The Service in PDF format is at: April 28, 2024 Service
Video of service is at: YouTube
Peace Lutheran Church
We welcome you in the name of the Lord Jesus. We are honored with your presence. If you do not have a church home, you are invited to join us regularly. Please introduce yourself to Pastor Jeremy Lucke or one of the Ushers as you leave today and sign the guest book in the entryway. We continue to observe the guidelines for health safety. If you have any questions, please see an usher. Everyone is welcome.
The ringing of the bell and the lighting of the Christ candle mark the beginning of our service and a time for quiet meditation, prayer and inward reflection as we begin our worship.
Children are welcome at our worship services. If you prefer, Peace Lutheran has a playroom equipped for children three years old and younger. The room is unstaffed and can be accessed in the fellowship hall where the service is also being live streamed for your convenience and enjoyment.
Holy Communion is celebrated every first and third Sunday and will follow the order of service in the bulletin. If you are a baptized Christian and share our faith in Jesus as Savior and have been instructed in the meaning and use of the Lord’s Supper, you are invited to partake. We have pre-wrapped communion wine or juice and wafers. We also have gluten-free wafers available. If you desire a gluten-free wafer, ask the server. May the body and blood of Jesus, present in the bread and wine, be a blessing to you.
There are times during the service when you will be asked to stand if you are able. Please feel free to remain seated if standing is difficult.
Offering. Peace Lutheran Church understands and teaches that Offerings are voluntary and to be from the heart. Whether we give or do not give does not determine our salvation. Whether we give much or little does not determine our standing before God. Sharing an Offering is an opportunity to quietly practice generosity with our neighbors.
Serving You
Pastor Pastor Jeremy Lucke
Music Director Colleen Schulze
Choir Director Diane Crocker
Supt. Of Sunday School Anne Schroeder & Karyn Stanley
Admin Assistant Daniel Dusek
Parish Nurse Kathy Durling
Webmaster Jim Holroyd
Audio-Visual Johnathon Holroyd, George Abele, Nicholas Abele, Merv Munster, Callie Santora, Caleb Santora, Joyce Long, Oscar Gutbrod, Sam Worth, Rick Durling, Jim Holroyd, Debbi Weiler, Daniel Dusek
Praise Team Rick Durling, Patrick Kamins, Karyn Stanley, Nora Stanley, Diane Crocker, Kaia Lucke, Sarah Grassel, Caleb Santora
Today, April 28, 2024
Musician Colleen Schulze
Reader Kathy Hanna
Flowers Joe & Janette Payne
AS WE GATHER…………… When Jesus uses the image of the vine and speaks of vineyards, He is choosing something very familiar to His hearers. Viticulture is well known around the world. More than eighteen million acres worldwide is used for growing grapes—from Panama to Tajikistan to Zimbabwe! Today, the cultivation of vineyards is still an important agricultural component in both Israel and Jordan, lands where Jesus walked and taught. Life in the vineyard is vital! As branches grafted to the Vine that is Christ, we are vitalized by His power. As we worship, God’s life supporting power infuses us! It is time to continue to grow!
Words and Music by Jimmy Owens; Copyright 1972 by Lexicon Music, Inc. ASCAP All Rights Reserved.
Holy, holy, holy, holy,
Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty;
And we lift our hearts before You
As a token of our love,
Holy, holy, holy, holy.
.
Gracious Father, gracious Father,
We’re so blessed to be Your children,
Gracious Father;
And we lift our heads before You
As a token of our love,
Gracious Father, gracious Father.
.
Precious Jesus, precious Jesus,
We’re so glad that You’ve redeemed us,
Precious Jesus;
And we lift our hands before You
As a token of our love,
Precious Jesus, precious Jesus.
.
Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit,
Come and fill our hearts anew,
Holy Spirit;
And we lift our voice before You
As a token of our love,
Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit.
.
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
Hallelujah, hallelujah;
And we lift our hearts before You
As a token of our love,
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
OPENING UP TO GOD AND ONE ANOTHER
Leader: It is certainly one thing to trust God when everything in life is going well. To trust the Lord when we are experiencing challenging circumstances is quite another thing. It is during these times that we falter. The Bible often describes people who faced impossible odds yet kept their trust in God. They were able to do this because of God’s grace. We too want to be filled with God’s grace today. It is for this reason that we begin our worship by confessing our sins.
~~~~~ Silence for Reflection ~~~~~
Leader: Let us confess our sins to God and one another.
People: Lord, we confess our sin, You have promised to provide for all of our needs, and yet we mistrust Your promise. We know the futility of our own ambitions and our inability to do that which we desire. Today we need to recognize the sin within us, and ask that you would forgive us. Forgive us our sin and cleanse us so that we can be pleasing in Your sight and ministers in Your service.
Leader: Our God is a tomorrow God, who knows our past and knows where we are headed. We trust a God who knows our needs and desires each of us come daily in prayer. As we confess our sins, God is faithful and will forgive our sin and make us clean from all unrighteousness. God always promises us something better, because of the miracle of forgiveness and love. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
People: Amen.
SONG OF PRAISE “I Love You, Lord”
Words & Music by Laurie Klein; © 1978 & 1980 House of Mercy Music
(twice through)
I love You, Lord
and I lift my voice
to worship You
O my soul, rejoice!
Take joy, My King, in what You hear,
may it be a sweet, sweet sound
in Your ear.
Leader: Let us pray.
Leader: Risen and ascended Lord, You are the vine and we are the branches. Apart from You there is no life. By Baptism You have grafted us into Your gracious life. Cause Your Word to abide in us and make us fruitful to the glory of Your Father, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
SCRIPTURE LESSONS
An exhortation to lives of Christian love.
4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.
6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
Jesus says that He is the vine and His people are the branches.
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
Leader: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON HYMN “Christ is Our Cornerstone”
Text: John Chandler, 1806-1876, alt. Tune: John Darwall 1731-1789.; Public Domain
Christ is our corner-stone
On Him alone we build
With His true saints alone
The courts of heaven are filled
On His great love
Our hopes we place
Of present grace
And joys above
.
Here may we gain from heaven
The grace which we implore
And may that grace once given
Be with us evermore
Until that day
When all the blessed
To endless rest
Are called away
.
Oh, then, with hymns of praise
These hallowed courts shall ring;
Our voices we will raise
The Three in One to sing
And thus proclaim in joyful song,
Both loud and long,
That glorious name.
SERMON
Pastor Jeremy Lucke
People: I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
And was born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate.
Was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again 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
We offer our thanksgiving for what God has first given us – ourselves, our time, our possessions.
Leader: Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Leader: Heavenly Father, You have grafted us onto the vine of Your Son. Prune us and cut off from us all sin and dead works, that we may always draw life from Your Son and produce the fruits of faith and good works. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: Savior of all people, in the water of Baptism You welcome sinners into Your kingdom and give them life. Grant that we would always honor and extend this gift, and let nothing prevent people from it. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: Almighty God, give health and guidance to our president and all in authority, that they may serve honorably and in accord with Your good order. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: Merciful God, You hear and answer Your children in their hour of need. (Give aid to………….) Grant that they would bear their crosses with faith, ever looking to You, and so fix their hearts where true joy is found. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: Holy Father, You are gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Hear and answer our prayers for the sake of Jesus Christ, and Your saints shall bless You; for You live and reign with the Holy Spirit, ever one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
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
Leader: 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…………………..+ give you peace.
People: Amen.
CLOSING SONG “Lift High the Cross”
Text: George W. Kitchin, 1827-1912; rev. Michael R. Newbolt, 1874-1956. Music: Sydney H. Nicholson, 1875-1947; Text (English) and music copyright 1974 Hope Publishing Co.
Chorus: Lift high the cross,
The love of Christ proclaim,
Till all the world adore
His sacred name.
.
Come, Christians,
follow where our Captain trod
Our king victorious,
Christ, the Son of God.
Chorus
O Lord, once lifted
on the glorious tree,
As thou hast promised,
draw us all to thee.
Chorus
So shall our song
of triumph ever be:
Praise to the
Crucified for victory!
Chorus
Leader: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God!
Announcements
Upcoming Events:
- May 4 – 8:30am Men’s Breakfast at Benchwarmers
- May 12 – Mother’s Day & Intergenerational Bible Study
- May 19 – Celebration for Graduating Seniors & End of Sunday School until Fall.
- June 9 – Church Picnic & BBQ
