Bulletin for Easter V --- 24 April 2016

Once again, I'm publishing Sunday's Order of Worship and bulletin.

The Fifth Sunday of Easter April 24, 2016         Service of The Word

GUIDE TO WORSHIP

Prelude		Ringing the Bell
Christ is risen!		He is risen indeed!
Announcements
Gathering Psalm	*	Ps. 95:1-8  (See attached sheet)
The Apostolic Greeting	*	Pg. 213  (Service of the Word)
Kyrie	*	Pg. 213
Hymn of Praise	*	Pg. 213
Prayer of the Day	*	Celebrate Pg. 1 - Pray together
First Reading		Acts 11:1-18  (Celebrate Pg. 1)
Responsorial		Psalm 148  (Spoken)  (Celebrate Pg. 2)
Second Reading		Revelation 21:1-6  (Celebrate Pg. 3)
Gospel Acclamation	*	Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, But in these last days God has spoken to us by the Son.
HOLY GOSPEL	*	John 13:31-35  (Celebrate Pg.3)
Sermon
Canticle of the Day	*	The Benedictus  (See attached Sheet)
The Apostles’ Creed	*	Pg. 217
Prayers of Intercession	*	(Celebrate  Pg. 4)
The Sharing of the Peace	*
Presentation of  the Offering	*	Ps. 131  (See attached sheet)
Canticle of Thanksgiving	*	Pg. 219  (recited)
Thanksgiving for the Word	*	Pg. 220
The Lord’s Prayer	*	Pg. 221  {prayed together}
Benediction & Sending	*	Pg. 221
Closing Hymn	*	The Te Deum  (See attached sheet)
Dismissal	*	Pg. 222  (Rsp:“Thanks be to God”)
Postlude

* = congregation stands (as able)

St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

448 Talbot Street West,  Aylmer, Ontario  N5H 1L1

P & F:  519-773-2175     E-mail:  info@stjohnsaylmer.ca

Rev. John Goldsworthy  519 -207-2224

E-mail:  Jgoldsw00@aol.com

Organist:  Karin Barrie

Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment.  It does not require special clothing or a special place.  Anyone of any age could do it. It is simply to love one another.  This will serve as the way to identify Jesus’ disciples everywhere.  I hope someday we can actually fulfill this commandment.

Due to a number of issues, we are celebrating a simple Service of the Word today.  We will be without music and will use recited psalms in place of the usual music.  Please remember in prayer all those who are involved in preparing the Church Supper.

Welcome!

Everyone is invited to stay for fellowship after the service.

We pray today for all the sick in our congregation, especially Else Kalmbach and her son, Bob McCrae, Ed Stanat and John Weninger.  May God grant all of them His healing grace in Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Offering Envelopes – If you need more envelopes, there are some in the Fellowship Hall.  Everyone has unnumbered envelopes, so please remember to put your name, date and donation amount on the front of each envelope so you get credit for your donations.

PAR – Pre-Authorized Remittance – Your church needs you!  Signing up for PAR allows you to make donations on a monthly basis even if you’re not in church.  Application forms are available on the table in the Fellowship Hall.  All you have to do is complete the form, attach a VOID cheque and put it in the offering plate or in the church office.

Communion Cards are required to be completed once per year per person.  If you have not completed one yet this year, please ask the usher for one.

Annual Church Supper – Sunday, April 24 @ 5:00 p.m.

Volunteers are needed for selling tickets, cooking, serving, making fruit flans, setting tables, cleaning up.  Mark your calendar and plan to attend and help.  Tickets are available at The Flower Fountain, Campbell’s, Kebbel’s Funeral Home @ 519-773-8400 and Frieda Neukamm @ 519-773-8895.

Church Council Meeting - Wednesday, April 27 @ 7:00 p.m.

70^th Anniversary Service of the formation of St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church – 1946 – 2016 - Sunday, June 12 @ 10:30 a.m.

Mark your calendars and plan to attend!  More details coming soon!

Golden Confirmation 2016 – Sunday, September 25

The class of 1966, confirmed by Pastor Joachim Knaak (known), included:  John Patrick Ungar, Michael Heinz Hesch, John Binder, George Wilhelm Tinnes (deceased), Raymond Andriekus

Anyone with knowledge of how to contact them is asked to contact Rita Rupar at 519-473-9303 or the church office at 519-773-2175 or info@stjohnsaylmer.ca

Psalms and Canticles for a Recited Worship Service

Entrance Psalm:   Psalm 95: 1-8

Come, let us sing to the Lord;

            let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving

            and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God,

            and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the caverns of the earth,

            and the heights of the hills are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it,

            and his hands have molded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down and bend the knee,

            and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture

and the sheep of his hand.

            Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

Glory to God (Prayed together)

Glory to God in the highest,
     and peace to God’s people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
     almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
     we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
     Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world:
     have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
     receive our prayer.

For You alone are the Holy One,
     You alone are the Lord,
You alone are the Most High,
     Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen

Canticle of the Day:  The Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
     He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
     born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
     He promised to show mercy to our fathers
     and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
     free to worship him without fear,
     holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
     to give his people knowledge of salvation
     by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
     to shine on those who dwell in darkness

     and the shadow of death,
     and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
     as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Offering Psalm: Psalm 131

O Lord, I am not proud;

I have no haughty looks.

I do not occupy myself with great matters,

            or with things that are too hard for me.

But I still my soul and make it quiet,

like a child upon its mother's breast;

my soul is quieted within me.

O Israel, wait upon the Lord,

from this time forth for evermore. 

Closing Canticle: The Te Deum

You are God: we praise you;
You are God: we acclaim you;
     You are the eternal Father:
     All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
     Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might,
     Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
     The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
     Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
Your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
     And the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
     You, Christ, are the king of glory,
The eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
     You did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.
     You overcame the sting of death,
And opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
     We believe that you will come, and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
Bought with the price of your own blood,
     And bring us with your saints
     To glory everlasting.
Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.
     Govern and uphold them now and always.
Day by day we bless you.
     We praise your name forever.
Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.
     Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
Lord, show us your love and mercy;
     For we put our trust in you.
In you, Lord, is our hope:
     And we shall never hope in vain.

The Fifth Sunday after Easter ---- 24 April 2016

John 13:31-35

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. ³² If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. ³³ Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, "Where I am going, you cannot come.' ³⁴ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

·        John’s Gospel takes us back to the Upper Room and the Last Supper once again. Jesus speaks to his disciples as Judas leaves to do what he felt he had to do.

·        Jesus is preparing his disciples for what is to come. He is preparing them for his own suffering and death as well as what will come following his Resurrection and, even further, what will come when he is no longer with them. He is preparing them for tragedy, for joy, and for ministry. He does this by giving them a new commandment: Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 

·        In John’s narrative, Jesus has just washed the feet of all his disciples, telling them they should do as he has done. Their love for one another is seen in how they serve one another in what can appear to be very down-to-earth ways.

·        Jesus has also shared his food with Judas, his betrayer. When Judas leaves, anyone reading this might expect some sort of condemnation of Judas and his actions by Jesus. This does not take place. Jesus goes on to tell of his mission to those who remain, the mission that will be theirs.

·        Peter declares his willingness to die for Jesus, no matter what. Jesus tells him of his coming denials without any blame or correction. He continues to tell his followers of the mission and he continues to prepare them for all that is to come.

·        If we continued to read this Last Supper discourse in John’s Gospel, we’d hear Jesus tell his disciple that there is no greater love then to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. We know, as did the readers of John’s Gospel, that Jesus is making a reference to his own crucifixion. He would show his love for his friends in dying for them.

·        Service in simple ways and love even to the end of life are the two examples Jesus gives in John’s Gospel. Simple enough, right? We all know that it is harder than it sounds. Still, it is what we are called to by Jesus’ new commandment.

·        Here in this passage of chapter 13, Jesus demonstrates his love for all of the disciples, who we know, and who Jesus appears to know, will fail him miserably. Jesus washes and feeds Judas who will betray him, Peter who will deny him, and all the rest who will fail to stand by him in his hour of greatest distress. The love that Jesus demonstrates is certainly not based on the merit of the recipients or on what they have earned or deserve, and Jesus commands his disciples to love others in the same way. We all know that this is a huge step. It is also the cornerstone of any understanding of salvation by grace.

·        That salvation by grace is often the stumbling block. We want to be judged on our own merits and on what we have done. We want our rewards (or our punishments) to fit the idea we have of how things are to be

·        As disciples of Jesus, we have continually fallen far short in our love for one another as well as in our love for those outside the Church, the community of faith. Theological and ethical arguments often descend into personal attacks and name-calling; personal interests often trump the common good of the community; those in need of compassion find judgment instead. We judge according to what we feel is deserved, often in comparison to what sort of judgement we have received and continue to receive. We decide based upon what we see and know, but we don’t see all things and don’t know all of the situation.

·        In speaking about what will be the sign of discipleship, Jesus could not be clearer: It is not by our theological correctness, not by our moral purity, not by our impressive knowledge that everyone will know that we are his disciples. It is quite simply by our loving acts -- acts of service and sacrifice, acts that point to the love of God for the world made known in Jesus Christ.

·        We have a new commandment – to love one another. We have an example: Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. Even if we fail at keeping this new commandment, the love Jesus has for us will urge us to try again and that trying is always the beginning of keeping the commandment. Beyond anything else the church might do, it is the love for one another that reveals both our discipleship and the love of God living in us, the love the world always desperately needs.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

I'm trying an experiment - publishing the Sunday bulletin.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter April 17, 2016         Service of Holy Communion

                                GUIDE TO WORSHIP

Prelude Music		Ringing the Bell
Christ is Risen!		He is risen indeed!
Announcements
Gathering Hymn	*	#369  Christ the Lord Is Risen Today; Alleluia!
The Apostolic Greeting	*	Pg. 98  (Setting #1)
Kyrie	*	Pg. 98
Hymn of Praise	*	Pg. 101  (This is the feast…)
Prayer of the Day	*	Celebrate Pg. 1 - Pray together
First Reading		Acts 9:36-43  (Celebrate Pg. 1)
Responsorial		Psalm 23  (Celebrate Pg.2)
Second Reading		Revelation 7:9-17  (Celebrate Pg. 3)
Gospel Acclamation	*	Pg. 102  (Alleluia.)
HOLY GOSPEL	*	John 10:22-30  (Celebrate Pg.3)
Sermon
Hymn of the Day	*	#502   The King of Love My Shepherd Is
The Nicene Creed	*	Pg. 104
Prayers of Intercession	*	Celebrate  Pg. 4
The Sharing of the Peace	*
Presentation of  the Offering	*	#691 Accept, O Lord...
Offering Prayer	*	Pg. 107  {if you wish to follow}
Preface & Holy, Holy, Holy	*	Pg. 108
The Great Thanksgiving	*	Pg. 108
The Lord’s Prayer	*	Pg. 112  {prayed together}
Communion Hymns {hymns will be sung as needed}		Pg. 112  Lamb of God #778  The Lord’s My Shepherd #689  Praise and Thanksgiving
Post-Communion Canticle	*	Pg. 112   Now, Lord…
Prayer & Benediction	*	Pg. 114
Closing Hymn	*	#825  You Servants of God
Dismissal	*	Pg. 115 (Rsp:“Thanks be to God”)
Postlude

* = congregation stands (as able)

St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

448 Talbot Street West,  Aylmer, Ontario  N5H 1L1

P & F:  519-773-2175     E-mail:  info@stjohnsaylmer.ca

Rev. John Goldsworthy  519 -207-2224

E-mail:  Jgoldsw00@aol.com

Organist:  Karin Barrie

This is the Sunday referred to as “Good Shepherd Sunday.”  Many references to Jesus as shepherd are used in the readings and in the hymns appropriate to this day.  However, it is interesting to note that Jesus is also referred to as “the Lamb” in a number of places, including the Book of Revelation.  Jesus is both shepherd and lamb.

Welcome!

Everyone is invited to stay for fellowship after the service.

We pray today for all the sick in our congregation, especially Else Kalmbach and her son, Bob McCrae, Ed Stanat and John Weninger.  May God grant all of them His healing grace in Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Offering Envelopes – If you need more envelopes, there are some in the Fellowship Hall.  Everyone has unnumbered envelopes, so please remember to put your name, date and donation amount on the front of each envelope so you get credit for your donations.

PAR – Pre-Authorized Remittance – Your church needs you!  Signing up for PAR allows you to make donations on a monthly basis even if you’re not in church.  Application forms are available on the table in the Fellowship Hall.  All you have to do is complete the form, attach a VOID cheque and put it in the offering plate or in the church office.

Communion Cards are required to be completed once per year per person.  If you have not completed one yet this year, please ask the usher for one.

Annual Church Supper – Sunday, April 24 @ 5:00 p.m.

Volunteers are needed for selling tickets, cooking, serving, making fruit flans, setting tables, cleaning up.  Mark your calendar and plan to attend and help.  Tickets are available at The Flower Fountain, Campbell’s, Kebbel’s Funeral Home @ 519-773-8400 and Frieda Neukamm @ 519-773-8895.

Church Council Meeting - Wednesday, April 27 @ 7:00 p.m.

70^th Anniversary Service of the formation of St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church – 1946 – 2016 - Sunday, June 12 @ 10:30 a.m.

Mark your calendars and plan to attend!  More details coming soon!

Golden Confirmation 2016 – Sunday, September 25

The class of 1966, confirmed by Pastor Joachim Knaak (known), included:  John Patrick Ungar, Michael Heinz Hesch, John Binder, George Wilhelm Tinnes (deceased), Raymond Andriekus

Anyone with knowledge of how to contact them is asked to contact Rita Rupar at 519-473-9303 or the church office at 519-773-2175 or info@stjohnsaylmer.ca