Sixth Sunday of Easter May 22, 2022

Theme for Worship Joy marches victorious over circumstance. Conventional wisdom says that joy is nothing more than a product of the events, conditions, and relationships of which our life consists. Jesus offers us a joy that is superior. Easter proves that God can take what normally causes people to weep and turn it into what causes people to rejoice.

Hymn: 887 Oh, What Their Joy

1 Oh, what their joy and their glory must be,
those endless Sabbaths the blessèd ones see!
Crowns for the valiant, to weary ones rest;
God shall be all, and in all ever blest.

2 In new Jerusalem joy shall be found,
blessings of peace shall forever abound;
wish and fulfillment are not severed there,
nor the things prayed for come short of the prayer.

3 We, where no trouble distraction can bring,
safely the anthems of Zion shall sing;
while for your grace, Lord, their voices of praise
your blessèd people shall evermore raise.

4 Now let us worship our Lord and our King,
joyfully raising our voices to sing:
praise to the Father, and praise to the Son,
praise to the Spirit, to God, Three in One.

Text: Public domain
Text: tr. John Mason Neale, 1818–1866, alt.; Peter Abelard, 1079–1142

Invocation

In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Confession

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Let us confess our sins to the Lord.

Holy God, gracious Father,
    I am sinful by nature
        and have sinned against you in my thoughts, words, and actions.
    I have not loved you with my whole heart;
    I have not loved others as I should.
        I deserve your punishment both now and forever.
    But Jesus, my Savior, paid for my sins
        with his innocent suffering and death.
    Trusting in him, I pray: God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Absolution

Our gracious Father in heaven has been merciful to us. He sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, who gave his life as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. 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 T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Lord, Have Mercy

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.

Glory to God in the Highest

Refrain: 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. Refrain

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. Refrain

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. Amen. Refrain

Salutation

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Prayer of the Day:

Let us pray.

O God, you are the giver of everything good. Inspire us, your humble servants, to long for what is right and, through your gracious guidance, accomplish it to your glory; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

First Reading: Acts 14:8–22

⁸In Lystra there was a man who was sitting down because he had no strength in his feet. He had never walked because he was lame from birth. ⁹When he was listening to Paul as he was speaking, Paul looked at him closely and saw that he had faith to be healed. ¹⁰Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” And the man jumped up and began to walk.

¹¹When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form.” ¹²Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he was the main speaker. ¹³The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and garlands to the city gates, because he wanted to offer sacrifices along with the crowds.

¹⁴But when the apostles Paul and Barnabas heard about this, they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd, shouting, ¹⁵“Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men with the same nature as you. We are preaching the good news to you so that you turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. ¹⁶In past generations he allowed all the nations to go their own ways. ¹⁷Yet he did not leave himself without testimony of the good he does. He gives you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons. He fills you with food and fills your hearts with gladness.” ¹⁸Even though they said these things, they had a hard time stopping the crowds from sacrificing to them.

¹⁹Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and persuaded the crowds to stone Paul. When they thought he was dead, they dragged him out of the city. ²⁰But after the disciples had gathered around him, he stood up and went into the city. The next day, he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

²¹After they preached the good news in that city and had gathered many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, ²²strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. They told them, “We must go through many troubles on our way to the kingdom of God.”

Psalm of the Day: 65B Every Heart Its Tribute Pays

1 Ev’ry heart its tribute pays,
ev’ry tongue its song of praise;
sin and sorrow, guilt and care,
brought to him who answers prayer;
there by grace may humankind
full and free forgiveness find;
called and chosen, loved and blest,
in his presence be at rest.

2 Ever while his deeds endure
our salvation stands secure;
he whose fingers spun the earth,
gave the seas and mountains birth,
tamed the ocean, formed the land,
spread the skies with mighty hand:
faroff shores revere his name,
day and night his pow’r proclaim.

3 Year by year, the seasons’ round
sees the land with blessing crowned,
where caressed by sun and rain
barren earth gives life again;
sunlit valleys burn with gold,
nature smiles on field and fold,
gifts of God in plenty poured:
all things living, praise the Lord!

Text: © 1984 Hope Publishing Co. Used by permission: OneLicense no. 703297
Text: Timothy Dudley-Smith

Second Reading: Revelation 21:21–27

²¹The twelve gates are twelve pearls. Each of the gates is made out of one pearl. And the street of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.

²²I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God has given it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. ²⁴The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. ²⁵There is no day when its gates will be shut, for there will be no night in that place. ²⁶They will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. ²⁷Nothing that is unclean and no one who does what is detestable or who tells lies will ever enter it, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Praise God for a living hope:

Christ is risen from the dead!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: John 16:16–24

¹⁶“In a little while you are not going to see me anymore, and again in a little while you will see me, because I am going away to the Father.”

¹⁷Therefore some of his disciples asked one another, “What does he mean when he tells us, ‘In a little while you are not going to see me, and again in a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going away to the Father’?” ¹⁸So they kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he’s saying.”

¹⁹Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you trying to determine with one another what I meant by saying, ‘In a little while you are not going to see me, and again in a little while you will see me’? ²⁰Amen, Amen, I tell you: You will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. ²¹A woman giving birth has pain, because her time has come. But when she has delivered the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, because of her joy that a person has been born into the world.

²²“So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. ²³In that day you will not ask me anything. Amen, Amen, I tell you: Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. ²⁴Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be made complete.

Hymn of the Day: 747 Christ High-Ascended

1 Christ high-ascended, now in glory seated,
throned and exalted, victory completed,
death’s dread dominion finally defeated,
we are his witnesses.

2 Christ, from the Father ev’ry pow’r possessing,
who on his chosen lifted hands in blessing,
sends forth his servants, still in faith confessing,
we are his witnesses.

3 Christ, who in dying won for us salvation,
lives now the firstborn of the new creation;
to win disciples out of ev’ry nation,
we are his witnesses.

4 Christ in his splendor, all dominion gaining,
Christ with his people evermore remaining,
Christ to all ages, gloriously reigning,
we are his witnesses.

5 As at his parting, joy shall banish grieving,
faith in his presence strengthen our believing;
filled with his Spirit, love and pow’r receiving,
we are his witnesses.

Text: © 1984 Hope Publishing Co. Used by permission: OneLicense no. 703297
Text: Timothy Dudley-Smith, b. 1926, alt.

Sermon

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell.

The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy Christian Church,

the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayer of the Church

Offering

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Hymn: 889 Jerusalem the Golden

1 Jerusalem the golden, with milk and honey blest—
the sight of it refreshes the weary and oppressed.
I know not, oh, I know not what joys await us there,
what radiancy of glory, what bliss beyond compare:
to sing the hymn unending with all the martyr throng,
amidst the halls of Zion resounding full with song.

2 O sweet and blessèd country, the home of God’s elect!
O sweet and blessèd country that eager hearts expect,
where they who with their leader have conquered in the fight
forever and forever are clad in robes of white:
in mercy, Jesus, bring us to that dear land of rest
where sings the host of heaven your glorious name to bless.

3 The Christ is ever with them, the daylight is serene;
the pastures of the blessèd are ever rich and green.
There is the throne of David, and there, from care released,
the shout of them that triumph, the song of them that feast.
To God enthroned in glory the Church’s voices blend,
the Lamb forever blessèd, the Light that knows no end.

Text: Public domain
Text: tr. John Mason Neale, 1818–1866, alt.; Bernard of Cluny, 12th cent., abr.

Prayer

Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins,

as we forgive those

who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours

now and forever. Amen.

Blessing

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 T give you peace.

Amen.

Hymn: 840 All Men Living Are But Mortal

3 Jesus for my sake descended my salvation to obtain:
death and hell for me are ended, peace and hope are now my gain.
With great joy I leave earth’s sadness for the home of heav’nly gladness,
where I shall forever see God, the Holy Trinity.

4 There is joy beyond our telling, where so many saints have gone;
thousands, thousands, there are dwelling, worshiping before the throne.
There the angel hosts are shining, evermore in chorus joining:
“Holy, holy, holy, Lord! Triune God, by all adored!”

5 Patriarchs of sacred story and the prophets there are found;
twelve apostles, bright with glory, on twelve seats are there enthroned.
All the saints that have ascended age on age, through time extended,
there in blissful concert sing hallelujahs to their King.

6 O Jerusalem, how glorious are your heav’nly mansions fair!
I can hear the tones victorious ever sweetly sounding there.
Oh, the bliss that there surprises! Look, my soul, the sun now rises,
and the breaking day I see that shall never end for me.

7 Now I see what here was told me, see that wondrous glory shine,
feel the spotless robes enfold me, know a golden crown is mine.
Thus before the throne so glorious now I stand, a soul victorious,
filled with purest joy and peace that in Christ shall never cease.

Text: Public domain
Text: J. G. Albinus, 1624–1679; (sts. 3–4, 6–7): tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–1878, alt.; (st. 5): unknown, alt.

Acknowledgments

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, New International Version^®, NIV^®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.^TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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