CHRIST THE KING ASCENDS TO HEAVEN

CHRIST THE KING ASCENDS TO HEAVEN The Ascension of Our Lord May 10-13, 2018

N84 W15252 Menomonee Ave. Menomonee Falls, WI 53051 N108 W14290 Bel Aire Lane Germantown, WI 53022 WELCOME TO WORSHIP! We are pleased that you have chosen to worship the Lord with us today. If you are a guest visiting with us, know that we are thankful you have joined us, and please take a moment to sign the guest register in the entryway. Large print hymnals (both locations) are available upon request from an usher. Hearing assist devices (Falls only) are available upon request from an usher. Restrooms at the Falls: In the lower level of the church and also down the school hallway. Restrooms at Germantown: In the north and south halls of the building. If you need a place to quiet a restless child, the service is streamed to a TV in the lower level of the Falls and in the Alpha Room at Germantown. NOTES FOR WORSHIP The order of service for today is printed in this folder. The hymns are found in Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal, the red hymnal, or are printed in the folder. Communion We are celebrating the Lord s Supper today. What is this Sacrament? It is the receiving of Christ s body and blood, together with the bread and wine, for the assurance of the forgiveness of our sins (Mt. 26:17-29; 1 Cor. 11:23-29). It is an expression of unity among us when it comes to the teachings of Jesus (Jn. 8:31,32). If you are visiting with us today, please speak with one of our Pastors about receiving this Sacrament. SERVING IN WORSHIP Preaching Minister Organists Handbells Cello Pastor Phil Arnold Amy Noon (M), Anna Geiger (G) Liz Sand, director (G) Miranda Noon 2

THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD PRESERVICE MUSIC (9:15) Speak, O Lord arr. Peggy Bettcher OPENING HYMN A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing 171 v. 1-4 INVOCATION AND OPENING SENTENCES (from Psalm 47) P: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. P: Sing praises to God, sing praises! C: Sing praises to our King, sing praises! P: For God is the King of all the earth; C: sing praises with a psalm! P: God reigns over the nations; C: God sits on his holy throne. CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION P: Dear friends, let us approach God with a true heart and confess our sins, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us. C: Lord of life, I confess that I am by nature dead in sin. For faithless worrying and selfish pride, For sins of habit and sins of choice, For the evil I have done and the good I have failed to do, You should cast me away from your presence forever. O Lord, I am sorry for my sins. Forgive me, for Jesus sake. P: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. In his great mercy, God made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our sins. Hear the word of Christ through his called servant: I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. 3

LORD, HAVE MERCY P: In peace, let us pray to the Lord. For the well-being of all people everywhere, that they may receive from you all they need to sustain body and life, hear our prayer, O Lord. C: Lord, have mercy. P: For the spread of your life-giving gospel throughout the world, that all who are lost in sin may be brought to faith in you, hear our prayer, O Christ. C: Christ, have mercy. P: For patience and perseverance in this life, that we may not lose the hope of heaven as we await your return, hear our prayer, O Lord. C: Lord, have mercy. P: Lord of life, live in us that we may live for you. C: Amen. GLORY BE TO GOD Tune 169 1 Glory be to God in heaven, peace to those who love him well; on the earth let all his people speak his grace, his wonders tell: Lord, we praise you for your glory, mighty Father, heaven's king; hear our joyful adoration and accept the thanks we bring. 2 Only Son of God the Father, Lamb who takes our sin away, now with God in triumph seated for your mercy, Lord, we pray: Jesus Christ, most high and holy, Savior, you are God alone in the glory of the Father with the Spirit: Three-in-One! 4

P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. PRAYER OF THE DAY P: Let us pray. Lord Jesus, King of glory, on this day you ascended far above the heavens and at God s right hand you rule the nations. Leave us not alone, we pray, but grant us the Spirit of truth that at your command and by your power we may be your witnesses in all the world; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. THE WORD FIRST LESSON Deuteronomy 33:26-29 There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides across the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty. 27 The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying, Destroy them! 28 So Israel will live in safety; Jacob will dwell secure in a land of grain and new wine, where the heavens drop dew. 29 Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will tread on their heights. 5

PSALM OF THE DAY Psalm 110 6

SECOND LESSON Ephesians 4:7-16 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people. 9 (What does he ascended mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. VERSE OF THE DAY Matthew 28:20b P: Alleluia. Alleluia. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia. Surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age. Alleluia. 7

Worship services center around the Gospel Reading; we rise to highlight its function. P: The Gospel according to Luke chapter 24. C: Glory be to you, O Lord. GOSPEL Luke 24:44-53 44 He said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. 50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. P: This is the Gospel of the Lord. C: Praise be to you, O Christ. HYMN OF THE DAY Crown Him with Many Crowns 341 v. 1: All; v. 2: Women; v. 3: Men; v. 4: All SERMON Luke 24:44-53 The Meaning of Christ's Ascension He Has Completed His Earthly Ministry He Has Entrusted His People with the Gospel He Has Given Us Reason for Worship and Praise 8

NICENE CREED We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became fully human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. THANK OFFERING MUSICAL OFFERING (9:15) O God, Beyond All Praising arr. Phillip M. Young PRAYER OF THE CHURCH P: Blessed Jesus, you ascended to the right hand of the your Father s majesty, power, and glory and now reign as eternal King of kings and Lord of lords. C: We praise you for your victory over sin, death, Satan and hell. P: O ascended Prophet, equip your Church to proclaim the precious gospel message of God s love for all the world. C: Give courage to our hearts, power to our words, and success to our efforts. P: O ascended High Priest, represent us before the Father as his own dear children and heirs. Defend us against Satan s every accusation. Ask for the Father s rich blessings in our everyday lives. C: Plead for his mercy and grace on our behalf. P: O ascended King, direct the affairs of governments and nations that they may serve the best interest of your Church. 9

C: You are our Lord, Master, and King. Special prayers and intercessions may follow. P: Hear us, Lord, as we bring you our private petitions. Silent prayer. As the disciples lifted their eyes to watch your ascension, so lift our eyes daily to look for your coming again in glory. C: Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen. THE SACRAMENT P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. P: Lift up your hearts. C: We lift them up to the Lord. P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. C: It is good and right so to do. P: It is truly good and right that we should at all times and in all places give you thanks, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who rose from the dead in glorious triumph to bring forgiveness to the world and everlasting life to all who believe. Therefore with all the saints on earth and hosts of heaven, we praise your holy name and join their glorious song: HOLY, HOLY, HOLY Tune 169 Sanctus 1 Round the Lord in glory seated, cherubim and seraphim filled his temple, and repeated each to each th alternate hymn: Lord, your glory fills the heaven, earth is with its fullness stored; unto you be glory given, holy, holy, holy Lord! 10 2 Heav n is still with glory ringing, earth takes up the angels cry, Holy, holy, holy, singing, Lord of Hosts, the Lord Most High. Lord, your glory fills the heaven, earth is with its fullness stored; unto you be glory given, holy, holy, holy Lord!

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING P: Blessed are you, O Lord of heaven and earth. We praise and thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, and we remember the great acts of love through which he has ransomed us from sin, death, and the devil s power. By his incarnation, he became one with us. By his perfect life, he fulfilled your holy will. By his innocent death, he overcame hell. By his rising from the grave, he opened heaven. Invited by your grace and instructed by your Word, we approach your table with repentant and joyful hearts. Strengthen us through Christ s body and blood, and preserve us in the true faith until we feast with him and all his ransomed people in glory everlasting. C: Amen. LORD S PRAYER Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen. WORDS OF INSTITUTION P: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take and eat; this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. P: The peace of the Lord be with you always. C: Amen. 11

LAMB OF GOD Agnus Dei DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION HYMNS See, the Conqueror Mounts in Triumph 174 Lord Jesus Christ, You Have Prepared 312 12

SONG OF SIMEON Tune 169 1 Lord God, now you let your servant go in peace, your word fulfilled For my eyes have seen your promised saving and incarnate Word-- Pledge of all the world's salvation, dawn of God's eternal day: Jesus, hope of every nation, he himself shall light the way! 2 Glory be to God the Father, Glory be to God the Son, Glory be to God the Spirit, reign forever, three in one. As it was in the beginning, it is now and e'er shall be. Lord, your triune name resounding throughout all eternity. P: We give you thanks, O Lord, for the foretaste of the heavenly banquet that you have given us to eat and to drink in this sacrament. Through this gift you have fed our faith, nourished our hope, and strengthened our love. By your Spirit help us to live as your holy people until that day when you will receive us as your guests at the wedding supper of the Lamb, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. BLESSING P: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace. C: Amen. CLOSING HYMN A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing 171 v. 5-6 COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Divine Service II 2008 Northwestern Publishing House. Reprinted under OneLicnese.net #A-716490 Bulletin artwork by Ian M. Welch. 2013 Ian M. Welch. All Rights Reserved. www.paramentics.com All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide 13

WEEKLY NEWS AND NOTES This week, the flowers beautifying worship in Menomonee Falls are from Martha and Jacob Johnson in celebration of Laurie Kitzrow s birthday. CALLS RETURNED AND CALL MEETING - After prayerful consideration, God has led Pastor Kevin Wattles to return our Pastoral Call and Ms. Rebecca Rixe to return our ECM Director call. Bethlehem's voting members are encouraged to join us on Tuesday, May 29 th at 6:30 p.m. at the Menomonee Falls campus for a Call Meeting to issue a Pastor Call and an Early Childhood Ministry Director Call. OTHER CALL NEWS On Tuesday, April 17 th, the Voters of Bethlehem extended a call to Ms. Beth Hauf, currently serving as the 2 nd Grade Teacher at Bethany Lutheran School in Manitowoc to be Bethlehem s 1 st Grade Teacher. Please keep Ms. Hauf in your prayers as she considers her call. Additionally, both Mrs. Bridget Weber, Bethlehem s 1 st /2 nd Grade Teacher and Mr. Daryl Weber, Bethlehem s Principal, received calls to Apostles Lutheran School in San Jose, CA. Mrs. Weber is called to teach 4 th Grade and Mr. Weber to serve as Principal. They invite your insight and ask for prayers as they continue to contemplate where they can best serve in ministry. MARTIN LUTHER COLLEGE WIND SYMPHONY CONCERT REMINDER Bethlehem has the privilege of hosting the Martin Luther College Wind Symphony for a concert on Monday, May 14th at 7:00 PM at the Germantown campus. We would love to see you there! SAVE THE DATE! A celebration of ministry is being planned for our teachers that will be retiring this year. There will be a special worship service on Sunday, June 3 rd at the 10:30 a.m. service in Menomonee Falls, with a luncheon to follow. Please plan to join us as we thank Jeanne Moldenhauer, Sue Ratzburg, Patti Alsch and Karla Matter for their years of service to our children and school! MENOMONEE FALLS MEMORIAL DAY PARADE Bethlehem will be participating in this year's Menomonee Falls Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 28 th. We're looking for volunteers to walk and hand out candy and invitations to this year's Summer Bible Camp along the parade route. Families are encouraged to walk together! This event is an important part of reminding our community that we're here to share the Gospel with them. If you'd like to join us, please contact Pastor Arnold ASAP at parnold@bethlehemwels.org. LAUDE will be leading us in worship at the 9:15 AM service in Germantown on Sunday, May 20 th. 14

FINAL SEEDLINGS EVENT OF THE SCHOOL YEAR! Join us at Kinderberg Park on Friday, May 25 th starting at 10:00 AM! Bring along your own snack and/or picnic lunch. We realize that the 4K Picnic will be happening until 11:30 AM, but feel free to stop over after that. Last year, many of us were there for quite a while! Thanks for a great year with increased attendance! We welcome any and all suggestions for future events! What were some of your favorites this year? What would you like to see happen next year? Hope to see you on the 25 th! APPRECIATION WEEK THANK YOU! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to everyone for their generous contributions to Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week!!! Your generosity is astounding! Because of the overwhelming response for contributions we were able to plan a great week of ways to show our Bethlehem staff how much we recognize and appreciate all they do! An extra special thank you to the team that I had the pleasure of working with! Thank you Anna Greenman, Anne Henne, Emily Zastrow, Nicole Balza, Jessica Jere, Sarah Renn, Elizabeth Wurtz, Kristie Mineard, and Monica Dall! You make this week so much fun to do!!! Sincerely, Michelle Wierschem P.S. And an extra big Thank You! goes to Michelle Wierschem for all of the time, effort and organization she put into making Appreciation week a success ~ you are a blessing to Bethlehem! LWMS NEWS AND UPDATES The regional LWMS Spring Rally was held on April 28 th at St. John s Mequon with Trinity West Mequon, co-hosting. Hannah Wendland (a senior at Luther Preparatory School), spoke on growing up in Malawi. Elections were held, Anna Bartsch and Marlene Fay both were re-elected to VP and Secretary, respectively. Ellen Cook was elected to a Christian Growth position and Rev. Kurt Loescher was elected to be the Spiritual Advisor. The World Mission for this year is ACTS (Apache Christian Training School) which is 125 years old this year. The Home Mission is Children s Ministry Assistance. CAMM (Central Africa Medical Mission) is seeing 5000 people a month. However, new rules state they have to be open 24 hours a day, which is putting a strain on their staff. The LWMS Fall Rally is scheduled for October 20 th at Faith in Sussex and the annual LWMS convention is June 21 st -24 th in Green Bay. CHILD CARE REGISTRATION FOR THE SUMMER PROGRAM Enrollment is open! The summer program at Bethlehem Lutheran Child Care has openings for children six weeks of age to twelve years. We would love to care for your little ones and have a wonderful program planned! A semi-flexible schedule is available, so you may only pay for days you signed up for care. It will be a fun and adventurous summer! Call (262) 257-0408 to register! 15

SCHOOL FUNDRAISER On Tuesday, May 15th, Smart Cow Yogurt Bar in Menomonee Falls will donate a percentage of all sales to Bethlehem Lutheran School! This event runs all day. Smart Cow Yogurt Bar is located at N91 W17271 Appleton Ave. in Menomonee Falls. WISCONSIN LUTHERAN SEMINARY YEAR END EVENTS INVITATION The final week of classes at the seminary is filled with excitement and joy as second year students are assigned as vicars and seniors receive their first calls into the pastoral ministry. We have plenty of room for guests and visitors and cordially invite you to attend any of these events: Assignment of Graduates and Vicar Candidates Thursday, May 24, 10:00 a.m. Graduation Concert presented by the Seminary Chorus Thursday, May 24, 7:00 p.m. Graduation Service Friday, May 25, 10:00 a.m. SUMMER BIBLE CAMP IS COMING SOON! Children entering 4K-6 th grade for the 2018-19 school year are invited to attend one of our two Summer Bible Camps the week of June 18 th -22 nd. The Morning Camp will take place from 9:30-11:30 AM at the Menomonee Falls Campus; the Evening Camp will take place from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Germantown Campus. A Bible Study for adults will also be offered during the Evening Camp. Registration forms are available in the lobby at both campuses; please complete and return by Monday, June 11 th. You may also register online on the Bethlehem website (under Events tab, Upcoming Events). If you have questions, please contact Rachel Arnold at rarnold@bethlehem-wels.org. Thank you! CHURCH WISH LIST UPDATE A church wish list has been posted! Please check the bulletin boards at both campuses, as well as the Bethlehem website (Under the Church menu). This list includes items of need that are not otherwise provided for in the Ministry Financial Plan and is separate from the Bethlehem Lutheran School Wish List. If you would like to make a donation toward a Wish List item, please use the special offering envelope included in your envelope box. Please write "Wish List" on the other line and, if giving toward a specific item, the item you'd like your donation to support. Any gift given can be designated for any item on the list, regardless of whether it covers the entire cost or not. Thank you for your continuing support of our ministry! Church Attendance Last Week: 1266 Unified Offerings Last Week: $42,378.98 Building Relationships Offerings Last Week: $7275.00 16

Serving in Worship Service Overseer: Sunday, May 13 th Menomonee Falls Erich Schmandt Germantown OPEN Sunday, May 20 th Menomonee Falls Jon Wirkkula Germantown Jim Affeldt Set Up Teams (Germantown): Sunday, May 13 th Team 5 Daryl Weber Sunday, May 20 th Team 6 Steve Zimmermann Ushers: Communion Assistants: Saturday, May 12 th Thursday, May 10 th 5:00 PM Team 11 Liebner 6:45 PM Dave Koeppel Sunday, May 13 th Saturday, May 12 th 8:00 AM Team 6 Schuler 5:00 PM Bryan Cook & 9:15 AM Team 5 De Vor Dan Wittrock 10:30 AM Team 12 Grodek Sunday, May 13 th Saturday, May 19 th 8:00 AM Gene Strehlow 5:00 PM Team 6 - Schuler 10:30 AM Reinhard Liebner Sunday, May 20 th 8:00 AM Team 7 - Farrow 9:15 AM Team 14 - Ruddat 10:30 AM Team 13 - Eden Greeters: Greeters: Thursday, May 10 th Thursday, May 17 th 6:45 PM Ann Udvare 6:45 PM Bob & Julie DeNicola Saturday, May 12 th Saturday, May 19 th 5:00 PM Steve & Wendy Zimmermann 5:00 PM Ron & Doris Severson Sunday, May 13 th Sunday, May 20 th 8:00 AM Cheryl Belott 8:00 AM Chris & Liz Sand 9:15 AM Jackie Schaefer 9:15 AM Todd Thorson 10:30 AM Peter Braun 10:30 AM Linda Brody 17

The Week Ahead Sunday, May 13 8:00 AM Worship Service w/ Communion M 9:15 AM Bible Study & Sunday School M 9:15 AM Worship Service w/ Communion G 10:30 AM Family Bible Hour G 10:30 AM Worship Service w/ Communion M 7:00 PM Live Streaming Bible Study Counters: Lee s Team Monday, May 14 6:30 PM Trustees M 7:00 PM MLC Wind Symphony Concert - G 7:00 PM Hope Grows Bible Study G Tuesday, May 15 10:15 AM Bible Study M Wednesday, May 16 6:00 PM Bible Study M 7:00 PM Spiritual Growth - G Thursday, May 17 6:45 AM Bible Study M 6:45 PM Worship Service M Saturday, May 19 8:00 AM Men s Bible Study M 5:00 PM Worship Service M Sunday, May 20 8:00 AM Worship Service M 9:15 AM Bible Study & Sunday School M 9:15 AM Worship Service w/ Laude G 10:30 AM Family Bible Hour G 10:30 AM Worship Service M 7:00 PM Live Streaming Bible Study 18