26 May BULLETIN – SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2024
WELCOME to MESSIAH & ST. PETER LUTHERAN CHURCHES
Reverend Nancy Brody, Pastor
Greta Wright, Organist
Sunday, May 26, 2024
The Holy Trinity
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Blessed be the holy Trinity, [☩] One God, the God of manna, miracles and mercy. Amen.
Drawn to Christ and seeking God’s abundance, let us confess our sin. Silence is kept for reflection.
God, our provider, help us. It is hard to believe that there’s enough to share. We question your ways when they differ from the ways of the world in which we live. We turn to our own understanding rather than trusting in you. We take offense at your teachings and your ways. So, turn us again to you; where else can we turn? Share with us the words of eternal life and feed us for life in the world. Amen.
Beloved people of God: in Jesus, the manna from heaven, you are fed and nourished for life in the world. By Jesus, the worker of miracles, there is always enough to share. Through Jesus, [☩] the bread of life, you are shown God’s mercy, are fully forgiven of all your sins and loved abundantly. Amen.
ENTRANCE HYMN
Come, Thou Almighty King #522
APOSTOLIC GREETING Page 57
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
KYRIE Pages 57-59
🎶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 and online 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 Pages 58-59
🎶Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
🎶Lord God, heavenly king, almighty God and Father: we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God: You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us. You are seated at the right hand of the Father; receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
God of heaven and earth, before the foundation of the universe and the beginning of time you were and are the triune God: Author of creation, eternal Word of salvation, life-giving Spirit of wisdom. Guide us into all truth by your Spirit, that we may proclaim all that Christ has revealed and rejoice in the glory he shares with us. All glory, praise and honor to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
FIRST READING ISAIAH 6:1-8
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”
PSALM 29
1Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2Ascribe to the Lord the glory due God’s name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
3The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is upon the mighty waters.
4The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor.
5The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
6the Lord makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
7The voice of the Lord bursts forth in lightning flashes.
8The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe and strips the forests bare. And in the temple of the Lord all are crying, “Glory!”
10The Lord sits enthroned above the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forevermore.
11O Lord, give strength to your people; give them, O Lord, the blessings of peace.
SECOND READING ROMANS 8:12-17
Brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Page 62
🎶Alleluia, Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia. Alleluia.
The Holy Gospel according to Saint John, the 3rd chapter.
🎶Glory to you, O Lord.
GOSPEL JOHN 3:1-17
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
🎶Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON
HYMN of the DAY
Holy, Holy, Holy #165
PROFESSION of FAITH Nicene Creed Page 64
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the virgin Mary and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
PRAYERS of INTERCESSION
We come before the triune God to pray for our communities, ourselves, and our world. A brief silence.
Abba God, you have brought us into your family, claiming us as beloved children. Bless our church family with gifts of cooperation and graciousness. Increase our hospitality toward all expressions of faith and teach us to honor our shared humanity. O Lord, give strength to your people; give them, O Lord, the blessings of peace.
Your love and power burst forth in the flashes of lightning, the dance of the wind, and the deeply rooted trees of the forest. Sustain fragile and interconnected ecosystems, that they flourish for generations to come. O Lord, give strength to your creation; give it, O Lord, the blessing of peace.
Give your blessing of peace to the nations. Shelter all who risk life and livelihood to protect others from violence, conflict, and injustice. On this Memorial Day weekend, we remember those who have lost their lives in war and conflict. O Lord, give strength to your people; give them, O Lord, the blessings of peace.
You are a God of love and not of condemnation. Quiet the hearts of all who struggle with shame, regret, or questions of self-worth. Teach us to forgive ourselves and one another. Restore wholeness to all who seek hope and healing (especially those on our prayer list). O Lord, give strength to your people; give them, O Lord, the blessings of peace.
Strengthen bonds between parents, children, and families of all varieties. We pray especially for adoptive and foster families, multi-generational households, and blended families. Grant gifts of nurture and patience to all caregivers. O Lord, give strength to your people; give them, O Lord, the blessings of peace.
The Spirit bears grateful witness to all children of God who have now come into their inheritance among the saints. As they lived with hope in your gift of eternal life, so strengthen us in faith, that we recognize your eternal presence even in this mortal life. O Lord, give strength to your people; give us, O Lord, the blessings of peace.
Receive our prayers, O God, and come quickly the aid of our world, through the power of your Spirit and the love of Jesus Christ. Amen.
EXCHANGE OF PEACE
OFFERING
OFFERATORY
🎶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 to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with your free Spirit.
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 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.
BENEDICTION
CLOSING HYMN
Now Thank We All Our God #534
DISMISSAL Page 74
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE