Fifth Sunday in Lent 3/22/26
THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT
MARCH 22, 2026
ST. PAUL’S LUTHERAN CHURCH, FALLS CHURCH, VA
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PRELUDE Rhosymedre Setting: Ralph Vaughn Williams
WELCOME
ENTRANCE HYMN (Stand) Christ, the Life of All the Living Sts. 1-4 LSB 420
1 Christ, the life of all the living,
Christ, the death of death, our foe,
Who, Thyself for me once giving
To the darkest depths of woe:
Through Thy suff’rings, death, and merit
I eternal life inherit.
Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,
Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.
2 Thou, ah! Thou, hast taken on Thee
Bonds and stripes, a cruel rod;
Pain and scorn were heaped upon Thee,
O Thou sinless Son of God!
Thus didst Thou my soul deliver
From the bonds of sin forever.
Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,
Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.
3 Thou hast borne the smiting only
That my wounds might all be whole;
Thou hast suffered, sad and lonely,
Rest to give my weary soul;
Yea, the curse of God enduring,
Blessing unto me securing.
Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,
Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.
4 Heartless scoffers did surround Thee,
Treating Thee with shameful scorn
And with piercing thorns they crowned Thee.
All disgrace Thou, Lord, hast borne,
That as Thine Thou mightest own me
And with heav’nly glory crown me.
Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,
Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.
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. Almighty God,
by Your great goodness mercifully look upon Your people that we may be
governed and preserved evermore in body and soul; 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 37:1-14
The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 130 (Sung responsively)
Out of the depths
I cry to you, O Lord!
O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.
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 Romans 8:1-11
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
10:30 Cherubim Choir Jesus Loves Me
1 Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.
Refrain
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
2 Jesus loves me! He who died
Heaven’s gates to open wide.
He has washed away my sin,
Lets His little child come in. Refrain
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 John 11:1-45
The Holy Gospel according to St. John the 11th chapter
Glory to You, O Lord.
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”
Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise be 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:
“What are we to do?” said the chief priests and the Pharisees, “For this man performs many signs.” Raising Lazarus from the dead—that was quite a sign! But Jesus gave others too.
As I mentioned last Sunday, John in his Gospel refers to all of Jesus’ miracles as “signs.” The first sign to be recorded and labelled as such was his turning of water into wine at the wedding at Cana. John specifically tells us that this was his first sign. Two chapters later, Jesus heals an official’s son, which is noted as his second. These are the only two signs that are numbered. But if we count the signs ourselves, we find that there are seven.
Seven is the Biblical number of completion. And the seventh sign in John’s Gospel is the one we’re addressing today – the raising of Lazarus. This suggests that while all of Jesus’ signs point to his godly power, the raising of the dead is his culminating and most important work.
Today I’d like to focus on two messages that come from this sign. Both messages help us better understand and appreciate his resurrection work.
First, the raising of Lazarus and the dialogue around it tells us that Jesus is not the only one who will be resurrected. Others will be resurrected too.
John’s Gospel, like the other three, builds toward Jesus’ death and resurrection as its climax. All four Gospels, in fact, devote more space to describing this part of his work than any other. This tells us that we are to see Jesus’ death and resurrection as central to both his identity and his mission.
Jesus’ death, as the scriptures make clear, is a sacrifice for humanity’s sins. His death pays the price that our sins deserve. And his resurrection is proof that death does not prevail. In Jesus, the curse of death caused by sin has been overcome.
This news of Jesus’ death and resurrection is good news for all… and not just because Jesus’ death has been overcome but because ours has too. We, too, will rise from death on the day of his return.
Paul speaks to this in his first letter to the Corinthians, the 15th chapter, referring to Jesus’ resurrection as “the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” The phrase indicates that although Jesus was the first to rise from the dead, the rest of us will rise too. Paul in fact uses the same language Jesus does when referring to Lazarus—saying death is just like sleep. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep,” Jesus said, “but I go to awaken him.”
The two awakenings, however, are different in one respect. Lazarus came back to life, yes, but then died again sometime later. This is why we normally call his new life a rising from the dead and not a resurrection. Sometimes we even label it a resuscitation.
Jesus’ resurrection was different. For Jesus was raised to a glorified life. We see this in the scriptures’ description of him in the days after his resurrection, where he suddenly appears and disappears in ways he didn’t before. His was a resurrection to “life everlasting,” as we say in the Creed.
The eternal and glorified life is one where there is no more suffering and death. And this is the resurrection we will experience someday too.
A few chapters after the raising of Lazarus (chap. 14), Jesus speaks to his disciples about these things. He says: “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 (v. 2-3) … because I live, you will also live” (v.19). These words of Jesus are often read at funerals. Perhaps you recognize them from such occasions.
When Christ returns, on the last day, all people will be resurrected. Jesus makes this clear.
However, not all people will be resurrected to eternal life. Jesus’ promise of life was made only to his disciples.
Earlier in John’s Gospel, in chapter five, Jesus said: “an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear [the Son of Man’s] voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (v.28-29). This statement echoes the one Jesus made in Matthew’s Gospel, at the end of the great parable about the sheep and the goats. There he says: “these (meaning the unrighteous) will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (25:46).
God’s judgment is based on a person’s life—whether one was righteous or unrighteous, doing good or doing evil. And this should give us pause, since all of us have sinned.
Thankfully, Jesus came to save sinners. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” said Paul in today’s second reading (Romans 8). He also tells us why, saying: “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
Those who are “in Christ Jesus” are people who trust him to take away their sins. They are the ones who believe in him. This is why Jesus told Martha in our reading today: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (v. 25,26).
Notice that after saying this, Jesus then asked Martha very directly: “Do you believe this?” And Martha responded with one of the great confessions of faith recorded in all of scripture—equal in greatness with Simon Peter’s great confession. She said: “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
As he did with Martha, Jesus pushes us to place our faith in his salvation too. We are called to believe that he died for the sins of the world and trust that his sacrifice will set us free.
Interestingly, when we read on a few more verses in this chapter, we hear someone else uttering an important statement of truth. This man doesn’t offer a confession of faith like Martha’s, but makes a truthful statement, nonetheless. Caiaphas the high priest said: “it is better that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish” (v. 50). He said this because he wanted his nation to be preserved. The truth contained in his words is that by the death of the one man, Jesus, the people of his nation would be saved. What Caiaphas didn’t understand was that Jesus’ death was meant to save the whole world too, and that his salvation wasn’t about preserving a nation but about preserving life for all.
When we, today, speak of our resurrection, we normally speak of it as a future event. We do this because we are thinking of the resurrection that happens when Christ returns. However, a second important point made by today’s Gospel reading is that resurrected life is something Christians have now.
Our bodies may not yet be glorified. Not by a long shot. That comes later. But the resurrected life has come to us in this world when we believe.
In our reading, when Martha and Jesus were talking, Martha stated her belief that Lazarus would “rise again in the resurrection on the last day” (v. 24). Her sights were set on the future.
But notice that right before this, Martha spoke of the past. She said: “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.”
Martha was focused on both the past and the future. And these are the two places we tend to focus upon too. We look back, longingly, at better times. And we look ahead, hopefully, for better days.
But Jesus’ help is for the present too. Notice that as Martha’s thoughts continued, she makes a statement about the present: “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Being in the presence of Jesus led her to think about new possibilities. Faith was having its effect.
Notice, though, that Martha quickly went back to concentrating on the future, saying: “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Such a future orientation is certainly natural, since that is the time when we will receive the great blessings to come. And there is nothing wrong with this looking ahead to the future. Keeping one eye on the good life to come can help us hang in there when life is hard.
However, Jesus wants us to keep our other eye, so to speak, on the life we live now. This where God wants us today. He has work for us to do, and joys and challenges for us to experience.
These we can face knowing God has already given us victory over our greatest troubles. We have resurrection life. “I am the resurrection and the life,” says Jesus – in the present tense. “Whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”
Our bodies will die and be resurrected someday. But our souls are eternal.
At the end of chapter three Jesus says: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (v. 36). Notice the present tense. He says it this way because eternal life is a present possession.
Chapter seventeen relates even more about this. There Jesus says: “This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (v. 3). God gives this eternal life to us when he calls us to faith and we believe.
We have resurrected life now. It is a present reality. And this resurrection life, given to us by God, can be described in many ways, but there is one way in particular that is suggested by our text.
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he did so by praying and calling to Lazarus in a loud voice to come out. He then ordered the linen straps and cloths that bound him to be removed, saying: “Unbind him and let him go.” This extra command about unbinding was perhaps given to remind us that the resurrected life is an unbound life.
When we are raised to life eternal through faith in Jesus, we’re no longer bound by sin and its effects. We are not bound by the Law, not bound by our guilt, and not bound by the lingering stink of our sin (to use another image given by our text).
Don’t misunderstand… we’re still called to live within boundaries. The Law is important. But we’re not bound in sin’s grasp. We have been released from our grave clothes, just like Isaac was released from his binding by his father Abraham when God provided a ram as a substitute. Our substitute is Jesus, God’s Son.
Christ Jesus once “lay in death’s dark bands” – as Luther’s Easter hymn puts it. But “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it,” as Peter explains in his Pentecost message (Acts 2:24).
Today’s sermon, I realize, is more like an Easter sermon than a Lenten sermon. But that’s okay. We’re just following the message of the reading. And every Sunday is a mini celebration of Easter anyway.
Let’s conclude, however, with a thought from Good Friday. On that day, the day of Jesus’ death, the scriptures tell us that Jesus also cried out with a loud voice. Right before he died, he said: “Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit” (Luke 23:46). This was a triumphant cry, even as it was uttered in physical exhaustion.
And yet, at its most basic level, this cry is simply one of faith: “Into your hands I commit my Spirit.” And it’s a present tense statement. Jesus knew, at that moment, that good things lay ahead for him, which helped him submit to his Father’s care in the moment.
That’s the way we are to live too. We are to submit ourselves to God’s care for today, trusting that he will provide the help we need.
Life will give us many struggles. All of us will experience plenty. But we have been given resurrected life, which means we are safe in God’s hands.
May God keep us in this faith. Always. In the name of Jesus our Savior. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY (Stand) My Song Is Love Unknown LSB 430
1 My song is love unknown,
My Savior’s love to me,
Love to the loveless shown
That they might lovely be.
Oh, who am I
That for my sake
My Lord should take
Frail flesh and die?
2 He came from His blest throne
Salvation to bestow;
But men made strange, and none
The longed-for Christ would know.
But, oh, my friend,
My friend indeed,
Who at my need
His life did spend!
3 Sometimes they strew His way
And His sweet praises sing;
Resounding all the day
Hosannas to their King.
Then “Crucify!”
Is all their breath,
And for His death
They thirst and cry.
4 Why, what hath my Lord done?
What makes this rage and spite?
He made the lame to run,
He gave the blind their sight.
Sweet injuries!
Yet they at these
Themselves displease
And ’gainst Him rise.
5 They rise and needs will have
My dear Lord made away;
A murderer they save,
The Prince of Life they slay.
Yet cheerful He
To suff’ring goes
That He His foes
From thence might free.
6 In life no house, no home
My Lord on earth might have;
In death no friendly tomb
But what a stranger gave.
What may I say?
Heav’n was His home
But mine the tomb
Wherein He lay.
7 Here might I stay and sing,
No story so divine!
Never was love, dear King,
Never was grief like Thine.
This is my friend,
In whose sweet praise
I all my days
Could gladly spend!
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)
May God keep us in this faith. Always. In the name of Jesus our Savior. Amen.
Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Heavenly Father, in Baptism You have given the new birth of water and the Spirit. Make Your children strong in Your Spirit, that they may shun the works of the flesh and live in this world expecting the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord God, bless Matthew, our Synod president; Bill, our district president; and all pastors whom You have sent to prophesy Your Word to us, that Your Spirit’s breath would enter us and we may live forever. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, soften the hearts of Your people in every home. Turn parents and children toward each other in love and patience. Banish the spirit of hostility, stubbornness and rebellion from all, and sanctify us in Your truth. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord of hosts, You are the true source of life, and you give us this life through the power of Your Spirit. Humble those who are given authority over the lives of others, that led by Your Spirit they would discharge their duties in accordance with your will. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O great Redeemer, with whom there is steadfast love and redemption, we cry to You on behalf of those suffering affliction, asking that you extend care and relief. We remember all of those on our prayer list, as well those whom we name in our hearts … Assure them that their iniquities have been washed away in Christ, and grant them healing and relief from their burdens, according to Your will. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Mighty God, in the death of your Son, you show us Your great mercy. May all who partake of His Supper come with repentant and humble hearts to taste the body and blood of Christ, given and shed for our life. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Gracious Father, Your Son is the resurrection and the life, in whom all the dead will rise and through whom Your elect will live eternally in Your presence. Give comfort to all who mourn, that they might not grieve as those who have no hope but as those whose hope is the crucified and risen One. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, God almighty, through Your Son You have raised up the dry bones of a people captive to death and made us alive in Christ forever. Sustain us in this hope, that we may endure the tests, trials and troubles of this life and be ready when our Savior comes again in His glory; 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 through AGNUS DEI (Stand) LSB 192-198
8:00 ANTHEM Jubilation Choir Create in Me Setting: Healey Willan
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.
10:30 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 HYMNS Not All the Blood of Beasts LSB 431
1 Not all the blood of beasts
On Jewish altars slain
Could give the guilty conscience peace
Or wash away the stain.
2 But Christ, the heav’nly Lamb,
Takes all our sins away;
A sacrifice of nobler name
And richer blood than they.
3 My faith would lay its hand
On that dear head of Thine,
While as a penitent I stand,
And there confess my sin.
4 My soul looks back to see
The burden Thou didst bear
When hanging on the cursèd tree;
I know my guilt was there.
5 Believing, we rejoice
To see the curse remove;
We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice
And sing His bleeding love.
Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus LSB 685
1 Let us ever walk with Jesus,
Follow His example pure,
Through a world that would deceive us
And to sin our spirits lure.
Onward in His footsteps treading,
Pilgrims here, our home above,
Full of faith and hope and love,
Let us do the Father’s bidding.
Faithful Lord, with me abide;
I shall follow where You guide.
2 Let us suffer here with Jesus
And with patience bear our cross.
Joy will follow all our sadness;
Where He is, there is no loss.
Though today we sow no laughter,
We shall reap celestial joy;
All discomforts that annoy
Shall give way to mirth hereafter.
Jesus, here I share Your woe;
Help me there Your joy to know.
3 Let us gladly die with Jesus.
Since by death He conquered death,
He will free us from destruction,
Give to us immortal breath.
Let us mortify all passion
That would lead us into sin;
And the grave that shuts us in
Shall but prove the gate to heaven.
Jesus, here with You I die,
There to live with You on high.
4 Let us also live with Jesus.
He has risen from the dead
That to life we may awaken.
Jesus, You are now our head.
We are Your own living members;
Where You live, there we shall be
In Your presence constantly,
Living there with You forever.
Jesus, let me faithful be,
Life eternal grant to me.
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 Christ, the Life of All the Living Sts. 5-7 LSB 420
5 Thou hast suffered men to bruise Thee,
That from pain I might be free;
Falsely did Thy foes accuse Thee:
Thence I gain security;
Comfortless Thy soul did languish
Me to comfort in my anguish.
Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,
Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.
6 Thou hast suffered great affliction
And hast borne it patiently,
Even death by crucifixion,
Fully to atone for me;
Thou didst choose to be tormented
That my doom should be prevented.
Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,
Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.
7 Then, for all that wrought my pardon,
For Thy sorrows deep and sore,
For Thine anguish in the Garden,
I will thank Thee evermore,
Thank Thee for Thy groaning, sighing,
For Thy bleeding and Thy dying,
For that last triumphant cry,
And shall praise Thee, Lord, on high.
ANNOUNCEMENTS (Be seated)
DISMISSAL
POSTLUDE Christ, the Life of All the Living Setting: James L Bauer
FLOWERS: Flowers are in honor and thankfulness for my family members born in March and for our beautiful spring flowers and trees. Marge Glass
FELLOWSHIP: Preschool Committee
Those serving:
8:00 a.m.:
Greeter: Bob Juenger
Comm. assist: Dave Oaks
Reader: Anne Kauzlarich
10:30 a.m.:
Greeter: Jason Starck
Comm. assist: Dan Buuck
Reader: Michael Chamberlain
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 © 2026 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
420 Christ, the Life of All the Living Text: Ernst Christoph Homburg, 1605–81; (sts. 1–2): tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–78, alt.; (sts. 3–4): tr. Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book, 1912, St. Louis Tune: Das grosse Cantional, 1687, Darmstadt Text and tune: Public domain
430 My Song Is Love Unknown Text: Samuel Crossman, c. 1624–1683 Tune: John N. Ireland, 1879–1962 Text: Public domain Tune: © John Ireland Trust. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
431 Not All the Blood of Beasts Text: Isaac Watts, 1674–1748, alt. Tune: William Daman, c. 1540–1591 Text and tune: Public domain
685 Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus Text: Sigismund von Birken, 1626–81; tr. Lutheran Book of Worship, 1978, alt. Tune: Georg G. Boltze, 18th cent. Text: © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: Public domain
420 Christ, the Life of All the Living Text: Ernst Christoph Homburg, 1605–81; (sts. 5, 7): tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–78, alt.; (st. 6): tr. Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book, 1912, St. Louis Tune: Das grosse Cantional, 1687, Darmstadt Text and tune: Public domain
588 Jesus Loves Me Text: Anna B. Warner, 1820–1915, alt. Tune: William B. Bradbury, 1816–68 Text and tune: Public domain
