22 May BULLETIN – SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2022
WELCOME to MESSIAH & ST. PETER
LUTHERAN CHURCHES
The Reverend Nancy Brody, Pastor
Greta Wright, Music Director
Sunday, May 22, 2022
Sixth Sunday of Easter
GREETING AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE
ENTRANCE HYMN Alleluia! Jesus Is Risen! WOV#674 (Blue Hymnal)
1 Alleluia! Jesus is risen!
Trumpets resounding in glorious light!
Splendor, the Lamb, heaven forever!
Oh, what a miracle God has in sight!
Refrain
Jesus is risen and we shall arise.
Give God the glory! Alleluia!
2 Walking the way, Christ in the center
telling the story to open our eyes;
breaking our bread, giving us glory:
Jesus our blessing, our constant surprise. Refrain
3 Jesus the vine, we are the branches;
life in the Spirit the fruit of the tree;
heaven to earth, Christ to the people,
gift of the future now flowing to me. Refrain
4 Weeping, be gone; sorrow, be silent:
death put asunder, and Easter is bright.
Cherubim sing: O grave, be open!
Clothe us in wonder, adorn us in light. Refrain
5 City of God, Easter forever,
golden Jerusalem, Jesus the Lamb,
river of life, saints and archangels,
sing with creation to God the I AM! Refrain
SACRAMENT OF HOLY BAPTISM
In Holy Baptism our gracious heavenly Father liberates us from sin and death by joining us to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Once born children of a fallen humanity; in the waters of Baptism we are reborn children of God who inherit eternal life. By water and the Holy Spirit we are made members of the Church, the body of Christ. As we live with him and among his people, we grow in faith, love, and obedience to God’s will. Who presents (name) to receive the Sacrament of Holy Baptism? Parents and sponsors: We do.
(Names) listen closely. In Christian love you present this child for Holy Baptism. You should, therefore, faithfully bring (him/her) to services in God’s house; teach (him/her) the Lord’s Prayer, Creed, and Ten Commandments. As (he/she) grows, you should place the Holy Scriptures in (his/her) hands and provide instruction for (him/her) in the Christian faith, so that, living in the covenant of (his/her) Baptism and in communion with the Church, (he/she)may lead a godly life all (his/her) days. Do you promise to fulfill these obligations? Parents and sponsors: We do.
THANKSGIVING (all participate)
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give him thanks and praise.
Holy God, mighty Lord, gracious Father: We give you thanks, for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters and you created heaven and earth. By the gift of water you nourish and sustain all living things. By flood waters you condemned the wicked, but saved those you chose, who believed in you, Noah and his family. You led Israel by a pillar of cloud and fire through the sea, out of slavery into freedom of the promised land. In waters of the Jordan your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Spirit. By his death and resurrection your beloved Son set us free from bondage to sin and death, and opened the way to joy and freedom of everlasting life. He made water a sign of the kingdom, of cleansing and rebirth. In obedience to his command, we make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Pour out your Holy Spirit, so that the one here baptized may be given new life. Wash away the sin of (he/she) who is cleansed by this water. Bring (him/her) forth as an inheritor of your glorious kingdom. To you be praise, honor and worship through your Son, Jesus Christ, in unity with the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
PROFESSION OF FAITH (all participate)
I ask you to profess your faith in Christ Jesus, reject sin, and confess the faith of the church, the faith in which we baptize.
Do you renounce all the forces of evil, the devil, and all his empty promises? I do.
Do you believe in God the Father? I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God? I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and buried. He descended to the land of the dead and on the third day, he rose. Ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father. From there he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit? I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
BAPTISM
(Name), I baptize you in the name of the Father, [☩]
and of the Son, [☩] and of the Holy Spirit. [☩] Amen.
ANOINTING
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we give you thanks for freeing your sons and daughters from the power of sin and for raising them up to new life through this holy sacrament. Pour your Holy Spirit upon (Name): the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence. Amen.
(Name), child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever. Parents and sponsors: We do.
Council Representative: Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Pastor: Let us pray. O God, giver of all life, look with kindness upon the father and mother of this child, his sponsors, and relatives. Let this family ever rejoice in the gifts you have given them. Make (Names) teachers and examples of righteousness. Strengthen them in their own Baptisms so they may eternally share salvation with those they love, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
WELCOME
Council Representative: Through Baptism God has made (Name) our new (brother/sister), a member of the priesthood we all share in Christ Jesus. May we proclaim the praise of God, bear God’s creative redeeming Word, and offer God’s life-giving powerful love to all the world. (Name), we welcome you into the Lord’s family. We receive you as a fellow member of the body of Christ, a child of the same heavenly Father, and a worker with us in the kingdom of God.
PEACE
The peace of the Lord be with you always. And also with you.
Please offer each other a sign of peace.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
One Holy Almighty and Ever-Loving God, we give thanks that you gather and nourish us with both promises and life. Sustain us by your word. Empower us by your Spirit. May we love one another and the world you have made. Glory to thee, now and forever. Amen.
FIRST READING ACTS 16:9-15
During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.
PSALM 67
May God be merciful to us and bless us; may the light of God’s face shine upon us.
Let your way be known upon earth, your saving health among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide all the nations on earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
The earth has brought forth its increase; God, our own God, has blessed us.
May God give us blessing, and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy.
SECOND READING REVELATION 21:10; 22–22:5
And in the spirit [one of the angels] carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there anymore. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Alleluia. Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Alleluia. (John 14:23)
GOSPEL JOHN 5:1-9 (NCV)
Later Jesus went to Jerusalem for a special feast. In Jerusalem there is a pool with five covered porches, which is called Bethesda in the Hebrew language. This pool is near the Sheep Gate. Many sick people were lying on the porches beside the pool. Some were blind, some were crippled, and some were paralyzed, and they waited for the water to move. Sometimes an angel of the Lord came down to the pool and stirred up the water. After the angel did this, the first person to go into the pool was healed from any sickness he had. A man was lying there who had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw the man and knew that he had been sick for such a long time, Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be well?”
The sick man answered, “Sir, there is no one to help me get into the pool when the water starts moving. While I am coming to the water, someone else always gets in before me.” Then Jesus said, “Stand up. Pick up your mat and walk.” And immediately the man was well; he picked up his mat and began to walk. The day this happened was a Sabbath day.
SERMON followed by Meditation
HYMN OF THE DAY Dear Lord and Father of Mankind #506
1 Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
forgive our fev’rish ways;
reclothe us in our rightful mind;
in purer lives thy service find,
in deeper rev’rence, praise.
2 In simple trust like theirs who heard,
beside the Syrian sea,
the gracious calling of the Lord,
let us, like them, without a word
rise up and follow thee.
3 Oh, Sabbath rest by Galilee,
oh, calm of hills above;
where Jesus knelt to share with thee
the silence of eternity,
interpreted by love!
4 Drop thy still dews of quietness,
till all our strivings cease;
take from our souls the strain and stress,
and let our ordered lives confess
the beauty of thy peace.
5 Breathe through the heats of our desire
thy coolness and thy balm;
let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still small voice of calm!
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Set free from captivity to sin and death, we pray to the God of resurrection for the church, people in need, and all of creation. A brief silence.
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- God, you are the giver of new life and the one who holds all possibilities for renewal. Open your church to the unexpected ways your Holy Spirit works. Guide bishops, pastors, deacons, and lay leaders in visioning partnership, and planning. Surround us with your peace. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
- God, you are the giver of new life and the one who holds all possibilities for renewal. Heal and save the earth while supplying abundance. Assist farmers, laborers, and gardeners who aim to grow, raise and harvest in every season. Join their efforts with the goodness of creation to feed all living things. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
- Giver of new life and One who holds all possibility for renewal, shine your light of wisdom and peace among nations. When those in power wield power like a weapon confound their ways. Make them yield to your humble authority. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
- Giver of new life and One who holds all possibility for renewal, give safe haven to those who seek healing, liberation, and peace (especially victims of war, crime and violence). Create places where people can live and experience relief from struggle, rejection, and pain. May they find your loving presence and wholeness. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
- Giver of new life and One who holds all possibility for renewal, uphold the work of ministries and organizations in our communities who assist people experiencing poverty, addiction, homelessness, incarceration, dramatic change, or persistent stuck-ness that keeps them on the margins. Accomplish your will through human efforts. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
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Thank you bringing Nellie Mae and Hayden Lee to the waters of Baptism. Continue to gather your people at rivers, streams, and fonts where families, friends and neighbors can remember their own baptisms. Give us the pleasure of welcoming others into the communion of saints. Assemble us together with those who’ve died when we meet at your river of eternal life. Comfort the family of Irene Shomper upon her passing. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Giver of new life and One who holds all possibility for renewal, in your mercy, O God, respond to these prayers and renew us by your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
OFFERING
OFFERTORY Create in me…
THE LORD’S PRAYER Page 76
BLESSING
May God, the Author of life, Christ, the living Cornerstone, and the life-giving Spirit of adoption, [☩] bless you now and forever. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN Awake, O Sleeper WOV#745 (Blue Hymnal)
1 Awake, O sleeper, rise from death,
and Christ shall give you light;
so learn his love, its length and breadth,
its fullness, depth, and height.
2 To us on earth he came to bring
from sin and fear release,
to give the Spirit’s unity,
the very bond of peace.
3 Then walk in love as Christ has loved,
who died that he might save;
with kind and gentle hearts forgive
as God in Christ forgave.
4 For us Christ lived, for us he died,
and conquered in the strife.
Awake, arise, go forth in faith,
and Christ shall give you life.
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Tell what God has done.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE
Revised Common Lectionary copyright © 1992 Consultation on Common Texts. Used by permission. Prayers adapted from Sundays and Seasons, copyright © 2019, Augsburg Fortress. Used with permission. Psalm readings from Lutheran Book of Worship, copyright © 1978. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual Subscription #SB160715 Other quotations from Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, National Council of Churches in Christ in the United States of America. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
Altar flowers at St Peter have been presented by Tom and Vilay Kahler in memory of Ken and Margaret Kahler.
Altar flowers at Messiah have been presented by Rose Steinhauer.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR MAY
26 Ascension of our Lord
29 10:00 AM JOINT OUTDOOR WORSHIP SERVICE
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