7th Sunday Of Easter (Exaudi) ~ 2026

 

Today's Service Leader and Speaker Rev. Brett Cornelius, Pastor, Holy Cross Lutheran Church

 

 

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

 

Opening Hymn~462 All the Earth with Joy Is Sounding

This Hymn Cannot Be Publish On This Webpage

 

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 LSB 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.

 

Kneel/Stand

 

Silence for reflection on God’s Word and for self-examination.

 

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.

 

Stand

 

Introit Psalm 27:1, 11a, 12; antiphon: vv. 7a, 8b, 9a

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud. Alle- | luia.*
Your face, Lord, do I seek; hide not your face from me. Alle- | luia.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom  | shall I fear?*
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I  | be afraid?
Teach me your way,  | O Lord;*
give me not up to the will of my adver- | saries;
for false witnesses have risen a- | gainst me,*
and they breathe out  | violence.
Glory be to the Father and  | to the Son*
and to the Holy  | Spirit;
as it was in the be- | ginning,*
is now, and will be forever.  | Amen.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud. Alle- | luia.*
Your face, Lord, do I seek; hide not your face from me. Alle- | luia.

 

Kyrie LSB 152

 

This Is the Feast LSB 155

 

Salutation and Collect of the Day

P Let us pray.

O King of glory, Lord of hosts, uplifted in triumph far above all heavens, leave us not without consolation but send us the Spirit of truth whom You promised from the Father; for You live and reign with Him and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

Sit

 

Old Testament Reading Ezekiel 36:22–28

²²“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. ²³And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. ²⁴I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. ²⁵I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. ²⁶And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my just decrees. ²⁸You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.”

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

 

Epistle 1 Peter 4:7–11

⁷The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. ⁸Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: ¹¹whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

 

Stand

 

Alleluia and Verse LSB 156

 

Holy Gospel John 15:26—16:4

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

²⁶[Jesus said:] “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. ²⁷And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

¹“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. ²They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. ³And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. ⁴But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.”

P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

 

Sit

 

465 Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds

Text: Paul Z. Strodach, 1876–1947, alt.
Tune: Geistliche Kirchengesäng, 1623, Köln
Text: © 1958 Augsburg Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518
Tune: Public domain

 

Sermon - Rev. Brett E. Cornelius

 

Stand

 

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.

 

Prayer of the Church

 

Sit

 

Offering

 

Choir ~ “In God We Believe”

 

Stand

 

Offertory LSB 159

 

Preface LSB 160

 

Proper Preface

P 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, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who after His resurrection appeared openly to all His disciples and in their sight was taken up into heaven that He might make us partakers of His divine life. Therefore 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

 

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

 

Agnus Dei LSB 163

 

Sit

 

Distribution Hymns

 

618 I Come, O Savior, to Thy Table

Text: Friedrich Christian Heyder, 1677–1754; tr. The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941, abr.
Tune: Emskirchner Choral-Buch, 1756, Leipzig
Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518
Tune: Public domain

 

687 Thine Forever, God of Love

Text: Mary F. Maude, 1819–1913
Tune: Justin H. Knecht, 1752–1817
Text and tune: Public domain

 

564 Christ Sits at God’s Right Hand

 

5 Then let us now draw near,
    Washed in that precious flood
And enter the Most Holy Place
    By Jesus’ blood.
From hearts that are sincere,
    Let tongues our hope profess,
And trust anew God’s faithful grace
    That we confess.

 

D 6 All praise to Christ we bring,
    Our Lord who intercedes,
Our great High Priest enthroned above
    Who knows our needs;
And to the Father sing
    Our songs of thankful praise,
Who with the Spirit reigns in love
    For endless days.

Text: Stephen P. Starke, 1955
Tune: Hebrew
Text: © 2002 Stephen P. Starke, admin. Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518
Tune: Public domain

 

Stand

 

Nunc Dimittis LSB 165

 

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

 

527 O Savior, Precious Savior

Text: Frances R. Havergal, 1836–79
Tune: Arthur H. Mann, 1850–1929
Text and tune: Public domain

 

Acknowledgments

Divine Service, Setting One from Lutheran Service Book

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.