4th Sunday of Easter / Mother’s Day May 11, 2025
Welcome & Announcements
*Call to Worship: Psalm 23 (pg. 541)
*Opening Prayer …………………………………………….. pg. 2
THE OPENING HYMN ------------------------------------------- # 104
“Christ the Lord Is Risen Today”
*Confession of Sins …………………….……………............ pg. 2
*Kyrie …………………………………………………….…. pg. 3
*Declaration of Grace …………………………………..…… pg. 3
Baptism of Lincoln Hayes Thies
HYMN --------------------------------------------------------------- # 545
“Because He Lives”
Scripture Lessons: 1st Reading: Acts 20:17-35 (pg. 1105)
2nd Reading: Revelation 7:9-17 (pg. 1223)
*The Gospel: John 10:22-33 (pg. 1065)
*Response to the Gospel …………………………………..… pg. 3
*Confession of Faith - The Apostles’ Creed ………………... pg. 4
*Gloria Patri …………………………………………………. pg. 4
The Offering
*Response: “Create in Me A Clean Heart O God” ……..….. pg. 17
*Prayers of the Church
HYMN ------------------------------------------------------(WOV) # 715
“Open Your Eyes, O Faithful People”
Sermon: Matthew 24 – “Eternal Matters”
THE CLOSING HYMN ----------------------------------(WOV) # 734
“Softly and Tenderly”
*The Lord’s Prayer ………………………………………….. pg. 5
*The Benediction ………………………………..…………... pg. 5
*Three-fold Amen ………………………………...…………. pg. 5
THE DOXOLOGY ……………………………...………….. # 390
Organ Postlude
WE CORDIALLY WELCOME all who have come to worship with us this morning, especially our guests and visitors. May our Father’s mercy in Jesus assure you of the forgiveness of all your sins. If you have not established your church home in our area, we are anxious to share with you all the blessings which God gives us through His Word. We ask that you please sign our guest book, and we hope that you return to worship with us again soon.
Announcements
Monthly hymn #104: "Christ the Lord Is
Risen Today"
Memory verse: Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Today, through the gift of Holy Baptism, we welcome Lincoln Hayes Thies into the family of Christ here at St. Peter Lutheran Church. Parents Robert & Kendra Thies, Sponsors DK & Kelsey Lee and Chad & Hannah Lau.
The 2025 AFLC Annual Conference will be at the ARC in Osceola, WI, June 11-14th.
Register at https://www.aflc.org/about-us/conferences/
This week’s activities:
13th – Tues. – Quilting Workday, 1:00 p.m.
14th – Wed. – WMF Bible Study & Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
18th – Sun. – Worship (Matt. Chapter 25), 9:00 a.m.,
~ Muffin Sunday, Ladies A - J
CHURCH CLEANING: May 12 – 18 Bonnie Villmow & Beverly Jahn
*Call to Worship: Psalm 23
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in
green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me
in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness
and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I
shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
1st Reading: Acts 20:17-35
17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. 18 And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
2nd Reading: Revelation 7:9-17
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 “Therefore they are before the
throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and
he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither
thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any
scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in
the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide
them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every
tear from their eyes.”
*The Gospel: John 10:22-33
22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”