Hope We Still Belong | Sermon for May 10, 2020

Hope We Still Belong | Sermon for May 10, 2020

Worship Service for The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Rev. Gregory Mech | May 10, 2020 | Mother’s Day | Immanuel Lutheran Church ONLINE – Joplin, MO | Today’s Sermon: “Hope We Still Belong “

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Special thanks to all who helped to make this broadcast possible today:
Rev. Gregory Mech, DCE Jason Glaskey, organist Betty Lingenfelter, George Haubein, Beth Haubein, Samuel Glaskey.


Hope We Still Belong. Sermon. Rev Gregory Mech. Immanuel Lutheran Church LCMS. Joplin, Missouri.

“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 2:2-10 is the text for Today’s Sermon from Pastor Mech entitled, “Hope We Still Belong.”

Divine Service, Setting Four

INVOCATION, CONFESSION and PRAYER of GOD’S PEOPLE

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19

Amen.

Our help is in the name of the LORD, 

Who made heaven and earth. Psalm 124:8

If You, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O LORD, who could stand?

But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared. Psalm 130:3-4 

Since we are gathered electronically to hear God’s Word and call upon Him in prayer and praise, let us first consider our unworthiness and confess before God and anyone with us at this time that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition.  As He has made us His people, let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of Almighty God, our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ, and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to everlasting life. Amen.

Almighty God, merciful Father, in Holy Baptism You declared us to be Your children and gathered us into Your one, holy Church, in which You daily and richly forgive us our sins and grant us new life through Your Spirit. Be in our midst, enliven our faith, and graciously receive our prayer and praise; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Psalm 146 (antiphon -liturgical verse)

Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Alleluia! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Put not your trust in princes,
    in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
    on that very day his plans perish.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed,
    who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
    the Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord watches over the sojourners;
    he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations.
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.

Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

KYRIE

Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS

To God on high be glory and peace in all the earth;

Good will from God the Father proclaimed at Jesus’ birth!

We praise and bless You, Father; Your holy name we sing—

Our thanks for Your great glory, Lord God, our heavenly King.

To You, O sole-begotten, the Father’s Son, we pray;

O Lamb of God, our Savior, You take our sins away.

Have mercy on us, Jesus; Receive our heart-felt cry,

Where You in power are seated at God’s right hand on high—

For You alone are holy; You only are the Lord.

Forever and forever, be worshiped and adored;

You with the Holy Spirit alone are Lord Most High,

In God the Father’s glory. “Amen!” our glad reply.

SALUTATION AND COLLECT OF THE DAY

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray. O God, You make the minds of Your faithful to be of one will. Grant that we may love what You have commanded and desire what You promise, that among the many changes of this world our hearts may be fixed where true joys are found; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 

Amen.

KIDS TALK

DCE Jason Glaskey

FIRST READING Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and [five other men]. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue … rose up and disputed with Stephen.

And Stephen said: … “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

HYMN “The Son of God Goes Forth to War” LSB 661, vs 1, 2

1 The Son of God goes forth to war

A kingly crown to gain.

His blood-red banner streams afar;

Who follows in His train?

Who best can drink His cup of woe,

Triumphant over pain,

Who patient bears his cross below―

He follows in His train.

2 The martyr first, whose eagle eye

Could pierce beyond the grave,

Who saw his Master in the sky

And called on Him to save.

Like Him, with pardon on His tongue

In midst of mortal pain,

He prayed for those who did the wrong―

Who follows in his train? 

EPISTLE 1 Peter 2:2-10

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
     a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected

   has become the cornerstone,”

and

“A stone of stumbling, 

and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

ALLELUIA and VERSE

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

These things are written 

that you may believe 

that Jesus is the Christ, 

the Son of God. 

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

HOLY GOSPEL John 14:1–14

The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the fourteenth chapter.

Glory to You, O Lord.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to You, O Christ.

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.

HYMN of the DAY “Christ Is Our Cornerstone” LSB 912 

1  Christ is our cornerstone,

On Him alone we build;

With His true saints alone

The courts of heav’n are filled.

On His great love

Our hopes we place

Of present grace

And joys above.

2  Here may we gain from heav’n

The grace which we implore,

And may that grace, once giv’n,

Be with us evermore

Until that day

When all the blest

To endless rest

Are called away.

Δ 3  Oh, then, with hymns of praise

These hallowed courts shall ring;

Our voices we will raise

The Three in One to sing

And thus proclaim

In joyful song,

Both loud and long,

That glorious name.

Amen. 

SERMON

“Hope We Still Belong” based on 1 Peter 2:1-10 by Rev. Gregory Mech

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH 

LORD’S PRAYER Matthew 6:9–13

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.

BENEDICAMUS and BENEDICTION Numbers 6:24-26

Let us bless the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

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 + give you peace.

Amen.

HYMN “You Are the Way; to You Alone” LSB 526

1  You are the way; through You alone

Can we the Father find;

In You, O Christ, has God revealed

His heart and will and mind.

2  You are the truth; Your Word alone

True wisdom can impart;

You only can inform the mind

And purify the heart.

3  You are the life; the empty tomb

Proclaims Your conqu’ring arm,

And those who put their trust in You

Not death nor hell shall harm.

4  You are the way, the truth, the life;

Grant us that way to know,

That truth to keep, that life to win

Whose joys eternal flow.

From Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.

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