May 11, 2014 Paul & Silas Acts 16:16-34

Transcription

1 May 11, 2014 Paul & Silas Acts 16:16-34

2 Grace Lutheran Church May 11, :30 a.m. Welcome to worship at Grace! May this time of gathering in Christian community bless you and enable you to be a blessing to others. Special welcome to Newcomers in the name of Christ! We pray that our time of worship would give you the chance to offer your prayer and praise, hear anew the Word of God, and receive our Lord s presence in Holy Communion. Enlarged print bulletins and personal assist hearing devices are available. Please see an usher for assistance. Children s bulletins and activity bags are also available. The order of worship, and many of the prayers, can be found in the worship bulletin. Hymns and worship music can be found in the red worship books. Hymns are in the back of the worship book, with the large numbers at the top of the page. Service music is in the front of the worship book, with the small numbers on the bottom of the page. Every Sunday we share Holy Communion. All are welcome to the Lord s Table. When invited by the ushers, please come forward using the center aisle. To receive the bread, hold out your hand, palm up. The minister will place the bread in your hand along with the words "The Body of Christ, given for you." You may respond, "Amen," or "Thanks be to God." Standing at the cup, dip the bread into the wine or juice. The Communion Server will say, "The blood of Christ, shed for you." You may respond "Amen," or "Thanks be to God," before consuming the wine/juice-soaked bread. Then, return to your seat by way of the side aisles. Note: Grape juice (lighter in color) is available as well as wine (darker in color). Gluten-free wafers are available on the table between the servers---after receiving the words of promise, simply take a wafer, dip it into the wine/juice also provided on the table, eat both and return to your seat by way of the side aisles." *Please stand as you are able. 2

3 Prelude Salvation unto Us Has Come Bach/anonymous * Gathering Hymn# 597 My Hope is Built on Nothing Less * Greeting P: Alleluia! Christ is risen! C: Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia! P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. C: And also with you. Confession and Forgiveness P: Confident of God s extravagant love, we confess our sins before God and one another. (Pause for silence and reflection) P: God of mercy and kindness, C: We are often confused about how we should act and what we should say. We make mistake. We are not always helpful or loving. We speak when we should listen. We are silent when compassion needs a voice. Receive our confession for our many shortcomings. Amen P: God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by His authority, I declare to you the entire forgive - ness of all your sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen *Glory to God p.213 (The congregation will sing the refrains, and the liturgist and/or choir will sing he verses) 3

4 *Prayer of the Day L: God of justice, When Paul and Silas behaved honorably in a jail cell in your name, the jailer and his household were converted. Help us to see your goodness in the people we encounter and in the work that we do, so that we too, might rejoice in your abundant mercy, for the sake of Jesus Christ. C: Amen. Welcome and Announcements Children s Message Anthem Song of Hope (Argentine Folk Melody) Scripture Acts 16:16-34 One day, when we were on the way to the place for prayer, we met a slave woman. She had a spirit that enabled her to predict the future. She made a lot of money for her owners through fortune-telling. She began following Paul and us, shouting, These people are servants of the Most High God! They are proclaiming a way of salvation to you! She did this for many days. This annoyed Paul so much that he finally turned and said to the spirit, In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to leave her! It left her at that very moment. Her owners realized that their hope for making money was gone. They grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the officials in the city center. When her owners approached the legal authorities, they said, These people are causing an uproar in our city. They are Jews who promote customs that we Romans can t accept or practice. The crowd joined in the attacks against Paul and Silas, so the authorities ordered that they be stripped of their clothes and beaten with a rod. When Paul and Silas had been severely beaten, the authorities threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to secure them with great care. When he received these instructions, he threw them into the innermost cell and secured their feet in stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. All at once there was such a violent earthquake that it shook the prison s foundations. The doors flew open and everyone s chains came loose. When the jailer awoke and saw the open doors of the prison, he 4

5 thought the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul shouted loudly, Don t harm yourself! We re all here! The jailer called for some lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He led them outside and asked, Honorable masters, what must I do to be rescued? They replied, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved you and your entire household. They spoke the Lord s word to him and everyone else in his house. Right then, in the middle of the night, the jailer welcomed them and washed their wounds. He and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. He brought them into his home and gave them a meal. He was overjoyed because he and every one in his household had come to believe in God. L: The Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Message *Hymn of the Day #593 Andrew Griesman, Seminary Student Drawn to the Light *Prayers of Intercession The liturgist leads the congregation. Each petition concludes: L: Lord in your mercy, C: Hear our prayer. The prayers conclude: L: With knowledge of your never-ending goodness, we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ our savior and Lord. C: Amen Offering & Offertory O Christ Your Heart, Compassionate Raabe *Offering Hymn #829 refrain only Have you Thanked the Lord *Offering Prayer L: Let us pray. Blessed are you, O God, ruler of heaven and earth. Day by day you shower us with blessings. As you have raised us to new life in Christ, give us glad and generous hearts, ready to praise you and to respond to those in need, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. 5 C: Amen.

6 *Offering Hymn#829 refrain only Have you Thanked the Lord Holy Communion *Great Thanksgiving P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. P: Lift up your hearts. C: We lift them to the Lord. P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. C: It is right to give our thanks and praise. *Words of Institution *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. Amen Invitation to our Lord s Table Words of invitation to the table will include: P: The feast is ready. The gifts of God for the people of God! C: Thanks be to God! Lamb of God Hymn #195 Distribution of Communion Please see inside front cover of this bulletin for a note on receiving Holy Communion. Distribution Hymn #712 Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service 6

7 * Post Communion Prayer *Blessing P: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord's face shine on you with grace and mercy. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. In the name of the Father, the + Son, and the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. Come Thou Fount of Every Bless- Sending Hymn #807 ing Dismissal L: Go in peace! Share the Good News! Alleluia! C: Thanks be to God! Alleluia! Postlude Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing Berry 7

8 Today s Worship Leaders: Presiding Minister: Preaching: Liturgist: Lay Reader: Organist: Music: Acolyte: Communion Servers: Greeters: Ushers: Offering Counters Grace Geek Squad: Pastor Lon Larson Andrew Griesman, Seminary Student David Hunter Sue Brown Kathleen Hollar Joyous Jrs. Connie Smeby-Director Grady Westling Lydia & Violet Rose Sig Johnson, Ruth Vierling Team F: Norm Walby-Captain & Head Usher, Mark Pearson, Head Usher, Larry Denson, Linda Denson, Wayne Erickson, Peter Hultgren Team D: Knute Nelson-Captain, Ken & Carol Goebel, Lois Graff Bill Kinney Today We lift our prayers to God in times of thanksgiving and times of need, in times of joy and times of sorrow. We especially include in our prayers this week: Julie Doree, David Miller and David Schaff. Things to Know Talk Points today will be led by Jeff Gorton-He will be talking about the candidate for Pastor. A Special Congregational Meeting will be held on Sunday, May 18th, 2014 after worship to consider the Call Committee s recommendation of a candidate to be the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church. A Meet and Greet with the candidate will be held on Wednesday, May 14th, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. Please plan on attending both of these important meetings. 8

9 Ministry Opportunities The Mission of the month for May is Conway/Battle Creek Living at Home-Block Nurse Program. This ministry is housed in the lower level of Grace and serves a variety of needs of seniors on the Eastside. The overall philosophy of the organization is to do whatever it takes to keep seniors in their homes. Services include but not limited to rides to doctors appointments, errands, yard work or housework as well as medical services such as blood pressure monitoring, foot care, home assessments etc. Please use your multipurpose blue envelope and mark Mission of the Month and place in the offering plate or mail to the office at Grace. Checks should be made payable to Grace Lutheran Church. Thank you for your consideration. Save the Date-Work day will be held on May 31, 2014 from 8 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.. Please bring your own cleaning supplies. Maxine Keller will provide coffee and treats. Calling All Graduates-If you are graduating this year from high school, college, a university, graduate school, or another program, we want to recognize you and celebrate your achievements at the June 1, 2014 worship service. Please let the church office ( ) know if you or anyone in your family is graduating, along with the details of your degree, school, etc. Thank you! Eagan Women of Note will be presenting their spring concert By the Dawn s Early Light, a concert inspired by military families. Special guests will be Blue Star Mothers of America and Minnesota Marine Mothers. This concert will take place on Sunday, May 18th at 4:00 p.m. at Peace Church, 2180 Glory Drive, Eagan, MN Tickets are $5.00 and there will be a bake sale after the concert. See Barb Holtan for tickets or more information. 9

10 XYZ s-once again, Jerry and Carol Sprau have invited us to share a day at their farm near Elkton, MN. The date will be Saturday, June 7, We will leave Grace Lutheran at 8:15 a.m. and return approximately 5:30 p.m. There will be a potluck meal at noon with Jerry and Carol providing the meat. Anyone who wishes to go is invited. It is approximately a 2 hour drive. Transportation will be by shared rides and shared gas expense. Please call ( ) or see Norm and Shirley Walby by June 1, Come Walk with Grace Our third annual Time To Fly Fundraising Event is happening on Saturday, June 21st, 2014 at Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul. Time to Fly raises money to support research for children s cancer. We are looking for runners, walkers, kid runners and supporters! We have had lots of fun the past two years and would love to have more people join in the fun! If running or walking is not your thing, then we would love your donation, which is tax deductible. To join our team, go to Click on register, join existing team, type: Walk with Grace, click search team, click join-check run, walk or children s run, To make a donation, go to donate, search for team, type: Walk with Grace, click search, click Walk with Grace. If you have any questions, please call Kimberly Child s at or her at @gmail.com. The Window Fund continues. Have you noticed the restored lower level windows? Your contributions are at work! But we still need more funds before we can schedule replacing the Court Yard windows. This is necessary maintenance not provided for in the Annual Budget. No amount too small! Please consider giving what you can whenever you can - from an Income tax refund or your regular income? 10

11 Musical Notes John Ylvisaker based his hymn #451, Drawn to the Light on three different Bible texts: (1) Isaiah 9:1-4; (2) II Peter 1:19; and (3) Revelation 21: In 1987 he led this hymn at a meeting of the 3 women s groups that later merged into WELCA. The meeting took place in LaCrosse, Wisconsin and thus, the name of the tune. This song is only one of over a 1,000 songs he has in print. Stewardship Notes People do not have to die and go to heaven to come under God s care and to live under God s powerful rule. God is ready and willing to rule our lives here and now. Jesus called this message the gospel and he expected it to change people s lives, to make a difference in how they thought and behaved. Stewardship consists of living under this rule of God and financial stewardship consists of placing our finances under this rule of God. Basically, the Bible says that we have a God who is ready and willing to rule our finances, and that this is good news the sort of good news that might change our lives. Giving to God (Mark Allan Powell p. 76.) Thank You Volunteers! Project Home ended the month of April when homeless families were sheltered at Grace. Started in the 1990 s when affordable housing jumped to market rates, the need continues. This year we were asked to listen to our calling and provide for families while also working on Lenten suppers, Holy Week and Easter celebration. But our neighbor parishes St. Pascal s and Lutheran Church of Peace each provided hosts for a week, as did several friends and community volunteers. The good news is for the first time we can remember, four families left the program during April to move in to their own place. According to the Family Place, the downtown day center for families, Families assigned to our program have the opportunity to stay with us longer so that we can fully assist them in finding an appropriate home. We have also developed a sixteen-week curriculum that will provide life-skills training to empower and educate families, eliminating episodes of homelessness. A complete list of volunteers will be listed in the upcoming Intouch. 11

12 Sunday May 11, 2014 Sunday, May 18, 2014 `` Today (11) 9:30 a.m. Worship 10:30 a.m. Coffee Hour 10:45 a.m. Sunday School/Talkpoints 12:00p.m. Good Samaritan Worship & SS Monday (12) 9:30 a.m. Mission Committee Tuesday (13) 9:30 a.m. Martha Circle 6:00 p.m. Outreach Committee 6:30 p.m. Property Management Committee 7:00 p.m. Congregational Life 7:00 p.m. Worship Committee 7:30 p.m. Business Management Wednesday (14) 10:00 a.m. Coffee & Conversation 10:00 a.m. Sew Group 5:30 p.m. Bells of Grace 6:00 p.m. Good Samaritan Rehearsal 6:30 p.m. Confirmation 6:30 p.m. Joyous Jrs. 7:00 p.m. Sanctuary Choir 7:30 p.m. Meet & Greet with Pastor Candidate Friday (16) 6:00 p.m. Good Samaritan Events Saturday (17) 7:00 a.m. Fare for All 12:00 p.m. Good Samaritan Wedding Sunday (18) 9:30 a.m. Worship 10:30 a.m. Coffee Hour 10:45 a.m. Sunday School 10:45 a.m. Special Congregational Meeting 12:00 p.m. Good Samaritan Worship/SS Rev. Lon Larson, Interim Pastor Rhynda Landt, Administrative Associate 1730 Old Hudson Road Saint Paul, Minnesota