St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

24 E. Baltimore St. PO Box 148 Funkstown, MD 21734 301.791.1738

May 2, 2021

WELCOME

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

God of all mercy and consolation, come to the aid of your people,

turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your

Holy Spirit that, attentive to your Word, we may confess our sins,

receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of your Son, Jesus

Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.

Silence for reflection and self-examination.

Gracious God,

have mercy on us. In your compassion forgive us our sins, known

and unknown, things done and left undone. Uphold us by your

Spirit so that we may live and serve you in newness of life, to the

honor and glory of your holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for you, and

for his sake God forgives you all your 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

Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

 

GATHERING HYMN “Lamb Medley” Duet, Pastor Lee & Cara Price

PRAYER OF THE DAY

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

O God, you give us your Son as the vine apart from whom we cannot

live. Nourish our life in his resurrection, that we may bear the fruit of

love and know the fullness of your joy, through Jesus Christ, our Savior

and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,

now and forever. Amen

READINGS

First Reading: Acts 8:26-40

26An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road

that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27So he got

up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the

Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come

to Jerusalem to worship 28and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was

reading the prophet Isaiah. 29Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this

chariot and join it.” 30So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet

Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31He replied, “How

can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside

him. 32Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a

sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he

does not open his mouth. 33In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who

can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” 34The

eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this,

about himself or about someone else?” 35Then Philip began to speak, and

starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36As

they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said,

“Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” 38He

commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went

down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the

water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more,

and went on his way rejoicing. 40But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he

was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns

until he came to Caesarea.

 

Psalm: Psalm 22:25-31

25From you comes my praise in the great assembly; I will perform my vows in the sight

of those who fear the LORD.

26The poor shall eat and be satisfied, Let those who seek the LORD give praise!

May your hearts live forever!

27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; all the families of

nations shall bow before God.

28For dominion belongs to the LORD, who rules over the nations.

29Indeed, all who sleep in the earth shall bow down in worship; all who go down to the

dust, though they be dead, shall kneel before the LORD.

30Their descendants shall serve the LORD, whom they shall proclaim to

generations to come.

31They shall proclaim God’s deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying to them,

“The LORD has acted!”

 

Second Reading: 1 John 4:7-21

7Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves

is born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, for

God is love. 9God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only

Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we

loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for

our sins. 11Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one

another. 12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us,

and his love is perfected in us.

13By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us

of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son

as the Savior of the world. 15God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the

Son of God, and they abide in God. 16So we have known and believe the love

that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and

God abides in them. 17Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may

have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this

world. 18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do

with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19We

love because he first loved us. 20Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their

brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom

they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21The

commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their

brothers and sisters also.

 

Gospel: John 15:1-8

[Jesus said:] 1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2He removes

every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to

make it bear more fruit. 3You have already been cleansed by the word that I have

spoken to you. 4Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear

fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in

me. 5I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them

bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6Whoever does not

abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are

gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7If you abide in me, and my words

abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8My Father is

glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

SERMON

SPECIAL MUSIC

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the

power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under

Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into

hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is

seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the

living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of

saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life

everlasting. Amen

PREFACE

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks & praise.

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places offer

thanks and praise to you, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and ever-living God. But

chiefly we are bound to praise you for the glorious resurrection of our Lord; for he

is the true Passover Lamb who gave himself to take away our sin, who by his

death has destroyed death, and by his rising has brought us to eternal life. And so,

with Mary Magdalene and Peter and all the witnesses of the resurrection, with

earth and sea and all their creatures, and with angels and archangels, cherubim

and seraphim, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

 

SANCTUS

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of

your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name

of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

WORDS OF OUR LORD

In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;

broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given

for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying:

This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the

forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

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.

DISTRIBUTION

 

PRAYER

We give you thanks, almighty God that you have refreshed us through the healing

power of this gift of life; and we pray that in your mercy you would strengthen us,

through this gift, in faith toward you and in fervent love toward one another; for the

sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

BLESSING

The blessing of the living God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, surround and

sustain you, keep you from harm, and fill you with courage. Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

SENDING HYMN ELW 821

DISMISSAL

Go in peace. Share the good news. Thanks be to God.

POSTLUDE

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