SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

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HE IS RISEN!!!!

May 22, 2022

We Are All Significant in God’s Plan

“In that day,” Jesus told the disciples in the Upper Room, “whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you.” They could not understand, hearing Him before Easter and Pentecost. But we know now that the day has arrived, thanks to His death and resurrection, when our heavenly Father’s ears are open to our every prayer. In this our day, we can anticipate by faith seeing Him and Jesus, the Lamb, in the perfect Jerusalem, as John writes in the reading from Revelation. Hearing the good news, Lydia, in the Reading from Acts, asked if the disciples deemed her worthy for Baptism. Indeed, with the gift of faith by the Holy Spirit, Christ’s worthiness and her sins had been exchanged on the cross. She provided a home for Paul and Luke, and God had an eternal Jerusalem awaiting her entry. What Easter joy!

+ Preparation +

OPENING HYMN: #467 – Awake, My Heart, with Gladness

INVOCATION

Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

People: Amen.

EASTER ACCLAMATION

Pastor: Alleluia! Christ is risen!

People: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Psalm 118:24; John 16:23, 33

Pastor: This is the day that the Lord has made.

People: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Pastor: On another day, the one before He gave His life for us, our Lord said, “In that day you will ask nothing of Me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you.” Today, this side of Easter, we are gathered to hear God’s Word, call upon Him in prayer and praise, and receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. But we cannot free ourselves from our sinning and our sinful condition. Let us therefore ask our heavenly Father for forgiveness for Jesus’ sake.

Silence for reflection on the Word of God and our sinful condition.

Pastor: Almighty God,

People: have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to everlasting life. Amen.

Pastor: Although Jesus foretold about the disciples’ scattering that very night, yet He said, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace.” 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. Peace be with you.

People: Amen! And may peace also be with you.

Pastor: Amen.

+ WORD +

PSALM Psalm 67

¹May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face to shine upon us,

²that your way may be known on earth,

your saving power among all nations.

³Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you!

⁴Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you judge the peoples with equity

and guide the nations upon earth.

⁵Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you!

⁶The earth has yielded its increase;

God, our God, shall bless us.

⁷God shall bless us;

let all the ends of the earth fear him!

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.

KYRIE

Pastor: In peace, let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace.” For peace in the Body of Christ, let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: Jesus said, “Take heart; I have overcome the world.” For the peace of the whole world, let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: Jesus said, “Whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you.” For peace for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

People: Amen.

SALUTATION and PRAYER OF THE DAY

Pastor: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Pastor: Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, Your Holy Spirit has worked faith in our hearts. Grant that we may pray confidently, trusting that because of Your Son’s sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, You graciously hear our every prayer; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

People: Amen.

FIRST READING Acts 16:9–15

(Paul and Luke stay with Lydia after her Baptism.)

⁹A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

¹¹So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, ¹²and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. ¹³And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. ¹⁴One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

GRADUAL adapt. from Matthew 28:7; Hebrews 2:7; Psalm 8:6

Christ has risen from the dead.

God the Father has crowned Him with glory and honor,

He has given Him dominion over the works of His hands;

He has put all things under His feet.

EPISTLE Revelation 21:9–14, 21–27

(Nothing unclean will ever enter the heavenly Jerusalem.)

⁹Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” ¹⁰And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, ¹¹having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. ¹²It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— ¹³on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. ¹⁴And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. . . .

²¹And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.

²²And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. ²³And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. ²⁴By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, ²⁵and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. ²⁶They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. ²⁷But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

VERSE Romans 6:9; John 16:33b

Pastor: Alleluia. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. Alleluia.

People: In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. Alleluia.

HOLY GOSPEL John 16:23–33

(Because of Christ’s victory, we can pray directly to our Father in heaven.)

Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the sixteenth chapter.

People: Glory to You, O Lord.

²³[Jesus said:] “In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. ²⁴Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

²⁵“I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; ²⁷for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. ²⁸I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

²⁹His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! ³⁰Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” ³¹Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? ³²Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. ³³I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to You, O Christ.

HYMN OF THE DAY: #822 – Alleluia! Let Praises Ring

SERMON: We are All Significant in God’s Plan

NICENE CREED

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
   the Lord and giver of life,
   who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
   who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,
   who spoke by the prophets.
   And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,
   I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
   and I look for the resurrection of the dead
   and the life T of the world to come. Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH Psalm 67:3

Pastor: “In that day,” Jesus said, we would pray directly to our Father in heaven. This side of Easter and Pentecost, we know that all we ask is based on our Lord’s death and resurrection. Let us therefore take our concerns to our heavenly Father.

We pray that the Spirit work faith in the hearts of many people who do not know about our Lord’s overcoming the world through His death and resurrection. Grant that they join us to pray to our Father in heaven, to hallow His name, and to be instruments of His kingdom and will.
Let the peoples praise You, O God;

People: let all the peoples praise You!

Pastor: We pray for people who call out to God for daily bread, everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body: those who are sick; in need of adequate food, clothing, or shelter; in conflict with family or neighbors; oppressed unjustly; dealing with calamity by fire or water; going into harm’s way for the good of others; and those near and dear to us, [especially . . .]. Grant that they place their hope in Jesus’ overcoming the world, realize God’s protection and care, and find peace in God’s answers to their prayers.
Let the peoples praise You, O God;

People: let all the peoples praise You!

Pastor: We pray for people who do not know the complete forgiveness for their trespasses that Christ has won for them and those who have strayed away from His protection into false belief and despair. Grant that God surround them with people bringing them His forgiveness in word and deed so that they might overcome the devil, the world, and their own sinful nature to win the victory.
Let the peoples praise You, O God;

People: let all the peoples praise You!

Pastor: We ask God to answer those prayers we have not put into words, but are still known to Him, our heavenly Father. Hear us, O Lord, for the sake of the death and resurrection of Your Son, in whose name we pray.
Let the peoples praise You, O God;

People: let all the peoples praise You! Amen; yes, yes, it shall be so.

LORD’S PRAYER Matthew 6:9–13

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.

CLOSING PRAYER

Pastor: Let us pray.

O God, the giver of all that is good, by Your holy inspiration grant that we may think those things that are right and by Your merciful guiding accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

People: Amen.

BENEDICTION Numbers 6:24–26

Pastor: The Lord bless you and keep you in His protecting care.
The Lord make His face shine on You with blessings beyond number.
The Lord look on you with favor and + give you peace, now and forever.

People: Amen.

DISMISSAL

Pastor: Go in peace as you serve the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God!

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – HE IS RISEN! Online Church Bulletin

HE IS RISEN!!!!