Fifth Sunday of Easter – May 2, 2021

Today’s Theme for Worship: Faith believes God’s Word, and puts that Word to work every day.

Order of Service: Service of Word and Sacrament

Opening Hymn: 141 At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing

1 At the Lamb’s high feast we sing

Praise to our victorious King,

Who has washed us in the tide

Flowing from his pierced side. Alleluia!

2 Mighty Victim from the sky,

Hell’s fierce pow’rs beneath you lie.

You have conquered in the fight;

You have brought us life and light. Alleluia!

3 Now no more can death appall,

Now no more the grave enthrall;

You have opened paradise,

And your saints in you shall rise. Alleluia!

4 Easter triumph, Easter joy!

This alone can sin destroy;

From sin’s pow’r, Lord, set us free,

Newborn souls in you to be. Alleluia!

5 Father, who the crown shall give,

Savior, by whose death we live,

Spirit, guide through all our days,

Three in One, your name we praise. Alleluia!

Text: Latin hymn, 17th century, abr.; tr. Robert Campbell, 1814-68, alt.

Order of Service: Service of Word and Sacrament

P: The grace of our Lord + Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.

C: And also with you.

Confession of Sins

P: God invites us to come into his presence and worship him with humble and penitent hearts. Therefore, let us acknowledge our sinfulness and ask him to forgive us.

C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful, and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good. For this I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity. But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

P: God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

Lord, Have Mercy

P: For all that we need in life and for the wisdom to use all your gifts with gratitude and joy, hear our prayer, O Lord.

C: ♬ Lord, have mer-cy.

P: For the steadfast assurance that nothing can separate us from your love and for the courage to stand firm against the assaults of Satan and every evil, hear our prayer, O Christ.

C: ♬ Christ, have mer-cy.

P: For the well-being of your holy Church in all the world and for those who offer here their worship and praise, hear our prayer, O Lord.

C: ♬ Lord, have mer-cy.

P: Merciful God, maker and preserver of life, uphold us by your power and keep us in your tender care:

C: ♬ A-men.

P: The works of the Lord are great and glorious; his name is worthy of praise.

♬ O Lord, Our Lord

O Lord, our Lord, how glo-rious is your name in all the earth.

Al-might-y God, mer-ci-ful Father,

you crown our life with your love.

You take a-way our sin; you com-fort our spir-it;

you make us pure and ho-ly in your sight.

You did not spare your on-ly Son, but gave him up for us all.

O Lord, our Lord, how glo-rious is your name in all the earth.

O Son of God, e-ter-nal Word of the Fa-ther,

you came to live with us;

you made your Fa-ther known;

you washed us from our sins in your own blood.

You are the King of glo-ry; you are the Lord!

O Lord, our Lord, how glo-rious is your name in all the earth.

Prayer of the Day

P: Let us Pray.

O God, you form the minds of your faithful people into a single will. Make us love what you command and desire what you promise, that among the many changes of this world, our hearts may ever yearn for the lasting joys of heaven; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: ♬ A-men.

First Lesson: Acts 8:26-40

Philip shared the message of the Lord’s victory with the Ethiopian eunuch.

²⁶Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is an isolated area.) ²⁷So he got up and went. And there was a man, an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship. ²⁸He was on his way home, sitting in his chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah.

²⁹The Spirit told Philip, “Go over there and stay close to that chariot.” ³⁰Philip ran up to it and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet.

Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

³¹The man replied, “How can I unless someone explains it to me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

³²Now the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading was this:

He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,

and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,

so he does not open his mouth.

³³In his humiliation justice was denied him.

Who will talk about his generation?

For his life is taken from the earth.

³⁴The eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet talking about—himself or someone else?” ³⁵Then Philip began to speak. Starting with that very passage of Scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus. ³⁶As they were traveling along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What is there to prevent me from being baptized?”

³⁸He ordered the chariot to stop. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. ³⁹When they stepped up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away. The eunuch did not see him anymore, but went on his way rejoicing.

⁴⁰Philip, however, found himself at Azotus. And as he went from place to place, he preached the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Psalm of the Day – Psalm 67

Refrain

Let the people praise you, O God. Let all the people praise you.

May God be gracious to us and bless us*

and make his face shine upon us;

may your ways be known on earth,*

your salvation among all nations.

May the nations be glad and sing for joy,*

for you rule the peoples justly

and guide the nations of the earth.

Refrain

Then the land will yield its harvest,*

and God, our God, will bless us.

God will bless us,*

and all the ends of the earth will fear him.

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.

Refrain

Second Lesson: 1 John 3:18-24
John speaks about special love from God. This love shows itself in our lives.

¹⁸Dear children, let us love not only with word or with our tongue, but also in action and truth.

¹⁹This is how we know that we are of the truth and how we will set our hearts at rest in his presence: ²⁰If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ²¹Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God. ²²We also receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight. ²³This then is his command: that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and that we love one another just as he commanded us. ²⁴The one who keeps his commands remains in God and God in him. This is how we know that he remains in us: We know it from the Spirit, whom he has given to us.

Verse:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

These words are written that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Gospel Lesson: John 15:1-8

Without faith in Christ, no one can produce fruits pleasing to God.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he is going to cut off. And he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it will bear more fruit.

³“You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴Remain in me, and I am going to remain in you. A branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Likewise, you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵“I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him is the one who bears much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. ⁶If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers. Such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸My Father is glorified by this: that you continue to bear much fruit and prove to be my disciples.”

Hymn of the Day: 168 With High Delight Let Us Unite

1 With high delight Let us unite

In songs of sweet jubilation.

You pure in heart, Each take your part,

Sing Jesus Christ, our salvation.

To set us free Forever, he Is ris’n and sends To all earth’s ends

Good news to save ev’ry nation.

2 True God, he first From death has burst

Forth into life, all subduing.

His enemy Shall vanquished lie;

His death has been death’s undoing.

“And yours shall be Like victory O’er death and grave,”

Said he, who gave His life for us, life renewing.

3 Let praises ring; Give thanks and bring

To Christ our Lord adoration.

His honor speed By word and deed To ev’ry land, ev’ry nation.

So shall his love Give us above, From misery And death set free,

All joy and full consolation.

Sermon

Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker 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, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became fully human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death 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 in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy Christian 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.

Offering

Electronic Giving! You can give your offerings from your smartphone with the GivePlusChurch app, which can be downloaded for free at Google Play or the App Store. You can also give at holytrinitylutheranwyoming.com by clicking the Offerings link at the top of the page or scan the QR code below. If you have any questions about any of these options, please contact Dave Conrad at dconrad765@gmail.com or 616-406-7172

Prayer of the Church

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.

The Sacrament

P: The Lord be with you.

C: ♬ And also with you.

P: Lift up your hearts.

C: ♬ We lift them up to the Lord.

P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C: ♬ It is right to give him thanks and praise.

P: Praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In love he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. He raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms and placed all things under his feet for the benefit of the Church. Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ. To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and thanks and honor and glory for ever and ever.

♬ Holy, Holy, Holy

Ho-ly, ho-ly, ho-ly is the Lord of hosts.

The whole earth is full of your glo-ry.

You are my God, and I will ex-alt you.

I will give you thanks, for you have be-come my sal-va-tion.

Ho-ly, ho-ly, ho-ly is the Lord of hosts.

The whole earth is full of your glo-ry.

Words of Institution

P: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying “Take and eat; this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

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

C: ♬ A-men.

♬ O Christ, Lamb Of God

O Christ, Lamb of God,

you take a-way the sin of the world;

have mer-cy on us.

O Christ, Lamb of God,

you take a-way the sin of the world;

have mer-cy on us.

O Christ, Lamb of God,

you take a-way the sin of the world;

grant us your peace.

A-men.

Distribution Hymn: 475 The Man Is Ever Blest

1 The man is ever blest Who shuns the sinners’ ways,

Among their counsels never stands, Nor takes the scorners’ place,

2 But makes the law of God His study and delight

Amid the labors of the day And watches of the night.

3 He like a tree shall thrive With waters near the root.

Fresh as the leaf his name shall live; His works are heav’nly fruit.

4 Not so the wicked man! He no such blessing finds.

His hopes shall flee like empty chaff Before the driving winds.

5 How will he bear to stand Before that judgment seat

Where all the saints at Christ’s right hand In full assembly meet?

6 God knows and he approves The way the righteous go,

But sinners and their works shall meet A dreadful overthrow.

Text: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, alt.

Thank the Lord

Thank the Lord and sing his praise.

Tell ev-'ry-one what he has done.

Let all who seek the Lord re-joice

And proud-ly bear his name.

He re-news his prom-is-es and leads his peo-ple forth

in joy with shouts of thanks-giv-ing.

Al-le-lu-ia! Al-le-lu-ia!

Prayer

P: Hear the prayer of your people, O Lord, that the lips which have praised you here may glorify you in the world, that the eyes which have seen the coming of your Son may long for his coming again, and that all who have received in his true body and blood the pledge of your forgiveness may be restored to live a new and holy life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: A-men.

Blessing

M: Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another. Serve the Lord with gladness.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.

C: (sing) Amen. Amen. Amen.

Closing Hymn: 158 I Am Content! My Jesus Lives Again

1 I am content! My Jesus lives again, In whom my heart is pleased.

He has fulfilled the law of God for me; God’s wrath he has appeased.

Since he in death could perish never, I also shall not die forever.

I am content! I am content!

2 I am content! My Jesus is my head; His member I will be.

He bowed his head when on the cross he died With cries of agony.

Now death is brought into subjection For me, too, by his resurrection.

I am content! I am content!

3 I am content! My Jesus is my light, My radiant sun of grace.

His cheering rays beam blessings forth for all: Sweet comfort, hope, and peace.

This Easter sun has brought salvation And everlasting exultation.

I am content! I am content!

4 I am content! Lord, set me ever free And wake me from the dead

That I may rise forevermore to be With you, my living head.

The chains that hold my body, sever; Then shall my soul rejoice forever.

I am content! I am content!

Text: Johann J. Möller, 1660-1733, abr.; August Crull, 1845-1923, alt.

Text: William W. How, 1823-97, abr., alt.