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All Are Invited to - - -
Faith Lutheran Church 421 South Russell Street Grantsburg, WI 54840 (715) 463-5388 Mailing Address: PO Box 68, Grantsburg, WI 54840 |
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Faith is an ELCA Lutheran Church located in a wonderful small town in northwestern Wisconsin. We offer many opportunities to grow in faith and carry on the work of Jesus.
As a community of rich traditions and fresh ideas, our ministry focuses on worship, education and service. We invite individuals and families of all ages and in all stages of life to join us in any and all activities. |
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PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR THE ORDER OF SERVICE FOR THIS SUNDAY'S SERVICE ON THE RADIO
THIS WEEK'S OFFICE HOURS:
I will be checking email and phone messages on a regular basis. If you need anything, please call the church and leave a message, send me an email at secretary@myfaithlutheran.org, or you can call me at 715-501-4307 and I will get back to you right away! Thank you! Nance 
Community Garden 2020:
We have enthusiastic gardeners out in our Community Garden! Our family gardeners are: Hoffman’s, Lando’s, Graves, and McNally’s. There is one bed left if someone is interested. Let Nance know soon! Thanks to Marilyn and Janice who have been so dedicated to the Community Garden for several years! You are so appreciated! Thank you: Csilla - garden signs; Steve and Ace - construction of planting boxes, replacing two; Peter Johnson Family - who have cut the grass and trimmed so expertly around the planting boxes, which is extra work! Nance - garden photographer We are off to a “green” start! We invite anyone interested in joining the garden committee; new ideas are always welcome! ~Linnea Swenson~ |
On the Radio:
Our service is broadcast over the radio on 100.9 FM Sunday mornings at 9:30. Live Streaming: WCMP 100.9 is now also streaming the Faith Lutheran service live each week. There are mobile apps, such as tune-in that you can use to listen to the broadcast, or you can use the following link to listen: http://mgmt.irststreaming.com/listen/androidredir.php?cassign=wcmp-fm If you have any questions, please feel free to give Dennis Allaman a call at 715-463-2366, and he will answer your questions. THE CALENDAR IS NOW SUBJECT TO NEW GUIDELINES IMPLEMENTED.
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OUR HAPPY GARDENERS
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What's Happening at Church:
It is getting there. The floors will be cleaned starting on Monday the 1st of June. There will be limited access to the hallways and the kitchen areas. Please, if you would like to help with other cleaning projects, give Nance a call and she will figure out the best fit for you. Thank you to Lory Pajac for planting the flowers around the church entrance and the area around the church bell. Also thank you to Mike and Cathy McCabe family for planting the containers by the bench and Jay and Sheila Odegard for planting the pots by the main doors! Thank you for the overwhelming response to sponsoring a pew! As soon as we receive all the money, we will get them cleaned!!!
It is getting there. The floors will be cleaned starting on Monday the 1st of June. There will be limited access to the hallways and the kitchen areas. Please, if you would like to help with other cleaning projects, give Nance a call and she will figure out the best fit for you. Thank you to Lory Pajac for planting the flowers around the church entrance and the area around the church bell. Also thank you to Mike and Cathy McCabe family for planting the containers by the bench and Jay and Sheila Odegard for planting the pots by the main doors! Thank you for the overwhelming response to sponsoring a pew! As soon as we receive all the money, we will get them cleaned!!!
In this time of worshiping from home, the church building is being refreshed and deep cleaned. There is one step in that process that needs financial help.
The pew cushions could really, really use a deep cleaning. To have it professionally done (which is the best route at this time and under these circumstances) has a cost to it. To cover that unplanned cost, would you please join us in this undertaking?
The plan is as follows…to sponsor a pew and we have 43 of them, would be $25 each pew (that is the cost to clean each pew). We invite you to sponsor more than one!!!! Once we have the money needed to clean all the pews, we would go ahead and have them professionally cleaned.
Kids…you can pool your money together, do extra jobs and then either individually or as a group, sponsor a pew and be recognized as the adults will be!!!
Please contact Nance in the office, or send in your sponsorship to the church. Please make sure you specify that it is for the pews! If you have any questions, please feel free to call the church and Nance will get back to you!
TOGETHER WE CAN GET THIS DONE!!!
The pew cushions could really, really use a deep cleaning. To have it professionally done (which is the best route at this time and under these circumstances) has a cost to it. To cover that unplanned cost, would you please join us in this undertaking?
The plan is as follows…to sponsor a pew and we have 43 of them, would be $25 each pew (that is the cost to clean each pew). We invite you to sponsor more than one!!!! Once we have the money needed to clean all the pews, we would go ahead and have them professionally cleaned.
Kids…you can pool your money together, do extra jobs and then either individually or as a group, sponsor a pew and be recognized as the adults will be!!!
Please contact Nance in the office, or send in your sponsorship to the church. Please make sure you specify that it is for the pews! If you have any questions, please feel free to call the church and Nance will get back to you!
TOGETHER WE CAN GET THIS DONE!!!
May 27, 2020
Greetings, People of Faith!
The time is approaching to begin to think about how and when we might safely return to worshiping in our building. This will take some planning. We need to prepare ourselves and our pathway back in so that we assure the minimal risk to each other, remember our witness to the community and continue to walk the way of faithfulness as people of God.
We are on a journey in a wilderness without set markers and like God’s people from time to time in the Bible we find ourselves striving to walk faithfully in exile. Jesus himself, both for safety and for discipline, walked at times into the wilderness. In many cases the experience deepens one’s awareness of God’s presence in all things.
In Matthew 28: Jesus says “Remember, I am with you always.” With these words, Jesus departs this world, leaving his followers to walk faithfully into the future. In these words of promise, we live, struggle worship, celebrate, grieve and pray as Christians. Rarely in my life has this assurance been so important to me as we struggle to be faithful in the age of a rampant, insidious viral pandemic.
Pandemic We are living through a pandemic. For two months we have been worshiping outside of our building due to the virus named COVID-19, a new mutation of Coronavirus. There is no vaccine, no preventative medication and no certain consistent evidence of immunity yet for those who have been infected. The virus spread has been slowed dramatically by this period of “social-distancing”; hospital emergency rooms and intensive care units have, in most places, not been as overwhelmed as they might have been. That was the primary goal, as I understand the programs of Social-distancing as implemented in various programs across the country. It is working, perhaps not as well as it might have with more availability to testing, perhaps with less adherence that might have been possible, but it is working.
Current New virus diagnoses across the country remain at about 20,000 a day and in some places are slowly coming down. As I write this the country has (conservatively) experienced over 95,000 deaths, again, slowly coming down. The daily count is now about where it was on March 27th, three weeks into our time of exile from our building and corporate worship. In some places like Wisconsin, the infection and death rate are still rising. Throughout these weeks I have been following not only the public health reports but the responses of our synod and other synods in the ELCA as together we learn how to continue to be the church in our time of exile.
Changes I have been learning to be a pastor in a new way! In addition to efforts to provide a consistently good quality, meaningful radio worship, I have been making calls by telephone, checking on the building, participating in council, synod and professional meetings via Zoom and feeling incredibly distant from all of you who have called me to serve. I am anxious to return.
Occasionally things get missed. Trying to keep up with pastoral care needs without the conversation of the gathered community in large or small in-person meetings, without the Sunday gathering of the community brings challenges. An email might not be read or may not arrive; a message might be delayed or mis-read; a detail may get overlooked. I apologize for these gaps; I am anxious to return to our community conversation.
Precaution I venture out into the public only when necessary. If you have seen me around town, you know that I always wear one of the masks Alyssa made for me, lined with an acceptable filter to minimize the risk to myself and that of carrying the virus around to others. My masks are colorful – I like to proclaim hope even as I feel that I am hiding from life.
Wisconsin Council of Churches A few weeks ago the Milwaukee Synod published the summary of an excellent planning conversation with the Rev. Kerri Parker, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Council of Churches. Shortly after this, our Synod, the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin scheduled a Zoom conversation with Rev. Parker and the pastors of congregations on re-opening considerations. Not all of us were able to log into the live conversation due to a huge response and a Zoom limit on meeting size! The link to the conversation and summary of the meeting were made available. This conversation makes reference to the outline for Wisconsin’s “Badger Bounce-Back” and the concerns of the state for reconvening. (The links to these and other resources are included at the end of this letter.)
ELCA Churchwide has prepared a summary of concerns for returning to corporate worship as well, which contains much helpful information. Because the ELCA represents so large a body – geographically as well as sizes of congregations – this document cannot be as specific and is most helpful in providing material to think about concerns and process.
Steps When the Church Council gathers next, I intend to suggest a process in the form of four initial questions to consider in order to protect our congregation as we begin the move toward worshiping again in our building. Hopefully we will be able to balance the need for the safety of our members and the need to be joined with each other in public worship.
1. What conditions/considerations are a necessary safety to begin the process of re-opening?
· Infection rate drops or increases
· Patterns in locales where early opening has been tested
· Availability of testing programs
· Age and vulnerability of members
2. How do we regulate the size of gatherings in relation to the risk?
· Assessing safe gathering sizes as risk reduces
· Community patterns and recommendations
· Continued use of Zoom-type technologies when possible
3. What will we require for safety?
· Masks, distance between people, limits on numbers gathering
· Evaluation for fever, cough sneezes at the door
· Contingency plan should the virus be confirmed among worshipers
4. What particular limits/considerations do we, as a worshiping community need to define?
· Established need to avoid contact, coffee services
· Avoidance of singing, praying out loud
· Sacramental considerations to minimize risk of spreading virus
· Circulation of unfiltered air (HVAC, Pipe Organ blowers, etc.)
I expect that conversation around these four questions will help us first, to move toward a fuller understanding of how we can be good stewards of ourselves as a congregation moving into the future, and second, to begin to design a responsible process for returning to our building.
“Remember, I am with you always”, says Jesus as he prepares to return into the presence of God, and he says the same thing to us as we prepare to move on into our journey. We are not alone, but, as people of Faith, we always journey with a commitment to the whole of God’s people. We pray for one another; we remember one another and we live as the body of Christ in the world. Our choices reflect our faith and proclaim the love of God as the body of Christ in the world.
Along the way,
Pastor Dan Heath
Greetings, People of Faith!
The time is approaching to begin to think about how and when we might safely return to worshiping in our building. This will take some planning. We need to prepare ourselves and our pathway back in so that we assure the minimal risk to each other, remember our witness to the community and continue to walk the way of faithfulness as people of God.
We are on a journey in a wilderness without set markers and like God’s people from time to time in the Bible we find ourselves striving to walk faithfully in exile. Jesus himself, both for safety and for discipline, walked at times into the wilderness. In many cases the experience deepens one’s awareness of God’s presence in all things.
In Matthew 28: Jesus says “Remember, I am with you always.” With these words, Jesus departs this world, leaving his followers to walk faithfully into the future. In these words of promise, we live, struggle worship, celebrate, grieve and pray as Christians. Rarely in my life has this assurance been so important to me as we struggle to be faithful in the age of a rampant, insidious viral pandemic.
Pandemic We are living through a pandemic. For two months we have been worshiping outside of our building due to the virus named COVID-19, a new mutation of Coronavirus. There is no vaccine, no preventative medication and no certain consistent evidence of immunity yet for those who have been infected. The virus spread has been slowed dramatically by this period of “social-distancing”; hospital emergency rooms and intensive care units have, in most places, not been as overwhelmed as they might have been. That was the primary goal, as I understand the programs of Social-distancing as implemented in various programs across the country. It is working, perhaps not as well as it might have with more availability to testing, perhaps with less adherence that might have been possible, but it is working.
Current New virus diagnoses across the country remain at about 20,000 a day and in some places are slowly coming down. As I write this the country has (conservatively) experienced over 95,000 deaths, again, slowly coming down. The daily count is now about where it was on March 27th, three weeks into our time of exile from our building and corporate worship. In some places like Wisconsin, the infection and death rate are still rising. Throughout these weeks I have been following not only the public health reports but the responses of our synod and other synods in the ELCA as together we learn how to continue to be the church in our time of exile.
Changes I have been learning to be a pastor in a new way! In addition to efforts to provide a consistently good quality, meaningful radio worship, I have been making calls by telephone, checking on the building, participating in council, synod and professional meetings via Zoom and feeling incredibly distant from all of you who have called me to serve. I am anxious to return.
Occasionally things get missed. Trying to keep up with pastoral care needs without the conversation of the gathered community in large or small in-person meetings, without the Sunday gathering of the community brings challenges. An email might not be read or may not arrive; a message might be delayed or mis-read; a detail may get overlooked. I apologize for these gaps; I am anxious to return to our community conversation.
Precaution I venture out into the public only when necessary. If you have seen me around town, you know that I always wear one of the masks Alyssa made for me, lined with an acceptable filter to minimize the risk to myself and that of carrying the virus around to others. My masks are colorful – I like to proclaim hope even as I feel that I am hiding from life.
Wisconsin Council of Churches A few weeks ago the Milwaukee Synod published the summary of an excellent planning conversation with the Rev. Kerri Parker, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Council of Churches. Shortly after this, our Synod, the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin scheduled a Zoom conversation with Rev. Parker and the pastors of congregations on re-opening considerations. Not all of us were able to log into the live conversation due to a huge response and a Zoom limit on meeting size! The link to the conversation and summary of the meeting were made available. This conversation makes reference to the outline for Wisconsin’s “Badger Bounce-Back” and the concerns of the state for reconvening. (The links to these and other resources are included at the end of this letter.)
ELCA Churchwide has prepared a summary of concerns for returning to corporate worship as well, which contains much helpful information. Because the ELCA represents so large a body – geographically as well as sizes of congregations – this document cannot be as specific and is most helpful in providing material to think about concerns and process.
Steps When the Church Council gathers next, I intend to suggest a process in the form of four initial questions to consider in order to protect our congregation as we begin the move toward worshiping again in our building. Hopefully we will be able to balance the need for the safety of our members and the need to be joined with each other in public worship.
1. What conditions/considerations are a necessary safety to begin the process of re-opening?
· Infection rate drops or increases
· Patterns in locales where early opening has been tested
· Availability of testing programs
· Age and vulnerability of members
2. How do we regulate the size of gatherings in relation to the risk?
· Assessing safe gathering sizes as risk reduces
· Community patterns and recommendations
· Continued use of Zoom-type technologies when possible
3. What will we require for safety?
· Masks, distance between people, limits on numbers gathering
· Evaluation for fever, cough sneezes at the door
· Contingency plan should the virus be confirmed among worshipers
4. What particular limits/considerations do we, as a worshiping community need to define?
· Established need to avoid contact, coffee services
· Avoidance of singing, praying out loud
· Sacramental considerations to minimize risk of spreading virus
· Circulation of unfiltered air (HVAC, Pipe Organ blowers, etc.)
I expect that conversation around these four questions will help us first, to move toward a fuller understanding of how we can be good stewards of ourselves as a congregation moving into the future, and second, to begin to design a responsible process for returning to our building.
“Remember, I am with you always”, says Jesus as he prepares to return into the presence of God, and he says the same thing to us as we prepare to move on into our journey. We are not alone, but, as people of Faith, we always journey with a commitment to the whole of God’s people. We pray for one another; we remember one another and we live as the body of Christ in the world. Our choices reflect our faith and proclaim the love of God as the body of Christ in the world.
Along the way,
Pastor Dan Heath
Order of Worship for May 31, 2020
DAY OF PENTECOST
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
PREPARATION
THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM Alleluia! Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Joined to Christ in the waters of baptism, we are raised with him to new life.
Let us give thanks for the gift of baptism.
Water may be poured . . .
We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning you created us in your image
and planted us in a well-watered garden. In the desert you promised pools of water for the parched, and you gave us water from the rock. When we did not know the way, you sent the Good Shepherd to lead us to still waters. At the cross, you watered us from Jesus' wounded side, and on this day, you shower us again with the water of life.
We praise you for your salvation through water, for the water in this font, and for all water everywhere. Bathe us in your forgiveness, grace, and love. Satisfy the thirsty, and give us the life only you can give. To you be given honor and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
OPENING SONG
PRAYER OF THE DAY O God, on this day you open the hearts of your faithful people by sending into us your Holy Spirit. Direct us by the light of that Spirit, that we may have a right judgment in all things and rejoice at all times in your peace, through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
FIRST READING: Acts 2:1-21
1When the day of Pentecost had come, [the apostles] were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." 14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'"
PSALM: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
24How manifold are your | works, O LORD! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full | of your creatures. 25Yonder is the sea, great and wide, with its swarms too many to number, living things both small and great. 26There go the ships to and fro, and Leviathan, which you made for the sport of it. 27All of them | look to you to give them their food | in due season. 28You give it to them; they | gather it; you open your hand, and they are filled | with good things. 29When you hide your face, | they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return | to their dust. 30You send forth your Spirit, and they | are created; and so you renew the face | of the earth. 31May the glory of the LORD endure forever; O LORD, rejoice in | all your works. 32You look at the earth | and it trembles; you touch the mountains | and they smoke. 33I will sing to the LORD as long | as I live; I will praise my God while I | have my being. 34May these words of | mine please God. I will rejoice | in the LORD. 35bBless the LORD, | O my soul. Hallelujah!
PSALM PRAYER
SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
3bNo one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
GOSPEL: John 20:19-23
19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
MESSAGE
SONG OF THE DAY
APOSTLES’ CREED I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
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 to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come 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.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
BENEDICTION
CLOSING SONG
DAY OF PENTECOST
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
PREPARATION
THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM Alleluia! Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Joined to Christ in the waters of baptism, we are raised with him to new life.
Let us give thanks for the gift of baptism.
Water may be poured . . .
We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning you created us in your image
and planted us in a well-watered garden. In the desert you promised pools of water for the parched, and you gave us water from the rock. When we did not know the way, you sent the Good Shepherd to lead us to still waters. At the cross, you watered us from Jesus' wounded side, and on this day, you shower us again with the water of life.
We praise you for your salvation through water, for the water in this font, and for all water everywhere. Bathe us in your forgiveness, grace, and love. Satisfy the thirsty, and give us the life only you can give. To you be given honor and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
OPENING SONG
PRAYER OF THE DAY O God, on this day you open the hearts of your faithful people by sending into us your Holy Spirit. Direct us by the light of that Spirit, that we may have a right judgment in all things and rejoice at all times in your peace, through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
FIRST READING: Acts 2:1-21
1When the day of Pentecost had come, [the apostles] were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." 14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'"
PSALM: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
24How manifold are your | works, O LORD! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full | of your creatures. 25Yonder is the sea, great and wide, with its swarms too many to number, living things both small and great. 26There go the ships to and fro, and Leviathan, which you made for the sport of it. 27All of them | look to you to give them their food | in due season. 28You give it to them; they | gather it; you open your hand, and they are filled | with good things. 29When you hide your face, | they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return | to their dust. 30You send forth your Spirit, and they | are created; and so you renew the face | of the earth. 31May the glory of the LORD endure forever; O LORD, rejoice in | all your works. 32You look at the earth | and it trembles; you touch the mountains | and they smoke. 33I will sing to the LORD as long | as I live; I will praise my God while I | have my being. 34May these words of | mine please God. I will rejoice | in the LORD. 35bBless the LORD, | O my soul. Hallelujah!
PSALM PRAYER
SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
3bNo one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
GOSPEL: John 20:19-23
19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
MESSAGE
SONG OF THE DAY
APOSTLES’ CREED I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
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 to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come 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.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
BENEDICTION
CLOSING SONG
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OUR CONGREGATION AT WORK AND PLAY
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DON'T FORGET --- All meeting and/or events held at Faith Lutheran Church need to be scheduled with the church office and placed on the "master" calendar. Items for the Sunday bulletin are due by the end of the day on Wednesdays. Items for the bulletin should be emailed to secretary@myfaithlutheran.org. Your assistance is greatly appreciated!
All information, photos and/or suggestions for this web site should be sent via email to bookkeeper@myfaithlutheran.org. Thank you.