STAND FOLLOW SERVE REPEAT Worship with Holy Communion LCMS Servant Events 800-248-1930, Ext. 1155 youth.ministry@lcms.org
Stand. Follow. Serve. WORSHIP. (L=LEADER, C=CONGREGATION) Silent Prayer of Preparation Look, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it. I am weak in the faith; strengthen me. I am cold in love; warm me and make me fervent that my love may go out to my neighbor. I do not have a strong and firm faith. At times, I doubt and am unable to trust You completely. O Lord, help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in You. I have insured all my treasures in Your name. I am poor; You are rich and You did come to be merciful to the poor. I am a sinner; You are upright. With me there is an abundance of sin; with You a fullness of righteousness. Therefore, I will remain with You, for whom I can receive but to whom I may not give. Amen (taken from Luther s Prayers, Augsburg, Page 67). Invocation L: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. L: This is the day the Lord has made! C: I will rejoice and be glad in it. L: I will serve His name. C: from the rising of the sun to its setting. L: All praise, honor, glory, majesty and might C: be to His most wonderful name. (Kraus, By Word and Prayer, Concordia Publishing House, Page 64) Opening Song Thy Strong Word (AGPS 246; LSB 578) Confession and Absolution L: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; C: according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. L: Wash away all my iniquity C: and cleanse me from my sin. (Silence for self-examination and personal confessions) L: You have called us to stand in You, O Lord. C: We confess that we have doubted Your strength, questioned Your plan and tried to stand on our own. L: You have called us to follow You, O God. C: We confess that we have failed to listen and prefer to be our own leader. L: You have called us to serve others, O Lord. C: We confess that we have often been more eager to be served than to serve. L: You have given us Your Word and Sacraments to establish and repeat a lifelong pattern of faith in You, Jesus. C: We confess that we have at times quenched the power of Your Spirit through our neglect of these precious Means of Grace. L: You have set us free, O Christ, from sin, death and the power of the devil. C: We confess that we have not always used our freedom in ways that please You or benefit those around us. L: O Lord, C: Have mercy upon us. L: O Christ, C: Have mercy upon us. L: O Lord, C: Have mercy up on us, and grant us Your peace and forgiveness. L: Hear and believe the Good News! In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us and for His sake, God forgives us all our sins. To those who believe in Jesus Christ, He gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God! 1 LCMS Servant Event Worship
Sharing of Christ s Peace L: As we rejoice in God s undeserved love and forgiveness, we share with one another the peace and joy of the Lord, which is ours through faith in Christ alone. (God s people may greet one another with these or similar words, The peace of the Lord be with you. ) Responsive psalm from Psalm 46 L: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. C. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, L: though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah C. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. L. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. C. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. L The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah C: Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. L: He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. C. Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! L: The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah Song of Praise Christ be My Leader (AGPS 81; LSB 861) Scripture Reading 1 1 Samuel 3:6-10 Scripture Reading 2 2 Timothy 1:8-14 Scripture Reading 3 Acts 7:54-60 LCMS Servant Event Worship Confession of Faith (Second Article of the Apostles Creed and Luther s Explanation) L: To God and to each other, and before the whole world, we confess: C: I believe in Jesus Christ, God s 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. L: What does this mean? C: I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, That I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true. Response Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus (AGPS 159; LSB 685) Message Offering Prayers (If the Lord s Supper is not celebrated, the service continues with The Call to Service. ) Service of the Sacrament (taken from The Lutheran Service Book, Divine Service, Setting Four, Page 208) L: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. L: Lift up your hearts. C: We lift them to the Lord L: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. C: It is right to give Him thanks and praise. 2
L: It is truly good, right and salutary that we should at all time and in all places give thanks to you, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, for the countless blessings You so freely bestow on us and all creation. Above all, we give thanks for Your boundless love shown to us when You sent Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into our flesh and laid on Him our sin, giving Him into death that we might not die eternally. Because He is now risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity, all who believe in Him will overcome sin and death and will rise again to new life. Therefore, with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify your glorious name, evermore praise you and saying: Sanctus Holy, Holy, Holy C: Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabbath adored; Heaven and earth with full acclaim shout the glory of Your name. Sing hosanna in the highest, sing hosanna to the Lord; Truly blest is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Prayer of Thanksgiving L: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Maker of all creation, for You have had mercy on us and given Your only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. We give You thanks for the redemption You have prepared for us through Jesus Christ. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may faithfully eat and drink of the fruits of His cross and receive the blessings of forgiveness, life and salvation that come to us in His body and blood. Hear us as we pray in His name and as He has taught us: The Lord s Prayer Words of Institution Pax Domini The Peace of the Lord L: The peace of the Lord be with you always. Agnus Dei Lamb of God C: O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God, You take the sin of the world away; O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God, Have mercy on us, Lord, we pray. O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God, You take the sin of the world away; Have mercy on us, Jesus Christ, And grant us peace, O Lord, we pray. Distribution Post-Communion Response (spoken) Nunc Dimittis Song of Simeon C: O Lord, now You let Your servant depart in heavenly peace, For I have seen the glory of Your redeeming grace. A light to lead the Gentiles unto Your holy hill, The glory of Your people, Your chosen Israel. All glory to the Father, All glory to the Son, All glory to the Spirit, forever Three in One; For as in the beginning, is now, shall ever be, God s triune name resounding through all eternity. Prayer of Thanksgiving L: Oh, give thanks to the Lord for He is good. C: And His mercy endures forever. L: O God the Father, the fountain and source of all goodness, who in loving kindness sent Your only begotten Son into the flesh, we thank You that for His sake You have given us pardon and peace in this Sacrament, and we ask You not to forsake Your children but always to rule our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that we may be enabled to serve You constantly; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. The Call to Service (selected verses from Romans 12) L: I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship. C: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 3 LCMS Servant Event Worship
L: Then you will be able to test and approve what God s will is C: his good, pleasing and perfect will. L: Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, C: so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. L: We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. C: If a man s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. L: If it is serving, let him serve; C: If it is teaching, let him teach; L: If it is encouraging, let him encourage; C: If it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; L: If it is leadership, let him govern diligently; C: If it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. L: Love must be sincere. C: Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. L: Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. C: Honor one another above yourselves. L: Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, C: serving the Lord. Closing Prayer All: Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untaken, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Benediction L: The Lord Almighty bless us and direct our days and our deeds in His Peace. Closing Song A Time to Serve (AGPS 53) LCMS Servant Event Worship 4
If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:26 ESV) LCMS Servant Events STAND. FOLLOW. SERVE. REPEAT.