THE SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER MAY 13, 2018 CONNECTING PEOPLE TO JESUS AND TO ONE ANOTHER TO SERVE THE WORLD

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1 THE SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER MAY 13, 2018 CONNECTING PEOPLE TO JESUS AND TO ONE ANOTHER TO SERVE THE WORLD As We Gather On this final Sunday of the Easter season, the apostles are gathered to select as successor to Judas one who had been with them from the beginning to become a witness of Jesus resurrection. In the Epistle, John teaches us the Good News that God testifies concerning Jesus, the Son: Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12). In the Gospel, Jesus, in His High Priestly Prayer, prays that all who have received His Word may be one and that His joy may be fulfilled in us. He sanctifies us together in the truth of His Word as we live as resident aliens in this world. PRELUDE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND GREETING OPENING HYMN: God Himself Is Present Hymn #907 INVOCATION AND OPENING SENTENCES (Selected verses from Psalm 1) In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. THE CONFESSION OF SINS AND ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Let us then confess our sins to God our Father. (Please kneel) Most merciful God, We confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. -1-

2 In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for His sake God forgives us all our sins. To those who believe in Jesus Christ He gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. HYMN OF PRAISE: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Praise to the Lord, The Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise Him for He is your health and salvation! Let all who hear now to His temple draw near, Joining in glad adoration. Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him! All that has life and breath, Come now with praises before Him! Let the Amen sound from His people again; Gladly forever adore Him! THE PRAYER OF THE DAY The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray. O King of glory, Lord of hosts, uplifted in triumph far above all heavens, leave us not without consolation but send us the Spirit of truth whom You promised from the Father; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Please be seated.) THE FIRST READING: Acts 1:12 26 (Peter leads the apostles in choosing a successor to Judas.) 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day s journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. 15 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, 16 Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry. 18 (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. -2-

3 19 And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 For it is written in the Book of Psalms, May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it ; Let another take his office. 21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection. 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place. 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. THE EPISTLE READING: 1 John 5:9 15 (Jesus the Son is the testimony of God that He has given eternal life to His people.) 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. THE ALLELUIA VERSE: -3-

4 THE HOLY GOSPEL IS ANNOUNCED: The Holy Gospel according to St. John the seventeenth chapter. THE HOLY GOSPEL: John 17:11b 19 (Jesus High Priestly Prayer for His disciples) 11 Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. This is the Gospel of the Lord. THE CHILDRENS MESSAGE Pete LeBorious Director of Christian Education HYMN OF THE DAY: Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word Hymn #655 THE MESSAGE Word and Sacrament Pastor Brighton 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 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. -4-

5 THE GATHERING OF THE TITHES AND OFFERINGS ++ The Stewardship Thought ++ Live in the power of the resurrection! Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Corinthians 15: 55-57) An easy way to make your weekly contribution to Mount Calvary is to use the QR Code on the left to access the Vanco online giving option. THE OFFERTORY: Take My Life and Let it Be Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my love, my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure store; Take myself, and I will be Ever, only all for Thee. THE PRAYERS: After each petition, the Worship Leader will say, Lord in Your mercy, and the congregation will respond, Hear our prayer. 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 forever and ever. THE BENEDICTION The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make His face shine on us and be gracious to us. The Lord look upon us with favor and give us peace. THE CLOSING HYMN: Almighty Father, Bless the Word Hymn 923 A MOMENT FOR SILENT PRAYER -5-

6 THE POSTLUDE All scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2009 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder 2006 Concordia Publishing House. ANNOUNCEMENTS Our Altar Flowers are provided this week by Bob & Nancy Gerstenberger, in honor of all mothers, and by Tim & Karen West in celebration of their wedding anniversary. Tim s Retirement Celebration! Tim Jacobsmeyer will be retiring at the end of May, after serving as our Director of Music the past seven years. On Sunday, May 20 th, we will celebrate Tim s contributions to our church and his faithful ministry among us with a potluck luncheon in the Fellowship Hall right after the 10:45 am service. Please plan to attend as we send Tim off into retirement with a great big Mt. Calvary Thank You! Recognition of Graduates: On Sunday, May 27 th, we will celebrate the graduation of our high school, college and graduate students. To do this, we ask families to provide the following information: Name of graduate, where graduating from, and immediate plans for the future. Please get this information to Jack, our church secretary, by May 20 th. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers for our family, as well as the monetary remembrances of Joyce. Mema was a very caring and giving woman and will be greatly missed. - The Hudlin family Thank you for all your prayers over the last year. I was finally released from the ortho doctor last week. Praise God that my knee if finally healed. Bill and I are blessed to be part of such a loving church family. - Jacque Bohm Attention All Men: The May installment of the Men s Breakfast will be held on Saturday, May 19 at 8:00 am in the Fellowship Hall. This will be the last for this season, the cooks are taking their summer hiatus. So, put your name on the Sign Up Sheet at the Information Desk and join us for food, fellowship and a devotion. It s a Guy Thing! Daytime Callers share Christ s love and concern with shut-ins and others who need to know that we at Mt. Calvary care for them. We meet this Monday, May 14 th, in the church conference room at 11:00 am. Warner Robins Food Bank - The following items are needed by our local food bank in the coming weeks. Please help support this project by donating the following items on the various weekends: (2) May Jelly, taco shells and taco seasonings; bath soap and shaving cream (3) May19-20 Jelly, noodles, juice, toothpaste and tooth brushes (4) May Jelly, canned tuna, canned chicken, shampoo and conditioner -6-

7 Senior Fellowship - Come join us for Senior Fellowship Thursday, May 17 th, 11:00 am, in the Fellowship Hall. There will be a brief Bible study, a game or two, recognition of birthdays and anniversaries, a great time, and a delicious pot luck lunch. If, for some reason you cannot make a dish, bring yourself, there is always plenty of really delicious food. Prayer Group - This coming Thursday, May 17 th, 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm, our prayer group will meet in the cry room. Anyone is welcome to join us as we pray for our church, our community, and our own concerns. New Member Directories are now available at the Information Desk. There are quite a few new additions plus cell phone numbers for some members who have dropped their landlines. Church Softball Team! We have two games this week Monday at 8:30 pm (Peavy 3) vs Parkway Assembly of God, and Tuesday at 7:30 pm (Peavy 3) vs Prince Precision. Come on out and cheer on your team! Baby Bottle Boom! Thanks to all of our members who participated in the Baby Bottle Boomerang for our Caring Solutions Pregnancy Center. Our congregation raised $2, to assist Caring Solutions in their work of caring for pregnant moms and offering counseling and encouragement to make life decisions! Thanks for your generosity! Corn Hole and Family Fun for All on Saturday, June 2 right here at the church. This will be a great event, with registration for corn hole beginning at 9:45, and game playing to start at 10:30. But if you re not playing, just come and relax and enjoy time with friends any time between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. FREE lunch is provided, and there will be a 24 inflatable slide for the kids! We are inviting the community to join us for the fun, so be sure and invite friends for a day of family fun! We will need extra hands to help in this event, so please sign up at the Information Desk. -7-

8 PRAYER CONCERNS JoAnn Smith, who is in ICU at Coliseum Hospital. Keep In Your Prayers Quay Meh, Carol Quednow, Ron Nasca, Sandi Jacobsmeyer, Alyssa Currenton, Linda Watson, Anita McIntyre, John Trichinotis, Cynthia Nelson, Regina Ragan, Edna Hicks, Dwight Miller, Margaret McLaughlin, Arlene Zeuner, Deloris Denzine and Karen Johnson. (NOTE: Those listed under Keep in your prayers are removed from the list after eight weeks. If there is someone you would like to keep on the list for another eight weeks, please contact the church office.) Those Battling Cancer Joe Hill (Cynthia Nelson s dad), Barry Rice (Becky McVay s brother), Norma Young (Melinda Hopf s aunt), Jeannette Poniske (Fred Tamer s mom) and Bruce Oswalt (Krystal Ferguson s father). Those Serving our Country in Dangerous Areas Chris Walker (Karen Johnson s son), Christopher Dierking, Darrin Landis, Jonathan Fetchik and Christian Corbitt, for safety and good health as they serve our country in dangerous areas. -8-

9 SERVING US TODAY PREACHER: Pastor David Brighton. LITURGIST: Vicar Brad Wellik. ELDERS: Erv Robinson (8 am) and Bill Gragg (10:45 am). ACOLYTES: Tucker Gossman (8 am) and Carlee Toler (10:45 am). USHERS: Early Don Parrott, Darron Counselman, Dale Hawkins & Roger Foss. Late Paul Ferguson, Sam Culpepper, Dale Channell, Camp Aldredge & Mark Burnette. ALTAR GUILD: Heather Johnson, Barbara Locke, Pat Stetzler & Angleen Trasmer. LAY READERS: Darron Counselman (8 am) and John Hunter (10:45 am). SLIDE PREPARER: Christi Bacon. PROJECTIONIST: Lyle Wurdeman. SERVING US NEXT WEEK ELDERS: Rob Crawford (Sat 6 pm), Glen Thompson (Sun 8 am) and Darron Counselman (Sun 10:45 am). ACOLYTES: Taitum Gossman (Sat 6 pm), Abigail Halsell (Sun 8 am) and Zoe Babcock (10:45 am). ALTAR GUILD: Heather Johnson, Barbara Locke, Pat Stetzler & Angleen Trasmer. LAY READERS: John Trichinotis (Sat 6 pm), Glen Thompson (Sun 8 am) and Barb Mabee (Sun 10:45 am). GREETERS: Eileen Mittuch (8 am) and Betty Cummings & Nancy Hoar (10:45 am). NEXT WEEK S READINGS Acts 1:12-26 and 1 John 5:9-15 ATTENDANCE LAST WEEK Saturday - 45 Early 67 Late Total 300 THIS WEEK AT MOUNT CALVARY Monday 10:00 am Ladies Guild 11:00 am Daytime Callers 6:20 pm Evangelism Callers 6:30 pm Women s Small Group Wednesday 7:00 pm Sanctuary Choir Thursday 10:00 am Ladies Bible Study 11:00 am Senior Fellowship 7:00 pm Prayer Group Saturday 8:00 am Men s Breakfast 5:00 pm Adult Bible Study 5:00 pm Praise Team Rehearsal Sunday 12:00 pm Tim Jacobsmeyer s Retirement Luncheon 6:30 pm TAG Night