C B C B PO B 1643-221 E L D. - A, WA 98524-360.275.3390 www.northbaylutheran.org 5 th Sunday of Easter April 29, 2018 PRELUDE Robert Aaron WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love You and worthily magnify Your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 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. Therefore, let us confess our sins in the presence of God and of one another. Silence is kept for self-reflection. Most merciful God, we confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. 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. 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. Amen. In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for His sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 2
GATHERING SONG Now All the Vault of Heaven ELW 367 GREETING The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you. 3
KYRIE Kyrie Eleison (Lord Have Mercy) 4
PRAYER OF THE DAY The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray O God, you make the minds of the faithful to be of one will. Grant that your people would love what you command and desire what you promise, that, among the manifold changes of this world, our hearts may be fixed where true joys are to be found; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. FIRST READING Acts 8:26-40 26 An angel of the Lord said to Philip, Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, Go over and join this chariot. 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, Do you understand what you are reading? 31 And he said, How can I, unless someone guides me? And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth. 34 And the eunuch said to Philip, About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized? 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. CHOIR ANTHEM Because He Lives 5
SECOND READING 1 John 4:1-11 1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. GOSPEL ACCLAMATION 6
GOSPEL John 15:1-8 The holy gospel according to St John, the 15 th chapter. Glory to you, O Lord. Following the reading The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. SERMON Pastor Brian Pederson HYMN OF THE DAY Abide with Me ELW 629 7
APOSTLE S CREED I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again 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 In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. Brief silence For the whole Church on earth and for all pastors, teachers, musicians and servants of Christ s people, that the Holy Spirit would give us the joy of singing the new song, a hymn of resurrection victory in Christ, our Savior, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. For the president, Congress and all who make, administer or judge our laws, that our common life might be conformed to the will of God, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. For our congregation, that God would make us an outpost of the age to come, living already in this fallen world from the joys of a life that death cannot destroy, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. For those who travel, for pregnant women and young mothers, for the lonely and afflicted, for those suffering from addiction, for those who mourn, and for those in need of healing, that our heavenly Father would protect, nourish, sustain and restore them, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. 8
For those who come to the feast of Christ s body and blood this day, that preserved from unbelief and impenitence, they may receive forgiveness of all sin and experience a foretaste of the feast to come, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. For those who have fallen asleep in the sure hope of the resurrection to eternal life, let us offer our praise to God, asking Him to give us our portion with all His saints in light, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy, through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. PEACE The peace of the Lord be with you always. And also with you. OFFERING The offering is gathered for the mission of the church, including the care of those in need. If you are visiting with us, please feel free to pass the offering plate, you are our guest. OFFERTORY Doxology BH 253 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise him, all creatures here below; praise him above, ye heav'nly host; praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. A-men. OFFERING PRAYER Let us pray. We offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us our selves, our time, and our possessions, signs of your gracious love. Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. DIALOGUE The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give Him thanks and praise. PREFACE It is indeed right, our duty and our joy (pastor continues, concluding with), we praise your name and join their unending hymn: 9
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY WORDS OF INSTITUTION LORD'S PRAYER (SUNG) Our Father, which 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. INVITATION TO COMMUNION THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION: is open to all. We believe and teach that Christ is truly present in the bread and wine/juice, which are his body and blood. Young children whose parents do not wish for them to receive Communion yet are welcome to come forward and receive a blessing. COMMUNION SONG 10
CONG. SONG As the Grains of Wheat ELW 465 11
CONG. SONG There in God s Garden ELW 342 12
CONG. SONG Jesus, Name Above All Names W&P 77 POST COMMUNION BLESSING The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you, and keep you in his grace. Amen. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Let us pray. We give you thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us through the healing power of this gift of life. In your mercy, strengthen us through this gift, in faith toward you and in fervent love toward one another; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BLESSING 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, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen. 13
SENDING SONG On Our Way Rejoicing ELW 537 DISMISSAL Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God. 14
T:;<= > W:?>@AB A>>A>C<DC> G?EECE?>: Michael & Janet Wright U>@E?>: Pete Fischer & Susan Smith C:FFGDA:D A>>A>C<DC>: Shari Stormo & Rosemary Wheaton RE<;E?: Leah Pederson C:HHEE H:>C>: Diane Heltsley, Janet Wright, & Rosemary Wheaton S<I?A>C<D>: Patty Rogers & Vi Nall L:IJ-GB: Janet Wright FK:LE?>: Given by Janet Wright to the Glory of God, in honor of Michael s birthday. Last Week s Attendance: 86 15
FAHC@ SGD;<= :H E<>CE? The love of Christ is shown to the world by the way his people live their lives the way we live our lives. Nothing good can be done apart from God. It is the Spirit of God that leads us into opportunities to share this love, as is evidenced by the way in which Philip was led to meet the Ethiopian and explain the Good News to him. God desires that all people would come to know him and be a part of the Kingdom s true vine. First Reading: Acts 8:26-40 The Spirit Led Philip Philip s journey led him to a road between Jerusalem and Gaza where he encountered an Ethiopian man reading Scripture from the prophet Isaiah. Philip seized the opportunity to explain the Scripture to him and preached the Good News of new life in Christ. This spontaneous conversation led to the baptism of the Ethiopian man. Second Reading: 1 John 4:1-11 Test the Spirits John urged his audience to test the spirits to ensure they are from God. If a person couldn t confess Christ as Lord, then they were of the world, not of God. Actions that display love are the hallmark of divine love, he wrote. No matter how eloquently we speak of love, if our actions are the antithesis of our words, then God s love is not in us. We are able to live such lives of love only as a response to the love God has first lavished upon us. Gospel Reading: John 15:1-8 I Am the Vine Jesus used the familiar image of a vine to describe the nature of our dependent relationship with him. Referring to himself as the true vine that gives life to and supports the entirety of the bush, Jesus declared that nothing good can be done apart from his life-giving presence. Lessons for Next Week: Acts 10:34-48; Psalm 98; 1 John 5:1-8; John 15:9-17 16