04/11/26

As We Gather

Sometimes the simplest of words carry the greatest of importance. As Jesus speaks with the doubting disciple Thomas gathered in a special room with the disciples a few days after the resurrection, He says simply, “See.” But that is all He needs to say. It confirms the powerful truth that He is indeed arisen from the dead. Today we are faithful people gathered in a different way—but also with those who are disciples of the Lord. And He has promised to be with us and among us in the upper room. As we worship, we will see signs of His abiding presence.

Children Activity Bags We value children in our worship services. If needed, there is a family room available for families with children. The family room has a diaper changing table, a closed-circuit TV to watch the worship service, toys and books for children. The family room is located across from the kitchen in the long hallway, the first door on the right, just past the bathrooms. There are “King’s Kids” bags with activities for children to help them worship. They are near the usher’s station on a small rack. Please return the bag to the rack after the service.

Holy Communion The Scripture teaches the Lord’s Supper is a precious gift of God in which Christ gives us His true body and blood (in a miraculous way), together with the bread and wine, for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. Because the Bible teaches that this Sacrament may also be spiritually harmful if misused, and that participation in the Lord’s Supper is an act of confession of faith, we ordinarily commune those who have been instructed in the teachings of our church and who have confessed their faith in these teachings. If you have a question, please speak to Pastor Ralph before the service. For those who prefer a non-alcoholic alternative, there is grape juice at the center of each tray. Those not receiving the Sacrament, including children, are invited to come to the altar, cross their arms over their chest, and receive a special blessing.

Resurrection Implied in the Old Testament “This passage (Gen 3:15) includes deliverance form the Law, sin death and reveals a clear and sure hope of a resurrection and restoration in another life after this one. For if the serpent’s head is to be crushed, then death must certainly be done away with.. ” What Luther Says # 3876

Second Sunday of Easter

April 12, 2026

Welcome

Opening Hymn                  Christ the Lord Is Risen Today; Alleluia                            LSB 463

Invocation, Confession and Absolution (Psalm 105: 1-7)

P:   We gather in the name and at the invitation of our great and gracious triune God;

C:   In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

P:   Alleluia! Christ is risen!

C:   He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

P:   Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; 

C:   make known among the nations what he has done. 

P:   Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. 

C:   Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. 

P:   Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. 

C:   Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, 

P:   O descendants of Abraham his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones. 

C:   He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. 

P:   Gracious Lord,

C: We indeed, Lord God, confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. Let us not lose hope in our salvation which was earned for us by Your Son Jesus. Forgive and renew us as You lead us in Your ways of life everlasting. Amen.

(Silence for Meditation)

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 to you, that all your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C:   Amen.

Hymn                                           O Sons and Daughters of the King                   LSB 470   vs 5-8

Prayer of the Day

All: Almighty God, we have celebrated the mystery of our Lord’s resurrection from the dead. Help us to show the power of His resurrection in all that we say and do; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

1^st  Lesson                    (The first Christians proclaim the Good News.)            Acts 5:29–42

²⁹ Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! ³⁰ The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹ God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. ³² We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” ³³ When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. ³⁴ But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. ³⁵ Then he addressed them: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. ³⁶ Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. ³⁷ After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. ³⁸ Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. ³⁹ But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” ⁴⁰ His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. ⁴¹ The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. ⁴² Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

N T Lesson      (We have living hope by the resurrection of Christ)               1 Peter 1:3–9

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

Gospel Lesson                           (Jesus appears to His disciples)                        John 20:19–31

¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” ²⁴ Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” ²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” ²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” ³⁰ Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹ 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. 

Message Song                          How Can I Keep From Singing

There is an endless song   It echoes in my soul

I hear the music ring   And though the storms may come

I am holding on   To the rock I cling

 Chorus                     How can I keep from singing Your praise

How can I ever say enough How amazing is Your love

How can I keep from shouting Your name

I know I am loved by the King

And it makes my heart want to sing

I will lift my eyes   In the darkest night 

For I know my Savior lives  And I will walk with You

Knowing You’ll see me through  And sing the songs You give

         Bridge           I can sing in the troubled times  Sing when I win

I can sing when I lose my step  And fall down again

I can sing ‘cause You pick me up  Sing ‘cause You’re there

I can sing ‘cause You hear me, Lord  When I call to You in prayer

I can sing with my last breath, sing cause I know

            That I sing with the angels and the saints around the throne.  Chorus

Message                                       Believing to See is a Gift from God

Christians understand

We live in a world that rebels       and protests       against God’s Good Word and the Jesus it proclaims       .   Acts 4:12; 2 Peter 3:8ff; Luke 24

The living hope we have in Jesus that has come to us by the witness   of the Holy Spirit in our lives is the gift of salvation           .   Revelation 19: 10; Romans 10

We have been called      , authorized      and commissioned       by Jesus to share the “these things” of Scripture to all!   1 John 1; 1 Cor. 7:10-11; 1 Peter 1: 8ff

Apostles Creed   (On the Screen)

Offering              (Please place offering in offering plate in the narthex)

Offertory                          Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow                         LSB 805                                                                          

Prayers of the Church  

 After each petition:

 P:  Lord, in your mercy,

 C:  hear our prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer

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 Lord’s Supper

Preface                                                                          page 194 in the hymnal

P:  The Lord be with you.

C:  ♪ And with thy spirit.

P:  Lift up your hearts.

C:  ♪ We lift them up unto the Lord.

P:  Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C:  ♪ It is meet and right so to do.

P:  It is truly good, right, and salutary …. And with the host of heaven we sing:

Sanctus — Holy, Holy, Holy                                          page 195 in the hymnal

C:  ♪ Ho -ly, ho-ly, ho-ly Lord God of Sa – ba – oth. Heaven and earth are full of Thy   

        glory. Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He, blessed is He, 

        blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna 

        in the highest.

The Words of Institution (Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper)

Agnus Dei – Lamb of God                                                                   page 198 in the hymnal                                      

C:  ♪ O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world; 

         have mercy upon us.

         O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world; 

         have mercy upon us.

         O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world; 

         grant us Thy peace.  A – men. 

Distribution of Communion 

Distribution Hymn                     Lamb of God Pure and Holy                                            LSB 434

Nunc Dimittis                                                                                        page 199 in the hymnal        

C: ♪ Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy Word, for mine  

        eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people,

        a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel. Glory be to the Father

        and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall

        be, world without end.  Amen.                                                         

 Post Communion Collect

All:   Almighty, everlasting God, Your Son has assured forgiveness of sins and deliverance from eternal death. Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit that our faith in Christ may increase daily and that we may hold fast to the hope that on the Last Day we shall be raised in glory to eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Benediction

P:   The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and ✠ give you peace.    

C:   Amen.

Sending Hymn                    Good Christian Friends, Rejoice and Sing                      LSB 475

Pax Domini—The Peace of the Lord                      page 197 in the hymnal

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always.

C:  ♪ Amen.                   
Announcements 

Dismissal

P:   Go in peace as you serve the Lord.      

C:   Thanks be to God!   

Postlude

¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”