| Prelude
Greeting and Welcome
Lighting of the Candles
Hymn of Invocation – Lamb of God (LSB 550)
Your only Son, no sin to hide, But You have sent Him from Your side To walk upon this guilty sod, And to become the Lamb of God. Refrain
Refrain: O Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God, I love the holy Lamb of God! O wash me in His precious blood, My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
Your Gift of love they crucified, They laughed and scorned Him as He died: The humble King they named a fraud, And sacrificed the Lamb of God. Refrain
I was so lost, I should have died, But You have brought me to Your side To be led by Your staff and rod, And to be called a lamb of God. Refrain
+ Preparation +
Invocation P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen.
Opening Sentences P: What a priest we have in Jesus! C: He is our source of eternal salvation. P: He sympathizes with us in our weakness. C: He offers prayers and supplications for us. P: He serves us and sacrifices Himself for us. C: What a priest we have in Jesus!
Confession and Absolution P: Though Jesus is our great High Priest, we have lived as if we did not need Him, as though our sin was not dire and deadly. Despite our self-centered failures, our heavenly Father is merciful, and because of Jesus, He invites us to draw near to His throne in confidence to ask for forgiveness.
Silence for reflection.
P: Heavenly Father, C: we have sinned against our neighbors and against You. We have sought to be served. We have demanded others sacrifice for us. Forgive us, renew us, and humble us, for the sake of Jesus. Amen. P: Almighty God in His mercy sent Jesus into our world to be our great High Priest, who came to serve and offer His life as a ransom for us. Christ died and is risen for you. 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. Christ has sacrificed His life for us.
+ Word +
Introit P: Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me! C: I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. P: Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. C: The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. P: Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” C: For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
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: Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!
Salutation and Prayer of the Day P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. P: Let us pray. Lord Jesus, You are our great High Priest. Teach us to follow Your example of service and sacrifice for others, so that more people may know of the forgiveness that can only be found in You; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen.
First Reading – Jeremiah 31:31–34 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle – Hebrews 5:1–10 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God.
Holy Gospel – Luke 20:1-8 P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the twentieth chapter. C: Glory to You, O Lord.
One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” So they answered that they did not know where it came from. And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
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 – How Majestic Is Your Name (AGPS 122)
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth. O Lord, we praise Your name. O Lord, we magnify Your name, Prince of Peace, mighty God, O Lord God Almighty. (Repeat)
Children’s Sermon – Tim Cosby
Hymn of the Day – In the Cross of Christ I Glory (LSB 427)
In the cross of Christ I glory, Tow’ring o’er the wrecks of time. All the light of sacred story Gathers round its head sublime.
When the woes of life o’ertake me, Hopes deceive, and fears annoy, Never shall the cross forsake me; Lo, it glows with peace and joy.
When the sun of bliss is beaming Light and love upon my way, From the cross the radiance streaming Adds more luster to the day.
Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure By the cross are sanctified; Peace is there that knows no measure, Joys that through all time abide.
Sermon
Offering
Offertory
Prayers + Celebrating birthdays this week: 21 – Jeri Crotzer; (inadvertently left off last week: 14 – Michael Barbercheck; 15 – Abel Lauber)
Special Celebrations and Needs: + Church family members: Julie Atwood-Wise, undergoing knee replacement surgery; Ally Philpot, upon the death of her grandfather; Pat Price, undergoing knee surgery; Kelly Climer, recovering from back surgery; Vicki Lucas, recovering from a stroke; Sharon Gaal, anticipating surgery; Hank Schlichter; Ken Kight. + Friends of our congregation: Eddie, brother-in-law of Andrea Anderson, diagnosed with lymphoma of the uvula; Michael Becker, diagnosed with cancer; Don, friend of the Wehmueller family, with liver cancer; Rebecca Guion, daughter-in-law of Mary Guion. + Those who are homebound or in nursing facilities: Twylah Atwood, Mary Aufderheide, Jules Bush, Frank & Sharon Gaal, Mary Guion, Jerry & Jane Keathley, Cindy Smith, Shirley Williams
+ Sacrament +
Preface P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. P: Lift up your hearts. C: We lift them to the Lord. P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. C: It is right to give Him thanks and praise. P: It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and great High Priest, who suffered for us in order to make us perfect. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:
Sanctus Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of pow'r and might: Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Hosanna, Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Prayer of Thanksgiving P: Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have had mercy on those whom You created and sent Your only-begotten Son into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior. With repentant joy we receive the salvation accomplished for us by the all-availing sacrifice of His body and His blood on the cross. Gathered in the name and the remembrance of Jesus, we beg You, O Lord, to forgive, renew, and strengthen us with Your Word and Spirit. Grant us faithfully to eat His body and drink His blood as He bids us do in His own testament. Gather us together, we pray, from the ends of the earth to celebrate with all the faithful the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end. Graciously receive our prayers; deliver and preserve us. To You alone, O Father, be all glory, honor, and worship, with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen.
The Words of Our Lord P: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My + body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.” In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My + blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
Proclamation of Christ P: As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. C: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. P: O Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, in giving us Your body and blood to eat and to drink, You lead us to remember and confess Your holy cross and passion, Your blessed death, Your rest in the tomb, Your resurrection from the dead, Your ascension into heaven, and Your coming for the final judgment. So remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:
Lord’s Prayer Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Pax Domini P: The peace of the Lord be with you always. C: Amen.
Distribution
Distribution Hymn – What Is This Bread (LSB 629)
What is this bread? Christ’s body risen from the dead: This bread we break, this life we take, Was crushed to pay for our release. O taste and see—the Lord is peace.
What is this wine? The blood of Jesus shed for mine; The cup of grace brings His embrace Of life and love until I sing! O taste and see—the Lord is King.
So who am I, That I should live and He should die Under the rod? My God, my God, Why have You not forsaken me? O taste and see—the Lord is free.
Yet is God here? Oh, yes! By Word and promise clear, In mouth and soul He makes us whole— Christ, truly present in this meal. O taste and see—the Lord is real.
Is this for me? I am forgiven and set free! I do believe that I receive His very body and His blood. O taste and see—the Lord is good.
Blessing
Post-Communion Collect P: Let us pray. We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this Meal. We ask that You would strengthen us as we journey toward Holy Week, trusting in Jesus, the source of eternal salvation; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen.
Benediction P: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and + give you peace. C: Amen.
Closing Hymn – Go, My Children, with My Blessing (LSB 922)
Go, My children, with My blessing, never alone. Waking, sleeping, I am with you; You are My own. In My love’s baptismal river I have made you Mine forever. Go, My children, with My blessing—You are My own.
Go, My children, sins forgiven, at peace and pure. Here you learned how much I love you, what I can cure. Here you heard My dear Son’s story; Here you touched Him, saw His glory. Go, My children, sins forgiven, at peace and pure.
Go, My children, fed and nourished, closer to Me; Grow in love and love by serving, joyful and free. Here My Spirit’s power filled you; Here His tender comfort stilled you. Go, My children, fed and nourished, joyful and free.
I the Lord will bless and keep you and give you peace; I the Lord will smile upon you and give you peace: I the Lord will be your Father, Savior, Comforter, and Brother. Go, My children; I will keep you and give you peace.
Postlude
+ WORSHIP LEADERS + Preacher/Celebrant/Liturgist – Pastor Scott Organist/Pianist – Seth Carruthers Communion – Jerry Nicolaus & Seminary Student Sound/Video – Paul Barbercheck Lector – Lisa Grossenheider Ushers – Ken Clark, John Steele, Tony Petzoldt, Gerry Lucas Greeters – Ron & Carol Froesel | 
