Walking and Talking with Jesus
The First Sunday after Easter (the Second Sunday of the Easter Season) is liturgically and traditionally known as “Quasi modo geniti” Sunday (which is a Latin term meaning “as newborn babies.” That phrase is the opening line of a centuries’ old dialogue between pastor and congregation based on a portion of I Peter 2 and Psalm 81. Our opening Psalm reading for today includes that dialog, as well as portions of Psalms 143 and 31.
In the early years of the Christian Church, this day was also known by another designation: “Dominica in albis” Sunday (which, in Latin, means “the Lord’s Day in White”). In those days it was customary to baptize and confirm new members on Easter Sunday. Then, those who had been baptized and confirmed would receive communion for the first time on the first Sunday following Easter – at which time they also would lay aside the white baptism robes (symbolizing the purity/righteousness before God that Christians enjoy through faith in Christ crucified and risen for us) which they had worn throughout the week following Easter Sunday.
The “Easter Season” is the fifth component of the traditional “Church Calendar” (following Advent, Christmas, Epiphany and Lent). It is seven Sundays long (starting, obviously, with this past “Easter Sunday”). During the course of the Easter Season, the Christian Church customarily focuses its attention on the various ways that certain portions of Scripture and Easter hymn selections celebrate the significance of Christ’s resurrection for us. We also consider the different ways through which we can gratefully and faithfully respond in our Christian living to the eternal victory that our Savior, through His resurrection, has guaranteed us over sin, death, and Satan.
Consistent with that traditional emphasis, today’s service is centered around our Gospel Lesson and Sermon Text, Luke’s account of Jesus’ incognito meeting, walking with, and instructing two disciples who were traveling the 7 miles from Jerusalem to the little village of Emmaus in the late afternoon of that first Easter Sunday. Keeping His identity from them until the very last moment, Jesus took those two followers of His – initially sorrowful over His death – through the Old Testament Scriptures, pointing out to them the prophecies which found their fulfillment in Him. In short order, as Jesus opened the Word to them, their hearts began to “burn” with joy and the result was a stronger, clearer, renewed faith. At last, they came to the proper understanding, courtesy of Jesus, that their Lord had to die and rise three days later in order to be the Messiah. Then, shortly afterward, while they were enjoying a meal together with Him, the two disciples were allowed to recognize that their Teacher was none other than their Lord Jesus – and as quickly as they recognized Him, Jesus vanished from their sight! But their joy in knowing Christ had indeed risen and that He was alive would never vanish from their hearts…..nor should it vanish from our hearts.
This morning’s Children’s Lesson and Old Testament Lesson is taken from Psalm 119 – the longest chapter in the Bible….but more important, a chapter that stresses the blessing and importance to every believer of regularly relying on the written Word of God (the Scriptures) for guidance and spiritual growth.
Finally, our Epistle Lesson for today will stress that Jesus is – without a doubt – THE fulfillment of every one of the Old Testament prophecies about the Promised Messiah, Whose mission it was to die and be resurrected in order to save not only the Jews, but also the Gentile peoples. Indeed, Christ died, rose and reigns for us all. We’ll also be reminded in the opening verse of this lesson that our God graciously has given us His Word so that, through our responsible use of it, our faith might grow and, in so doing, our confidence and joy in the blessings of heaven that are ours through faith in Christ might increase day by day.
Pre-Worship Prayer Heavenly Father, having brought me safely to the start of yet another day under Your grace, receive and bless my worship of You,Your Son, and the Holy Spirit today. As I meditate on Your Word, graciously send the Holy Spirit into my heart to fill me with a greater measure of joy, increase my faith, and further develop my love and devotion to You alone. Bless my fellow worshipers, that we might grow in our Christian faith and service to You. Finally, Lord, use us all in whatever ways You see fit, to testify to others, through our words and the way we live, about the love, forgiveness, and salvation which You graciously offer to all people, through Your Son, my Lord, Jesus Christ. It is in His name that I pray. Amen.
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
Pre-service prayer
We Praise Our God
The Introduction and Invitation to Worship
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 Responsive Reading for Today selected verses I Peter 2, and Psalms 81, 143, and 31
P: Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
C: Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You.
P: Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.
C: Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God;
P: may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For Your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life! O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy;
C: in Your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.
P: Do not bring Your servant into judgement,
C: for no one living is righteous before You.
P: But I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”
C: Let Your face shine upon Your servant; save me in Your unfailing love.
P: How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You.
C: Praise be to the LORD, for He showed His wonderful love for me.
P: Love the Lord, all His saints!
C: Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob. Hallelujah!
The Opening Hymn “O Word of God Incarnate”
O Word of God incarnate, O Wisdom from on high,
O Truth unchanged, unchanging, O Light of our dark sky:
We praise You for the radiance That from the hallowed page,
A lantern to our footsteps, Shines on from age to age.
The Church from You, dear Master, Received the gift divine;
And still that light is lifted O’er all the earth to shine.
It is the chart and compass That, all life’s voyage through,
Mid mists and rocks and quicksands Still guides, O Christ, to You.
O make Your Church, dear Savior, A lamp of burnished gold
To bear before the nations Your true light as of old!
O teach Your wand’ring pilgrims By this their path to trace
Till, clouds and darkness ended, They see You face to face!
We Make Confession Of Our Sins To God
Pastor Brothers and sisters in Christ: the Word of God urges us to confess to our Lord all our sins of thought, word, and action. This is something that ought to be daily part of
our spiritual lives, and should come forth from every heart that is humble and penitent. But we should especially do this when we meet together in His house to thank God for all that He has done for us, to praise Him, and to hear His life-giving Word. Therefore, come with me now, to our Heavenly Father’s throne of grace, and let us confess our sins together.
Congregation O God our Father, + since You have set forth the way of life for us in Your Beloved Son, + we confess with shame + our slowness to learn of Him, + our failure to
always follow Him, + our reluctance at times to bear the cross for Him. + Forgive us the poverty of our worship, + our frequent neglect of fellowship + and of the Means of Grace, + our hesitating and inconsistent witness for Christ, + our evasion of our responsibilities in Your service, + our imperfect stewardship of Your gifts. +
Forgive us also, + that so little of Your love has reached others through us, + that we have often been thoughtless in our judgments, + hasty in our condemnation, + grudging in forgiving others the way You have forgiven us, + and unwilling to serve our neighbors as we ought. +
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; + according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. + Wash away all my iniquity + and cleanse me from my sin. +
We Receive God’s Absolution
Pastor Having humbly and sincerely confessed your sins before Almighty God, now be strengthened in your faith, mindful that our Lord is not willing that anyone should perish
eternally, but that everyone should come to repentance, turning from their evil ways and receiving from Him everlasting life. God has commanded His ministers to declare His forgiveness of sins to all who are penitent. Therefore, in the place of, and according to the command of our dear Savior, 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 rest upon all of you. Amen.
Feed Us, Lord, From Your Word
The Old Testament Lesson
and Our Children’s Lesson Psalm 119:9-16
Where’s Your Bible?
9 How can a young man keep his path pure? By guarding it with your words.
10 With all my heart I seek you. Do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your sayings in my heart, so that I may not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord! Teach me your statutes.
13 With my lips I tell about all the judgments that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in the way that is taught by your testimonies as much as I delight in all riches. 15 I will meditate on your precepts, and I will consider your paths.
16 In your statutes I delight. I will not forget your words.
The Epistle Lesson Romans 15:4-13
4 Indeed, whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that, through patient endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we would have hope. 5 And may God, the source of patient endurance and encouragement, grant that you agree with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one mind, in one voice, you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 For this reason, accept one another as Christ also accepted you to the glory of God. 8 For I am saying that Christ became a servant of those who are circumcised for the sake of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs. 9 He also did this so that the Gentiles would glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: For this reason I will praise you among the Gentiles, and I will sing to your name. 10 And again it says: Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people. 11 And again: Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples give him praise. 12 And again Isaiah says: There will be a Root of Jesse, and he is the one who will rise up to rule the Gentiles; on him the Gentiles will place their hope. 13 Now may the God of hope fill you with complete joy and peace as you continue to believe, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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.
The Hymn of the Day “Abide With Me”
Abide with me, fast falls the eventide. The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
I need Thy presence ev’ry passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.
Come not in terrors, as the King of kings,
But kind and good, with healing in Thy wings;
Tears for all woes, a heart for ev’ry plea.
Come, Friend of sinners, thus abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still if Thou abide with me!
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies.
Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
The Pre-Sermon Salutation
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.
The Sermon Text Luke 24:13-35
13 Now, on that same day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles
from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about all of these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing this, Jesus himself approached and began to walk along with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 He said to them, “What are you talking about as you walk along?” Saddened, they stopped.
18 One of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked them.
They replied, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be condemned to death. And they crucified him. 21 But we were hoping that he was going to redeem Israel. Not only that, but besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Also some women of our group amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning. 23 When they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb. They found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village where they were going, he acted as if he were going to travel farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, since it is almost evening, and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he reclined at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and began giving it to them. 31 Suddenly their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. Then he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was speaking to us along the road and while he was explaining the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and those who were with them assembled together. 34 They were saying, “The Lord really has been raised! He has appeared to Simon.” 35 They themselves described what had happened along the road, and how they recognized him when he broke the bread.
Walking and Talking with Jesus
The Post-Sermon Blessing
May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One Who calls you is faithful and He will do it. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
We Respond To God’s Word through our Prayers
Our Offerings of Love to our Lord
Because we aren’t able to pass an offering plate today, as we would during a regular worship service, we offer you the following suggestions for providing God with Your thank-offerings through our ministry:
1) You can send a check (no cash) in the mail to the church address
(415 N. 6th Place, Lowell, AR 72745)
2) You can go online to our website (www.gracelutherannwa.com)
and use the giving option there.
The Benediction
The LORD bless you and keep you.
The LORD make His face to shine upon You and be gracious unto you,
And the LORD look upon you with favor, and grant you His peace. Amen.
The Closing Hymn “Abide, O Dearest Jesus”
Abide, O dearest Jesus, Among us with Your grace
That Satan may not harm us Nor we to sin give place.
Abide, O dear Redeemer, Among us with Your Word,
And thus now and hereafter True peace and joy afford.
Abide with heav’nly brightness Among us, precious Light;
Your truth direct and keep us From error’s gloomy night.
Abide with richest blessings Among us, bounteous Lord;
Let us in grace and wisdom Grow daily through Your Word.
Abide with Your protection Among us, Lord, our strength,
Lest world and Satan fell us And overcome at length.
Abide, O faithful Savior, Among us with Your love;
Grant steadfastness and help us To reach our home above.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
April 12 at Grace Lutheran
Budgetary Offerings: $1184 Online Offerings: $1204.99
(Offerings that arrived at church during this week [after April 12] have not
yet been recorded. They will be included in next week’s bulletin.)
This Week’s Anniversary & Birthdays April 24 – Lilly Finch;
April 24 – Jami Heinemann; April 24 – Murray & Emily Mansch;
April 24 – Joey Weed