https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMEgb0OSrJ8

Be Prepared to Make a Defense of the Faith and Hope You Have!

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – May 14 & May 17, 2023

ZION EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH – LCMS – 700 Main St.  P.O. Box 220   Clyman, WI  53016

Pastor Dan 1-(920)-341-2025 –   shepherdatzion@gmail.com

 Bulletin Announcement email: zionclyman@gmail.com

AS WE GATHER – Who am I?  Who are you?  Who is God? These are questions surrounding identity—questions we and others wrestle with on and off throughout our lives as we live through life’s chapters that may include being a child, sibling, spouse, parent, employee, employer, hobbyist, or retiree, with the spiritual journey that accompanies them. These identity questions also have added meaning today as the society we live in especially wrestles with one’s identity. When God baptizes us into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we receive our most important identity!  Child of God!  Christians, one with Christ our Lord.

Ringing of the Bell and Welcome

 Preparation 

 Hymn “Good Christian Friends Rejoice and Sing”  LSB 578

 Invocation – In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.    Amen

 Opening Sentences- Jesus said, “Because I live, you will live also.”  In Him we live and move and have our being.  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  Alleluia! Christ is risen He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Confession and Absolution- Let us confess our sins to God, our Father, seeking His forgiveness through our risen Savior, Jesus Christ.   All:  Heavenly Father, creator of all that was, is, and will ever be, we confess to You that we fall short of the calling that we have received from You, as Your dearly loved children.  We struggle to share the reason for the hope we have in You.  We have not always responded to others with gentleness and respect. We have failed to live and share the love we have first received from You. Forgive our sins, for Jesus’ sake, and lead us to live lives that reflect Your indwelling presence.  Our God hears our prayers and forgives our sins because of Jesus’ perfect life, death, and resurrection.  At the command of Christ and through the power of the cross and the empty tomb, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the  X  Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Go in peace!     Alleluia! Amen.

 Introit   Psalm 119:89–93; antiphon: v. 105 –   Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.  Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.  Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.  Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.  If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.  I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.  Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Kyrie  LSB 152

In peace let us pray to the Lord.  Lord, have mercy.    For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.  Lord, have mercy.  For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord.  Lord, have mercy.  For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.  Lord, have mercy.  Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.  Amen.

 Hymn of Praise –  This Is the Feast  LSB 155

 Salutation – The Lord be with you.     And with thy spirit.

 Prayer of the Day – O God, You are the Creator of all things in heaven and on earth, and You have claimed and cleansed us to be Your people through the waters of Baptism.  By Your Spirit, give us hearts and minds to hear Your Word.  Give us eyes and ears to see and listen to our world as You view and hear it.  Give us words and actions to share the hope we have in You; through Jesus Christ, our risen Savior and Lord, who lives eternally with the Father and the Spirit, one God, now and forever.    Amen.

First Reading   Acts 17:16–31 – (Paul witnesses about the one true God.)  

Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.  So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.  Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him.  And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?”  Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.  And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?    For you bring some strange things to our ears.  We wish to know therefore what these things mean.”  Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.  So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.    For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.  The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.  And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’  Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.  In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but know he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Epistle   1 Peter 3:13–22 – (Be prepared to share your faith with gentleness and respect.) 

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?  But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed.  Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,    but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.  For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,     in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,    because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.  Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Verse     Romans 6:9; John 16:33b –  Alleluia!  We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.  Alleluia.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world.   Alleluia.

Holy Gospel     John 14:15–21 – (Jesus will send the Spirit of Truth so that we may love Him)        

The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the fourteenth chapter.       Glory to You, O Lord.

 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever–the Spirit of truth.  The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.  Because I live, you also will live.  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.  Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.  He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”     This is the Gospel of the Lord.   Praise to You, O Christ.

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 X of the world to come.    Amen.

Hymn  “All Christians Who Have Been Baptized”  LSB 645

Sermon

 Prayers of the Church

The 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.

 We Gather our Tithes and Offerings

 Service of the Sacrament

Preface   2 Timothy 4:22 –  The Lord be with you.  And also with you.  Lift up your hearts.  We lift them to the Lord.  Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.  It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

Proper Preface – It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, our God, who created all nations out of one man and have freely offered Your saving grace through Your Son, Jesus, the Second Adam, whom You raised from the dead.  Guide us by Your Spirit, who works Your saving work in Baptism, to embrace and accept the words that Jesus speaks as He gives us His body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins.  By Your grace, remind us that we are Your offspring, created and saved by You.  Lead us to remember Your boundless love, which is poured out for us again today in the bread and wine that is also Jesus’ body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins. Empower us, in this Meal, to live out our baptismal identity as Your children who are known, noticed, and loved by You. Therefore, with the angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and singing:

Sanctus  LSB 161

Prayer of Thanksgiving – Blessed are You, Creator of heaven and earth, for You have not only created all people, but also freely offered Your gift of salvation to all who receive Your love offered through Jesus’ death and resurrection.  As Your offspring, we celebrate the gift of salvation that we have through Jesus’ redeeming work, as He sacrificed His body and His blood on the cross. Bring us together, as those named by You in Baptism, and forgive, renew, and strengthen us by Your Word and Spirit. Lead us to faithfully eat and drink His body and blood as He commands us to do.  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.    Amen

The Words of Our Lord – Consecration of the Elements

 Proclamation of Christ     1 Corinthians 11:26; Revelation 22:20 – As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.  Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 

 Pax Domini – LSB 163 –  P    The peace of the Lord be with you always.

Agnus Dei  LSB 163

We Celebrate our Lord’s Supper

 Distribution Hymns:  “Dear Christians One and All, Rejoice”  LSB 632                                                            “Children of the Heavenly Father”   LSB 725    “Thy Strong Word”  LSB 578

Post-Communion Hymn – “O Jesus, Blessed Lord to Thee”  LSB 632

Post-Communion Thanksgiving – We thank You, our Creator, for providing for all the needs of our bodies and souls.  We especially thank You for refreshing us through the gift of Your grace that You give us in this Meal.  Strengthen us as Your offspring and lead us to love others; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.    Amen.

Benediction – The almighty God—the Father, X Son, and Holy Spirit—bless you, now and forever.  Amen.  Alleluia!  Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed! Alleluia!