Third Sunday of Easter
Were not our hearts burning within us while he was speaking to us along the road
and while he was explaining the Scriptures to us?
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church of Southern Arizona April 26, 2020
Welcome to Grace! Our mission at Grace is to teach the inspired and inerrant Word of God, to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the crucified and risen Savior of the world, and to nurture believers for lives of Christian service. Check out the GRACE WEBSITE at GraceLutheranSAZ.org
Worship Notes Thank you for joining us for worship today! Although we may not be physically together for this service, we trust God’s promises to bless our time together in worship. The worship service is printed in its entirety in this worship folder for you to follow along and participate as you are able. The fifty days following Easter constitute the oldest season of the Christian year. These fifty days correspond to the period in the Jewish year between the Passover and the Feast of Weeks. Because of the importance of this season its Sundays are named “Sundays of Easter� rather than “Sundays after Easter.� Through the Easter season, we will continue to see that:
CHRIST IS Over death Over Skep cism Over Despair Over Bad Choices On the Only Path to Heaven
C is i i ! H i i n e ! A i ! If you would like to make an offering in thanks to God and in support of the ministry of Grace, you may do so online at GraceLutheranSAZ.org/Give. Offerings can also be mailed to the Grace Central Office at 830 N. 1st Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719. Many banks also offer bill pay services (where they will mail a check directly to Grace). During this time, your pastors are committed to serving you. If you are in need of pastoral assistance, please call the Grace Central Office at (520) 623-6633. Although the church office is closed at this time, voice messages are forwarded to the pastors. You will also find a listing of our pastors’ email addresses on the back page of this worship folder. May God be with you and bless you in the days ahead! Proclaim the greatness of the L !" with me, and let us exalt his name together. (Psalm 34:3) 1
ORDER OF WORSHIP If you are following along using this worship folder, you are encouraged to speak the parts in bold and join in the singing of the hymns.
PRESERVICE MUSIC
He’s Risen, He’s Risen
WELCOME
INVOCATION In the name of the Father and of the Son ( ) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Let us approach God with a true heart and confess our sins, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us. Lord of life, I confess that I am by nature dead in sin. For faithless worrying and selfish pride, For sins of habit and sins of choice, For the evil I have done and the good I have failed to do, You should cast me away from your presence forever. O Lord, I am sorry for my sins. Forgive me, for Jesus’ sake. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. In his great mercy, God made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our sins. Hear the word of Christ through his called servant: I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son ( ) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
We come before the true God only because of his mercy and not because we deserve to come. We confess our unworthiness and rejoice to hear the assurance of forgiveness. Christ gave the authority to forgive the sins of penitent sinners to his church: “Whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven.” (John 20:23)
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Kyrie is the Greek word for Lord. The expression "Lord, have mercy" is one of the oldest worship responses in the Christian Church.
LORD, HAVE MERCY
Kyrie
In peace, let us pray to the Lord. For the well-being of all people everywhere, that they may receive from you all they need to sustain body and life, hear our prayer, O Lord. Lord, have mercy. For the spread of your life-giving gospel throughout the world, that all who are lost in sin may be brought to faith in you, hear our prayer, O Christ. Christ, have mercy. For patience and perseverance in this life, that we may not lose the hope of heaven as we await your return, hear our prayer, O Lord. Lord, have mercy. Lord of life, live in us that we may live for you. Amen.
Luke 2:14 Christians praise God by proclaiming the great things he has done to accomplish our rescue from sin. “Glory to God in the Highest� has been a Christian song of worship since the fourth century. Today we are singing the Gloria to the hymn tune DUKE STREET (CW #152).
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GLORY BE TO GOD
Gloria in Excelsis
PRAYER OF THE DAY Let us pray. O God, by the humiliation of your Son you lifted up this fallen world from the despair of death. By his resurrection to life, grant your faithful people gladness of heart and the hope of eternal joys; through your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
HYMN
This Joyful Eastertide Christian Worship #160
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In this lesson, Paul is on trial in Caesarea before the governor. The Sanhedrin had hired a lawyer to accuse Paul of leading the Nazarene sect. Paul asserts that Christianity is no sect, but agrees with all that is written in the Law and the Prophets. We hold to the ancient hope of Scriptures: the resurrection of the dead.
FIRST LESSON When the governor motioned to him to speak, Paul replied, “Because I know that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I gladly make my defense. You can verify for yourself that it was no more than twelve days ago when I went up to worship at Jerusalem. They did not find me arguing with anyone in the temple or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. And they cannot prove to you the accusations they are now making against me. But I do confess to you that I worship the God of our fathers according to the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything written throughout the Law and in the Prophets; and I have the same hope in God that these men have, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and
When God is gracious to us and blesses us, we want to share his Word with all people. Our praise of God will lead others to praise him. God’s blessings to us will be a source of blessing to others.
A READING FROM PSALM 67
Peter’s first epistle is a letter of hope in the midst of suffering. Trials and grief try to choke out our hope. But our hope is restored when we remember that we were bought by the blood of Christ, and that one day we will join our glorious Savior in our heavenly home.
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Acts 24:10-21 the unrighteous. This is the reason I continue to do my best to have a clear conscience toward both God and people. After several years, I came to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. While I was doing these things, they found me ceremonially purified in the temple, without a crowd or disturbance. But there are some Jews from the province of Asia who ought to be here before you and bring charges, if they have anything against me. Or let these men here state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin, unless this is about the one thing I shouted while standing in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us; may your ways be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.
SECOND LESSON If you call on the Father who judges impartially, according to the work of each person, conduct yourselves during the time of your pilgrimage in reverence, because you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, not with things that pass away, such as silver or gold, but with
1 Peter 1:17-21 the precious blood of Christ, like a lamb without blemish or spot. He was chosen before the foundation of the world but revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God
HYMN
Welcome, Happy Morning Christian Worship #163
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SERMON
Luke 24:13-35 Victory Over Despair
Now, on that same day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about all of these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing this, Jesus himself approached and began to walk along with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. He said to them, “What are you talking about as you walk along?” Saddened, they stopped. One of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” “What things?” he asked them. They replied, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be condemned to death. And they crucified him. But we were hoping that he was going to redeem Israel. Not only that, but besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Also some women of our group amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning. When they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb. They found it just as the The Apostles’ Creed developed in the Early Christian Church as a personal confession of faith. It is so named because it confesses the faith taught by the Apostles of Jesus.
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women had said, but they did not see him.” He said to them, “How foolish you are and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. As they approached the village where they were going, he acted as if he were going to travel farther. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, since it is almost evening, and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he reclined at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and began giving it to them. Suddenly their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. Then he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was speaking to us along the road and while he was explaining the Scriptures to us?” They got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and those who were with them assembled together. They were saying, “The Lord really has been raised! He has appeared to Simon.” They themselves described what had happened along the road, and how they recognized him when he broke the bread.
APOSTLES’ CREED I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come 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.
VIRTUAL CHILDREN’S CHOIR
God Loves Me Dearly
God love me dearly, grants me salvation. God loves me dearly; loves even me. Therefore I’ll say again: God loves me dearly. God loves me dearly; loves even me. He sent forth Jesus, my dear Redeemer. He sent forth Jesus and set me free. Therefore I’ll say again: God loves me dearly. God loves me dearly; loves even me.
Children’s from Grace recorded themselves at home singing this song. The recordings were then compiled to form a virtual choir. We thank all of the families that participated!
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH God of all grace, we thank you for the gift of eternal life in your Son. By the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and by the faithful testimony of the apostles, you have assured us that our faith stands on a sure and solid foundation. Though we do not see Jesus with our physical eyes, help us to see him with the eyes of faith. Through your Holy Spirit, breathe on your Church that it may faithfully proclaim the gospel of our risen Savior with courage and diligence in all lands and to all people. Grant that we also may be illumined by the heavenly light of your Word, and so keep us in the one and only true faith. Preserve us from all assaults on our souls, deliver us from doubt and despair, and preserve us from worldly wisdom and false teaching. Forgive the sins of your people. Strengthen the doubting and faithless. Bring back the forgetful and wayward, and comfort the anxious and distressed. Special prayers and intercessions may follow. Grant peace and rest to us all. We pray this in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER We also join to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.
BLESSING The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and ( ) give you peace. Amen.
Matthew 6 and Luke 11 record how Jesus taught his disciples to pray. We use his example prayer as part of our public worship, trusting that he will hear and answer our prayers. The blessing of Aaron has been spoken over God’s people for over 3,500 years. The Lord said, “So I will put my name on [them], and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:27
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CLOSING HYMN
POSTLUDE MUSIC 9
In Christ Alone Christian Worship Supplement #752
Alleluia, Jesus Lives
ANNOUNCEMENTS Online Worship While Grace has cancelled all in-person worship services for the time being, we will continue to provide online worship services. You can access these worship services through our website at GraceLutheranSAZ.org/service-videos. You can also find these services on our YouTube channel: GraceTucsonVideo. If you subscribe to our channel, you can choose to be notified when a new video is available.
Stay Up to Date on Church News and Events For the health and safety of our members and our community, our Ministry Board has made the decision to suspend all in-person church activity until it is deemed safe to resume gathering together. The fastest and easiest way to communicate to our members and friends at this time is through email updates. If you have not been receiving these updates from Grace, please email the church office at office@gracelutheransaz.org and let us know. We will also post updates on our Facebook page. We are doing our best to call our members who are not online. If you have not heard from us, but would like to be added to our list, please call the church office at (520) 623-6633. If you have any other questions, concerns, or suggestions during this time, please do not hesitate to reach out to one of our pastors or Ministry Board members.
Opportunities at Grace While many things in our community have ceased at this time, there are still opportunities at Grace. Check out our website for useful content. Some of these things have always been available, such as links to videos of our worship service, audio recordings of our sermons, and printed sermons and service folders. New content is also being added. You will find devotions from our pastors addressing the issues we are facing at this time. Videos of Sunday School lessons and devotions are also available. It’s not too late to join Pastor Rose for an online Bible study on “Jesus’ Last Words.” This study examines Jesus’ statements and interactions with his followers after his resurrection from the dead. This study meets live at 6:30 PM on Wednesdays using Google Meet, which allows for discussion and questions via video chat. To find a discussion guide and the link to the Bible Study, visit gracelutheransaz.org/online-bible-study. Recorded videos of this study are available for viewing at any time on our YouTube channel GraceTucsonVideo.
THOSE ASSISTING IN THIS WORSHIP SERVICE Pastor ....................................................................................... Pastor Ryan Heiman Accompanist ....................................................................................... Laura Heiman Sound and Recording Tech ...................................................................Jeremy Snavely Vocalist ............................................................................................ Teri Guenther Copyright Information: PRESERVICE—He’s Risen, He’s Risen: T une by C. F. W. Walther. Public Domain. This musical arrangement by Valerie Floeter. © 2010 Floeter Music. Used by permission. Divine Service II: © 2008 Northwestern Publishing House. Glory Be to God: T une attr. John C. Hatton, d. 1793. Public Domain. T ext by Stephen P. Starke. © 2006 Northwestern Publishing House. This Joyful Eastertide: Text by George R. Woodward, 1848-1934. Tune from Davids Psalmen, Amsterdam, 1684. Public Domain. Welcome, Happy Morning: T ext by V enantius Fortunatus, c. 530-609, abr.; tr. John Ellerton, 1826-93, alt. Public Domain. Tune from Enchiridion Geistlike Lede und Psalmen, Lübeck, 1545. Public Domain. God Loves Me Dearly: T ext by August Rische, 1819-1906. Tune—German traditional. Public Domain. In Christ Alone: By Keith Getty and Stuart T ownend. © 2002 T hankyou M usic, admin. Capitol CMG Publishing. POSTLUDE—Alleluia, Jesus Lives: T une by Ludvig M. Lindeman, 1812-87. Public Domain. This musical arrangement by Valerie Floeter. © 2010 Floeter Music. Used by permission. Copyrighted material reprinted, streamed, and posted with permission under One License #A-710199 and CCLI License #3095263. All rights reserved. Scripture readings are taken from The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) © 2018 The Wartburg Project. All rights reserved. www.wartburgproject.org
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One Church. Four Sites. Proclaiming the love of Jesus in Southern Arizona since 1911. Grace-Tucson and Central Office
Grace-Sahuarita
830 N. 1st Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (520) 623-6633 office@gracelutheransaz.org
17675 S. La Canada Dr., Sahuarita, AZ 85629 (520) 578-3538
Pastor Ronald G. Koehler, III
75 W. Sahuarita Rd, Sahuarita, AZ 85629
revrgk3@gracelutheransaz.org
Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke revnpk@gracelutheransaz.org
Pastor Timothy L. Patoka (Campus Ministry)
New Construction Pastor Ryan A. Heiman revrah@gracelutheransaz.org
Child Learning Center
revtlp@gracelutheransaz.org
(520) 848-4630 Laura Heiman, Director director@gracelutheransaz.org
Grace-Benson
Bible-Based Counselor—Cinda Drescher
451 W. Duane St., Benson, AZ 85602
cinda@gracelutheransaz.org (520) 405-3286
Grace-Vail Worshipping at Esmond Station Elementary 9400 S. Atterbury Wash Way, Tucson, AZ 85747
Pastor Frank A. Rose revfar@gracelutheransaz.org
Administrative Assistant—Debbie Koehler assistant@gracelutheransaz.org
Worship Coordinator—Beth Kassulke music@gracelutheransaz.org
Office at Civano 10501 E. Seven Generations Way, Tucson, AZ 85747 (520) 848-4631
Office Manager—Cora Stuhr office@gracelutheransaz.org
Grace Lutheran Church is a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), a group of nearly 400,000 men, women, and children in nearly 1,300 congregations across the United States and Canada united by a common faith in Christ's saving love. We are committed to a common calling—encouraging each other in our faith and sharing God's gift of a Savior with the rest of the world. For more information about our synod and what we believe visit: www.wels.net