Christ the Eternal Lord…………………………LSB 829

1 Christ the eternal Lord,

Whose promise here we claim,

Whose gifts of grace are freely poured

On all who name Your name;

With thankfulness and praise

We stand before Your throne,

Intent to serve You all our days

And make Your glory known.

2 Christ the unchanging Word

To ev’ry passing age,

Whose timeless teachings still are heard

Set forth on Scripture’s page;

Transform our thought and mind,

Enlighten all who read,

Within Your Word by faith to find

The bread of life indeed.

3 Christ the redeeming Son,

Who shares our human birth,

And by His death salvation won

For ev’ry child of earth;

Inspire our hearts, we pray,

To tell Your love abroad,

That all may honor Christ today

And follow Him as Lord.

4 Christ the unfading Light

Of everlasting day,

Our Morning Star in splendor bright,

The Life, the Truth, the Way;

That light of truth You give

To servants as to friends,

Your way to walk, Your life to live,

Till earth’s brief journey ends.

Text: © 1999 Hope Publishing Co. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005548

P: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

P: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

C: But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

P: Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.

C: Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

P: Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you 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.

THE PSALM OF THE DAY:………………………Psalm 18:31-35

P: For who is God, but the Lord?

P: the God who equipped me with strength

P: He made my feet like the feet of a deer

P: He trains my hands for war,

P: You have given me the shield of your salvation,

P: and your gentleness made me great.

P: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;

THE HYMN OF PRAISE: Love in Christ Is Strong and Living

Love in Christ abides forever,

Fainting not when ills attend;

Love, forgiving and forgiven,

Shall endure until life’s end.

P:Almighty Lord, without the support of Your grace and mercy, we can do no good thing. Strengthen us in faith toward You and in love for one another that we may provide encouragement to our brothers and sisters. It is in Your name we pray and we live.

THE EPISTLE LESSON…………………….3 John

1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. 2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, 6 who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. 9 I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. 11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true. 13 I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. 15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name.

P: This is the Word of the Lord.

THE GOSPEL READING…...……………...Matthew 28:16-20

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make

disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.

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 worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the Prophets. And I believe 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 of the world to come. Amen.

Blest Be the Tie That Binds……...LSB 649

1. Blest be the tie that binds

Our hearts in Christian love;

The fellowship of kindred minds

Is like to that above.

2. Before our Father’s throne

We pour our ardent prayers;

Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,

Our comforts and our cares.

3. We share our mutual woes,

Our mutual burdens bear,

And often for each other flows

The sympathizing tear.

4. When here our pathways part,

We suffer bitter pain;

Yet, one in Christ and one in heart,

We hope to meet again.

5. From sorrow, toil, and pain,

And sin we shall be free

And perfect love and friendship reign

Through all eternity.

Sermon Reflection:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence; and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me with Your free spirit. Amen.

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.

P: The Lord be with you.

P: Lift up your hearts.

P: The peace of the Lord be with you always!

O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, grant us Thy peace. Amen.

Thank the Lord and sing His praise; tell everyone what He has done. Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear His name. He recalls His promises and leads His people forth in joy with shouts of thanksgiving. Alleluia, alleluia.

O Lord, We Praise Thee…LSB 617

1 O Lord, we praise Thee, bless Thee, and adore Thee,

In thanksgiving bow before Thee.

Thou with Thy body and Thy blood didst nourish

Our weak souls that they may flourish:

O Lord, have mercy!

May Thy body, Lord, born of Mary,

That our sins and sorrows did carry,

And Thy blood for us plead

In all trial, fear, and need:

O Lord, have mercy!

2 Thy holy body into death was given,

Life to win for us in heaven.

No greater love than this to Thee could bind us;

May this feast thereof remind us!

O Lord, have mercy!

Lord, Thy kindness did so constrain Thee

That Thy blood should bless and sustain me.

All our debt Thou hast paid;

Peace with God once more is made:

O Lord, have mercy!

3 May God bestow on us His grace and favor

That we follow Christ our Savior

And live together here in love and union

Nor despise this blest Communion!

O Lord, have mercy!

Let not Thy good Spirit forsake us;

Grant that heav’nly-minded He make us;

Give Thy Church, Lord, to see

Days of peace and unity:

O Lord, have mercy!

Preacher: Rev. Ethan Luhman

All Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV)