Second Sunday in Lent 3/16/25
THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT
MARCH 16, 2025
ST. PAUL’S LUTHERAN CHURCH, FALLS CHURCH, VA
✠ ✠ ✠
PRELUDE 8:00 O Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me Setting: Mark Sedio
10:30 I Love Your Kingdom, Lord Setting: Sam Eatherton
WELCOME
ENTRANCE HYMN (Stand) O Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me LSB 683
1 Jesus, Thy boundless love to me
No thought can reach, no tongue declare;
Unite my thankful heart to Thee,
And reign without a rival there!
Thine wholly, Thine alone I am;
Be Thou alone my constant flame.
2 O grant that nothing in my soul
May dwell, but Thy pure love alone;
Oh, may Thy love possess me whole,
My joy, my treasure, and my crown!
All coldness from my heart remove;
My ev’ry act, word, thought be love.
3 This love unwearied I pursue
And dauntlessly to Thee aspire.
Oh, may Thy love my hope renew,
Burn in my soul like heav’nly fire!
And day and night, be all my care
To guard this sacred treasure there.
4 In suff’ring be Thy love my peace,
In weakness be Thy love my pow’r;
And when the storms of life shall cease,
O Jesus, in that final hour,
Be Thou my rod and staff and guide,
And draw me safely to Thy side!
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS LSB 184
In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord,
and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
(We kneel and reflect on our need before God)
O almighty God, merciful Father,
I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.
Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
INTROIT (Stand)
Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and `merciful,
Slow to anger and abounding in `steadfast love.
Jesus said: If any man would come `after me,
Let him deny himself and take up his cross and `follow me.
Christ was wounded for our `transgressions;
He was bruised for our `iniquities.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
KYRIE
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
HYMN OF PRAISE (omitted during Lent)
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. O God,
You see that of ourselves we have no strength. By Your mighty power defend us
from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts that may
assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and
reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
✠ ✠ ✠
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST LESSON (Be seated) Jeremiah 26:8-15
When Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You shall die! Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and took their seat in the entry of the New Gate of the house of the Lord. Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, “This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.”
Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people, saying, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard. Now therefore mend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will relent of the disaster that he has pronounced against you. But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you. Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
8:00 ANTHEM Jubilation Choir Lead Me Lord Samuel Sebastian Wesley
Lead me, Lord, lead me in thy righteousness,
make thy way plain before my face.
For it is thou, Lord, thou, Lord only,
that makest me dwell in safety.
10:30 PSALM 4 (Sung responsively)
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?
But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.
Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.
There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.
In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
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.
SECOND LESSON Philippians 3:17-4:1
Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
10:30 CHILDREN’S SERMON
GOSPEL VERSE (Stand) from One and All Rejoice
O come, let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
the founder and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame,
and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
GOSPEL Luke 13:31-35
The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke the 13th chapter
Glory to You, O Lord.
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to [Jesus], “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus. Amen. Dear friends in Christ:
The great and historic city of Jerusalem was not Jesus’ home town. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, a fair distance away. But Jesus went to Jerusalem often, and in some ways the city was a home to him. He was born in nearby Bethlehem and had visited the city regularly since his youth. Even more, Jesus had been taught, like all good Jews, that Jerusalem was the true home of his people. Located on a strategic and raised plateau, Jerusalem was the place that their forefather David had made his capital after making them into a great nation. And it was the place that Solomon, David’s son, had built the Temple. It was also the place where Abraham, long before David, had been famously tested, back when the mount was known as Moriah.
Most people love their home towns and places, even if their time there wasn’t always so good. They tend to take pride in these places and look back fondly at the memories they made there.
Such was certainly the case with Jesus. He loved Jerusalem and wanted only the best for it.
The words Jesus speaks about the city in the Gospel lesson read come from the time when Jesus was journeying toward it for the last time. He was now near the end of his ministry and had “set his face” towards Jerusalem to accomplish his mission.
The reading begins with people approaching Jesus and telling him that Herod, one of the chief leaders of the region, wanted to kill him. To this threatening report, Jesus responds by making a statement which indicates his clear determination to keep going amid the threats. Herod may be clever like a fox, but Jesus will keep going today, tomorrow, and for as many days as needed until he finishes his course.
And Jesus also indicates where his course will finish, and why it will finish there. He does this when he says: “it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.”
Here Jesus refers to the city’s history of trusting its own wisdom over that of God’s prophets. The people of Jerusalem had done this repeatedly over the years, including in the time of Jeremiah. We heard about their rejection of Jeremiah in today’s Old Testament reading.
Just so you know, some of those rejected prophets perished literally, while others, like Jeremiah, were only jailed for a time or driven away. Jesus no doubt uses the word “perish” in order to serve as a foreshadowing of what would happen to him.
Until that day of his death, however, Jesus would continue to teach. And as he approached the city, he did this by sharing with his disciples the thoughts of his heart. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
Here Jesus expresses words of great lament. He mourns the fact that Jerusalem so often behaves the way that it does. For Jesus knows that when people reject God’s prophets, they also reject God’s protection and miss out on the blessing of being gathered together as family.
Jesus wants good things for Jerusalem, his home. And he weeps at its stubbornness and poor judgment.
But notice that Jesus also points to the responsibility the city bears for its choice. The people were not willing to do the right thing, and therefore they must suffer the consequences. Their house is forsaken, and they will be knocked down, just as they were in the days of their defeat by Babylon.
Here we should stop and notice that the lament of Jesus is said in response to both the people’s rejection of him and their impending doom. Jesus mourns both of these.
But let us remember, too, that this lament of Jesus is not just meant to tell us about his attitude towards Jerusalem. Like all passages of scripture, it is meant to challenge us today as well.
One way it does this is by calling us to examine our own home places. Just as Jesus loved Jerusalem but recognized its failures too, so also we are to look at our homes with both loving and critical eyes.
Those of us whose homeland is the United States of America can point to many reasons why we might feel great love for our country. Our country does many things right, and many of us have been richly blessed by it.
But is our nation, the United States of America, listening to God’s voice these days? Or is it rejecting what God has to say? Is it listening to the voice of prophecy as given through Christ’s church and his holy word? Or are his messages falling on deaf ears?
We can’t give a blanket answer to this question. For our country has many millions of people and our society is vast and complex. But surely there are lots of signs of rejection. For instance, I think we’d all agree that our country is growing more and more secular. And we know that the percentage of our citizens who attend church has been going down for some time.
A well, we see a greater rejection by our citizens of the laws of God which he gives in the scriptures. And I believe we’re also seeing a greater rejection of God’s call to care for the poor and the weak.
Last Sunday, and for seven total days over the last two weeks, I was in the Dominican Republic. This was my first time traveling to that country or to any Latin American country and it was quite an eye-opening experience.
While I was there, I thought about that question I just asked about my own country. Are the people of the Dominican Republic listening to God’s word and his church? Or are they rejecting his voice of prophecy instead?
As is the case with my own country, I’m certain that the spiritual state of the DR is complex. And I have no idea whether the voice of prophecy there is improving or declining. I saw a lot of churches, but I also saw a lot of gates on properties and bars on windows. And I certainly saw lots of poverty.
What I know is that Jesus mourns the poverty of that nation. He mourns the choices of those who break his commandments and he mourns those who reject him and his family, the church.
And Jesus mourns these same things in our own country. He sees our sins and he sees our poverty, especially our poverty of spirit.
Like he did as he approached Jerusalem, so also Jesus says to the whole world today: “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
Jesus mourns for our world. But he also works on it. He worked in Jerusalem. And he works in our day as well.
When Jesus approached Jerusalem during those days recorded in our scriptures, he was initially welcomed into the city. The people, as he predicted, cried out: “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
But then many of the people soured on him. And especially the leaders. Some found his teachings too hard while others realized that Jesus threatened their power.
However, Jesus kept on working. He worked by teaching the people each day and each tomorrow until he was arrested, tried and convicted. Then a short time later, on a Friday afternoon, he was nailed to a cross, and there he died.
In some ways, that Friday was the third day. For at that time Jesus completed what he had come to do. As he himself on the cross stated: “it is finished.”
Jesus had finished teaching us how to rightly live. And his death on the cross paid the price of our sin. Now, because of what Jesus has done, all people who repent of their sins and place their trust in him can be assured of their salvation and receive victory over the grave.
That Friday was a “third day” in a way. But the phrase is even more indicative of what was yet to come. Jesus may have died on that Friday, but he was raised to life on Sunday. Jesus’ “third day” course includes his resurrection too.
And this full completion of his course shows just how blessed we are. For Jesus has told us that his course will be our course. Those of us who have j
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus. Amen. Dear friends in Christ:
The great and historic city of Jerusalem was not Jesus’ home town. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, a fair distance away. But Jesus went to Jerusalem often, and in some ways the city was a home to him. He was born in nearby Bethlehem and had visited the city regularly since his youth. Even more, Jesus had been taught, like all good Jews, that Jerusalem was the true home of his people. Located on a strategic and raised plateau, Jerusalem was the place that their forefather David had made his capital after making them into a great nation. And it was the place that Solomon, David’s son, had built the Temple. It was also the place where Abraham, long before David, had been famously tested, back when the mount was known as Moriah.
Most people love their home towns and places, even if their time there wasn’t always so good. They tend to take pride in these places and look back fondly at the memories they made there.
Such was certainly the case with Jesus. He loved Jerusalem and wanted only the best for it.
The words Jesus speaks about the city in the Gospel lesson read come from the time when Jesus was journeying toward it for the last time. He was now near the end of his ministry and had “set his face” towards Jerusalem to accomplish his mission.
The reading begins with people approaching Jesus and telling him that Herod, one of the chief leaders of the region, wanted to kill him. To this threatening report, Jesus responds by making a statement which indicates his clear determination to keep going amid the threats. Herod may be clever like a fox, but Jesus will keep going today, tomorrow, and for as many days as needed until he finishes his course.
And Jesus also indicates where his course will finish, and why it will finish there. He does this when he says: “it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.”
Here Jesus refers to the city’s history of trusting its own wisdom over that of God’s prophets. The people of Jerusalem had done this repeatedly over the years, including in the time of Jeremiah. We heard about their rejection of Jeremiah in today’s Old Testament reading.
Just so you know, some of those rejected prophets perished literally, while others, like Jeremiah, were only jailed for a time or driven away. Jesus no doubt uses the word “perish” in order to serve as a foreshadowing of what would happen to him.
Until that day of his death, however, Jesus would continue to teach. And as he approached the city, he did this by sharing with his disciples the thoughts of his heart. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
Here Jesus expresses words of great lament. He mourns the fact that Jerusalem so often behaves the way that it does. For Jesus knows that when people reject God’s prophets, they also reject God’s protection and miss out on the blessing of being gathered together as family.
Jesus wants good things for Jerusalem, his home. And he weeps at its stubbornness and poor judgment.
But notice that Jesus also points to the responsibility the city bears for its choice. The people were not willing to do the right thing, and therefore they must suffer the consequences. Their house is forsaken, and they will be knocked down, just as they were in the days of their defeat by Babylon.
Here we should stop and notice that the lament of Jesus is said in response to both the people’s rejection of him and their impending doom. Jesus mourns both of these.
But let us remember, too, that this lament of Jesus is not just meant to tell us about his attitude towards Jerusalem. Like all passages of scripture, it is meant to challenge us today as well.
One way it does this is by calling us to examine our own home places. Just as Jesus loved Jerusalem but recognized its failures too, so also we are to look at our homes with both loving and critical eyes.
Those of us whose homeland is the United States of America can point to many reasons why we might feel great love for our country. Our country does many things right, and many of us have been richly blessed by it.
But is our nation, the United States of America, listening to God’s voice these days? Or is it rejecting what God has to say? Is it listening to the voice of prophecy as given through Christ’s church and his holy word? Or are his messages falling on deaf ears?
We can’t give a blanket answer to this question. For our country has many millions of people and our society is vast and complex. But surely there are lots of signs of rejection. For instance, I think we’d all agree that our country is growing more and more secular. And we know that the percentage of our citizens who attend church has been going down for some time.
A well, we see a greater rejection by our citizens of the laws of God which he gives in the scriptures. And I believe we’re also seeing a greater rejection of God’s call to care for the poor and the weak.
Last Sunday, and for seven total days over the last two weeks, I was in the Dominican Republic. This was my first time traveling to that country or to any Latin American country and it was quite an eye-opening experience.
While I was there, I thought about that question I just asked about my own country. Are the people of the Dominican Republic listening to God’s word and his church? Or are they rejecting his voice of prophecy instead?
As is the case with my own country, I’m certain that the spiritual state of the DR is complex. And I have no idea whether the voice of prophecy there is improving or declining. I saw a lot of churches, but I also saw a lot of gates on properties and bars on windows. And I certainly saw lots of poverty.
What I know is that Jesus mourns the poverty of that nation. He mourns the choices of those who break his commandments and he mourns those who reject him and his family, the church.
And Jesus mourns these same things in our own country. He sees our sins and he sees our poverty, especially our poverty of spirit.
Like he did as he approached Jerusalem, so also Jesus says to the whole world today: “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
Jesus mourns for our world. But he also works on it. He worked in Jerusalem. And he works in our day as well.
When Jesus approached Jerusalem during those days recorded in our scriptures, he was initially welcomed into the city. The people, as he predicted, cried out: “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
But then many of the people soured on him. And especially the leaders. Some found his teachings too hard while others realized that Jesus threatened their power.
However, Jesus kept on working. He worked by teaching the people each day and each tomorrow until he was arrested, tried and convicted. Then a short time later, on a Friday afternoon, he was nailed to a cross, and there he died.
In some ways, that Friday was the third day. For at that time Jesus completed what he had come to do. As he himself on the cross stated: “it is finished.”
Jesus had finished teaching us how to rightly live. And his death on the cross paid the price of our sin. Now, because of what Jesus has done, all people who repent of their sins and place their trust in him can be assured of their salvation and receive victory over the grave.
That Friday was a “third day” in a way. But the phrase is even more indicative of what was yet to come. Jesus may have died on that Friday, but he was raised to life on Sunday. Jesus’ “third day” course includes his resurrection too.
And this full completion of his course shows just how blessed we are. For Jesus has told us that his course will be our course. Those of us who have joined him on his course will not die, but live. We will be resurrected, just like him, on the day of his return.
Jesus mourns our sins and our faithlessness. These lead to pain, trouble and destruction, just like they did in Jerusalem.
But when we repent of our sins and turn to Jesus in faith, we will be forgiven. This is God’s promise to us.
With sins forgiven, we can go forward on life’s course with new confidence and joy. And we can go forward with a better spirit too – a spirit of trust, kindness, love and mercy. All of these are worked in us through God’s Holy Spirit.
Jesus offers life and forgiveness to those who repent and turn to him in faith. And through our faith we have new and resurrected life even now. For we have been born again and created anew.
The Lord Jesus finished his course to make all this possible. Knowing this, let us rejoice in his work and welcome his voice in our lives each day.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
oined him on his course will not die, but live. We will be resurrected, just like him, on the day of his return.
Jesus mourns our sins and our faithlessness. These lead to pain, trouble and destruction, just like they did in Jerusalem.
But when we repent of our sins and turn to Jesus in faith, we will be forgiven. This is God’s promise to us.
With sins forgiven, we can go forward on life’s course with new confidence and joy. And we can go forward with a better spirit too – a spirit of trust, kindness, love and mercy. All of these are worked in us through God’s Holy Spirit.
Jesus offers life and forgiveness to those who repent and turn to him in faith. And through our faith we have new and resurrected life even now. For we have been born again and created anew.
The Lord Jesus finished his course to make all this possible. Knowing this, let us rejoice in his work and welcome his voice in our lives each day.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY (Stand) Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart LSB 708
1 Lord, Thee I love with all my heart;
I pray Thee, ne’er from me depart,
With tender mercy cheer me.
Earth has no pleasure I would share.
Yea, heav’n itself were void and bare
If Thou, Lord, wert not near me.
And should my heart for sorrow break,
My trust in Thee can nothing shake.
Thou art the portion I have sought;
Thy precious blood my soul has bought.
Lord Jesus Christ, my God and Lord, my God and Lord,
Forsake me not! I trust Thy Word.
2 Yea, Lord, ’twas Thy rich bounty gave
My body, soul, and all I have
In this poor life of labor.
Lord, grant that I in ev’ry place
May glorify Thy lavish grace
And help and serve my neighbor.
Let no false doctrine me beguile;
Let Satan not my soul defile.
Give strength and patience unto me
To bear my cross and follow Thee.
Lord Jesus Christ, my God and Lord, my God and Lord,
In death Thy comfort still afford.
3 Lord, let at last Thine angels come,
To Abr’ham’s bosom bear me home,
That I may die unfearing;
And in its narrow chamber keep
My body safe in peaceful sleep
Until Thy reappearing.
And then from death awaken me,
That these mine eyes with joy may see,
O Son of God, Thy glorious face,
My Savior and my fount of grace.
Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer attend, my prayer attend,
And I will praise Thee without end.
APOSTLES’ CREED Hymnal, back cover
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.
OFFERING
Offerings support the church’s mission work – both here and through our many partners. Offerings may be placed in the box at the sanctuary entrance or sent to the church through our website or the mail. Fellowship Cards help us welcome new people and track participation. Please fill one out and place it in the offering box following the service.
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH (Kneel)
The response to each petition will be:
“Let us pray to the Lord:”
“Lord, have mercy.”
✠ ✠ ✠
THE LITURGY OF HOLY COMMUNION
OFFERTORY LSB 192
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy free spirit. Amen.
PREFACE TO HOLY COMMUNION
The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up unto the Lord.
Let us give thanks unto the Lord, our God.
It is meet and right so to do.
It is truly good right and salutary…evermore praising You and saying:
SANCTUS
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth;
heav’n and earth are full of Thy glory.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He, blessed is He, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
THE 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.
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD
PAX DOMINI
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
Amen.
AGNUS DEI
O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world,
have mercy upon us.
O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world,
have mercy upon us.
O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world,
grant us Thy peace. Amen.
DISTRIBUTION (Be seated)
Those wishing to commune at the foot of the steps should come forward first. Those wishing to commune at the altar rail should come forward after these, front rows first, from both sides of the aisle. After receiving, all should return to their seats. A common dismissal will be given at the end.
COMMUNION HYMN Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed LSB 437
1 Alas! And did my Savior bleed,
And did my sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?
2 Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity, grace unknown,
And love beyond degree!
3 Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in
When God, the mighty maker, died
For His own creatures’ sin.
4 Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt mine eyes to tears.
5 But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away:
’Tis all that I can do.
NUNC DIMITTIS AND CONCLUDING LITURGY LSB 199-202
Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word,
for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face
of all people,
a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
SENDING HYMN What Is the World to Me LSB 730
1 What is the world to me
With all its vaunted pleasure
When You, and You alone,
Lord Jesus, are my treasure!
You only, dearest Lord,
My soul’s delight shall be;
You are my peace, my rest.
What is the world to me!
2 The world seeks to be praised
And honored by the mighty
Yet never once reflects
That they are frail and flighty.
But what I truly prize
Above all things is He,
My Jesus, He alone.
What is the world to me!
3 The world seeks after wealth
And all that mammon offers
Yet never is content
Though gold should fill its coffers.
I have a higher good,
Content with it I’ll be:
My Jesus is my wealth.
What is the world to me!
4 What is the world to me!
My Jesus is my treasure,
My life, my health, my wealth,
My friend, my love, my pleasure,
My joy, my crown, my all,
My bliss eternally.
Once more, then, I declare:
What is the world to me!
ANNOUNCEMENTS (Be seated)
DISMISSAL
POSTLUDE What Is the World to Me Setting: Michael D. Costello
FELLOWSHIP: Board of Servant Leaders
Those serving:
8:00 a.m.:
Greeter: Jim Easterly
Comm. assist: Melissa Jansen
Reader: Melissa Hecht
10:30 a.m.:
Greeter: Aaron Siebrass
Comm. assist: Holly Siebrass
Reader: Aaron Siebrass
Acolyte: Joshua Wang
Piano: Dale Rogers
AV Assistants: Hannes Buuck, Andreas Buuck
Acknowledgements
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2025 Concordia Publishing House.
198 O Come, Let Us Fix Our Eyes on Jesus Text: Hebrews 12:2, alt.
Tune: Mark L. Bender, b. 1951 Text: © 2001 Crossway Bibles. Used by permission: OAR Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: © 2009 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: OAR Hymn License no. 110005326
683 Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me Text: Paul Gerhardt, 1607–76; tr. John B. Wesley, 1703–91, alt. Tune: Norman Cocker, 1889–1953 Text: Public domain
Tune: © Oxford University Press. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
708 Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart Text: Martin Schalling, 1532–1608; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–78, alt. Tune: Zwey Bücher . . . Tabulatur, 1577, Strassburg Text and tune: Public domain
437 Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed Text: Isaac Watts, 1674–1748, alt. Tune: Hugh Wilson, 1764–1824 Text and tune: Public domain
730 What Is the World to Me Text: Georg Michael Pfefferkorn, 1645–1732; tr. August Crull, 1845–1923, alt. Tune: Ahasverus Fritsch, 1629–1701 Text and tune: Public domain
