The Third Sunday after the Festival of the Holy Trinity
The Fifth Sunday of the Pentecost Season
July 06, 2025
I Believe in Jesus Christ…Conceived by the Spirit,
born to the Virgin Mary
The field of “Christology” is that area of Christian doctrinal theology which studies all that the Scriptures have to say about the person and work of Jesus Christ. As the God-Man He possesses both a truly human nature and a truly divine nature which are united inseparably in His one person, or being. Both natures were necessary for Jesus to have accomplished His work of redemption for us.
During their four years’ of Seminary preparation for the pastoral ministry, future pastors of our Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod receive one full year of dogmatics (doctrinal theology) training specifically devoted to the study of Christology. And that time is well spent, because a thorough and correct understanding of Christ’s two natures and His redemptive work is critical not only to a pastor’s doctrinal faithfulness but also to his church body’s orthodoxy. In turn, whether or not a pastor knows (and correctly teaches) what the Scriptures have to say about Christ can have a direct impact – positively, or negatively – on the souls (and eternal salvation) of the people he serves.
Whether or not you’ve ever studied “Christology” in any great detail, you and I confess the “fundamentals” of orthodox Christian Christology each time we join together in the Apostles’ Creed. We do it when we say, “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary….”
Down through the 20 centuries of its history, the Christian Church has had to deal with a number of heresies (false, salvation-destroying teachings) revolving around “Christology.” Arianism, Monarchianism, Nestorianism, Monophysitism, Eutychianism, and Apollinariamism are just a few (…..you can talk with Pastor after worship today if you’d like more information on these “Christological” heresies). Essentially all of them (whether blatantly or subtly) either denied the true deity of Christ (the first three), or they denied the true humanity of Christ (the latter three).
Even today, in religious groups like Christian Science, Mormonism, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses…..and in many “liberal” so-called Christian groups…..the Biblical doctrine of the two natures of Christ – that He is truly God and truly man in one person – continues to be challenged, compromised and rejected. By the grace of God alone you and I believe and teach as we do, accepting by faith what God’s Word tells us about the person and the work of Christ Because of that true and trustworthy faith, we can be absolutely certain of our salvation in Christ. Thankfully our salvation is dependant not on our efforts or earnestness. Instead it is based entirely and only on the righteousness and atoning merits for us of the God-man, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.
In our Old Testament Lesson today we’ll see the humanity of Jesus expressed in His biological connection to King David. His deity is indicated in the name by which He would reign over the true, spiritual Israel (which is the Church): “the LORD our Righteousness.”
Our Epistle Lesson begins by implicitly recognizing the divine nature of Christ, Who willingly took upon Himself our human nature in order to win salvation for sinful mankind. At the close of our reading, we’re reminded that our Savior also can help us withstand temptations, since He was subjected to them as a man, all the while successfully resisting them.
Today’s Gospel Lesson is the account of Jesus’ asking His disciples “Who do men say I am?” In that day, as today, many saw Jesus as a great teacher, an outstanding man, even a prophet. But only a few — and that by the grace of God — saw Him as He really is: the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the world’s one and only Savior from sin and for heaven.
In this morning’s Children’s Lesson we’ll talk about the importance of Jesus being both God and man in order to be our Savior. We’ll also consider how God graciously looks at sinful humans “through Jesus” (our “sin filter”). So, instead of seeing our sins, the LORD looks at us and sees Jesus’ righteousness covering us.
Finally in today’s Sermon we’ll further discuss the two natures of Christ, through which Jesus is not only our physical brother, but also (and especially) our LORD, and our Savior.
The Spiritual Significance of Jesus’
“Incarnation” and “the Virgin Birth”
The Incarnation
In Christianity, the word “incarnation” is used to express the reality of Jesus Christ coming to earth and becoming fully human. “Incarnation” comes from the Latin language and literally means “the act of being made flesh.” It reflects what today’s sermon text, John 1:14, teaches about Jesus, when it says He “became flesh and dwelt among us.”
Theologically, the humanity of Jesus is an essential part of Who He is as our Savior. He is, of course, the eternal God (John 1:1; Colossians 1:16). Yet our God chose to take to Himself a human body (Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 2:9). He often referred to His humanity when He described Himself as “the Son of Man” (Matthew 9:6). He was also called “the Son of David” (Matthew 21:9; Jeremiah 23:5) as a proof of His physical connection to King David (and the Messianic promise made to David). The Bible teaches that He possessed the attributes/characteristics of a human being. He was born physically to a woman (Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:21; Luke 2:6-7), was hungry (Matthew 4:2; 21:18), slept (Mark 4:38), experienced temptation (Matthew 4:1-11) and had a body consisting of flesh and bones (Luke 24:39: Hebrews 2:14). Like other humans, He could perspire (Luke 22:43-44) and bleed (John 19:34). He also displayed humans emotions, including anger (Mark 3:5…His was righteous anger), joy (John 15:11), sorrow (Matthew 26:37) and tears (John 11:35).
Becoming human allowed Jesus to live under the law of God (Galatians 4:4,5; Leviticus 19:2), and to do so perfectly (I Peter 2:22; I John 3:5; Isaiah 53:9; John 8:46). He lived under God’s Law in order to be our Substitute in holiness – providing sinful humanity with the righteous status that we otherwise inherently and functionally lack (Romans 5:12; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 53:6). That “applied” righteousness is critical for us if we are ever going to be right with God (Matthew 3:15; Romans 10:4) and one day allowed to dwell in His presence in heaven (Revelation 22:14-15; Revelation 21:27). Jesus also had to become fully human in order to die in our place as the supreme sacrifice for sin that God required (Hebrews 9:12; Hebrews 10:8-10, 14; Hebrews 9:22). His death was sufficient to pay for the sins of the whole world (II Corinthians 5:19-21: I John 1:7). Plus, in order to earn for as victory over death, through His bodily resurrection (I Corinthians 15:53-58), Jesus had to physically die, which required His assuming a body.
Our salvation completely depends upon Jesus coming to this world in human form. Romans 5:8 clearly states, “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” His love was on full display when he took upon Himself our humanity, allowing Himself to be sacrificed to make full satisfaction for our sins (Isaiah 53).
However, unlike any other human, Jesus lived as a man who never sinned in deed, word or thought. Hebrews 4:15 reminds us of this: “For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One Who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” He resisted every temptation perfectly (Matthew 4:1-11), thus affirming both His full deity and full humanity.
Also unique to His humanity is Jesus’ bodily resurrection. He raised others from the dead during His life, but only Jesus returned to life by His own power (John 10:17-18). His resurrection for us is only possible because He first took on human form and died for us. As far as the significance of Jesus’ bodily resurrection for our faith is concerned, the apostle Paul referred to Christ’s resurrection as a matter of “first importance” (1 Corinthians 15:3) and wrote, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). Without the sinless life, the sacrificial death and the bodily resurrection of Jesus, our Christian faith would have an insufficient foundation to guarantee those who believe in Him the full forgiveness, eternal life and salvation what we so dearly need.
Finally, Jesus did not divest Himself of His humanity following His ascension (Ephesians 4:8-10). He continues to be both fully God and fully human as He lives and rules over all things for us in heaven. He is one Christ, the God-man (I John 5:20; I Timothy 2:5) – and is “omnipresent” (ever-present) according to both His divine and His human natures (Hebrews 2:5-8; Ephesians 1:20-23). We can be sure that He is always watching over us and ruling over all things for the good of His Church (Hebrews 1:3; Romans 8:28, 34) . He is with us always (Matthew 28:20) and He fills all things (Ephesians 4:10). One day He will visibly return in His body to bring about the end of the world (Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:13-18). Jesus’ true body and blood are also physically present in the bread and wine that we receive when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:26-28; I Corinthians 11:23-29).
Through our study of what God’s Word teaches about Jesus’ incarnation, we come to know better the God Who loves us so much that He came to earth and took on our humanity on our behalf so that He could ultimately give up His life to pay for all our sins and offer us eternal life through faith in Him. It’s just as John 3:16 declares, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
The Virgin Birth
Tied to the doctrine of Christ’s incarnation is what God’s Word teaches about the virgin birth of Jesus. But why was it crucial that Jesus’ mother Mary be a virgin when Jesus was conceived and born? Why was it vital that Jesus did not have a biological father?
One reason for Jesus’ virgin birth is that it fulfilled Old Testament prophecy and therefore identifies Him as the Messiah. He is the promised “Seed” of the woman (Genesis 3:15), first offered to Adam and Eve after their Fall into sin. Isaiah 7:14 prophesied that a virgin would be with Child, something Matthew 1:21 confirms in connection with Jesus. Ever since that prophecy, which was made 700 years before Christ’s birth, Jewish believers were looking for that particular sign to identify the Messiah. And, of course that sign was eventually fulfilled. Our knowing that Jesus satisfied this prophecy and all of the other 400 plus Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament further confirms our faith in Him as our Lord and Savior.
Another reason for the necessity of the virgin birth is that having a biological father would have annulled Jesus’ deity. He simply could not have been the son of Joseph and the Son of God at the same time! What’s more, every person born of a sinful woman and a sinful man has inherited Adam’s sin nature (Romans 5:12, 17, 19). It was only as the true God that Jesus could be the perfect sacrifice sufficient to pay for all of humanity’s sin. Consequently, God the Holy Spirit had to conceive Jesus (Luke 1:35) – making Him the God-Man (I John 5:20; I Timothy 2:5) and assuring that He possessed the deity He needed to be our Redeemer.
The virgin birth is also a picture of our role in our salvation: we didn’t do anything to save ourselves. We simply accept by faith what God has done for us in Christ. (And that faith is worked by God the Holy Spirit in our hearts). Joseph had no part whatsoever in the conception of Jesus. Mary’s role also was passive; she merely acknowledged in faith what God was accomplishing in her. As Ephesians 2:8-9 says, the work of our salvation is accomplished entirely by God alone…since neither holiness nor salvation can be achieved by the efforts of sinful humans.
Sadly, today there are many people who do not accept the truth of the virgin birth. In general, so-called “modern” religious scholarship (falsely) maintains that the Hebrew word for “virgin” in Isaiah 7:14 should read “young woman,”and that Jesus simply was the ordinary product of two human beings. They have convinced themselves that He became the “Son of God” only in the sense that He was an extraordinarily godly Individual Whom God blessed with the status of “Son of God. They suggest that it was because of Jesus’ righteousness that God chose Him to be a prophet and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. …Of course, nothing could be further from the Scriptural truth!
It should not surprise us that those who reject the virgin birth also reject – among other things – the deity of Jesus, Christ’s atonement and bodily resurrection for our salvation, the sinful nature of humanity, and the verbal inspiration of the Word of God. Consequently, a denial of the virgin birth is antithetical to the Christian faith. After all, God is all-powerful (Psalm 115:3; Ephesians 3:20) and can do the impossible (Luke 1:37). We believe that Jesus is God, Who became human in order to be our Savior. The Bible is God’s Word and it teaches us these truths. The incarnation and the virgin birth of Christ are essential elements of our Christian faith. Those who believe these truths, with all that they mean for us, are Christians. Those who reject them are not Christians.
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
Pre-Service Prayer:
The day has dawned and duty calls
So many tasks await.
Lord strengthen me when my spirit fails
Or when I hesitate.
To do the good I ought to do,
To shun each sinful way.
Jesus, forgive the wrongs I’ll do
And keep me safe today. Amen.
Pre-service prayer Pre-worship music
We Praise The Lord
The Introduction and Invitation to Worship
following which, at the invitation of the Pastor,
the Congregation will rise for the invocation
The Invocation
Pastor We begin this service in the name of the Father
Congregation Who gave us our lives through His almighty power.
P: And of the Son
C: Who redeemed our lives with His precious blood.
P: And of the Holy Spirit
C: Who gave us eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus.
P: Amen.
The Preparatory Psalm Psalm 5, selected verses
P: Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
C: Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, + for to You I will pray.
P: My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD.
C: In the morning I will direct it to You, + And I will look up.
P: For you are not a God Who takes pleasure in wickedness. Nor shall evil dwell with You.
C: The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; + You hate all workers of iniquity.
P: But as for me, I will come into your house in the multitude of Your mercy.
C: In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.
P: Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies — make Your way straight before my face.
C: But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; + Let them shout for joy because You defend them.
P: Let those who love Your name be joyful in You.
C: For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; + With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
after which the Congregation will be seated for
Opening Hymn Medley
(Hymn 620, verse 1)
1 To you, our God, we fly
For mercy and for grace.
Oh, hear our lowly cry
And do not hide your face!
O Lord, stretch forth your mighty hand
And guard and bless our native land.
(Hymn 618, verse 2)
2 The nation you have blessed
May well your love declare,
From foes and fears at rest,
Protected by your care.
For this fair land,
For this bright day
Our thanks we pay —
Gifts of your hand.
(Hymn 612, verse 3)
3 Peace, prosperity, and health,
Private bliss and public wealth,
Knowledge with its gladd’ning streams,
True religion’s holier beams —
Lord, for these our souls shall raise
Grateful vows and solemn praise.
(Hymn 617, verse 3)
3 Give us rulers who will be
Known for love and honesty;
Let the pow’rs that you ordained
Be in righteousness maintained.
In the people’s hearts increase
Love of piety and peace.
Thus united, we shall stand
One wide, free, and happy land.
(Hymn 609, verses 2 & 3)
2 We worship you, God of our fathers; we bless you.
Through trial and tempest our guide you have been;
When perils o’ertake us, you will not forsake us,
And with your help, O Lord, our battles we win.
3 With voices united our praises we offer;
To you, great Jehovah, glad anthems we raise.
Your strong arm will guide us; our God is beside us.
To you, our great Redeemer, fore’er be praise! Amen.
the Congregation will rise to sing the final verse
Hear Us and Forgive Us, Lord
Pastor – We have come together to worship the Triune God.
Congregation – He is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
P: Jesus said, “Wherever two or three come together in My name, there am I with them.”
C: The LORD Almighty is with us. The God of Jacob is our Refuge.
P: But who may come into His presence? And who may call on Him for help?
C: He whose walk is blameless + and who does what is righteous.
P: Who speaks the truth from his heart, and who has no slander on his tongue.
C: Who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellow man.
P: Who keeps His oath even when it hurts.
C: Who honors those who fear the LORD.
We Make Confession of Our Sins To God
Pastor – Let us join in confessing our sins to God our Father.
Congregation – Almighty Lord God, we have come together to stand in Your presence, + to hear Your Word, and to worship You.
Pastor – But who may appear in Your presence, Heavenly Father, and who may call on You for help?
Congregation – He who has clean hands and a pure heart; + He shall receive blessings from the Lord.
Pastor – O holy and righteous God, You alone can make us clean. We have rebelled against You and become worthless. But Your mercies never end; they are new every day. At Your command and promise, therefore, we come to You and confess our sins.
Congregation Miserable person that I am, + I confess and lament to You, O most holy God, + that I am a weak and sinful creature, + guilty of every sin, of unbelief, and of blasphemy. + I also confess
that Your Word has not brought forth good fruit in me. + I hear it, but do not receive it earnestly. + I do not show works of love toward my neighbor. + I am full of anger, hate, and envy. + I am impatient, greedy, and bent on every evil. + Therefore my heart and conscience are heavy. + Lord, I ask You, free me from my sins, + strengthen my faith, + and comfort my weak conscience by Your divine Word, + that I may obtain Your promised grace.
Pastor – Having faithfully confessed your sins, now hear Your heavenly Father’s promise of forgiveness to you. Jesus explained God’s will and promise as clearly as possible in John 6:40 when He said, “For my Father’s
will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day.” And now, carrying out my office as a called servant of the Living Word, I proclaim the grace and mercy of God to all of you, and according to the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, and in His place, I forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you. Amen.
We Respond To God’s Forgiveness (CW, 263)
All glory be to God on high, Who has our race befriended.
To us no harm shall now come nigh; the strife at last is ended.
The Father’s love, the Savior’s birth,
Bring peace, good will to all on earth.
Oh, thank Him for His goodness.
We praise, we worship You, we trust; We give You thanks forever,
O Father, that Your rule is just and Wise and changes never.
In boundless pow’r, with mighty reign, Done is whatever You ordain.
Your rule brings countless blessings.
O Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, Your heav’nly Father,
You did for all our sins atone, And Your lost sheep You gather.
O Lamb of God, to You on high, From depths of woe we sinners cry.
Have mercy on us, Jesus!
O Holy Spirit, precious Gift, Our Comforter from heaven,
Our weary hearts and souls uplift; For this our praise is given.
Deliver us from doubt and fear; When Satan troubles us, be near.
We trust Your love and power. Amen
The Prayer for the Morning
Almighty God, merciful Father, + as we meditate upon Your Word today, + fill us with the assurance that, + in spite of how sinful each of us is, + You love us all, + and through the merits of Christ Jesus, + You have fully and freely forgiven us for all our transgressions. + Though in the past we have acted like Your enemies + and often still behave as though we are, + You continue to deal with us a most gracious and loving way. + For all that You have done, + continue to do, + and promise to do for us –– and all of it for Jesus’ sake — we know that we can never sufficiently thank You. + Still, we offer our hearts, + ourselves, + and all that we have, + in humble gratitude and profound love to You + as the God of our lives and of our salvation. + Bless, we pray, this worship service, + for our good and for Your glory. + And use every one of us, LORD, + in whatever ways You know are best, + to further Your kingdom + and to glorify Your sacred name. + All this we seek in the name of Jesus Christ, + Your Son, our Savior, + Who lives and rules with You and the Holy Spirit, + as the one true God + now and for ever. + Amen.
After which the Congregation may be seated
Feed Us, Lord
The Old Testament Lesson Jeremiah 23:1-6
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture! declares the Lord.
2 Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who shepherd My people.
You have scattered My flock.
You have driven them away.
You have not taken care of them,
but I will certainly take care of you,
because of the evil things you have done,
declares the Lord.
3 I will gather what is left of My flock
out of all the countries where I have driven them,
and I will bring them back to their pastures.
They will be fruitful and multiply.
4 I will raise up shepherds over them
who will shepherd them.
They will no longer be afraid or terrified,
nor will any be missing, declares the Lord.
5 Listen, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will raise up for David a Righteous Branch,
Who will reign wisely as king
and establish justice and righteousness on earth.
6 In His days Judah will be saved
and Israel will dwell securely.
This is His name by which He will be called:
The Lord Our Righteousness.
The Epistle Lesson Hebrews 2:5-18
5 For God did not place the coming world, about which we are speaking, under the control of angels. 6 But there is a place where someone has testified:
What is Man that you remember Him,
or the Son of Man that you look after Him?
7 You made Him lower than the angels for a little while.
You crowned Him with glory and honor.
8 You put everything in subjection under His feet.
Indeed, in putting everything in subjection to Him, God left nothing that is not in subjection to Him. At the present time, we do not yet see everything in subjection to Him. 9 But we look to Jesus (the One Who was made lower than the angels for a little while, so that by God’s grace He might taste death for everyone), now crowned with glory and honor, because He suffered death.
10 Certainly it was fitting for God (the One for Whom and through Whom everything exists), in leading many sons to glory, to bring the Author of their salvation to His goal through sufferings. 11 For He Who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified all have one Father. For that reason, He is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12 He says: I will declare Your name to My brothers. Within the congregation I will sing Your praise.
13 And again: I will trust in Him.
And again: Here I am and the children God has given me.
14 Therefore, since the children share flesh and blood, He also shared the same flesh and blood, so that through death He could destroy the one who had the power of death (that is, the Devil) 15 and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. 16 For surely He was not concerned with helping angels but with helping Abraham’s offspring. 17 For this reason, He had to become like His brothers in every way, in order that He would be a merciful and faithful High Priest in the things pertaining to God, so that He could pay for the sins of the people. 18 Indeed, because He suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.
after which, out of respect for the words of Christ,
the Congregation will rise for
The Gospel Lesson Matthew 16:13-20
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But you, who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then He commanded the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ.
after which the Congregation will remain standing for
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost; Born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate; Was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; The Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; The forgiveness of sins; The resurrection of the body; And the life everlasting. Amen.
after which the Congregation will be seated for
The Children’s Lesson Hebrews 7:23-25
23 There were many who became priests because death prevented any of them from continuing to remain in office. 24 But because This One endures forever, He has a permanent priesthood. 25 So for this reason He is able to save forever those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to plead on their behalf.
God Views Us Through “Son”glasses
Sermon Hymn Hymn 340 “Oh, For A Thousand Tongues To Sing”
1 Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of his grace!
2 My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad,
The honors of your name.
3 The name of Jesus calms our fears
And bids our sorrows cease.
‘Tis music in the sinners ears;
‘Tis life and health and peace.
4 He breaks the pow’r of canceled sin;
He sets the pris’ner free.
His blood can make the foulest clean;
His blood avails for me.
5 See all your sins on Jesus laid;
The Lamb of God was slain.
His life was once an off’ring made
That you might live again.
6 Glory to God and praise and love
Be ever, ever giv’n
By saints below and saints above,
The Church in earth and heav’n.
after which the Congregation will rise for
The Greeting
Grace and peace be yours in abundance, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ, our Lord. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer! Amen.
Sermon Text John 1:14
14 The Word became flesh and dwelled among us. We have seen His glory, the glory He has as the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Miracles of the Incarnation
I. …That God Became Human
II. …That All Sin Is Forgiven
III. …That We Believe This
after the Sermon, the Congregation will REMAIN SEATED
The Post-Sermon Blessing
May the God of peace, Who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, now equip you with everything good for doing His will! Amen.
Offering Hymn Hymn 480 “Almighty Father, Heaven and Earth”
verses 1, 4, & 5
1 Almighty Father, heav’n and earth
With lavish wealth before you bow;
Those treasures owe to you their birth,
So richly furnished for us now.
4 We, Lord, would lay, at your request,
The costliest off’rings on your shrine,
And when we give and give our best,
We but return your gifts divine.
5 O Father, whence all blessings come,
O Son, Dispenser of God’s store,
O Spirit, bear our off’rings home —
Lord, make them yours forevermore!
We Respond To God’s Word
through our Offering and Prayers
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
after the offerings are received,
at the invitation of the pastor, the Congregation will rise for
The Offerings are gathered and presented to our Lord
as the offerings are brought forward, the Congregation will rise
The Offering Prayer
Dear Savior, You have taught us: “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Teach us to realize more and more that happiness in life does not depend on the number of things we can call our own. Rather, Jesus, help us to find joy in the uses that we as stewards make of the money and all of the other resources that You have placed in our hands. Amen.
Included in our prayers this morning is:
A Prayer of Thanksgiving and Continued Intercession for Tim Pfortmiller who successfully went through surgery this past Tuesday, but who also continues to receive treatments for cancer;
and
A Special Prayer for our nation on this Independence Day weekend;
The Prayers for the Church
P: Lord God, Maker and Preserver of all, we praise and thank You for all that You give us each day:
C: We are not worthy of the mercies You show us. May the Word we have heard today take root in our hearts and bear fruit in our lives, and may it encourage us to shine as brilliant lights for Your glory in this sinful world.
P: Heavenly Father, protect us from every kind of danger: sudden catastrophe, terrors of crime, the pain of
disease, and the perils of the devil:
C: Heal those who are sick, cheer those who are sad, calm those who are distressed, give understanding to those who are confused, and grant comfort to all who are aged and ill.
P: Bless our land, our people, and those who hold offices of high trust. Bless our President by granting Him the wisdom to govern our nation prudently, and in conformity with Your holy will. Keep our government and schools strong and upright for the advancement of good citizenship and capable workers, that we may continue to enjoy Your gifts of peace, prosperity, and well-being in this country of which You have so graciously made us citizens.
C: Grant Your blessing to every nation on earth. Where there is war, may there be peace. Where there is hatred, let it be overcome by love. Where there is poverty, danger, and disaster, come with Your mighty power to help and restore those who are suffering.
P: Protect those who travel by land, sea, and air. We pray that You will keep our loved ones from whatever dangers may threaten them and, in particular, that you would keep safe those in our military who are serving our country in hazardous and life-threatening situations around the world.
C: Bless also those who serve You in our congregation. Give them a rich measure of strength, patience, wisdom, and love. But above all, we give ourselves to You, O Lord, that we may serve You in whatever ways are pleasing in Your sight. Take what we have, our bodies and minds, our time and skills, our possessions and offerings, and use them to Your glory.
P: Also hear us, dear Father, as we take a few moments to silently offer our personal petitions to You.
A Moment for Silent Prayer
P: And finally, with all our prayers being offered in Jesus’ name, we also join in that special prayer which has been given to us by our Savior:
The 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 for ever and ever. Amen.
We Celebrate the Lord’s Supper
Consecration of the Elements (Pastor)
The Exhortation Regarding the Lord’s Supper (Pastor)
(Please read the following if you have not spoken with
our Pastor about taking communion. Thank you.)
To our Guests this morning, we appreciate your presence among us. It is an honor to have you join with us as we worship our Lord and listen to His Word. We truly consider it a privilege to spend this time with you! It is our hope that you will both return in the future to worship with us again, and – perhaps – that You will even choose to become part of our congregation’s membership and our Synodical (WELS) fellowship, so that you might become even more involved in worship, study of God’s Word, and in Christian ministry and fellowship with us.
In connection with our worship as Christians, we regularly celebrate the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion. But, as a key part of our church’s Biblically-based communion practice, before we can ask anyone to commune with us, we are compelled to first sit down with that individual and establish (upon a comprehensive study of the teachings of Scripture) that we are united in full doctrinal/ teaching fellowship…….which Scripture requires of any and all Christians before they can commune together.
Accordingly, we can offer the Lord’s Supper this morning only to those individuals who have completed that course of study, and who have chosen to become confirmed, communicant members of Grace Lutheran congregation or from one of our Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) or Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) congregations.
For some guests, this Biblical practice of “Close Communion“ is both unfamiliar and (quite possibly) uncomfortable. We realize that, unfortunately, few churches today continue to follow this approach to communion…..though, in the past nearly all did (when many churches were more concerned about following all of God’s Word than is the case today). We understand that it is not necessarily easy to watch others receiving the Lord’s Supper, while being asked – respectfully — to refrain from receiving it. Many of us who are communing today once also watched others receive the Lord’s Supper, as you are being asked to do this morning, while waiting for the privilege of one day being an active partner in this “Close Communion.” We want to assure you that we are not judging your faith in Christ today. Nor it is our desire to offend you. But it also is not our desire to offend or disobey our Lord’s expectations for the proper use of His Supper. Indeed, we must all obey Him above all others, and we want to obey Him. Consequently, if you have any questions or concerns about our use/practice of the Lord’s Supper (and we invite you to ask or express them — if you do), please feel free to speak with our Pastor after the service, or at your convenience. He considers it a privilege to share with you and others the Biblical reasons for our approach to receiving and offering the Lord’s Supper. In addition, you can also find a brochure in our tract/brochure rack in the entryway; it is entitled “Our Communion Practice.” This brochure also provides our guests and friends with the Scripture-based explanation for our understanding of and use of the Lord’s Supper.
Finally, please know that we truly are grateful for your participation – as a fellow Christian – in this morning’s worship service. We also thank you for your patience and understanding, and for respecting this Biblical approach we must take as we endeavor to faithfully make use of our Lord’s Supper. We hope and pray that you will come back to worship with us again — often. And it’s also our prayer that one day you might become a part of this Christian fellowship, not only as we worship and hear God’s Word from these pews, but as we receive the Lord’s Supper together. May God bless and keep you always!
The Distribution Hymn “I Stand Here Before You”
Sung to the melody of “How Firm A Foundation” (CW 416)
I stand here before You, O mightiest One
In need of forgiveness for wrongs I have done.
Oh, grant me Your pardon, my spirit now pleads
Forgive my transgressions in thoughts, words, and deeds.
The Tempter keeps taunting me day after day,
I often succumb and submit to his way.
From birth I’ve been evil — my mortal flesh weak,
I do not abide by the words that You speak.
I humbly confess with the deepest of shame
The times I abused Your magnificent Name.
In spite of Your right to demand faithfulness,
My life’s often guided by my selfishness.
I covet, I slander, I look with lust, too.
I fail to give honor where honor is due.
I steal and I gossip…..so far do I fall –
Your perfect commandments: I’ve broken them all.
Right here at Your table forgiveness is found
In Christ’s holy blood that flowed down to the ground,
His body and blood in the bread and the wine
A marvel of love that is truly divine!
That blood of Your Chosen was shed to erase
The sins of the world. How I cherish that grace!
Dear God I am thankful to be such a one,
Washed clean by the blood of my Savior, Your Son.
At the close of the distribution of communion
the Pastor will invite the congregation to rise as
We Leave With The Lord’s Blessing
The Closing Prayer
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 Congregation will be seated for
Closing Hymn Hymn 619 “God Bless Our Native Land”
1 God bless our native land!
Firm may she ever stand
Through storm and night!
When the wild tempests rave,
Ruler of wind and wave,
Do thou our country save
By thy great might.
2 For her our prayers shall rise
To God above the skies;
On him we wait.
Thou who art ever nigh,
Guarding with watchful eye,
To thee aloud we cry,
God save the state!
silent prayer
announcements
post service music