2nd Sunday of Easter - 2023

 

Today's Service Leader and Speaker - Rev. Jesse Kueker, Admissions Officer, STL Seminary

 

Today's liturgy is the Divine Service, Setting One, LSB pages 151ff.

 

490 Jesus Lives! The Victory’s Won

Text: Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, 1715–69; tr. Frances E. Cox, 1812–97, alt.
Tune: Johann Crüger, 1598–1662
Text and tune: Public domain

 

Stand

 

The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.

 

Invocation

P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

 

Exhortation 151

P If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

C But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

 

Confession of Sins LSB 151

P Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.

C Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

 

Absolution LSB 151

P Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

 

 

Introit Psalm 81:1, 7a, 10, 16b; antiphon: 1 Peter 2:2a

Like newborn infants, Alleluia,
long for the pure spiritual milk [of the Word.] Alleluia.
Sing aloud to God our strength;
shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
In distress you called, and I delivered you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder.
I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it;
and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.
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.
Like newborn infants, Alleluia,
long for the pure spiritual milk [of the Word.] Alleluia.

 

 

Kyrie LSB 152

A In peace let us pray to the Lord. 

A For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.

A For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord.

A For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.

A Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

 

This Is the Feast LSB 155

 

Salutation and Collect of the Day

P The Lord be with you.

P Let us pray.

Almighty God, grant that we who have celebrated the Lord’s resurrection may by Your grace confess in our life and conversation that Jesus is Lord and God; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

Sit

 

Catechesis - Sacrament of the Altar (Part 1)

P Today's catechetical reading is the first portion under the Sacrament of the Altar.

What is Sacrament of the Altar?

C It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink. (1)

P Where is this written?

C The holy Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and St. Paul write:

Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My Body, which is given for you.  This do in remembrance of Me.”  In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My Blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.  This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” (3)

P What passages of Holy Scripture inform us and convince us of this truth?

C [Jesus said,] “This is My Body… This is My Blood.” –Matt. 26:26, 28 (K)

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. –1 Corinthians 11:26 (2)

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you.  –1 Corinthians 11:23a (4)

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. –1 Corinthians 11:27 (4)

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  –Acts 2:42 (5)

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. –Hebrews 10:14 (5)

 

 

Choir - Breath of the Living God

 

 

Old Testament Reading Ezekiel 37:1–14

¹The 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. ²And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. ³And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” ⁴Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. ⁵Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. ⁶And 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.”

⁷So 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. ⁸And 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. ⁹Then 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.” ¹⁰So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

¹¹Then 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.’ ¹²Therefore 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. ¹³And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. ¹⁴And 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.”

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

 

 

Gradual Matthew 28:7b; John 20:26a, c

C Alleluia. He has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee. Alleluia. Eight days later Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Alleluia.

 

Epistle 1 John 5:4–10

⁴For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. ⁵Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

⁶This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷For there are three that testify: ⁸the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. ⁹If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. ¹⁰Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

 

Stand

 

 

Alleluia LSB 156

 

 

Holy Gospel John 20:19–31

P The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the twentieth chapter.

¹⁹On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. ²¹Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” ²²And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”

²⁴Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

²⁶Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” ²⁸Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

³⁰Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

 

Nicene Creed

C I believe in one God,

     the Father Almighty,

     maker of heaven and earth

          and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,

     the only-begotten Son of God,

     begotten of His Father before all worlds,

     God of God, Light of Light,

     very God of very God,

     begotten, not made,

     being of one substance with the Father,

     by whom all things were made;

     who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven

     and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary

     and was made man;

     and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.

     He suffered and was buried.

     And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures

          and ascended into heaven

     and sits at the right hand of the Father.

     And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,

     whose kingdom will have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit,

     the Lord and giver of life,

     who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

     who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,

     who spoke by the prophets.

     And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,

     I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,

     and I look for the resurrection of the dead

     and the life T of the world to come. Amen.

 

Sit

 

 

470 O Sons and Daughters of the King

 

5 When Thomas first the tidings heard
That they had seen the risen Lord,
He doubted the disciples’ word.
    Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

 

6 “My piercèd side, O Thomas, see,
And look upon My hands, My feet;
Not faithless but believing be.”
    Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

 

7 No longer Thomas then denied;
He saw the feet, the hands, the side;
“You are my Lord and God!” he cried.
    Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

 

8 How blest are they who have not seen
And yet whose faith has constant been,
For they eternal life shall win.
    Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

 

9 On this most holy day of days
Be laud and jubilee and praise:
To God your hearts and voices raise.
    Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Text: attr. Jean Tisserand, d. 1494; tr. John Mason Neale, 1818–66, alt.
Tune: Melchior Vulpius, c. 1570–1615
Text and tune: Public domain

 

 

Sermon - Rev. Jesse Kueker, Admissions Officer, STL Seminary

 

 

Stand

 

Offertory LSB 159

 

Prayer of the Church

P Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.

Heavenly Father, Your Son is the firstborn from the dead. In Him, we have been reborn into a new and living hope. Nurture us with the pure milk of Your Word, that we may grow to maturity of faith and have everlasting life. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

P Gracious Lord, You overcome our doubts by the patience and grace of Your Son. Inspire us by the testimony of His holy apostles, and build up Your Church in our time. Remove the weight of sin from as many as will repent. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

P Almighty God, build up the households of Your people, that Your holy children, begotten in Baptism, may grow in Your grace and share together in Your forgiveness and life. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

P Righteous King, You promise that the faith of Your people will overcome the world. Let it be so! By the testimony of the Word and Sacrament, overcome the powers of this world. Turn its evil to good, and enliven many to follow Christ in faith. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

P God of all comfort, You permit even Your beloved people to fall into difficult days of confusion and suffering and draw near to death. Send Your Spirit to lift them up in faith, [especially _____________,] that they may follow You through their trials into eternal life. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

P Merciful Lord, as Your Son made the disciples glad in His risen and life-giving flesh on the first day of the week and again eight days later, so let us find gladness in His wounds and His abiding presence among us each week in the blessed Sacrament. Give us a hunger for Your Word of peace in this Supper, through which He gives us His life-giving body and blood. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

P Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C Amen.

 

Sit

 

The offering is gathered.

 

Stand

 

Preface LSB 160

P The Lord be with you.

P Lift up your hearts.

P Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

 

Preface

It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God. And most especially are we bound to praise You on this day for the glorious resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, the very Paschal Lamb, who was sacrificed for us and bore the sins of the world. By His dying He has destroyed death, and by His rising again He has restored to us everlasting life. Therefore with Mary Magdalene, Peter and John, and with all the witnesses of the resurrection, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:

 

Sanctus LSB 161

 

 

Prayer of Thanksgiving 161

P Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have had mercy on those whom You created and sent Your only-begotten Son into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior. With repentant joy we receive the salvation accomplished for us by the all-availing sacrifice of His body and His blood on the cross.

Gathered in the name and the remembrance of Jesus, we beg You, O Lord, to forgive, renew, and strengthen us with Your Word and Spirit. Grant us faithfully to eat His body and drink His blood as He bids us do in His own testament. Gather us together, we pray, from the ends of the earth to celebrate with all the faithful the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end. Graciously receive our prayers; deliver and preserve us. To You alone, O Father, be all glory, honor, and worship, with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

 

Lord's Prayer LSB 162

P Lord, remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:

C Our Father who art in heaven,

     hallowed be Thy name,

     Thy kingdom come,

     Thy will be done on earth

          as it is in heaven;

     give us this day our daily bread;

     and forgive us our trespasses

          as we forgive those

          who trespass against us;

     and lead us not into temptation,

     but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom

     and the power and the glory

     forever and ever. Amen.

 

The Words of Our Lord

P Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My T body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My T blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

 

Pax Domini LSB 163

P The peace of the Lord be with you always.

 

Agnus Dei LSB 163

 

Sit

 

 

Distribution

 

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

 

Distribution Hymn

Text: George Duffield, Jr., 1818–88, alt.
Tune: George J. Webb, 1803–87
Text and tune: Public domain

 

482 This Joyful Eastertide

Text: George R. Woodward, 1848–1934
Tune: Davids Psalmen, 1684, Amsterdam
Text and tune: Public domain

 

700 Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

Text: Charles Wesley, 1707–88
Tune: Rowland H. Prichard, 1811–87
Text and tune: Public domain

 

Stand

 

Thank the Lord LSB 164

 

Post-Communion Collect

A Let us pray.

We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we implore You that of Your mercy You would strengthen us through the same in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one another; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

Benediction LSB 166

P The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look upon you with favor and T give you peace.

 

 

468 I Am Content! My Jesus Ever Lives

Text: attr. Johann Joachim Möller, 1660–1733; tr. August Crull, 1845–1923, alt.
Tune: Johann Rudolph Ahle, 1625–73
Text and tune: Public domain

 

 

Acknowledgments

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 © 2023 Concordia Publishing House.