May 18, 2025 11 A.M.
Welcome!
Introduction
Easter initiates a new day. It anticipates a new heaven and a new earth. The risen Christ is making all things new. In the mystery of holy baptism God has made new people of us. Today Jesus invites us to see everyone in a new light—through the lens of love.
(please stand for our opening song)
Opening Hymn: “Blest Are They” ELW 728
| Blest are they, the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of God. Blest are they, full of sorrow; they shall be consoled. Rejoice and be glad! Blessed are you, holy are you. Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God! | Blest are they who seek peace; they are the children of God. Blest are they who suffer in faith; the glory of God is theirs. Rejoice and be glad! Blessed are you, holy are you. Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God! |
Thanksgiving for Baptism
P: Alleluia! Christ is risen.
C: Christ is risen, indeed. Alleluia!
P: In the name of ☩ the One who was, who is, and who is to come.
C: Amen.
P: Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, and called to live the baptized life, let us give thanks for the gifts of baptism.
P: Holy God, we give you thanks for the waters of baptism, waters that make a people your own, that restore to wholeness and empower us to be witnesses in your name. Baptized into you, O Living One,
C: make us one as you are one.
P: We give you thanks for the waters of baptism, waters that strengthen believers and give new life to beloved servants of your church; waters that extend your boundless love and cross barriers of our own making. Baptized into you, O Living One,
C: make us one as you are one.
P: We give you thanks for the waters of baptism, waters that open the hearts of believers and give a voice in the night to those in captivity; waters that set your people on a new path, rejoicing in the Spirit’s power. Baptized into you, O Living One,
C: make us one as you are one.
P: Grant us grace, love, and life, O Living One, that our every day is shaped by these waters that give us our very lives in you. We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Crucified and Risen One.
C: Amen.
Prayer of the Day
O Lord God, you teach us that without love, our actions gain nothing. Pour into our hearts your most excellent gift of love, that, made alive by your Spirit, we may know goodness and peace, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen.
(Please be seated for the readings)
First Reading: Acts 11:1-18
In defense of his earlier baptism of non-Jewish believers, Peter demonstrates to the members of the Jerusalem church that God’s intention to love Gentiles as well as Jews is revealed in Jesus’ testimony. In this way the mission to the Gentiles is officially authorized.
R: 1 Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, 3 saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” 4 Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. 6 As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ 10 This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. 11 At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; 14 he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” 18 When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
Psalmody: Psalm 148
The splendor of the Lord is over earth and heaven. (Ps. 148:13)
1 Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise God in the heights.
2 Praise the Lord, all you angels; sing praise, all you hosts of heaven.
3 Praise the Lord, sun and moon; sing praise, all you shining stars.
4 Praise the Lord, heaven of heavens, and you waters above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, who commanded, and they were created,
6 who made them stand fast forever and ever, giving them a law that shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps;
8 fire and hail, snow and fog, tempestuous wind, doing God’s will;
9 mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars;
10 wild beasts and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds;
11 sovereigns of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the world;
12 young men and maidens, old and young together.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, whose name only is exalted, whose splendor is over earth and heaven.
14 The Lord has raised up strength for the people and praise for all faithful servants, the children of Israel, a people who are near the Lord. Hallelujah!
Second Reading: Revelations 21:1-6
John’s vision shows us that in the resurrection the new age has dawned; God dwells with us already. Yet we wait for the time when the tears that cloud our vision will be wiped away. Then we will see the new heaven, new earth, and new Jerusalem.
R: 1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” 5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.”
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
(Please stand)
Gospel: John 13:31-35
C: <sung> Alleluia!
After washing the disciples’ feet, predicting his betrayal, and then revealing his betrayer, Jesus speaks of his glorification on the cross. This deep complicated love of Jesus, even to death on the cross, will be the distinctive mark of Jesus’ community.
D: 31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
…This is the Gospel of the Lord
C: Praise to you, oh Christ
Wee Worship
Hymn: “Love Divine, All Love Excelling”ELW 631
| Love divine all love excelling, joy of heav’n, to earth come down! Fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, thou art all compassion, Pure, unbounded love thou art; visit us with thy salvation, enter ev’ry trembling heart. | Breathe, oh, breathe thy loving Spirit into ev’ry troubled breast; Let us all in thee inherit; let us find thy promised rest. Take away the love of sinning, Alpha and Omega be; end of faith, as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty. |
| SERMONWith Mike Miles |
(stand)
Apostles’ Creed
C: 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 Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day, he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen
Prayers of Intercession
God of resurrection and new life, we come before you in prayer for the church, the world, and all who are in need.
A brief silence.
Fill the church with the spirit of your redeeming love. Make us steadfast in our proclamation of your grace for all people without exception, especially those often overlooked in our communities. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Awaken joy in the beauty and abundance of your creation. Show us the wonder of your presence from the smallest flower to the tallest tree. Recommit us to the preservation of wild places. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Instruct all world leaders to protect the most vulnerable among us. Guide those in power toward equitable and just economic policies, so that all might have sufficient resources to live safely and with dignity. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Pour out your love on all in need of care: those mourning losses, enduring trauma, experiencing broken relationships, yearning for companionship, or facing illness (especially). Wipe away every tear. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Abide with all who are victims of racism, especially people who are doubly marginalized because of gender, sexuality, or ability. Destroy all forms of systemic oppression, and renew our commitment to healing the wounds of our collective body in this community and beyond. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
We give thanks for all the saints whose lives bear witness to your redeeming love. Guide us by their example, until we join them in your eternal home. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
We commend these and all our prayers to you, O God, trusting that you are always with us; in the name of Jesus Christ, our risen Savior.
Amen.
(stand)
The Sharing of the Peace:
P: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C: And also, with you.
P: We greet one another with the Peace of Christ
Hymn: “Blest Be the Tie That Binds” ELW 728
| Blest be the tie that binds, Our hearts in Christian love; The unity of heart and mind Is like to that above | From sorrow, toil, and pain And sin we shall be free, And perfect love and friendship reign Through all eternity. |
Communion
P: Risen One, you call us to believe and bear fruit. May the gifts that we offer here be signs of your abiding love. Form us to be your witnesses in the world, through Jesus Christ, our true vine.
C: Amen.
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also, with you.
P: Rejoice before your Lord.
C: We lift them to the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to our God.
C: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
P: It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, for the glorious resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ, the true Paschal Lamb who gave himself to take away our sin; who in dying has destroyed death, and in rising has brought us to eternal life. And so, with Mary Magdalene and Peter and all the witnesses of the resurrection, with earth and sea and all their creatures, and with angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
P: In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
P: Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
P: For as often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
C: Christ has died: Christ is risen: Christ will come again.
P: O God of resurrection and new life: Pour out your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts of bread and wine. Bless this feast. Grace our table with your presence.
C: Come, Holy Spirit.
P: We pray as Jesus taught us:
C: 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.
Invitation to Communion
P: Come to the table of grace. Receive the gift of new life.
(sit)
Power Point Video & Distribution
Prayer after Communion
P: Living One, in this feast you have made yourself known to us. Send us now to tell of your wonders, sing of your glory, and proclaim your risen life to a wounded and weary world.
C: Amen.
Blessing
P: The triune God, who was, who is, and who is to come, Sovereign, ☩ Savior, and Spirit, light your way with resurrection dawn, now and always.
C: Amen.
Announcements
| Birthdays May 19 – Margaret Ronolder 22 – George Filgrove 24 – Michael Bobian, Ed King Anniversary May 19 – David & Jeanette McCoy | Weekly Calendar Wednesday 10am – Bible Study at Immanuel 6pm – prayer gathering Thursday 9 am – Quilting |
Closing Hymn:
“They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love”
| We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord And we pray that unity may one day be restored, | We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand, We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand, And together we’ll spread the news that God is in our land, |
| And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love. | |
Dismissal
P: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
C: Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
P: Go in peace. In Christ, you are made new. Alleluia! Alleluia!
C: Thanks be to God. Alleluia! Alleluia!