Here is the Order of Worship for this Sunday. It was a spoken Service since no music was available for it. Next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday and the service will be carried on YouTube at 11:00am.
St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
Aylmer, Ontario
The Seventh Sunday of Easter
The Service of Holy Communion
May 29, 2022
St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
448 Talbot Street West
Aylmer, Ontario N5H 1L1
The Service of Holy Communion
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Prelude, Welcome, and Information Confession
and Forgiveness (ELW pg. 94) |
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Christ is risen! He
is risen indeed! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also
with you. Kyrie (ELW pg. 138 – Setting
#3) Hymn
of Praise (ELW pg. 139 – Setting #3) Opening Prayer Let
us pray together O God, form the minds of
your faithful people into your one will. Make us love what you command and
desire what you promise, that, amid the changes of this world, our hearts may
be fixed where true joy is found, your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. |
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First Reading: Acts 16:16-34 One day, as we were going to the place of
prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her
owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul
and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who
proclaim to you a way of salvation.” She kept doing this for many days.
But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in
the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very
hour. But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone,
they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the
authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they
said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating
customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” The
crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of
their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had
given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the
jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them
in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and
singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly
there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were
shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were
unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the
prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm
yourself, for we are all here.” The jailer called for lights, and
rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he
brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They
answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your
household.” They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were
in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed
their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without
delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and
he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God. |
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Second Reading: Revelation 22:12-14,
16-17, 20-21 “See, I am coming
soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. I am
the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the
end.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the
right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. “It is I, Jesus, who
sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and
the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the
bride say, “Come.” And let everyone who hears say, “Come.” And let everyone
who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. The one who testifies
to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord
Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. |
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Gospel Verse: Alleluia!
I will not leave you orphaned, says the Lord. I am coming to you. Alleluia! |
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Gospel: John 17:20-26 (Jesus said) ”I ask
not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in
me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in
me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe
that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given
them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me,
that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have
sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that
those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my
glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of
the world. “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know
you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to
them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me
may be in them, and I in them.” |
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Sermon Psalm: Psalm 97
(Prayed together) The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice
are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory. All worshipers of images are put to shame, those who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him. Zion hears and is glad, and the towns of Judah
rejoice, because of your judgments, O God. For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. The Lord loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful; he rescues them from the hand of the wicked. Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name! |
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The Apostles’ Creed (ELW
pg.105) |
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The Prayers of the Church
Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayer. |
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Exchange of the peace (Please exchange the peace without
touching.) |
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Presentation of
the Offering - Offertory Prayer: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts. With them we offer ourselves to your service and dedicate our lives to the care and redemption of all that you have made, for the sake of him who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen The Great Thanksgiving The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the
Lord, our God. It is right to
give our thanks and praise. …we praise your name and join their unending hymn… |
Sanctus (ELW
pg.144) (The Great
Thanksgiving follows)
The
Lord’s Prayer
(ELW pg. 145)
Let us pray as
Jesus taught us:
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.
Lamb
of God: (ELW pg. 146)
“Come
to the banquet for now all is ready!”
Distribution
of Holy Communion
“The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ keep us to everlasting life.” Amen.
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray together:
We give you thanks,
almighty God, that you have refreshed us through the healing power of this gift
of life; and we pray that in your mercy you would strengthen us through this
gift, in faith toward you and fervent love toward one another; for the sake of
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Benediction and Sending
Christ
is risen! He is risen indeed!
May the Lord bless
us and keep us.
May the Lord make
his face shine on us
and be gracious to us.
May the Lord look
upon us with favor and + give us peace.
Amen.
Prayer: After Worship (ELW
Pg. 72)
Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks
be to God!
Congregational
Greeting
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Services for the next few months will be on
YouTube and accessible from an email link or our church Facebook page.
Services for the months of May and June are as below: June 5 Virtual of YouTube, 11:00am - Pentecost June 12 Communion,
Saxonia Hall, 11:00am June 19 Communion,
Church, 11:00am June 26
No service – Pastor’s vacation |
June 12 Communion, Saxonia Hall, 11:00am
June 19 Communion, Church, 11:00am
June 26 No service – Pastor’s vacation
May 29 Communion at Church, 11:00am
June 5 Virtual YouTube
June 12 Communion at Saxonia Hall, 11:00am
June 19 Communion at Church, 11:00am
June 26 No service – Pastor’s vacationActs 16:9-15
9During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. 11We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 13On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 15When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.
Psalm 67
1May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
2that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.
3Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
5Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
6The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us.
7May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.
Revelation 21:10-22, 22:1-5
10And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. 22I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
22Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; 4they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
John 14:23-29
23Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.
25”I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
28You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.
The Fifth Sunday of Easter
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Prelude, Welcome, and Information Hymn
#359 Where Charity
and Love Prevail |
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Christ is risen! He is risen
indeed! The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you
all. And also with
you. Psalm: Psalm 148 Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him
in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his
host! Praise him,
sun and moon; praise
him, all you shining stars! Praise him,
you highest heavens, and you
waters above the heavens! Let them
praise the name of the Lord, for he
commanded and they were created. He
established them forever and ever; he fixed
their bounds, which cannot be passed. Praise
the Lord from the earth, you sea
monsters and all deeps, fire and
hail, snow and frost, stormy
wind fulfilling his command! Mountains
and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Wild
animals and all cattle, creeping
things and flying birds! Kings of
the earth and all peoples, princes
and all rulers of the earth! Young men and women alike, old and young together! Let them
praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory
is above earth and heaven. He has
raised up strength for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the
people of Israel who are close to him. Hallelujah! |
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The Lord be with you. And
also with you. Let us pray. O Lord God, you teach us that
without love, our actions gain nothing. Pour into our hearts your most
excellent gift of love, that, made alive by your Spirit, we may know goodness
and peace, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. |
Reading:
Acts 11:1-18
A reading from the book of the Acts of the Apostles
Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the
Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to
Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, “Why did you
go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” Then Peter began to explain it
to them, step by step, saying, “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in
a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down
from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to
me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey,
reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get
up, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing
profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But a second time the voice
answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call
profane.’ This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again
to heaven. At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived
at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to
make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me,
and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen the angel
standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called
Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household
will be saved.’ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them
just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord,
how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the
Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we
believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder
God?” When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God,
saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to
life.”
The Word of the Lord
Reading:
Revelation 21:1-6
A reading from the book of Revelation
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy
city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne
saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as
their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he
will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and
crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed
away.” And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making
all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and
true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the
spring of the water of life.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel
Verse:
Alleluia! Everyone will know
that you are my disciples if have love for one another. Alleluia! (John 13:35)
Gospel Reading: John 13:31-35
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
A reading from the Gospel of John
When (Judas) had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been
glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in
him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at
once. 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.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.
Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this
everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one
another.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise
to you, O Christ.
Sermon
(added at the end of the document)
Hymn
#367 Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds
Thanks and Offertory
Prayers of the Church:
Lord God, we trust in your promise to be with us. So,
we offer our prayers for the world, the church, and for all people according to
their needs.
[Short
pause]
God of love,
we may not be able to come where you have gone. Bless us with your love to
share and we will find you there. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
God of love, we
trust that you will grant us the repentance that leads to life. Let that be our
response to your love. Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God of love, your
love leads us. Let our love for one another be the real sign of your presence
in the world. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of love,
watch over our homes and families and watch over all those in need, both far
and near. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of love,
Grant that your love will make a difference for the peoples of Ukraine and
Russia and wherever there is war and struggle. Give your wisdom and your
concern for justice and peace to all the leaders and negotiators. Lord, in your
mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of love, give
health where it is needed. Keep all who work in the medical field or who work for
the good of the community in health and strength. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
God of love, be close to the people of Buffalo, NY. Give them hope in this terrible situation and wipe away their tears. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of love, may the prayers we keep in our hearts be inspired by the love you have given us… * … Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
{*Rose Gotzmeister, Gail Mauer, Bill Ungar,
Deb Kirschner, Diane Corns}
Gracious
God, you make all things new. Holding to that promise, we commend all for whom
we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Hymn #708 Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us With Your Love
The
Lord’s Prayer
Finally let
us pray for all things as our Lord would have us ask:
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.
Closing prayer & Benediction
Almighty and ever-living God,
you sealed a covenant of reconciliation with us in the mystery of
Christ’s passing from death to life.
May we come to everlasting joy in a holy keeping of these Easter
festivities.
We ask this
through Christ our risen Lord. Amen.
Hymn
#389 Christ Is Alive!
Let Christians Sing
Sending
May the Lord
bless us and keep us.
May the
Lord’s face shine upon us with grace and mercy.
May the Lord
look upon us with favor and X give us peace.
Amen.
Go in peace.
Walk humbly with God. Thanks be to
God.
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Services
for the next few months will be on YouTube and accessible from an email link
or our church Facebook page. Services for the months of May and June are as
below: May 22 No service – Pastor’s vacation May 29 Communion, Church, 11:00am June 5 Virtual Service on YouTube June
12 Communion, Saxonia Hall,
11:00am June
19 Communion, Church,
11:00am June 26 No service – Pastor’s vacation |
I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.
“See, I am making all things new.”
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I have to
admit that I’m torn over what Scripture passage to use for my sermon. The
verses from John’s Gospel are central to our lives as disciples and we could
probably never exhaust any discussion of them. On the other hand, the passage
from Revelation happens to be one of my favourite passages in the Christian
Scripture. (By the way, “Revelation” is a translation of the Greek, Apocalypse, which means simply
“Revelation” or “Showing.” It may include strange visions and images, but the
intent –believe it or not- is to encourage those to whom it was written.) So
here we go…
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Our reading
from John’s Gospel returns to the Last Supper and Jesus’ words that follow his
washing of the disciples’ feet. He even washed Judas’ feet without distinction
or blaming, although he was very disturbed by what was about to take place. I
think we all would be.
·
What Jesus
does do is give a new commandment,
that you love one another. He even says that this love will be the
distinctive sign to the world around of discipleship and what it means to be a
disciple. Love one another
is to be the sign, not race, gender, identity, or birthplace. Language will not
matter, nor will the clothes the disciples wear, the foods they eat (or don’t
eat), the songs they sing, or even their politics. The love they have for one
another will be what the world will remark on and will ultimately be their way
of life. Jesus’ call is to live in a new relationship with other believers could
be so strong and extraordinary to the eyes of the world that the world cannot
ignore it and cannot help but see it.
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Have we done
that? I know I haven’t, not consistently. Maybe you have; I’ll leave that to
you. Let’s agree to say that we all may need to renew our efforts to love one
another as Jesus would want us to.
·
Imagine now
what the human world would be like if Christians did their best to love one another each and
every day. Would history and politics and relationships of all kinds look
different? In any such discussion, we would have to admit that such a thing as
sin had entered into behavior. Things have not been perfect and love one another includes
forgiveness and reconciliation. Maybe that’s why this commandment might be the
hardest to obey completely.
·
I say that
because who can say if we’ve loved enough. Abusive relationships aside, what
are the limits of love? How do we know when love has been fulfilled? I can’t
say.
·
If love is
both the centre and the goal of the disciple’s life, this would be part of
God’s promise to make all things new.
That crazy book was written to encourage hope and provide come comfort to the
struggling Christian Church in the early days. I’ve said before that it seems
like a bad dream at times, but the final chapters tell of God making God’s home
among the people and comforting them, in the end making all things new.
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That is
something to look forward to. It is God’s own promise and it is the fulfillment
of the command of Jesus to us right here and right now: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.
