Ascension

See, the Lord Ascends in Triumph LSB #494

Text: Christopher Wordsworth, 1807–85, abr., alt.

Tune: Henry T. Smart, 1813–79

Text and tune: Public domain

 

Stand

 

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

 

Invocation LSB p. 151

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

C Amen.

 

Exhortation LSB p. 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.

 

Silent Reflection before Confession

 

Confession of Sins LSB p. 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 p. 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 110:1, 4–5; antiphon: Psalm 47:5

God has gone up | with a shout,*
the Lord with the sound of a | trumpet.
The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my | right hand,*
until I make your enemies your | footstool.”
The Lord has sworn and will not | change his mind,*
“You are a priest forever after the order of Mel- | chizedek.”
The Lord is at your | right hand;*
he will shatter kings on the day | of his wrath.
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.
God has gone up | with a shout,*
the Lord with the sound of a | trumpet.

 

Kyrie LSB p. 152

 

This Is the Feast LSB p. 155

 

Salutation and Collect of the Day Ascension

P Let us pray.

Almighty God, as Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, ascended into the heavens, so may we also ascend in heart and mind and continually dwell there with Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

Sit

 

Old Testament Reading Acts 1:1–11

¹In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, ²until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. ³To them he presented himself alive after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

⁴And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; ⁵for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

⁶So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ⁹And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, ¹¹and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

 

Gradual adapt. from Matthew 28:7; Hebrews 2:7; Psalm 8:6

C Christ has risen  | from the dead.*
[God the Father] has crowned him with glory and  | honor.
He has given him dominion over the works  | of his hands;*
he has put all things un- | der his feet.

 

Epistle Ephesians 1:15–23

¹⁵For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, ¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, ¹⁷that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, ¹⁸having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might ²⁰that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. ²²And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, ²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

 

Stand

 

Common Alleluia and Verse LSB p. 156

 

Holy Gospel Luke 24:44–53

P The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the twenty-fourth chapter.

⁴⁴Then [Jesus] said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

⁵⁰Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. ⁵¹While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

 

[The Paschal Candle is extinguished, marking the end of our Lord's ministry from earth.]

 

⁵²And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³and were continually in the temple blessing God.

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

 

We Are Called to Stand Together LSB #828

Text: Martin E. Leckebusch, 1962

Tune: Henry V. Gerike, 1948

Text: © 2000 Kevin Mayhew Ltd. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518

Tune: © 1973 Henry V. Gerike. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518

 

Sermon - Head over All - Ephesians 1:15-23

Stand

 

Offertory LSB p. 159

 

Prayer of the Church

 

Sit

 

The offering is gathered.

 

Stand

 

Preface LSB p. 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 p. 161

 

Prayer of Thanksgiving LSB p. 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 p. 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

 

Pax Domini LSB p. 163

 

Agnus Dei LSB p. 163

 

Sit

 

Distribution

 

Christ Sits at God’s Right Hand LSB #564

 

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

 

O Jesus, Blessed Lord, to Thee LSB #632

Text: Thomas Hansen Kingo, 1634–1703; tr. Arthur J. Mason, 1851–1928

Tune: Trente quatre Pseaumes de David, 1551, Geneva, ed. Louis Bourgeois

Text and tune: Public domain

 

A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing LSB #493

 

5 Be now our joy on earth, O Lord,
And be our future great reward.
    Alleluia, alleluia!
Then, throned with You forever, we
Shall praise Your name eternally.
    Alleluia, alleluia!
    Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

 

D 6 O risen Christ, ascended Lord,
All praise to You let earth accord:
    Alleluia, alleluia!
You are, while endless ages run,
With Father and with Spirit one.
    Alleluia, alleluia!
    Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Text: Bede, 673–735; tr. Lutheran Book of Worship, 1978, alt.

Tune: Geistliche Kirchengesäng, 1623, Köln

Text: © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518

Tune: Public domain

 

Stand

 

Thank the Lord LSB p. 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 p. 166

 

On Christ’s Ascension I Now Build LSB #492

Text: Josua Wegelin, 1604–40; tr. William M. Czamanske, 1873–1964, alt.

Tune: Etlich Cristlich lider, 1524, Wittenberg

Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518

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.

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