The Festival of the Holy Trinity
Pre-Service Prayer – Heavenly Father, guide us through Your Holy Word this morning, that we may grow stronger in our faith in You, and in Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through Your Holy Spirit, help us to be on guard against all false beliefs and idols, as well as and everything else could harm our salvation. And please enable us all to live in the same unselfish love toward each other that Christ extends to us. In Jesus’ name I ask this. Amen.
Welcome to Grace Lutheran Church If you are a first-time guest today, we are honored that you’ve chosen to worship with us this morning. If you’ve been with us before, we’re glad to have you back! If we can do anything to make your time among us more edifying and enjoyable, please speak with one of our ushers, our Pastor, or the person sitting next to you. We’ll be pleased to serve you in whatever way we can. We also invite you to join those around you for some good conversation, coffee, and other refreshments at the conclusion of today’s service. And finally, we invite you to remain afterward to participate with us in our Sunday School and Bible Class. May the comfort of God’s love and His forgiveness through Jesus Christ bring you peace and be with you throughout this day and this week.
“God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity”
……is a portion of today’s Opening Hymn, # 195, one of our hymnal’s “Trinity emphasis” hymns. It serves as our “Theme” because this morning we are celebrating “The Festival of the Holy Trinity.” Trinity Sunday is that date on the church calendar when Christians traditionally concentrate their attention on the mysterious, yet marvelous doctrine of our Triune God. Although the Scriptures nowhere contain either the word “Trinity” or the word “Triune,” the teaching that our God is a “three-in-one God” is thoroughly Biblical. What we teach is that our God is one “Essence,” (or Being) Who reveals Himself through three distinct, unique persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This doctrine of the Trinity is clearly set forth in both the Old and New Testaments.
In addition to the Trinity-emphasis found in today’s hymns, the Athanasian Creed (which will be included in today’s worship service) is a centuries-old, detailed statement of belief that focuses extensively on the doctrine of the Trinity.
Our Psalm Reading for this Trinity Sunday expresses a believer’s earnest desire that all people might know, believe in, and praise the One true God.
The Children’s Lesson, using the traditional Christian symbol for the Trinity of the triangle and circle will talk about the “separate-sameness” of our three-in-one God – the only true God.
Instead of our usual Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel Lessons, today’s Scripture Lessons are a collection of Bible passages which speak about the responsibilities and functions of the three Persons of the Trinity. The readings are separated into three parts, referring to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, respectively. Following each reading, we will join in expressing, from the Catechism, Luther’s explanations to the first, second, and third articles of the Apostles’ Creed.
Today’s Sermon is based on the words that God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah approximately 600 years before the birth of Christ. By this time the northern kingdom of Israel had ceased to exist, its people (about one hundred years earlier) had been taken away by the Assyrians into an exile from which they would never return….all because they had forsaken the true God in order to worship and serve useless idols. Jeremiah was serving the southern kingdom of Judah, which had failed to learn from their northern cousins the lesson of the consequences of forsaking the LORD. Judah also was worshiping mere idols of wood, stone and metal, as well as compromising and corrupting the worship of the true God to the extent that what they were calling the worship of Him was an abomination in God’s sight! Through Jeremiah the LORD informs His people that He is the
all-powerful Creator and Sustainer of all things, and that He has chosen them to be His people – people dedicated to worshiping and serving Him – and that He will not bless their bowing down before useless, powerless, soon-to-be-forgotten idols. (And, indeed, He did not bless them! The result of their disobedience would be a severe disciplining from the LORD, through the hands of the Babylonian empire, that resulted in the people of Judah experiencing an exile in Babylon of 70 years’ duration).
Then, as now, many people worship idols crafted not only by their hands, but also by their sinful affections and passions. Anything or anyone can be turned into an idol…..whenever “it” becomes the object of ones worship or affection to the extent that it becomes more important to a person than the true God. Some are clearly “false gods” like Allah (of Isalm), Jehovah-God (of the Jehovah’s witnesses), and the “god” that is worshiped by the Mormons. Other idols today are less “religious” but equally, damnably dangerous, such as money, pride, sex, people in our lives, various hobbies, and ourselves (among other idols).
But both in Jeremiah’s day and our own (as ever) the LORD makes it clear through His Word that He is a jealous God, properly demanding that everyone worship Him….and Him alone as the only true God. He laos warns those who prefer idols of the eternal consequences of rejecting Him. At the same time, He is also a gracious and forgiving God Who recognizes our sinful human propensity to be attracted to idolatry in all its varied forms (as well as other sins). In His mercy, He came to earth in the person of the Jesus Christ (the Second person of the Trinity) to live the sinless life we cannot as our Substitute in righteousness, and to die sacrificially in our place – enduring hell’s horrors and divine rejection for us so that we might be fully forgiven of all our sins (including idolatry), reconciled to Him, and guaranteed a place in heaven through faith in Him.
The History of “Trinity Sunday” and the Pentecost/Trinity
(Non-Festival) portion of the Church Calendar
This morning is the inaugural Sunday of the “Non-Festival Half” of the Church year. It is commonly known as the Festival of the Holy Trinity, or as Trinity Sunday. It might be considered a “new” festival when compared to the other festivals in the first half of the church year, That’s because the Festival of the Holy Trinity did not find its way onto the official Church Calendar until the “recent date” of 1334, although an annual festival in honor of the Holy Trinity had been observed as much as four centuries earlier. Trinity Sunday celebrates the entire teaching of Scripture as a revelation of the one true, three-in-one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The altar color for the Festival is white. One of Trinity Sunday’s “special” customs involves the reading of the longest of the three Christian Creeds, the Athanasian Creed, during the public worship service – as we will do this morning.
The non-festival half of the Church Year spans the summer and fall seasons of the regular, secular calendar. It begins on Trinity Sunday, which is also known as “the First Sunday after the Festival of Pentecost.” It is worth noting that the Trinity season is the only season of the Church year that is named after a specific doctrine of Scripture, and has thus been identified only by the two northern European Christian denominations: namely, the Lutheran Church and the Episcopal Church. The majority of Christian denominations prefer to refer to the non-festival portion of the Church Year as the Pentecost Season, or the Sundays after Pentecost. On our bulletins we typically use both designations. The Trinity/Pentecost Season ranges anywhere from 22 to 27 Sundays in length, depending on when Easter occurs. There is no particular theme which unites these Sundays together, although the emphases of most services and sermons are on the Christian’s life of sanctification. Often Lutheran ministers will use this portion of the church calendar to engage in “series preaching,” covering over a number of Sundays such matters as: The Ten Commandments, the parts of the Lord’s Prayer, or the entirety of a New Testament epistle, among others. There are a few special days that the “church-in-worship” observes during this non-festival part of the church year. They include: Reformation Day (Oct 31); “All Saints Day” (Nov 1); and Thanksgiving Day (in the U.S.A on the fourth Thursday in November; in Canada on the second Monday in October). Many congregations also hold a Mission Festival Sunday during this season, and some churches (particularly in farming communities) choose to observe a Harvest Festival in the late fall.
The Athanasian Creed
The Athanasian Creed is the third, the longest, and the least-used of the three “ecumenical” (accepted church-wide) creeds of the Christian Church. The other two ecumenical Christian creeds (a creed is “a statement of what we believe”) are the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. While we are not certain of the name of the person(s) who “authored” this creed, we do know that it received the designation “Athanasian” as a tribute to Athanasius, one of the most significant, prominent, orthodox leaders of the early Christian Church. Athanasius lived from 293-373 A.D. Not only was he very influential in supporting and defending the doctrines of the Nicene Creed, he also was involved prominently and personally in the actual development of that statement of belief. (The Nicene Creed was prepared in its initial form for the 1st Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church held at Nicea in 325. The more detailed version that we use today [with the 591 A.D. addition of the “filioque,” (tr, “and the son”) expressing that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son] is actually known as the Niceno-Constantinopolitan creed, and was produced by the 2nd Ecumenical Church Council, held at Constantinople in 381 AD.)
The best information we have today about the date and place of origin of the Athanasian Creed suggests that it was written possibly in North Africa, but more likely in southern France sometime between AD 435 and 570 (the latter date was when Venatius Fortunatus of Poitiers wrote a short commentary on this creed).
The writing of the Athanasian Creed was made necessary because orthodox (true-teaching) Christians were forced to defend the Church’s Biblical doctrine concerning the God it worshiped. The post-Nicean Christian Church felt compelled to develop this written statement of what the Scriptures teach about the true God specifically for this reason: certain false beliefs and teachings (various forms of Unitarianism and tri-theism) about God were being vigorously promoted by particular individuals and groups desiring to operate under the umbrella of the Church. However, while they might have technically been “in” the church, in practice (due to their heretical teachings) those individuals and groups had already departed from the true Christian Church…..and they were confusing and misleading others – even destroying true faith – with their false ideas.
The Athanasian Creed’s primary purpose was to set down in detail what the Scriptures specifically teach about the Triune God and about the incarnation of God (that is to say, the Second Person of the Trinity’s becoming truly human while at the same time remaining entirely divine). The Creed emphasizes the Unity of the Godhead……that we worship ONE God. However, it carefully points out the Plurality of that One divine Essence…..that there are three distinct persons of the Godhead. In so doing, this longest of the three Ecumenical (accepted Church-wide) Creeds meticulously declares the differences and distinctions that the Bible presents concerning those three persons of that one God….the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is a most complicated doctrine, one not understood by our human reason, but rather one which is simply revealed to us in Scripture as fact, and which is to be accepted by us by faith.
Because it focuses on the Triune God, Whom we worship, The Athanasian Creed traditionally is used by many Christian Churches every Trinity Sunday. Following that centuries-old practice, we will make use of this statement of our Christian faith by reading it responsively during this morning’s service.
Please Note: The closing words of the Athanasian Creed say that all people will finally “give an account” before the judgment seat of Christ. This phrase comes from Bible passages such as the following:
Matthew 12:36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
Romans 14:12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Cf. Heb 4:13; 13:17; 1 Pet 4:5).
This refers to the fact that on the Last Day all people (those who will rise from the dead, as well as those still living) will appear for judgment before Christ, the Judge of all. 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Sometimes Christians who know that the way to heaven is by faith in Jesus Christ alone (and not by works – Ephesians 2:8,9) are troubled by the words of the Creed: “And they that have done good will go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire.” (See John 5:29). These words do not at all mean that we earn heaven by good works. For Romans 3:28, among many other portions of Scripture, teaches: “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.” (See also John 3:16-18).
Since true faith is invisible, Christ will prove that believers had faith by pointing out the “fruits” of that faith (see Matthew 25:31-46). Only believers can produce such real fruits of faith, done out of love for the Lord, which God recognizes as “good works,” for Hebrews 11:6 declares that “without faith it is impossible to please God.”
Furthermore, we know and believe that Christ kept the commandments flawlessly for us all, as our Substitute, and by faith His perfect obedience is credited to us as our own obedience. Scripture says that all of our Savior’s righteous works are credited to the account of believers (2 Cor. 5:21). For Jesus’ sake then, and by God’s grace, our failures have been entirely forgiven; this is exactly what God promises when He says that He will “forget” the sins of His believers (Jeremiah 31:34). On Judgment Day, Christ will not mention the sins of believers, but will recognize their fruits of faith in Him (“good works”). Furthermore, He will reveal the “motive of their own works” (that they were moved by Spirit-given faith and out of love for Him; Matthew 25:40“Whatever you did…..You did for Me”). On the other hand, Christ will point to the unbelievers’ absence of “Godly,” faith-inspired good works (and not to their secular, and self-serving good deeds which did not flow from faith, in spite of how numerous those secular, good deeds might have been) as the evidence that they did not possess true faith in Him and thus, that their eternal condemnation because of their unbelief is entirely warranted. It will be just as Christ said: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).
Welcome to Grace Lutheran Church
We welcome you this day in the name of our living Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. May you find abiding peace and renewed strength for your faith and Christian life in His Word of truth today.
The chief purpose of our ministry, as our Lord enables us, is to serve all people with the precious Gospel of Jesus Christ, revealed to us in the verbally inspired, inerrant Scriptures. To that end, it is our privilege and responsibility:
- To proclaim the Law and Gospel keenly and clearly, in order to convict sinners of their sins, to lead them to repentance, to comfort penitent souls, and to build each other up in our faith in the one, true, Triune God through the Means of Grace (the Word and Sacraments of our Lord). ….
- To equip believers, through that same Means of Grace, to grow in their Christian lives as faithful servants, stewards, and witnesses to others of the redeeming grace of our God in Christ Jesus.
Grace Lutheran Church is a fellowship of individuals and families who have found Jesus Christ to be the only safe and reliable answer to all of life’s problems and critical questions. We are members of the WELS, that is, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
Wisconsin indicates the geographical beginnings of a group of Christians who, over a century and a half ago, because of their comprehensive commitment to all that God’s Word teaches, united themselves in a join public ministry which we in the WELS carry on, by God’s grace, to this day.
Evangelical declares that we believe and proclaim the great, foundational principles of the Christian faith: namely, that we are saved by God’s free grace alone (His undeserved love), through faith alone in Jesus Christ. And that this truth is found in Scripture alone (that is, the 66 “canonical” books of the Bible).
Lutheran affirms that we believe, teach, and confess all the doctrines of the historic Christian faith as taught by Jesus to His Apostles, now contained in the written Word of God. Those truths, once all but lost to the Church because of the influences of false teachers, were – by God’s grace and blessing – restored to the Christian Church through the 16th century Lutheran Reformation led by Dr. Martin Luther. We humbly remain today, the grateful heirs of that Lutheran Reformation, Apostolic legacy.
And, finally, Synod states that we, as a congregation, have united in a shared ministry together with 1259 other like-minded WELS congregations across this country, as well as like-teaching Lutherans in 23 other nations. We join them in working together for the purposes of growing in our Christian faith, serving our glorious Lord, and proclaiming His gracious salvation in Christ to the world.
The portions of God’s Word used in this worship flyer have been taken from The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version Copyright 2019, The Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission Music and lyrics, as needed, are used with permission via OneLicense.net #A712831
Order of Worship for Trinity Sunday
We Praise Our God
The Greeting and Introduction to Worship
At the invitation of the Pastor, the Congregation will rise
The Invocation
We make our beginning
In the name of the Father….
Who created and preserves this world and every one of us, and Who gave His Son into death for us and raised Him in glory on the third day;
And of the Son,
Who became fully human in order to be our Savior-Substitute, Who laid
down His life only to take it up again on the third day, Who rules over all things from heaven for the good of His Church, and Who will return in glory on the Last Day to deliver that Church;
And of the Holy Spirit
through Whom Christ was made alive,
Who has worked and sustains saving faith in our hearts,
Who lives in us now through the Word,
and Who will one day give life to our mortal bodies.
Amen.
The Preparatory Psalm Psalm 67
May God be gracious to us and bless us + and make His face to shine upon us, + that Your way may be known on earth, + Your saving power 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 the nations upon earth. + Let the peoples praise You, O God; + let all the peoples praise You! + The earth has yielded its increase; + God our God, shall bless us. + God shall bless us; + let all the ends of the earth fear Him!
After which the Congregation may be seated
Opening Hymn Hymn 195 “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty”
1 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
2 Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee, Who was and is and evermore shall be.
3 Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee, Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
Only thou art holy; there is none beside thee, Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.
4 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
the Congregation will rise to sing the final verse
We Make Confession of Our Sins To God
Pastor God, our Heavenly Father, invites us to come into His presence and to worship Him with humble and penitent hearts. Therefore, let us now turn to Him, acknowledging our sinfulness and seeking His forgiveness for all our sins.
Congregation Holy and most merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful, and that I have disobeyed You in my thoughts, words, and actions; Each day I turn away from Your Will. I have left undone those
things which You have asked me to do, and I have done those things which You tell me not to do. I do not love You or my neighbor the way I should. Because of these, and all of my other sins, too numerous for me to recall, I acknowledge that I deserve nothing less than Your punishment both now and for eternity. But I am truly sorry for the evil that I have thought, spoken, and done, and trusting in the perfect life, and innocent death of my Savior, Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, forgive me all my sins, restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and strengthen my weak faith through the promises of Your divine Word that I may obtain Your promised grace.
The Assurance Of God’s Forgiveness
Pastor Find comfort for your souls, then, in these words of our Lord: “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and will purify us from all unrighteousness, because we have One Who speaks to the Father in our
defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” And now, upon this, your voluntary confession, I, because of my office as a called servant of God’s Word, announce the grace of God to all of you. And, in the place of, and according to the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. May the peace of God be with you. Amen.”
We Respond To God’s Forgiveness
Praise God from Who all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures, here, below.
Praise Him above, You heav’nly host.
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
The Prayer For Trinity Sunday
Almighty God and Father, + dwelling in majesty and mystery, + filling and renewing all creation by Your eternal Spirit, + and manifesting Your saving grace through our Lord Jesus Christ: + in mercy cleanse our hearts and lips, + that, free from doubt and fear, + we may ever worship You, + the one, true, immortal God, + together with Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, + and God the Holy Spirit, + living and reigning, now and forever. + Amen.
We Hear God’s Word
The Children’s Lesson Matthew 28:19
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
“Our God’s Separate Sameness”
The Biblical Doctrine of the Holy Trinity
We Believe in God the Father Almighty
The Creator I Corinthians 8:5-6
5 Indeed, even if there are so-called “gods,” whether in the heavens or on earth (as in fact there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 nevertheless for us there is one God—the Father, from Whom all things exist and we exist for Him—and one Lord—Jesus Christ, through Whom all things exist and we exist through Him.
The Preserver Psalm 145:13b-16
The Lord is faithful to all His words and merciful toward all He has made. 14 The Lord lifts up all who fall, and He supports all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look eagerly to You, and You give them their food at the proper time. 16 He opens His hand, and He satisfies the desire of every living thing
Who sent His Son to be our Savior Romans 8:31-32
31 What then will we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 Indeed, He Who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also graciously give us all things along with Him?
The work that God the Father does for us Luther’s explanation of the
First Article of the Apostles’ Creed
I believe that God made me and all that exists, and that He gave me my body and soul, eyes, ears and all my members, my mind and all my abilities. And I believe that God still preserves me by richly and daily providing clothing and shoes, food and drink, property and home, spouse and children, land, cattle and all I own, and all that I need to keep my body and life. God also preserves me by defending me against all danger, and guarding and protecting me from all evil. All this God does only because He is my good and merciful Father in heaven, and not because I have earned or deserved it. For all this I ought to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.
We Believe in God the Son
He is both true God and true Man Philippians 2:5-11
5 Indeed, let this attitude be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. 6 Though He was by nature God, He did not consider equality with God as a prize to be displayed, 7 but He emptied Himself by taking the nature of a servant. When He was born in human likeness, and His appearance was like that of any other man, 8 He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
He is our Savior from sin Titus 3:4-7
4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared, 5 He saved us—not by righteous works that we did ourselves, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 Whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs in keeping with the hope of eternal life.
The work that God the Son does for us Luther’s explanation to the
Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed
I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord. He has redeemed me a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death. All this He did that I should be His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He has risen from death and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.
We Believe in God the Holy Spirit
He is our Sanctifier, bringing us to faith
and keeps us in the one true faith II Thessalonians 2:13-15
13 But we are always obligated to thank God for you, brothers, loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation by the sanctifying work of the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 For this reason He also called you through our gospel so that you would obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold on to the teachings that were passed along to you, either by word of mouth or by a letter from us.
He has enlightened the Church with His Gifts I Corinthians 12:4-11
4 There are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of ministries, and yet the same Lord. 6 There are various kinds of activity, but the same God, Who produces all of them in everyone. 7 Each person is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one person a message of wisdom is given by the Spirit; to another, a message of knowledge, as the same Spirit provides it; 9 by the same Spirit, faith is given to someone else; and to another, the same Spirit gives healing gifts. 10 Another is given powers to do miracles; another, the gift of prophecy; another, the evaluating of spirits; someone else, different kinds of tongues; and another, the interpretation of tongues. 11 One and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them to each one individually as He desires.
He enriches us with His Fruits Galatians 5:22-25
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk in step with it.
The work that the Holy Spirit does for us Luther’s explanation to the
Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed
I believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing, believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian Church He daily and fully forgives all sins to me and all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.
after which the Congregation will REMAIN SEATED for
The Athanasian Creed
P: Whoever will be saved, shall, above all else, hold the true Christian faith.
C: Which faith, except everyone keeps whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish eternally.
- And the true Christian faith is this,
C: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance.
P For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost.
C: But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is all one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
- Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost.
C: The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Ghost uncreated.
P: The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible.
C: The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal.
P: And yet they are not three Eternals, but one Eternal.
C: As there are not three Uncreated nor three Incomprehensibles, but one Uncreated and one Incomprehensible.
P: So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Ghost almighty.
C: And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.
P: So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God.
C: And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
P: So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord.
C: And yet they are not three Lords, but one Lord.
P: For as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord,
- So the true Christian faith forbids us to say that there are three Gods, or three Lords.
P: The Father is made of none: neither created nor begotten.
C: The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten.
P: The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son: neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
- So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.
P: And in this Trinity none is before or after other; none is greater or less than another;
- But the whole three Persons are coeternal together, and coequal:
P: So that in all things, as was said before,
- The Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped.
- He, therefore, that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.
C: Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe faithfully the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
P: For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man;
C: God of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man of the substance of His mother, born in the world;
P: Perfect God and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.
C: Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood;
P: Who, although He is God and Man, yet He is not two but one Christ:
C: One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God;
P: One altogether; not by confusion of Substance, but by unity of Person.
C: For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ;
P: Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead;
C: He ascended into heaven; He sits on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
P: At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies,
C: And will give an account of their own works.
P: And they that have done good will go into life everlasting;
C: And they that have done evil, into everlasting fire.
P: This is the true Christian faith
C: which, except a man believe faithfully and firmly, He cannot be saved.
Our Sermon Hymn Joyful, Joyful We Adore You
To the melody of “Ode to Joy”
Joyful, joyful we adore You, God of glory, God of love!
Heav’n and earth bow down before You,
Praising You, our Lord above.
You our Father, Christ our Savior,
With the Spirit faith provides,
Life eternal we’ve been granted, gracious gift that e’er abides.
You are giving and forgiving, Ever glorious, Ever blest.
Source of every kind of blessing, Giver of eternal rest.
You have claimed us as Your children
Heaven’s heirs through faith alone —
In the Rock of our salvation,
Jesus Christ, our Lord, Your Son.
Lord, receive our prayers and praises,
weak and humble though they be.
Yours the power, Yours the glory,
Both today and endlessly.
None beside You, None before You,
God of mercy, full and free.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, ever blessed Trinity.
after which, the Congregation will be invited to rise for
The Greeting
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Amen.
Sermon Text Jeremiah 10:1-16
Hear the word that the Lord is speaking to you, house of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord says. Do not learn the ways of the nations, or be frightened by signs in the heavens, although the nations are frightened by them. 3 The rituals of the peoples are worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest. Then the hands of a craftsman work it with an ax. 4 They decorate it with silver and gold, but they have to nail it down with hammers, so that it will not tip over. 5 Their idols are like a scarecrow in a melon patch. They cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them. They can do no harm, nor can they do any good.
6 No one is like You, Lord. You are great and Your name is powerful. 7 Is there anyone who should not fear You, King of the Nations? That is what You deserve. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like You. 8 They are stupid and foolish, because they are instructed by worthless idols made of wood. 9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold is brought from Uphaz. The handiwork of a goldsmith and the work of a craftsman, their idols are dressed in blue and purple. But they are nothing but the work of skilled craftsmen.
10 But the Lord is the true God. He is the living God, the eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath. The nations cannot endure His fury. 11 You are to say this to them: “These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” 12 But the One Who made the earth by His power, established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by His understanding— 13 He thunders, and the waters in the heavens roar. He makes storm clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings out the wind from his warehouses. 14 But as for mankind, they are all stupid. Their knowledge has dried up. Every goldsmith is embarrassed by his idols. The images he makes are false. There is no breath in them. 15 They are worthless, an achievement to be mocked. At the time of their punishment, they will perish. 16 He Who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, because He is the Maker of all things, including Israel, the tribe that belongs to Him. The Lord of Armies is His name.
The God We Worship……
The Only God There Is
following the sermon, the Congregation will REMAIN SEATED for
The Post-Sermon Blessing
May the LORD our God be with us as He was with our fathers; May He never leave us or forsake use. May He turn our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways. Amen.
We Offer Our Gifts and Prayers to the Lord
The Offering
Offerings will be received this morning through offering plates passed among those who have gathered here for worship. However, for those viewing this service online, we offer you the following suggestions for providing God with Your thank-offerings through our ministry:
1) You can mail a check (no cash, please) to our church address
(415 N. 6th Place, Lowell, AR 72745); or
2) You can donate through our website: www.gracelutherannwa.com
as the offerings are brought forward the Congregation will rise for
-
The Prayers for Today
Included in our prayers for today is a Prayer of Thanksgiving on behalf of Danielle and Taylor Ashley. This past Friday morning, God blessed them with the gift of a newborn son, Liam.
Pastor: Lord God, Almighty Father, You made us the crown of all Your creation, and You graciously preserve us with every good thing, that we may live before You in peace and joy.
Cong: You do this all out of pure Fatherly goodness and mercy, + and not because we have earned or deserve it; + now, for this it is our duty to thank and to praise You, + and to gladly offer all that You have given us, + especially ourselves, to Your service, + and for Your glory.
- Lord Jesus Christ, God’s only Son from all eternity, You have redeemed us, lost and condemned sinners, with Your holy, precious blood and You have set us free from all sin, from death, and from the power of the Devil.
C: All this You did to make us Your own, + that we may live with You, now and forever, + in perfect joy and endless glory.
P: O Holy Spirit, You have called us out of the darkness of unbelief through the Gospel; You have illumined our hearts by the light of faith and joined us into one sanctified family with our Lord Jesus Christ.
C: You have done all this so that we may be filled with the rich gifts of Your grace: + an unwavering trust in the true God; + the love of Christ that knows no limits; + a strong faith to willingly serve and publicly confess You, + our God, before all people; + and the courage to meet and overcome every trial of life and death.
P: O Triune God, we praise and thank You for all the blessings You have so generously given us, Your unworthy servants. At Your invitation, we now bring all our needs of body and soul to You as we join in praying:
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.
We Leave With The Lord’s Blessing
The Benediction
The LORD bless you and keep you.
The LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
The LORD look with favor upon you, and give you His peace. Amen.
The Closing Hymn Hymn 326 “May the Grace of Christ the Savior”
1 May the grace of Christ our Savior And the Father’s boundless love
With the Holy Spirit’s favor Rest upon us from above.
2 So may we abide in union With each other and the Lord,
Gathered here in blest communion By the power of his Word.
- So with all the saints in heaven, heartfelt praise to You we sing
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Three-in-One, our Triune King!
Silent Prayer,
Announcements,
Post-service Music