4th Sunday after Easter: Date: April 28, 2024
Bulletin: Read Bulletin
Sermon: Read Sermon
THEME: God’s Grace Revealed Out in a Wilderness.
PRESERVICE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You for the salvation which You have provided to a fallen world by sending your Son to suffer and die for us upon the cross. We rejoice in Your grace that in raising Jesus from the dead You have proclaimed Your satisfaction with the ransom price He paid, so that we have remission of sins and everlasting life. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that our faith in Christ as our Risen and Everliving Lord may be strengthened unto eternal life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
THE ORDER OF SERVICE: (p. 22 Worship Supplement 2000)
Hymn 411:1-5: From Eternity, O God
1 From eternity, O God, In Thy Son Thou didst elect me;
Therefore, Father, on life’s road Graciously to heav’n direct me;
Send to me Thy Holy Spirit That His gifts I may inherit.
2 Though alive, I’m dead in sin, Lost to all good things by nature.
Holy Ghost, change me within, Make of me a new-born creature;
For the flesh works ruination And can never gain salvation.
3 Drive away the gloomy night Of my heart’s perverse reflection;
Quench all tho’ts that are not right, Hold my reason in subjection;
Grant that I from Thee, with yearning, Wisdom always may be learning.
4 Oh, create a heart in me That in Thee, my God, believeth
And o’er the iniquity Of my sins most truly grieveth.
When dark hours of woe betide me, In the wounds of Jesus hide me.
5 As a branch upon a vine In my blessed Lord implant me;
Ever of my Head divine To remain a member grant me.
Oh, let Him, my Lord and Savior, Be my Life and Love forever!
P: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
P: God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
C: If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
P: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
C: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
P: Together let us pray.
C: Almighty God, merciful Father, we are sinful by nature, and have sinned against You in our thoughts, words, and actions. But we are sorry for our transgressions and pray You, of Your bountiful mercy, to be gracious and merciful unto us. Forgive us for Jesus’ sake, renew us by Your Spirit, and lead us in the way everlasting. Amen.
P: Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. We are forgiven! With boldness and confidence we may approach the throne to find grace to help in time of need. In the peace of forgiveness, let us praise the Lord.
C: 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: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
COLLECT FOR THE DAY
C: Amen.
THE EPISTLE LESSON: 1 John 3:18-24
“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” (NKJV)
THE GOSPEL LESSON: John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” (NKJV)
THE APOSTLES CREED (The Lutheran Hymnal p. 12)
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 Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
Hymn 384: Oh, How Great Is Thy Compassion
1 Oh, how great is Thy compassion, Faithful Father, God of grace,
That with all our fallen race And in our deep degradation
Thou wast merciful that we Might be saved eternally!
2 Thy great love for this hath striven That we may from sin be free
And forever live with Thee; Yea, Thy Son Himself hath given
In His grace an earnest call To His Supper unto all.
3 And for this our souls’ salvation Voucheth Thy good Spirit, Lord,
In Thy Sacraments and Word. He imparteth consolation,
Granteth us the gift of faith That we fear nor hell nor death.
4 Lord, Thy mercy will not leave me– Truth doth evermore abide–
Then in Thee I will confide. Since Thy Word cannot deceive me,
My salvation is to me Well assured eternally.
5 I will praise Thy great compassion, Faithful Father, God of grace,
That with all our fallen race And in our deep degradation
Thou wast merciful that we Might bring endless praise to Thee.
THE SERMON: Acts 8:26-40
Theme: God’s Grace Revealed Out in a Wilderness.
I. Revealed through the Word
II. Shared by a Believer
III. Blessed by the Holy Spirit
Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this:
“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away,
And who will declare His generation?
For His life is taken from the earth.”
34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?”
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea. (NKJV)
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
PRAYER; THE LORD’S PRAYER
The offering of thankful hearts will now be received.
Hymn 360: Oh, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
1 Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace!
2 My gracious Master and my God, Assist me to proclaim,
To spread thro’ all the earth abroad The honors of Thy name.
3 Jesus!–the name that charms our fears, That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears, ’Tis life and health and peace.
4 He breaks the power of canceled sin, He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean; His blood avails for me.
5 Look unto Him, ye nations; own Your God, ye fallen race.
Look and be saved through faith alone, Be justified by grace.
6 See all your sins on Jesus laid; The Lamb of God was slain;
His soul was once an offering made For every soul of man.
7 Glory to God and praise and love Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above, The church in earth and heaven.
BENEDICTION:
C: Amen.
Hymn 283: God’s Word Is Our Great Heritage
God’s Word is our great heritage,
And shall be ours forever;
To spread its light from age to age
Shall be our chief endeavor.
Through life it guides our way;
In death it is our stay.
Lord, grant, while worlds endure,
We keep its teachings pure,
Throughout all generations.
CALENDAR
TODAY: An abbreviated Bible Class will follow the service this morning.
Victory service for our departed brother, Norman Schwartz. Visitation is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. with the service at 2:00 p.m. Interment follows at Grandview Cemetery and refreshments at the church follow interment.
NEXT SUNDAY: Worship at 9:30. No Bible class in Pastor’s absence. Pastor Barthels will be out of town. Pastor emeritus Paul Fleischer has agreed to take the service in Pastor’s absence. Sermon Text: Acts 9:36-42.
MONDAY APRIL29 through TUESDAY MAY 7: Pastor Barthels will be out of town. Pastor emeritus Paul Fleischer will be covering in case of emergency. Pastor Barthels will be available at his cell number during his absence.
SATURDAY, MAY 11: Spring church cleaning 9:00- 12:00.
SERVING TODAY
Organist: Denise Barthels
OUR RESPONSE TO THE GOSPEL:
Attendance: April 21 worship –11, No Bible Class
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Weekly Offerings Needed |
$1,374.00 |
Other Offerings: |
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Offerings Received |
$ 540.00 |
Memorials: Barb Nickson General Fund $20.00 Lori Skinner General Fund $1,000.00 |
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Needed for Year: |
$21,984.00 | |
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Received for Year: |
$16,822.00 |
May Church Cleaning: Cleaning/work day May 11, 9:00 -noon.
April/May Lawn Mowing: Volunteers needed.
CONGREGATION NEWS: New tract rack! Our thanks to Mike Nelson and his friend, Mike Ostley, for their excellent workmanship on our new tract rack located just around the corner south of the main church entrance.
CLC NEWS: Grace Lutheran Church of Sleepy Ey, MN has called Pastor David Ude of Appleton, WI, to be their pastor.
( Pastor Theodore Barthels )
St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church Austin Minnesota 