Second Sunday of Easter
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church of Southern Arizona April 19, 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
Forever
The moon and stars they wept, the morning sun was dead, The Savior of the world was fallen, his body on the cross, His blood poured out for us, the weight of every curse upon him.
These words are provided for your reflection and meditation.
One final breath He gave as Heaven looked away, The Son of God was laid in darkness; a battle in the grave, The war on death was waged. The power of hell forever broken. The ground began to shake, the stone was rolled away. His perfect love could not be overcome. Now death where is your sting? Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated. Forever, he is glorified. Forever, he is lifted high. Forever, he is risen. He is alive! He is alive! Forever, forever! You have overcome. Your resurrected King. You have overcome the grave. You have overcome. We sing Hallelujah! We sing Hallelujah! We sing Hallelujah! The Lamb has overcome!
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.
HYMN RESPONSE
O Sons and Daughters of the King Christian Worship #165, stanzas 1-3
PRAYER OF THE DAY Let us pray. O risen Lord, you came to your disciples and took away their fears with your word of peace. Come to us also by your Word and banish our fears with the comforting assurance of your abiding presence; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. 3
HYMN RESPONSE
FIRST LESSON Then Peter began to speak: “[God] sent his word to the people of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. Indeed, we are witnesses of all the things he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem, yet they killed him by hanging him on a cross. But God raised him on the third day and caused him to be seen, not by all the people,
O Sons and Daughters of the King Christian Worship #165, stanzas 4-5
Acts 10:34a, 36, 39-43 but by the witnesses God had already chosen—by us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify solemnly that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that, through his name, everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins.”
A READING FROM PSALM 16 Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. I said to the LCDE, “You are my LCDE; apart from you I have no good thing.” I have set the LCDE always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. My heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.
The Gentile believers to whom Peter spoke had never seen the risen Lord. But Peter had; Peter had watched Jesus eat and drink; Peter had touched and felt his risen body. God had made his disciples both apostles and witnesses of the resurrection so that they could provide proof for the Gentiles. They were sent to give this proof and proclaim Christ’s peace to these new Christians who fulfilled Jesus’ promise to Thomas: they had not seen, but yet they believed.
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What brings more doubt into our lives than grief or sorrow? “Why did this happen to me?” “How could God let this happen?” Grief and sorrow raise doubts about God’s love and God’s plan for our lives. Peter points us to the resurrection as proof of the living hope we have regardless of our outward circumstances. We may doubt when we face trials, but the trials themselves prove the genuineness of our faith. Faith clings to a Savior we have not seen, but love. And this unseen Savior gives us the inexpressible joy of proof and peace even in the face of doubt.
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SECOND LESSON Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, into an inheritance that is undying, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. Through faith you are being protected by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed at the end of time. Because of this you rejoice very much, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various kinds of trials so
HYMN RESPONSE
1 Peter 1:3-9 that the proven character of your faith—which is more valuable than gold, which passes away even though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not see him now, yet by believing in him, you are filled with a joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
O Sons and Daughters of the King Christian Worship #165, stanzas 6-9
SERMON
John 20:19-31 Victory Over Skepticism
On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together behind locked doors because of their fear of the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you! Just as the Father has sent me, I am also sending you.” After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven. Whenever you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” But Thomas, one of the Twelve, the one called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger into
the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.” After eight days, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Take your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue to doubt, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus, in the presence of his disciples, did many other miraculous signs that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
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.
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VOCAL SOLO
We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight
We walk by faith and not by sight; no gracious words we hear From him who spoke as none e’er spoke, but we believe him near. We may not touch his hands and side nor follow where he trod, But in his promise we rejoice and cry, “My Lord and God!” Help then, O Lord, our unbelief, and may our faith abound To call on you when you are near and seek where you are found. For you, O resurrected Lord, are found in means divine: Beneath the water and the Word, beneath the bread and wine. Lord, when our life of faith is done, in realms of clearer light, We may behold you as you are with full and endless sight.
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.
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.
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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. CLOSING HYMN
POSTLUDE MUSIC
Jesus Lives! The Victory’s Won Christian Worship #145
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
In Christ Alone 8
THOSE ASSISTING IN THIS WORSHIP SERVICE Pastor.......................................................................................... Pastor Frank Rose Accompanist......................................................................................... Kathy Parra Sound and Recording Tech ................................................................... Jeremy Snavely Vocalist ...........................................................................................Nicole Peterson
Copyright Information: PRESERVICE—Forever: Words and music by Brian Johnson, Christa Black Gifford, Gabe Wilson, Jenn Johnson, Joel Taylor, and Kari Jobe. © 2013 Worship Together Music, Kaje Songs, and Bethel Music Publishing; admin. Capitol CMG Publishing. This musical arrangement by Victor Labenske. © Alfred Publishing. Divine Service II: © 2008 Northwestern Publishing House. O Sons and Daughters of the King: Text attr. Jean Tisserand, d. 1494, abr.; tr. John M. Neale, 1818-66, alt. Public Domain. Tune by Melchior Vulpius, c. 1570-1615, alt. Public Domain. Musical setting by Lynette Maynard. © 2003 Augsburg Fortress. We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight: Text by Henry Alford, 1810-71, alt. Public Domain. Tune by Marty Haugen, b. 1950. Setting by Randall Sensmeier, b. 1948. © 1984, 2006 GIA Publications, Inc. Jesus Lives! The Victory’s Won: T ext by Christian F. Gellert, 1715-69, abr.; tr. Frances E. Cox, 1812-97, alt. Public Domain. Tune by Johann Crüger, 1598-1662. Public Domain. Musical setting by Frederick Frahm. © 2003 Augsburg Fortress. POSTLUDE—In Christ Alone: By Keith Getty and Stuart T ownend. © 2002 T hankyou Music, admin. Capitol CMG Publishing. 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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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.
Parking Lot Closed The Grace-Tucson parking lot will be closed beginning on Sunday, April 19 to allow for some maintenance work to be done. We believe this should cause little inconvenience since school is not in session at the University of Arizona and the Church Office is closed at this time. We anticipate the parking lot to be available again beginning on Wednesday, April 22.
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. During this time, we are still in need of help with a number of things at Grace-Sahuarita. We are getting ready to finalize the sale of the current property a need to begin packing items and moving them into the storage pod on site. Construction of our Child Learning Center continues and volunteers are still needed to help with the work. If you are willing to lend a hand, please contact Pastor Heiman at (520)999-0245 or RevRAH@GraceLutheranSAZ.org. Blankets are still needed for the Child Learning Center and now may be the perfect time to work on this project! Blankets can be knitted, crocheted, sewn, quilted, or have tied edge, but they must be machine washable. Various sizes are needed. If you have any questions about this project, please contact Diane Kramm at (520)440-8564 or pdkramm@earthlink.net. 10
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