to be His chosen people, we often build upon things other than Jesus. Still, our heavenly Father is merciful, and He invites us to draw near to His throne in confidence to ask for forgiveness. Silence for reflection. P: Heavenly Father, C: though we are Your chosen people, we have acted in accordance with the world rather than Your Word. Forgive us, renew us, and restore as Your newborn, chosen, priestly people, on account of Jesus. Amen. P: Though Jesus Christ was rejected and killed, God raised Him from the dead, and for His sake forgives you all your sins. 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. We are forgiven. We are a newborn, chosen, priestly people. + Word + Salutation and Collect of the Day P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. P: Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, You are the cornerstone and foundation upon which Your Church is built. Tear down all that we have built that was built apart from You, and bind us upon Yourself, our Rock and our Redeemer, for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. A Ministry of Deacons – Joel Hempel First Reading – Acts 6:1–9 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Epistle – 1 Peter 2:2–10 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Holy Gospel – John 14:1-14 P: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the fourteenth chapter. C: Glory to You, O Lord. [Jesus said:] “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. 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 – We Are the Church (AGPS 252) Refrain: I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together! All who follow Jesus all around the world! Yes, we’re the church together! The church is not a building, The church is not a steeple, The church is not a resting place, The church is a people! Refrain We’re many kinds of people, With many kinds of faces, All colors and all ages too From all times and places. Refrain Children’s Message – Stephanie Chapa
Hymn of the Day – Built on the Rock (LSB 645, verses 1, 3) Built on the Rock the Church shall stand Even when steeples are falling. Crumbled have spires in ev’ry land; Bells still are chiming and calling, Calling the young and old to rest, But above all the souls distressed, Longing for rest everlasting. We are God’s house of living stones, Built for His own habitation. He through baptismal grace us owns Heirs of His wondrous salvation. Were we but two His name to tell, Yet He would deign with us to dwell With all His grace and His favor. Sermon – “Living the Life of Resurrection: Being Church” Prayers + Celebrating birthdays this week: 8 – Greg Frimel, Will Schumacher, Rich Faeth; 10 – Tim DeFosset; 12 – Gil Canania; 13 – Paul Barbercheck + Wedding anniversaries: 10 – Tony & Vicky Petzoldt Special Celebrations and Needs: + Church family members: Mark Schultz, recovering from radiation; Sylvia Bach, recovering from shoulder replacement surgery; Ken Kight, battling cancer; Ed Nelson, home from the hospital; Pat Price, recovering from surgery; Pastor Scott, recovering from a stroke + Friends of our congregation: Bill Lubben, recovering from a stroke; family and friends of Diane Lordi, friend of the Barberchecks, upon her death; family and friends of Mary Jo LaDu, friend of Sandy Barbercheck, upon her sudden death; Fred Lohmeyer, after a fall; Rebecca, daughter-in-law of Mary Guion, undergoing treatment for lymphoma + Those who are homebound or in nursing facilities: Twylah Atwood, Mary Aufderheide, Jules Bush, Frank & Sharon Gaal, Mary Guion, Jerry & Jane Keathley, Rosemary Orloff, Judy Thielker, Shirley Williams | 
