| Prelude Greeting and Welcome Lighting of the Candles Hymn of Invocation – He’s Risen, He’s Risen (LSB 480) He’s risen, He’s risen, Christ Jesus, the Lord; He opened death’s prison, the_incarnate, true Word. Break forth, hosts of heaven, in jubilant song And earth, sea, and mountain their praises prolong. The foe was triumphant when on Calvary The Lord of creation was nailed to the tree. In Satan’s domain did the hosts shout and jeer, For Jesus was slain, whom the evil ones fear. But short was their triumph; the Savior arose, And death, hell, and Satan He vanquished, His foes. The conquering Lord lifts His banner on high; He lives, yes, He lives, and will nevermore die. O, where is your sting, death? We fear you no more; Christ rose, and now open is fair Eden’s door. For all our transgressions His blood does atone; Redeemed and forgiven, we now are His own. Then sing your hosannas and raise your glad voice; Proclaim the blest tidings that all may rejoice. Laud, honor, and praise to the Lamb that was slain: With Father and Spirit He ever shall reign. + Preparation + P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. P: Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. P: Our help is in the name of the Lord, C: who made heaven and earth. P: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, C: and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Silence for reflection on God's Word and for self-examination. P: O almighty God, merciful Father, C: I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being. P: Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and 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: 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. C: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! P: Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! C: For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. P: For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. C: O Lord of hosts, blessèd is the one who trusts in you! 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: 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.
Kyrie Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us. Gloria in Excelsis Glory be to God on High, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee. we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee, for Thy great glory. O Lord God, heav'nly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sin of the world, receive our prayer. Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us. For Thou only art holy; Thou only art the Lord. Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Salutation and Collect of the Day P: The Lord be with you. C: And with thy spirit. P: Let us pray. Lord God, heavenly Father, send forth Your Son to lead home His bride, the Church, that with all the company of the redeemed we may finally enter into His eternal wedding feast; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. First Reading – Amos 5:18–24 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Epistle – 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Alleluia and Verse Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. Holy Gospel – Matthew 25:1-13 P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the twenty-fifth chapter. C: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. P: This is the Gospel of the Lord. C: Praise be to Thee, 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 – This Little Light of Mine This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Let it shine till Jesus comes; I'm gonna let it shine Let it shine till Jesus comes; I'm gonna let it shine Let it shine till Jesus comes; I'm gonna let it shine Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine Children’s Message – Ryan Philpot Hymn of the Day – Blessed Assurance Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. Refrain
Refrain: This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long. Perfect submission, perfect delight! Visions of rapture now burst on my sight; Angels descending bring from above Echoes of mercy, whispers of love. Refrain Perfect submission, all is at rest; I in my Savior am happy and blest, Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with his goodness, lost in his love. Refrain Sermon Offertory Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, And uphold me with Thy free spirit. Amen. | 
