SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
May 17, 2020
AS WE GATHER
What makes our Easter celebration so amazing is that here it is that same Lord Jesus whom we witnessed dying on a bloody cross who now risen from the dead appears and speaks to us. Today He promises to send to us “another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16–17). By means of the Spirit we are equipped not only to testify and witness to the saving faith but also, should it be God’s will, to suffer for that testimony. We hear the inspired words of Peter speak about suffering “for righteousness’ sake” living in the very resurrection hope of Christ. Peter wants to convince us that it is precisely in our suffering that Christ meets us and acts for us. For He knows suffering intimately but also possesses the triumph over it. He points us to our Baptism, where Christ’s victory becomes our victory. His resurrection life gives us new life, which for now is but the beginning to be stretched out into life eternal.
WELCOME
OPENING SONG 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) Words and Music by Jonas Myrin and Matt Redman © 2011 SHOUT PUBLISHING, six steps Music, SAID AND DONE MUSIC, and THANKYOU MUSIC
Chorus:
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul; Worship His holy name.
Sing like never before, O my soul; I’ll worship Your holy name.
1. The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning,
It’s time to sing Your song again.
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me,
Let me be singing when the evening comes.
Chorus
2. You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger.
Your name is great and Your heart is kind.
For all Your goodness, I will keep on singing;
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.
Chorus
Chorus
Worship Your holy name
CCLI # 2488514
INVOCATION AND CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
Pastor: The three sad days have quickly sped,
People: He rises glorious from the dead.
Pastor: All glory to our risen Head!
People: Alleluia! (LSB 464:3)
Pastor: Even as we glory in the gift of eternal life, in that hope we spend our days
in joy and love. Let us confess our sin, the sin that still so easily besets us, and
receive the full forgiveness our Lord daily provides for us.
People: We are Your baptized people, yet we have sinned against You in
thought, word, and deed. Forgive us, we pray. Renew us and lead us that we
may walk in Your ways and live in Easter joy. Amen.
Pastor: Upon this your 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. God our Father, You protect Your children from all that would
harm our salvation. Give us the courage of faith and love toward You, that we
would have the boldness to live for You and confess Your holy, saving name
before all; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
FIRST READING Acts 17:16–31 (Paul in Athens)
16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,[a] 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’;[b]
as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ 29 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
Pastor: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
EPISTLE 1 Peter 3:13–22 (Suffering for Christ)
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 becausethey formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
Reading: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
HOLY GOSPEL John 14:15–21 (The promise of the Holy Spirit)
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and
keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON ANOTHER HELPER John 14:15-21
Grace, mercy, and peace…
Our message is based on Jesus’ promise to his disciples in today’s Gospel: I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.
We’re going to talk about who this Helper is and who he isn’t; what He does, and what He doesn’t do; and what this means for us in life, especially as we face adversity and uncertainty.
It’s certain, that we’ll have times of uncertainty in life.
Right now, we’re uncertain how everything will play out concerning the Corona Virus. We don’t know when things will open up again; and when they do, if things will be different than before.
We don’t know how long the social distancing protocol will last. We don’t know when we’ll be able to gather together again for worship – soon, we hope!
We don’t know if we’ll eventually contract the virus. Some scientists have predicted that most of us will; others say not that many.
We don’t know how bad it will be; how sick we’ll get; if we end up in the hospital. And those with underlying conditions or advanced age may wonder if they’ll even survive it.
That’s a lot of uncertainty to have to deal with.
And on top of this are all of the uncertainties in life. There was a song that Doris Day sang back in the 50s I believe: Kay, Sera, Sera. The song goes, When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother, what will I be? Will I be happy? Will I be rich? Here’s what she said to me: Kay, sera, sera, Whatever will be, will be, the future’s not ours to see.
God sees the future, we don’t. That’s good. If we knew, we might make it worse. Nut knowing God, His love and power, His cheerful presence, makes things better for us.
One time, on my way back home to Minnesota, I took a short cut on the country roads, which probably ending up being a long-cut. I was in northern Illinois, or southern Wisconsin, I’m not sure which. I was driving on a tar road in the country, and there was a sharp left turn up ahead, and right at the bend was a beautiful country church. And there was a church sign there. If I’d have gone straight I’d have plowed right into it. And I’ve never forgotten what the sign said, “Don’t fear the future: God is already there.”.
Our amazing, all-present, eternal, infinite God, fills the present and the future: it all belongs to Him.
Because His Son, by His death for our forgiveness, and His resurrection for our salvation, defeated all that would hurt and end our lives, because he conquered all for us, the future is no longer our enemy. Now the future is our blessing.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be uncertainty; it doesn’t mean things sometimes won’t work our differently than we had hoped; it doesn’t mean we won’t have to suffer at times, like Peter tells us we will in our Epistle, but what it means is that those troubles and tribulations and difficulties and hardships won’t interfere with God’s love for us, and won’t limit the grace He gives us to live by in this life, and won’t lessen the joys He’ll give us to live by in eternity.
But Jesus knows that the uncertainties and tribulations of life can wear on us. He knows we need help, and so he sends the Help we need.
If it’s only God who knows our future, and God who knows what’s best for us, then it’s God we need to be our Helper. Names for God, or nouns that refer to Him we typically capitalize. We need more than a helper with a small h, we need a Helper with a capital H, God, our Helper.
Psalm 121 says, I lift my eyes to hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, maker of Heaven and Earth.
We call God the Father, our Lord. We call God, the Son, our Lord. And we call the Holy Spirit, our Lord.
In the Benediction, we say, The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord, life up His countenance on you, and give you peace.
Three times, we mention the Lord, because the Lord is Triune. The Father, had already sent the Son to help His people by dying rising for them. Now Jesus to send another Helper, the Spirit of truth. Spirit with a capital S, the Holy Spirit.
In a couple Sundays, we’ll celebrate the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We’ll thank Jesus for keeping His promise to send another Helper, with a capital H, a Helper who is God.
That’s who this promised Helper is. Now who he isn’t. He isn’t another Messiah; he isn’t another Son of God. Jesus is the only Messiah, and God’s only Son.
It’s important to know this because, before Jesus came, others had come along pretending to the be the Messiah. Jesus talked about them in our Gospel two weeks ago on Good Shepherd Sunday. He said in John 10, All who came before me are thieves and robbers… trying to steal the sheep, that is, mislead the people.
Ever since Jesus died and rose and ascended, the same has happened; some have come along, claiming to correct Jesus, or fulfill or finish what he failed to do. From that has come different religions and cults, all discrediting or minimizing Christ and His Gospel.
The Helper Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit, did the opposite; He bore witness to Jesus, glorified Him. Jesus said in John 16:14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
The Holy Spirit came on Pentecost, and gave the apostles to power to proclaim the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and all His teachings.
This leads to what the Helper, the Holy Spirit does and doesn’t do.
He doesn’t distract from Jesus, doesn’t correct or contradict Jesus, doesn’t elevate Himself over Jesus, doesn’t do anything that false teachers and fake Messiah’s do or have done.
In our Gospel Jesus calls Him the Spirit of truth because He gave the apostles the words of God to write down as Scripture, and they all bear witness to Christ.
The whole Old Testament promises the Messiah. The entire New Testament reveals Jesus to be the Messiah. The writing or inspiration of the Old and New Testaments is the work of the Helper, the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is our Helper because He gives us the power to believe in Jesus, and so serves us and Him. Jesus death and resurrection won our salvation, but the Holy Spirit makes it our own.
This happens in Baptism, as Peter mentions in our Epistle: Baptism now saves you. Through Baptism, and through the Word of Christ, the Holy Spirit gives you the power to repent and believe.
He is the Helper like no other. Because He is Spirit he can come into your spirit, giving you the power to believe, and love and hope, and to be comforted.
That Greek for helper, Paraclete, one who comes beside, can also be translated strengthener, or counselor, or comforter.
The Holy Spirit comforts us by giving us faith, and the Gospel, and the Sacraments. He gives us the love and grace of Jesus to live by.
So back to our beginning -- the uncertainties of life, and of these times -- we have a Helper and Comforter beside us, and even more so, within us.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way, and the mountains crumble in to the heart of the sea, as Psalm 46 says. The Lord is our refuge and our strength; a very present help in time of trouble.
Jesus is our scout, if you will. He’s gone ahead of us, to take charge of the future for us.
He’s above and beyond time and space and eternity. He knows the future; He’s already there for us. He has it all under His control.
His mighty power rules the heavens and the earth for us; He controls time and space for us; the future is in His hands. In those hands, our souls are safe, and our hearts are strong.
Because God is our Helper, let us help one another. Let us be there for each other.
In this time of social distancing there are some restrictions we have to deal with, but there are ways for us to help and encourage each other. It’s just a matter of being intentional and mindful, and maybe a little creative, to make use the resources and technology we have to help others, and to encourage other with the Gospel of Christ, which is our power and our hope.
And there’s always prayer. We can’t distanced from praying for each other.
May be God your helper, and His Spirit your comforter. And may His peace, which passes understanding, guard your heart and mind, in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Helper. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Lord, You have promised us another helper, the Holy Spirit, whose coming we celebrate on Pentecost. Knowing that You have kept Your promise, we are bold 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 SONG In Christ Alone ©2002 Thankyou Music Keith Getty/Stuart Townend
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light my strength my song
This Cornerstone this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love what depths of peace
When fears are stilled when strivings cease
My comforter my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life no fear in death
This is the pow’r of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No pow’r of hell no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand
No pow’r of hell no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the pow’r of Christ I stand
CCLI # 2488514
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series A, Quarter 2. Copyright © 2019 Concordia Publishing House.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.