Last Sunday Of The Church Year - 2023

November 26, 2023 ~ The Last Sunday of the Church Year

 

 

Today's Service Lecturer Rev. Brett Cornelius, Pastor Holy Cross Lutheran Church

 

 

Today's Speaker Rev. Michael W. Mohr, President of CID & Associate Pastor, Holy Cross Lutheran Church

 

 

Today's liturgy is the Divine Service, Setting Three, LSB pages 184ff.

 

Opening Hymn~

 

916 Only-Begotten, Word of God Eternal

Text: Latin, c. 9th cent.; tr. Maxwell J. Blacker, 1822–88, alt.
Tune: Antiphoner, 1746, Poitiers
Text and tune: Public domain

 

Please Stand

 

The sign of the cross T may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.

 

Invocation

P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

 

Exhortation LSB 184

P Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.

P Our help is in the name of the Lord,

C who made heaven and earth.

P I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord,

C and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

 

 

Silent Reflection before Confession

 

Confession of Sins LSB 184

P O almighty God, merciful Father,

C I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.

 

Absolution LSB 185

P Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto 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 T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

 

 

Introit Psalm 39:4–5, 7–8; antiphon: Isaiah 35:10

The ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads.
They shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!
Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!
And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in you.
Deliver me from all my transgressions.
Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
Glory be 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.
The ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads.
They shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

 

 

Kyrie LSB 186

 

Gloria in Excelsis LSB 187

 

Salutation and Collect of the Day

P O Lord, absolve Your people from their offenses that, from the bonds of our sins which by reason of our frailty we have brought upon ourselves, we may be delivered by Your bountiful goodness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

Please be Seated

 

 

Old Testament Reading Isaiah 65:17–25

¹⁷“Behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
¹⁸But be glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
and her people to be a gladness.
¹⁹I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
and the cry of distress.
²⁰No more shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for the young man shall die a hundred years old,
and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
²¹They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
²²They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
²³They shall not labor in vain
or bear children for calamity,
for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord,
and their descendants with them.
²⁴Before they call I will answer;
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
²⁵The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

 

Gradual Psalm 45:14–15

In many-colored robes [the king’s daughter] is led to the king,
with her virgin companions following behind her.
With joy and gladness they are led along
as they enter the palace of the king.

 

Epistle 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11

¹Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. ²For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. ⁴But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. ⁵For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. ⁶So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. ⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. ⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. ¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

 

Please Stand

 

Alleluia LSB 190

 

 

Holy Gospel Matthew 25:1–13

P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the twenty-fifth chapter.

¹[Jesus said:] “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, ⁴but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. ⁶But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. ¹¹Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ ¹²But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ ¹³Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

 

Apostles’ Creed

C I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

     maker of heaven and earth.

And 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 sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

     From thence 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 T everlasting. Amen.

 

Please be Seated

 

 

Sermon Hymn~

 

516 Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying

Text: tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–78, alt.
Text and tune: Philipp Nicolai, 1556–1608
Text and tune: Public domain

 

 

Sermon~Rev. Michael W. Mohr, President of CID Associate Pastor, Holy Cross Lutheran Church

 

 

Please Stand

 

Offertory LSB 192

 

Please be Seated

 

Offering is presented during last verse.

 

Offering Hymn~ Offering Hymn “Praise God, Praise Him” is sung today by the Holy Cross Choir

 

Please Stand

 

Prayer of the Church

 

Preface LSB 194

 

Proper Preface

P It is truly meet, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who, out of love for His fallen creation, humbled Himself by taking on the form of a servant, becoming obedient unto death, even death upon a cross. Risen from the dead, He has freed us from eternal death and given us life everlasting. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:

 

Sanctus LSB 195

 

 

Lord’s Prayer LSB 179

P Lord, remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:

C 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.

 

The Words of Our Lord LSB 197

 

Pax Domini LSB 197

 

Agnus Dei LSB 198

 

Please be Seated

 

 

Distribution Hymns~

 

617 O Lord, We Praise Thee

Text: tr. The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941, alt.; (st. 1): German, 14th cent.; (sts. 2–3): Martin Luther, 1483–1546
Tune: Geystliche gesangk Buchleyn, 1524, Wittenberg, ed. Johann Walter
Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518
Tune: Public domain

 

609 Jesus Sinners Doth Receive

 

5 Oh, how blest it is to know:
    Were as scarlet my transgression,
It shall be as white as snow
    By Thy blood and bitter passion;
For these words I now believe:
Jesus sinners doth receive.

 

6 Now my conscience is at peace;
    From the Law I stand acquitted.
Christ hath purchased my release
    And my ev’ry sin remitted.
Naught remains my soul to grieve:
Jesus sinners doth receive.

 

7 Jesus sinners doth receive;
    Also I have been forgiven;
And when I this earth must leave,
    I shall find an open heaven.
Dying, still to Him I cleave:
Jesus sinners doth receive.

Text: tr. The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941, alt.; Erdmann Neumeister, 1671–1756
Tune: Neu-verfertigtes Darmstädtisches Gesang-Buch, 1699, Darmstadt
Text and tune: Public domain

 

561 The Tree of Life

Text: Stephen P. Starke, 1955
Tune: Bruce W. Becker, 1952
Text: © 1993 Stephen P. Starke, admin. Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518
Tune: © 1995 Bruce W. Becker. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518

 

Please Stand

 

Nunc Dimittis LSB 199

 

Thanksgiving LSB 200

 

Post-Communion Collect

A Let us pray.

We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we implore You that of Your mercy You would strengthen us through the same in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one another; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

Salutation 201

 

Benedicamus LSB 202

 

Benediction LSB 202

 

 

Closing Hymn~ “As You Go On Your Way” and is sung today by the Holy Cross Choir.

 

 

Acknowledgments

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV^® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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