10-25-26 Area Reformation Service Worship Folder by gracelutheransaz

TUCSON AREA REFORMATION SERVICE

All are justified freely by his grace

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25, 2026

oday we celebrate the Festival of the Reformation of the Church. The heart of the gospel is the forgiveness of sins, purchased and won for us through the innocent death of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who was slain for the sin of the world. The teaching of the Christian Church is based on Scripture alone. Neither church traditions, the decrees of popes and councils, nor emotion or reason can replace the pure Word of God as the foundation of truth. On October 31, 1517, a German monk and priest named Martin Luther nailed 95 theses (statements for debate) on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. In the years that followed, Luther maintained that the Bible should be our only source of teaching, not man-made traditions. He showed that God saved us by grace alone, through faith alone. He returned the Bible to the hands of the people and quite literally changed the world. The central issue of the Reformation is still an issue that every human being must wrestle with today: How can I be a good person? How can I know that God loves me and forgives me? How can I be certain that after this life on earth I will not be punished eternally for my sins? How can I know that I’m going to heaven? Today we gather to observe the anniversary of the beginning of the Lutheran Reformation. We celebrate the grace of God who reformed his Church and brought back the pure, simple, beautiful truth of the gospel of free forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus our Savior. This amazing message is good news for all people!

hank you for joining us for this special service! Our Area Reformation Service is a combined effort of the WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) churches in Tucson and southeastern Arizona, which make up the Saguaro Circuit. It has been the practice of these churches to gather together on a Sunday afternoon in late October or early November to celebrate God’s grace and to commemorate the Lutheran Reformation. The order of worship we will follow is printed in this worship folder for you to follow along and participate. LARGE PRINT worship folders are available at the entrances for those who desire them. Today we are using elements from the Christian Worship hymnal. You will find these blue worship books in the hymnal racks in each pew. You will be asked to open the hymnal to participate in parts of the service. We thank Pastor Tim Flunker for encouraging us with his message from God’s Word today. Pastor Flunker has served in Texas, Mexico, and Wisconsin. Since 2009, he has worked with the WELS Board for Home Missions as the Hispanic Outreach Consultant. Pastor Flunker has worked with Mission to the Children to provide Spanish-language services in Tucson once a month, and today we welcome as our guests those who regularly attend those services. Please note: there is no cost to park in our parking lot during the service or fellowship this afternoon. If you receive a citation by mistake, please let our office staff know so it can be cleared. (Grace Office: 520-623-6633; office@gracelutheransaz.org) 1

+ ORDER OF WORSHIP + You are invited to use the time during the preservice music to prepare your hearts and minds for worship by praying, meditating on the music, or reading through this worship folder. If you would like to carry on a conversation, we ask that you kindly move to our courtyard area to do so.

PRESERVICE MUSIC:

A Mighty Fortress Mark Hayes & Marvin Gaspard; Robert Hobby; Johann G. Walther; John Behnke

WELCOME

OPENING HYMN—O Word of God Incarnate

Christian Worship 642

Please stand

INVOCATION Minister: In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.

Congregation: Amen.

The words of the invocation remind us that the God we meet and worship is the true and triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

CONFESSION If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

1 John 1:8-9

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Let us confess our sins to the Lord. Holy God, gracious Father, I am sinful by nature and have sinned against you in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved others as I should. I deserve your punishment both now and forever. But Jesus, my Savior, paid for my sins with his innocent suﬀering and death. Trusting in him, I pray: God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” James 5:16

Silence for meditation and reﬂection

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

Mark 10:47 Kyrie is the Greek word for Lord. The expression “Lord, have mercy” is one of the oldest worship responses in the Christian Church.

Our gracious Father in heaven has been merciful to us. He sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, who gave his life as the atoning sacriﬁce for the sins of the whole world. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

LORD, HAVE MERCY

Kyrie

The cantor will sing the lines in italics. The congregation responds with the bolded lines. Cantor: In peace let us pray to the Lord. Congregation:

For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.

For this holy house and for all who oﬀer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.

Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST Choir (Refrain):

Glory, glory to God, glory to God in the highest! Glory, glory to God, and peace to his people on earth.

ALL (Refrain):

Choir:

Gloria

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.

Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.

ALL (Refrain) Choir:

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

ALL (Refrain) Choir:

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.

PRAYER OF THE DAY Let us pray. Almighty God, through the preaching of your servants, the blessed Reformers, you caused the light of the gospel to shine forth. Grant that we may faithfully defend it against all enemies and joyfully proclaim it to the salvation of people everywhere to the glory of your holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Please be seated

The long-promised Servant of the Lord would bring God’s blessings not only to the people of Israel and Judah. He would also bring the light of forgiveness to all nations.

FIRST READING 1

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuﬀ out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” This is what God the L says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: “I, the L , have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. The children are invited to come forward to sing.

Isaiah 42:1-7

HYMN—Reformation Song

Christian Worship 877

Children: Your Word alone is solid ground, the mighty rock on which we build. In every line the truth is found, and every page with glory ﬁlled. Choir:

This hymn is printed for ease of singing with the children and the choir.

Through faith alone we come to you; we have no merit we can claim. Sure that your promises are true, we place our hope in Jesus’ name. Gloria, gloria, glory to God alone. Gloria, gloria, glory to God alone.

Children with the choir: In Christ alone we’re justiﬁed; his righteousness is all our plea. Your law’s demands are satisﬁed; his perfect work has set us free.

Congregation (Refrain): Gloria, gloria, glory to God alone. Gloria, gloria, glory to God alone. ALL:

The preaching of the good news to every nation will have the blessed result of salvation for people “from every tribe and language and people and nation.” We gain with John a glimpse into that reality and anticipate praising God with all our brothers and sisters in Christ!

SECOND READING

Revelation 5:6-14

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” 13

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” 14

The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

We stand out of respect for the words of Christ, our King.

Please stand

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Choir (Refrain):

John 8:31-32

Alleluia, alleluia. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Gospel Acclamation points toward the words of the Gospel.

ALL:

Choir:

If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

GOSPEL 16

Matthew 28:16-20

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Christ himself invites his disciples to share the good news with all nations, and he promises to be with us.

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise be to you, O Christ!

Please be seated

Today will sing this hymn in both English and Spanish as indicated.

HYMN—The Church’s One Foundation

Christian Worship 855

Text (sts. 1, 3, 5): Samuel J. Stone, 1839–1900, abr., alt.; (sts. S2, S4): Spanish tr. Leﬀerd M. A. Haughwout, 1873–1952. Tune: Samuel S. Wesley, 1810–1876. Public domain.

SERMON 22

The Gifts of the Reformation: Justiﬁed by Grace Through Faith Romans 3:22-24

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no diﬀerence between Jew and Gentile, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and all are justiﬁed freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Please stand

CONFESSION OF FAITH

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.

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.

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.

Please be seated

OFFERING

OFFERTORY:

Our generous oﬀerings of thanks to God go to support the work of our Saguaro Circuit (Tucson and southeast AZ). In the past these gifts have enabled us to carry out God’s kingdom work in a number of ways and allowed us to join together for Reformation worship each year. Checks may be made payable to Grace Lutheran Church.

A Mighty Fortress Zach Unke

HYMN—Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word

Christian Worship 862

LITANY FOR THE REFORMATION Almighty and merciful God, through the inspired writing of the Apostles and Prophets you revealed your holy will and your grace. For these ﬁrst heralds of your truth:

We glorify your name, O Lord. 10

In days of spiritual darkness you raised up reformers to recall your Church to the Gospel light. For Martin Luther and for all the brave defenders of your saving Word: We magnify your name, O Lord. Through that Word you made known your saving grace in Christ Jesus. You delivered him into death for our sins and raised him to life again for our justiﬁcation, thereby freely oﬀering to all people deliverance from sin, death, and the devil. For such tremendous love: We praise your name, O Lord. In mercy you have brought us into the fellowship of faith and richly blessed us day by day. For our Christian homes and families, for faithful pastors and teachers, for peace and freedom in our land, for all the blessings we have received: We thank you with all our hearts, O Lord. We freely confess our unworthiness of all your gifts. For our unfaithfulness, our feeble faith, our careless hearing of your Word, our wasted opportunities to share the Word, our lack of love for you and for other people, we pray: Forgive us for Jesus’ sake, O Lord. We earnestly implore you, O Lord, to increase our loyalty and love for you. Constantly reform and purify your church. In this day of spreading error and confusion, grant all Christians the blessing of true faithfulness to your Word. Use us to bring its saving truths to many and grant that, thereby, many will come to follow in the way of life everlasting. Hear us, O Lord, for the glory of your name! 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 L said, “In this way they will put my name on [them], and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:27

LORD’S PRAYER 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.

BENEDICTION 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.

CLOSING HYMN—A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Christian Worship 864

Today will sing this hymn in both English and Spanish as indicated.

This hymn of Martin Luther paraphrases the words of Psalm 46. It has been called “The Battle Hymn of the Reformation.”

Text: Martin Luther, 1483–1546; (sts. 1, 3–4): tr. composite; (S2): tr. Juan Bautista Cabrera, 1837–1916. Tune: Martin Luther, 1483–1546. Text and tune: Public domain.

POSTLUDE MUSIC: By Grace I’m Saved Kevin Hildebrand

The congregation will not be ushered out following the service. Instead, please take a moment to greet those gathered to worship with you. You are welcome to remain and socialize in church and to dismiss yourself when you would like. Please join us in the Fellowship Hall (across the Courtyard) for a Reformation “Gemütlichkeit” (fellowship and refreshments) following the service. To view a recording of this service, please visit https://www.gracelutheransaz.org/service-videos

THANK YOU! Our sincere thanks to all who helped plan, prepare, and conduct the service this afternoon! Preacher ...................................... Pastor Tim Flunker, Board for Home Missions Hispanic Outreach Consultant Liturgist .................................................................................. Pastor David Parsons, Holy Cross & Circuit Pastor Organ ........................................................................................................................................ Jim Bakken, Grace Choir Director ...................................................................................................................... Paul Kassulke, Grace Cantor ................................................................................................................................ Dylan Guenther, Grace Piano ...................................................................................................... Shannon Schmidt, Shepherd of the Hills French Horn .............................................................................................................................. Cora Stuhr, Grace Trumpet ................................................. Nathan Kassulke, Paul Kassulke Grace; Sharon Hartmann, Redeemer Baritone ...................................................................................................... Jason Schmidt, Shepherd of the Hills Timpani ............................................................................................................................... Danny Koehler, Grace Greeters ...................................................................................................................... Eric & Erika Hanson, Grace Ushers .................................................................................. Justin Harris, Danny Koehler, Sam Kassulke, Grace Sound and Recording Technicians .............................. Jeremy Snavely, Danny Koehler, Sam Kassulke; Grace Acknowledgements: Scripture readings are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® (NIV®) © 1973, 1978, 1984,2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved. Cover Art: Corissa Nelson. CorissaNelsonArt.com. Created by Christian Worship: Service Builder © 2026 Concordia Publishing House. Software distributed in partnership with Northwestern Publishing House.

The Tucson-area churches of the Saguaro Circuit Shepherd of the Hills (Oro Valley) 8799 N. Northern Avenue, 85704 (520)297-5710 LutheranChurchTucson.com Pastor: Jason Schmidt

Holy Cross (East Tucson) 241 N. Harrison Road, 85748 (520)428-4659 HolyCrossTucson.org Pastor: David Parsons

Redeemer (Marana)

8845 N. Silverbell Road, 85743 (520)572-8135 RedeemerTucson.com Pastors: John Hartmann, Adam Mueller

Grace

(520)623-6633 GraceLutheranSAZ.org Tucson (University) 830 N. 1st Avenue, 85719 Pastors: Nathan Kassulke, Ron Koehler Sahuarita 75 W. Sahuarita Road, 85629 Pastor: Ryan Heiman Vail Esmond Station Elementary School 9400 S. Atterbury Wash Way, 85747 Pastor: Seth Scheuerlein Benson 451 W. Duane Street, 85602 Pastor: Seth Scheuerlein

“Grace and peace from the Lord. As you desire to know whether my painted seal, which you sent to me, has hit the mark, I shall answer most amiably and tell you my original thoughts and reason about why my seal is a symbol of my theology. The first should be a black cross in a heart, which retains its natural color, so that I myself would be reminded that faith in the Crucified saves us. ‘For one who believes from the heart will be justified’ (Rom. 10:10). Although it is indeed a black cross, which mortifies and which should also cause pain, it leaves the heart in its natural color. It does not corrupt nature, that is, it does not kill but keeps alive. ‘The just shall live by faith’ (Rom. 1:17) but by faith in the crucified. Such a heart should stand in the middle of a white rose, to show that faith gives joy, comfort, and peace. In other words, it places the believer into a white, joyous rose, for this faith does not give peace and joy like the world gives (John 14:27). That is why the rose should be white and not red, for white is the color of the spirits and the angels (cf. Matthew 28:3; John 20:12). Such a rose should stand in a skyblue field, symbolizing that such joy in spirit and faith is a beginning of the heavenly future joy, which begins already, but is grasped in hope, not yet revealed. And around this field is a golden ring, symbolizing that such blessedness in Heaven lasts forever and has no end. Such blessedness is exquisite, beyond all joy and goods, just as gold is the most valuable, most precious and best metal. This is my compendium theoligae [summary of theology]. I have wanted to show it to you in good friendship, hoping for your appreciation. May Christ, our beloved Lord, be with your spirit until the life hereafter. Amen.” Martin Luther, Letter to Lazarus Spengler, July 8, 1530

The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) is a group of over 330,000 men, women, and children in nearly 1,250 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.