FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
May 10, 2020
WELCOME
OPENING HYMN 474, vs. 1, 4, 5 Alleluia! Jesus is Risen
Alleluia! Jesus is risen! Trumpets resounding in glorious light!
Splendor, the Lamb, Heaven forever! Oh, what a miracle God has in sight!
Jesus is risen and we shall arise: Give God the glory! Alleluia!
Weeping be gone; Sorrow be silent: Death put asunder, and Easter is bright.
Cherubim sing: “O grace be open!” Clothe us in wonder, adorn us in light.
Jesus is risen and we shall arise: Give God the glory! Alleluia!
City of God, Easter forever, Golden Jerusalem, Jesus the Lamb,
River of life, Saints and all angels, Sing with creation to God the I AM!
Jesus is risen and we shall arise: Give God the glory! Alleluia!
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Pastor: The three sad days have quickly sped,
People: He rises glorious from the dead.
Pastor: All glory to our risen Head!
People: Alleluia!
Pastor: Even as we glory in the gift of eternal life, we humble ourselves to confess our sin, the sin that still so easily besets us, and we receive the full forgiveness our Lord daily provides for us.
People: Lord God, we confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word,
and deed. We are sorry for all our sins against You and others. As Your baptized
children, we ask You to have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us,
that we may walk in Your love and rejoice in Your salvation. Amen.
Pastor: Upon this, your sincere confession, I, by virtue of my office as a called and
ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God to 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.
People: Amen.
Pastor: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
People: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
SALUTATION AND PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.
Pastor: Let us pray. O God, You make the minds of Your faithful to be of one will.
Grant that we may love what You have commanded and desire what You promise,
that among the many changes of this world our hearts may be fixed where true
joys are found; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with
You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
FIRST READING Acts 6:8–9; 7:2a, 51–60 (Stephen, the first martyr)
8 Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.
2 And Stephen said: 51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
EPISTLE 1 Peter 2:2–10 (A living stone and a holy people)
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
HOLY GOSPEL John 14:1–6 (I am the way, the truth, and the life.)
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God: believe also in me. 2 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? 3 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. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON Home Sweet Home John 14:1–14
Grace, mercy, and peace to you, from God, our Heavenly Father, and our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who prepares a place for us.
Home sweet home is the title of our message, based on our Gospel.
It’s said that home is where your heart is. In our Gospel Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled.”.
I think of home as a place where your heart is at peace.
On Mother’s Day, my heart goes back to the home I grew up in. And it’s a happy memory, a warm feeling.
For the past 23 Mother’s Days, for 23 years, my mother has been in her sweet, eternal home, which Jesus speaks of in our Gospel: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. I go there to prepare a place for you.”.
Jesus had a place prepared for mom, and He brought her to live there before we expected it... and before we wanted it.
We would have hoped to have been able to spend more Mother’s Days with her here, in her earthly home. But we know she’s far happier where she is; just as I, and my brother and sisters, her dear baptized children, will also be far happier some day in our heavenly homes.
On Mother’s Day, my heart also rejoices in the home our children have grown up in. There are so many happy memories here.
This year is difficult in some ways for my daughters and me, because their dear mother, my dear wife, is no longer living at home. Last week she moved into a memory care home, which will be her place to live until she lives in her heavenly home, where she’ll be her old herself again, except better, glorified, and she’ll be far happier as she rejoices with her dear parents and family who went there before her, and as she waits for her dear, baptized loved ones to join her there.
Today’s Gospel also brings back memories of my father. He was taken to His heavenly home a little over 10 years ago, late Holy Saturday night, just before Easter Day. And at the funeral, for the sermon text, the pastor used the words of today’s Gospel, Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God; believe also in Me.
I happened to have the following Sunday off, and the Lutheran church I went to that Sunday had a designated verse of the month for everybody to memorize. And guess which verse it was? John 14:1, Dad’s funeral text, Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God; believe also in Me.
God was giving me an abundance of assurance. In today’s Gospel, God would give you an abundance of assurance.
Our sermon so far may seem a bit sad, and in an earthly, temporary way, it is. But in a much in a deeper, more enduring way, it isn’t; it’s comforting; it gladdens, it bring joy to our hearts, tom know where our faithful, departed loved ones are.
Knowing that, because our Lord rose and conquered the grave, we will see our dear faithful departed loved ones again, changes the way we see and experience life. As Jesus promises in John 16:22, our grief gives way to joy.
Knowing that, as our Lord tells us in our Gospel, He has prepared a place in Heaven for us, and will return to take us there, gives healing to our grieving hearts… and peace to our troubled minds.
“Let not your heart be troubled”, our Savior assures us.
He knows we must go through grief and trouble at times, but like a loving parent, He seeks to calm and comfort us, so that we have the strength we need for every day.
Knowing He’s always with us, as He promised “Lo, I am with you always”, to calm and comfort us, to guard and keep us, to lead and direct us, to protect and heal us, and to love and bless us, knowing this makes our hearts happy and at peace.
If home is the place where your heart is at peace, then home is where your Savior is. He is our joy and our peace.
He’s beside you now, in your journey of life; and He’ll be with you forever, in the adventure of Heaven.
Believing this, our sadness turns to joy, and our anxiety turns to peace.
This is a sad and stressful time for many as we’re having to deal with all the fallout of the virus. But it won’t last forever. It certainly won’t outlast the presence of Christ. Jesus will be here after the virus is gone. And it won’t overcome the power of His resurrection.
Jesus said, “Believe in God, believe also in Me.”. Trusting Him, we’ll get through this.
And if we let the Holy Spirit do His work in us, we’ll come out of it stronger than we went into it, with a stronger heart of faith and spirit of love!
One of the blessings that’s come out of all this is we’re spending more time with our family.
In some situations, sadly, that’s led to an increase in marital conflict and domestic abuse.
But ours is a God of love and peace. He would help us learn how to be better to each other; and He calls us to get the help we need to make that happen, to treat each other better.
Psalm 133:1 says, How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.
The more we live in the power of the Gospel, and dwell in harmony with like-minded people, whose guide is God’s Word, whose power is His Spirit, whose hope is His resurrection, and whose joy is in His love, the more at peace we are.
Christ is our home, sweet home. Blessed is the family that lives and loves in Him.
The mother and father are blessed who rest in His grace, and raise their dear baptized children in His truth, teaching them that He is, as he says in our Gospel, the way, and the truth, and the life.
There is no other way; only Him. Blessed are the mothers and fathers who show that way to their children.
Blessed are the grandparents and great-grandparents who pray to Him for their dear grandchildren, and live as witnesses of how God has blessed them, and helped them through the journey of life.
Blessed are the children, who embrace the Gospel their parents faithfully teach them; who live by the same godly truth their parents live by; who hunger for the same righteousness and thirst for the same holiness that their godly parents hunger and thirst for.
Blessed are the children, who with their parents, confess their sins to God; and with their parents embrace His healing forgiveness.
Blessed are those children, who grow in the love and knowledge of God’s Word; and then, like their parents, feast upon the comfort and mercy Christ gives His dear children in His Sacrament.
Blessed are the children who respect their parent’s discipline, and who like Jesus, never forget their mother’s love, and their father’s care; who honor their parents at every age and stage of life.
Blessed are the parents who make every sacrifice to provide their children with a heavenly inheritance, that will far out last and outshine any earthly inheritance.
Because your Lord is risen, He’s able to be with you always. Because He’s with you always, you’ll always have a home, sweet, home.
Christ is your home; whereever He is, there your heart has a home.
May God bless your heart with joy and peace, until He comes and raises you in glory, and takes you to your forever home.
Until then, let not your heart not be troubled, but let it be filled with the peace of God, that passes understanding and guards our hearts minds in Christ Jesus, our risen Lord, who is with us always, and will surely bring us home. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people
according to their needs. Almighty God, we give You thanks and praise for saving
us from sin and death by the suffering, death, and glorious resurrection of
Your Son, who has promised to return to take us to our eternal homes.
Lord of love, we thank You for our earthly homes and families. Thank you especially for the wonderful blessing that our mothers have been to us. For all that they have sacrificed and done for us, we are truly grateful. Bless all mothers to live in and be comforted by Your grace, and strengthen them by Your Spirit to be godly and loving to their children and families. Bless all children to love and honor their mothers, as your Son looked down from the cross, and remembered His dear mother. Lord in Your mercy.
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Lord of healing, we ask you, according to Your good and gracious will, to
grant healing to those who have contracted the Corona virus, and to keep all
others safe and well. Grant Your protection to all health care workers, first
responders, and all who are working to provide for our daily needs. Grant
wisdom to our leaders as they set public policy. Guard and keep all who are
persecuted because of their love and hope in Christ. Grant healing of body, mind
or soul to those we now name in our hearts… Lord, in Your mercy.
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Lord, You have promised to prepare a place for us. Remember us in Your kingdom, and teach us to pray.
All: 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.
BENEDICTION
Pastor: 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 X give you peace.
People: Amen.
CLOSING HYMN 895 Now Thank We All Our God
- Now thank we all our God,
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom this world rejoices;
who from our mothers' arms
has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.
2. O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us;
and keep us in His grace,
and guide us when perplexed;
and free us from all ills,
in this world and the next.
3. All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given;
the Son, and Him who reigns
with them in highest heaven;
the one eternal God,
whom earth and heaven adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series A, Quarter 2. Copyright © 2019 Concordia Publishing House.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.