SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER
The Voice of Peace April 19, 2020
AS WE GATHER
The word “peace” is central for God’s people to hear time and again as part of worship. The peace of the Lord is exchanged between pastor and congregation and often also spoken among the people of the congregation. It is the last word in the Benediction and is therefore the most frequently used word to close the service. In the era of the Reformation and the decades following, the hymn “Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord” was used immediately after the sermon as a reminder of how important the Lord’s peace was in a world that knew unrest and challenges. It is our blessing to hear that word of peace from our Lord once again today in our world—which also has unrest and challenges.
PREPARATION
HYMN “This Joyful Eastertide” [LSB 482]
This joyful Easter-tide, Away with care and sorrow!
My Love, the Crucified, Hath sprung to life this morrow.
Refrain
Had Christ, that once was slain, Ne’er burst His three day prison,
Our faith had been in vain; But now hath Christ arisen,
Arisen, arisen, arisen! But now hath Christ arisen,
Death’s flood hath lost his chill, Since Jesus crossed the river:
Lover of souls, from ill My passing soul deliver. Refrain
My flesh in hope shall rest, And for a season slumber;
Till trump from east to west, Shall wake the dead in number. Refrain
INVOCATION
P: In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES Romans 6:9; John 20:29b
P: Alleluia. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again;
C: death no longer has dominion over Him. Alleluia.
P: Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
C: Alleluia, alleluia.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Psalm 85:1–2, 7
P: Lord, You were favorable to Your land;
C: You restored the fortunes of Jacob.
P: You forgave the iniquity of Your people;
C: You covered all their sin.
P: Show us Your steadfast love, O Lord,
C: and grant us Your salvation.
P: Let us then confess our sins unto our gracious Lord.
C: Almighty God, in humility and with repentant hearts we come before You. With shame and regret we admit and confess our sinfulness. We have not lived up to our calling as Your peaceable people. We have not done the good You demand and have not been the people You would have us be. We do repent and are truly sorry for our sins in thought, word, and deed. Have mercy on us, merciful Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Forgive us all that needs Your forgiving grace, and with the power of the Holy Spirit, direct us to serve You faithfully all our days through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
P: God has promised His merciful forgiveness to those who repent of their sins and turn to Him in confession. He will revive them and speak peace to His people. In His stead and by His command, therefore, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
P: God keep you in His grace by the Holy Spirit, lead you in ways of peace and joy, and finally bring you to live with Him forever, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C: Amen.
WORD
SALUTATION
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
P: Let us pray. Almighty God, grant that we who have celebrated the Lord’s resurrection may by Your grace confess in our life and conversation that Jesus is Lord and God; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
FIRST LESSON Acts 5:29–42 (The first Christians proclaim the Good News.)
29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” 33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” 40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
PSALM Psalm 148
P: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights!
Praise Him all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you shining stars! Praise Him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord! For He commanded and they were created. And He established them forever and ever; He gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.
Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling His word!
Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds!
Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and maidens together, old men and children!
Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His majesty is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for His people, praise for all His saints, for the people of Israel who are near to Him. Praise the Lord!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
EPISTLE 1 Peter 1:3–9 (We have new hope through the resurrection of Christ.)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
HOLY GOSPEL John 20:19–31 (Jesus appears to His disciples who are behind locked doors.)
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the twentieth chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” 24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe[b] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
HYMN Were You There?
Were you there when They crucified my Lord?
Were you there when They crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me To tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when They crucified my Lord?
Were you there when They nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when They nailed Him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me To tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when They nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when They laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when They laid Him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me To tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when They laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when God raised Him from the tomb?
Were you there when God raised Him from the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me To tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when God raised Him from the tomb?
SERMON
CREED 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. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
P: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
We pray for the whole Christian Church, that the peace of God dwell upon it and that the Spirit of God work through it. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer and grant us Your peace.
P: We pray for the nations of the world and for the men and women entrusted with their leadership, that true and lasting tranquility be known around the globe. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer and grant us Your peace.
P: We pray for this congregation, that all of its members dwell together in unity. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer and grant us Your peace.
P: We pray for those who actively keep the peace both locally and around the world, including the armed forces of our nation and our local policemen and women. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer and grant us Your peace.
P: We pray for those whose lives are in need of a special measure of peace and comfort: the sick and the hospitalized, [including . . .], and those who are experiencing changes and challenges, including the unemployed, those who are relocating to new situations, and the elderly, as they face each new day. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer and grant us Your peace.
P: For all the saints called now to Your eternal presence, Lord, we give You thanks. Grant that we be blessed by the heritage of faith they have left to us in our time. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer and grant us Your peace. Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER Matthew 6:9–13
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.
PAX DOMINI
P: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C: Amen.
BENEDICAMUS
P: Let us bless the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
BENEDICTION
P: The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and X give you peace. Numbers 6:24–26
C: Amen.
HYMN “The Day of Resurrection” [LSB 478]
The day of resurrection! Earth, tell it out abroad;
The Passover of gladness, the Passover of God.
From death to life eternal, from earth unto the sky,
Our Christ hath brought us over, with hymns of victory.
Our hearts be pure from evil, that we may see aright
The Lord in rays eternal of resurrection light;
And listening to His accents, may hear, so calm and plain,
His own All hail! and, hearing, may raise the victor strain.
Now let the heavens be joyful! Let earth the song begin!
Let the round world keep triumph, and all that is therein!
Let all things seen and unseen their notes in gladness blend,
For Christ the Lord hath risen, our joy that hath no end.
Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series A, Quarter 2. Copyright © 2019 Concordia Publishing House.
All rights reserved. Used by permission
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