Third Sunday after Lent 3/23
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT
MARCH 23, 2025
ST. PAUL’S LUTHERAN CHURCH, FALLS CHURCH, VA
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PRELUDE Jesus, Grant That Balm and Healing Setting: Robert J. Powell
WELCOME
ENTRANCE HYMN (Stand) Jesus, Grant That Balm and Healing LSB 421
1 Jesus, grant that balm and healing
In Your holy wounds I find,
Ev’ry hour that I am feeling
Pains of body and of mind.
Should some evil thought within
Tempt my treach’rous heart to sin,
Show the peril, and from sinning
Keep me from its first beginning.
2 Should some lust or sharp temptation
Fascinate my sinful mind,
Draw me to Your cross and passion,
And new courage I shall find.
Or should Satan press me hard,
Let me then be on my guard,
Saying, “Christ for me was wounded,”
That the tempter flee confounded.
3 If the world my heart entices
With the broad and easy road,
With seductive, sinful vices,
Let me weigh the awful load
You were willing to endure.
Help me flee all thoughts impure
And to master each temptation,
Calm in prayer and meditation.
4 Ev’ry wound that pains or grieves me
By Your wounds, Lord, is made whole;
When I’m faint, Your cross revives me,
Granting new life to my soul.
Yes, Your comfort renders sweet
Ev’ry bitter cup I meet;
For Your all-atoning passion
Has procured my soul’s salvation.
5 O my God, my rock and tower,
Grant that in Your death I trust,
Knowing death has lost its power
Since You crushed it in the dust.
Savior, let Your agony
Ever help and comfort me;
When I die be my protection,
Light and life and resurrection.
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
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.
KYRIE
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, whose glory it is always to have mercy
be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST LESSON (Be seated) Ezekiel 33:7-20
“So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.
“And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
“And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins. Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.
“Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just,’ when it is their own way that is not just. When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it. And when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by them. Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 85 (Sung responsively)
Lord, you were favorable to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquity of your people;
you covered all their sin.
You withdrew all your wrath;
you turned from your hot anger.
Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
and put away your indignation toward us!
Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.
Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;
but let them not turn back to folly.
Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
and righteousness looks down from the sky.
Yes, the Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him
and make his footsteps a way.
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 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
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 13:1-9
The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke the 13th chapter
Glory to You, O Lord.
There were some present at that very time who told [Jesus] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
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:
“Be careful that you do not fall.” So says St. Paul in today’s second reading.
We’ve all had our experiences with falling. We fell a lot when we were young children – back when we were just learning to negotiate the world. And we still fall today. We slip on the ice, trip over shoes in the bedroom, and stumble over the rough places that suddenly appear in our paths. Falling is just a part of life.
But some people fall more than others. Travel writer Jan Morris shares that she definitely falls more than the normal person. “The sad truth,” she says, “is that I have been falling for years. I have tripped, slid, toppled and collided with things such as lampposts on several continents.”
Ms. Morris believes that the reason she falls so often is that she has a wandering mind. “My falls come as I am absorbed in a book or contemplating a distant skyline,” she says. “I carry with me the scars of a wandering mind.
Perhaps that was the problem for the Corinthian Christians too. Living in such a cosmopolitan city, they had many things to distract them from God’s Word. Perhaps they were absorbed in all the opportunities they had to have fun, see something new, or consider an opinion from a learned thinker. Sound familiar?
The “falling” our text mentions is of course the falling into sin. And by the tenth chapter of that letter, we know that the people there had plenty of experience with this. Over the course of the chapters of the letter, Paul addresses many concerns with them, including their disunity, sexual sins, propensity to file lawsuits, association with idols, and their troubles with the Lord’s Supper.
Perhaps the Christians of Corinth thought they couldn’t help all these sins. Perhaps they concluded that their sins were just a product of being distracted by the world they lived in. Or maybe they just used that old excuse: “the devil made me do it.”
Whatever the case, Paul would not let the people shift the blame away from themselves. He does this by saying: “God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.”
Yes, these words of his are primarily meant to be an encouragement to us by promising the good news of God’s help. But they also make clear to us that if we’ve sinned, we have no one to blame but ourselves.
By the way, this promise from the Bible– “God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear”– often gets re-stated in a different way. You may have heard it expressed as: “God will not give you more than you can handle.” The two statements may sound as if they’re the same, but they’re not. The re-statement misses the point and is actually very misleading. That’s because life often does give us more than we can handle… at least on our own. There are times when our pain is extremely great or when we are gripped with fear or when our very survival is challenged. And there are times when we experience great emotional pain because of a sad or tragic loss. In these times we need help and are not expected to go it alone. We need help from God. And we need help from others.
But as for being tempted to sin, we are ultimately responsible for our own actions. We are not to disobey our Lord. And we are not to fool ourselves into thinking that sin is our only choice. God’s Word is clear– disobeying is not our only choice, for “God will provide a way out so that you can stand up under temptation.”
As we struggle against the temptation to fall into sin, we are called to look for those “ways out” that the Lord provides. And this will require some effort on our part. Patience too.
In making these efforts, here are two bits of advice that can help.
First, as we seek to overcome sin, it’s important that we develop a better “walk” with God.
Poor Ms. Morris, who’s falls and scars we talked about earlier, was convinced that her falling happened because her mind was wandering. And maybe that’s correct. But there might be another reason she fell so often. It could be that her method of walking was partly to blame.
In a recent study, researchers studied the walks of two groups of people– those who had fallen more than twice in the past year and those who had not fallen at all during that time. Using video recordings and infrared technology, they tracked, measured and charted the gaits of these people as they walked along specified walkways. The researchers concluded that the mechanics of a person’s walk– things such as the clearance of the swing of the foot and the lateral sway of the trunk of the body– predisposed some people to fall more easily than others.
As Christians, we need to develop a better spiritual walk. The Bible compliments certain people by telling us they “walked with God,” which means they faithfully acknowledged God’s presence, prayed to Him, listened to Him, and followed His commands.
As we seek to avoid falling into sin, let us commit to a closer walk with God. Let us pray to Him in the difficult times but also at all times– praying in a regular, disciplined manner in order to develop a true relationship. Let us worship God with our hearts and also worship Him with our minds as we meditate on His teachings.
When God is a part of our everyday life, we are less prone to be surprised by temptation. After all, falls are, by definition, unplanned and unexpected events. And oftentimes it’s the little things that cause us to stumble and fall.
William Temple, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury in the 1940’s, tells about a time he heard a preacher speak on the text, “though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” The preacher talked about dramatic sins that drew blood. But Temple was moved instead to think about his many gray sins. “Most of them were not dramatic acts of rebellion and violent self-affirmation,” he said, “but colorless, tired sins of omission, inertia and timidity.”
Likewise, Pastor W.B.J. Martin, taking a line from the second chapter of Song of Solomon, wrote a book called “Little Foxes that Spoil the Vine.” The “little foxes” he talks about are behaviors that don’t seem so bad in themselves but lead to bigger sins. He includes chapters on things such as careless listening, stopping halfway, discourtesy, flippancy, ingratitude and by-standing.
We all know that a major fall can have devastating consequences. There are plenty of Christians in jail who thought they were standing strong and would not fall. But there are also many Christians whose lives are a mess because they had a casual attitude about the little sins and then fell quickly into bigger ones.
Yes, it’s important to develop a better walk with God. All of us can improve.
And there’s a second piece of advice that can help us too. This advice isn’t about avoiding a fall but rather knowing what to do when you fall. And it might be even more valuable.
Back to Ms. Morris again. In her article, she says that there are some places where it’s better to fall than others. When she fell one winter day on a main street in Edmonton, Alberta, no one paid any attention to her. Perhaps slipping on the ice is too common there. But when she fell over into a gutter near the horse carriages at Central Park in Manhattan, she immediately received help from the horse cab drivers.
Ginny Grush of Farmington Hills, Michigan, did her one better. A few days after Ms. Morris’ article appeared, Ms. Grush wrote a response in which she relayed a story about falling in church. One day she visited a crowded church in Bolivia, where she was serving as a Peace Corp volunteer. At one point in the service she became overcome by the heat, incense and candle smoke, and she fainted and fell. When she came to, she realized that she was being passed along over the heads of the worshipers to the door where she could get some fresh air. Once outside, congregants cared for her and made sure she was okay.
My friends, if we’re going to fall– and life has shown us that we will all fall at some point– then let’s do it in a good place. And of all the good places to fall, the best place is in church.
It’s not that the church encourages falling, of course. We don’t. But in the church, we understand such things. Or at least we should.
When we fall, it’s good to be surrounded by people who care and who can help. And even more than this, it’s good to be surrounded by people who know the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
Too often when people fall into sin, they look for help elsewhere. They do this because they either feel that the church won’t accept them or they are too ashamed to go to the church for support. These people often end up getting the wrong kind of help. They get told that their sin wasn’t really sin or are befriended by those who keep falling into sin themselves.
I personally know of a church where a prominent member once fell into a sin that was exposed by the local newspapers. He was a man of high standing in the community and his sin was made very public. Over the course of the following months he was taken to court and eventually pled guilty. He didn’t serve any jail time, but he lost his job and his pension. He did not, however, stop going to church. He shared with his fellow members what he had done, expressed his remorse and repentance, and that congregation rallied around him – not with excuses or indifference but with love and encouragement. They helped him to stand once again.
We are all susceptible to spiritual falls of one sort or another. But let’s keep our connection with our congregation active and strong. It’s the place we need to be. In the embrace of the church we will receive honest help, true love, and genuine forgiveness.
The Church can offer love and support because its members have been forgiven themselves. The Church is a support group for frequent-fallers. We’re all trying to do better by working on our walk. And we’re all grateful to God for His mercy and forgiveness.
Most importantly of all, we know that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took a fall for us. He was beaten down to His knees again and again by the blows of human sin. And he was nailed to a cross, where He died. But His death paid the penalty of our sin. And three days later he rose to life again, showing his divine power and proving that death was defeated.
My friends, as we seek to grow in our appreciation of what God has done for us through Christ Jesus, let us commit to also growing in the mercy and love we show to others. Let us together walk with God– hearing His Word and seeking to obey it– that we might become instruments of His redeeming love.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY (Stand) May God Bestow on Us His Grace LSB 824
1 May God bestow on us His grace,
With blessings rich provide us;
And may the brightness of His face
To life eternal guide us,
That we His saving health may know,
His gracious will and pleasure,
And also to the nations show
Christ’s riches without measure
And unto God convert them.
2 Thine over all shall be the praise
And thanks of ev’ry nation;
And all the world with joy shall raise
The voice of exultation.
For Thou shalt judge the earth, O Lord,
Nor suffer sin to flourish;
Thy people’s pasture is Thy Word
Their souls to feed and nourish,
In righteous paths to keep them.
3 O let the people praise Thy worth,
In all good works increasing;
The land shall plenteous fruit bring forth,
Thy Word is rich in blessing.
May God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit bless us!
Let all the world praise Him alone,
Let solemn awe possess us.
Now let our hearts say, “Amen!”
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)
In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For repentance and faith in Christ, that God would guard us from doubt and deliver us to life and salvation, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For a faithful proclamation of truth, that God would embolden pastors to warn of sin and death and give all Christians strength to defend that message; and that sinners would be turned to life through the proclamation of Christ, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For protection against sexual immorality, that God would make our homes havens of chastity and godly instruction, filling marriages with fidelity and love, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For those in authority, that God who establishes justice by His Law, which is for all, would enlighten them to rule justly for true good, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For protection when we are tempted, that God in His faithfulness would guard us from pride that justifies sin and from doubting that He will provide the way of escape; and that He would strengthen us with penitent hearts to endure until He delivers, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For all who cry to the Lord for mercy in a world where towers fall and sinners work evil, especially Geraine, Sophia, Brooks, Mary Ann, June, Peter, Wendy, James, Russell, Marvin, Yi, Eunice, Jeannie, Val, Bernice, Michael, Charles and all who mourn, and all those we remember in our hearts at this time… that the Lord would deliver and heal them, strengthening their faith to look to Him for help, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For all who commune, that the Lord who abounds in steadfast love would give them a holy fear of His wrath and faith in His promises in the body and blood of Christ, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
Lord of life, You have brought us into Your vineyard and appointed us to bear good fruit. Receive our thanks for Your patience, and grant that we would show Your love and grace in all that we say and do; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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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 I Lay My Sins on Jesus LSB 606
1 I lay my sins on Jesus,
The spotless Lamb of God;
He bears them all and frees us
From the accursèd load.
I bring my guilt to Jesus
To wash my crimson stains
Clean in His blood most precious
Till not a spot remains.
2 I lay my wants on Jesus;
All fullness dwells in Him;
He heals all my diseases;
My soul He does redeem.
I lay my griefs on Jesus,
My burdens and my cares;
He from them all releases;
He all my sorrows shares.
3 I rest my soul on Jesus,
This weary soul of mine;
His right hand me embraces;
I on His breast recline.
I love the name of Jesus,
Immanuel, Christ, the Lord;
Like fragrance on the breezes
His name abroad is poured.
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 Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me LSB 761
1 Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure:
Cleanse me from its guilt and pow’r.
2 Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfill Thy Law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.
3 Nothing in my hand I bring;
Simply to Thy cross I cling.
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.
4 While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyelids close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.
ANNOUNCEMENTS (Be seated)
DISMISSAL
POSTLUDE Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me Setting: Robert Lind
FLOWERS: In loving memory of my mother, Olga Mayores. By Priscilla Altmann
FELLOWSHIP: Board of Servant Leaders
Those serving:
8:00 a.m.:
Greeter: Bob Juenger
Comm. assist: Judy Koucky
Reader: Anne Kauzlarich
10:30 a.m.:
Greeter: Jason Starck
Comm. assist: Jill Hecht
Reader: Bill Muller
Acolyte: Elise Yashar
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
421 Jesus, Grant That Balm and Healing Text: Johann Heermann, 1585–1647; tr. composite, alt.
Tune: Johann Balthasar König, 1691–1758 Text and tune: Public domain
824 May God Bestow on Us His Grace Text: Martin Luther, 1483–1546; tr. Richard Massie, 1800–87, alt.
Tune: David Lee, 1956 Text: Public domain Tune: © 2004 David Lee. Used by permission: LSB Hymn
License no. 110005326
606 I Lay My Sins on Jesus Text: Horatius Bonar, 1808–89 Tune: Neu-vermehrtes . . . Gesangbuch, 1693,
3rd ed., Meiningen Text and tune: Public domain
761 Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me Text: Augustus M. Toplady, 1740–78 Tune: Thomas Hastings, 1784–1872
Text and tune: Public domain
