St. Paul Lutheran Church and Child Development Center - San Antonio TX

People:          But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from unrighteousness.

Pastor:           Let us then confess our sins to God our Father:

People:          Most merciful God, we 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. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

Pastor:           Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

People:         Amen.

The Response: Make Us One

As we gather together in Your Son,

Let us know the joy of being one!

Let the time we share in this place

Be a time of love and friendship in your grace.

By your Spirit help us be one in peace and unity.

Bless us here as we gather in Your Son.

The Prayer of the Day

Eternal Lord, our beginning and our end: bring us with the whole creation to your glory, hidden through past ages and made known in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture Readings (After each reading:)

Reader:          This is the Word of the Lord.

People:          Thanks be to God!

1 Samuel 3:1-10

¹ In those days, when the boy Samuel was serving the Lord under the direction of Eli, there were very few messages from the Lord, and visions from him were quite rare. ²One night Eli, who was now almost blind, was sleeping in his own room; ³Samuel was sleeping in the sanctuary, where the sacred Covenant Box was. Before dawn, while the lamp was still burning, ⁴the Lord called Samuel. He answered, “Yes, sir!” ⁵and ran to Eli and said, “You called me, and here I am.”  But Eli answered, “I didn’t call you; go back to bed.” So Samuel went back to bed. ^6-7 The Lord called Samuel again. The boy did not know that it was the Lord, because the Lord had never spoken to him before. So he got up, went to Eli, and said, “You called me, and here I am.”  But Eli answered, “My son, I didn’t call you; go back to bed.”  ⁸ The Lord called Samuel a third time; he got up, went to Eli, and said, “You called me, and here I am.”  Then Eli realized that it was the Lord who was calling the boy, ⁹so he said to him, “Go back to bed; and if he calls you again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went back to bed.  ¹⁰ The Lord came and stood there, and called as he had before, “Samuel! Samuel!”  Samuel answered, “Speak; your servant is listening.”

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

¹² Someone will say, “I am allowed to do anything.” Yes; but not everything is good for you. I could say that I am allowed to do anything, but I am not going to let anything make me its slave. ¹³Someone else will say, “Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food.” Yes; but God will put an end to both. The body is not to be used for sexual immorality, but to serve the Lord; and the Lord provides for the body. ¹⁴God raised the Lord from death, and he will also raise us by his power.  ¹⁵ You know that your bodies are parts of the body of Christ. Shall I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of the body of a prostitute? Impossible! Or perhaps you don’t know that the man who joins his body to a prostitute becomes physically one with her? The scripture says quite plainly, “The two will become one body.” ¹⁷But he who joins himself to the Lord becomes spiritually one with him.  ¹⁸ Avoid immorality. Any other sin a man commits does not affect his body; but the man who is guilty of sexual immorality sins against his own body. Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourselves but to God; ²⁰he bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God’s glory.

John 1:43-51

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come with me!” ⁴⁴(Philip was from Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Peter lived.) ⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the book of the Law and whom the prophets also wrote about. He is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”  ⁴⁶ “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked.  “Come and see,” answered Philip. ⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, he said about him, “Here is a real Israelite; there is nothing false in him!”  ⁴⁸ Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?”  Jesus answered, “I saw you when you were under the fig tree before Philip called you.”  ⁴⁹ “Teacher,” answered Nathanael, “you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”  ⁵⁰ Jesus said, “Do you believe just because I told you I saw you when you were under the fig tree? You will see much greater things than this!” And he said to them, “I am telling you the truth: you will see heaven open and God’s angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”

The Apostle’s Creed

    I believe in God, the Father Almighty maker of heaven and earth.

    And in Jesus Christ, his 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.

    I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of  the body, and the life everlasting.  Amen.

Kid Sermon

By All Your Saints In Warfare (518)

By all Your saints in warfare, For all Your saints at rest,

Your holy name, O Jesus, Forevermore be blest!

For You have won the battle, That they might wear the crown;

And now they shine in glory, Reflected from Your throne.

All praise for him whose candor, Through all his doubt You saw

When Philip at the fig tree, Disclosed You in the law.

Discern, beneath our surface, O Lord, what we can be,

That by Your truth made guileless, Your glory we may see.

Then let us praise the Father, And worship God the Son

And sing to God the Spirit, Eternal Three in One,

Till all the ransomed number, Fall down before the throne,

Ascribing pow'r and glory, And praise to God alone.

Sermon

The Prayers

The Lords 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

Service of the Sacrament

Pastor:            The Lord be with you.

People:          And also with you.

Pastor:            Lift up your hearts.

People:          We lift them to the Lord. 

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

People:         It is right to give Him thanks and praise.       

Pastor:            All honor be yours, mighty creator, ever-living God, through Jesus Christ your only Son our Lord: we celebrate your glory made present in our midst. The King of all the world was revealed to all the nations. In the waters of baptism Jesus was revealed as the Christ, the Savior sent to redeem us. Poverty was turned to riches, sorrow into joy. Therefore with all the angels of heaven we lift our voices to proclaim the glory of your name!

People:         Amen.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have had mercy on those whom You created and sent Your only-begotten Son into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior. With repentant joy, we receive the salvation accomplished for us by the all-availing sacrifice of His body and His blood on the cross. Gathered in the name and the remembrance of Jesus, we beg You, O Lord, to forgive, renew, and strengthen us with Your Word and Spirit. Grant us to faithfully eat His body and drink His blood as He bids us to in His own testament. Gather us together from the ends of the earth to celebrate, with all the faithful, the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end. Receive our prayers; deliver and preserve us. To You alone be all glory, honor, and worship, now and forever. Amen

Lamb of God

Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;

have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;

have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;

grant us peace.

Consecration & Distribution

Silent Prayer after Communion:

Father of all, we give you thanks and praise that, when we were still far off, you met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, he declared your love, gave us grace and opened the gate of glory. May we who share Christ’s body live his risen life; we who drink his cup bring life to others; we whom the Spirit lights give light to the world. Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us so we and all your children shall be free and the whole earth live to praise your name, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Post Communion Song     

Thank the Lord and sing His praise;

tell everyone what He has done.

Let everyone who seeks the Lord,

rejoice and proudly bear His name.

He recalls His promises,

and leads His people forth in joy

with shouts of thanksgiving. Alleluia, alleluia.

Post-Communion Prayer

We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we implore You, that of Your mercy, You would strengthen us in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one another; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Ringing of the Bells and The Welcome

Angels we have heard on high (367)

Angels we have heard on high,

Sweetly singing o'er the plains,

And the mountains in reply,

Echoing their joyous strains.

Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Shepherds, why this jubilee?

Why your joyous strains prolong?

What the gladsome tidings be

Which inspire your heav'nly song?

Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Gloria in excelsis Deo

Come to Bethlehem and see

Him whose birth the angels sing;

Come, adore on bended knee

Christ the Lord, the newborn King.

Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Gloria in excelsis Deo

Invocation

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

People:          Amen.

Confession and Forgiveness

Pastor:           Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.

People:         Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.

Pastor:           Cristo, ten piedad de nosotros.

People:         Cristo, ten piedad de nosotros.

Pastor:           Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.

People:         Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.

(Silent Prayer) (Momento de Oración Personal)

Pastor:           If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

People:          But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Pastor:           Let us then confess our sins to God our Father:

People:          Most merciful God, we 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. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

Pastor:           Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

People:          Amen.

The Prayer of the Day

God our Father, in love you sent your Son that the world may have life: lead us to seek him among the outcast

and to find him in those in need, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen!

Scripture Readings (After each reading:)

Reader:          This is the Word of the Lord.

People:          Thanks be to God!

Isaiah 61:10– 62:3

¹⁰ Jerusalem rejoices because of what the Lord has done. She is like a bride dressed for her wedding. God has clothed her with salvation and victory. ¹¹As surely as seeds sprout and grow, the Sovereign Lord will save his people, and all the nations will praise him. ^62:1 I will speak out to encourage Jerusalem; I will not be silent until she is saved, and her victory shines like a torch in the night. ² Jerusalem, the nations will see you victorious! All their kings will see your glory. You will be called by a new name, a name given by the Lord himself. ³ You will be like a beautiful crown for the Lord.

Ephesians 1:3-12

³ Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in our union with Christ he has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. ⁴Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him. Because of his love ⁵God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his sons and daughters—this was his pleasure and purpose. ⁶Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son! ⁷ For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, ⁸which he gave to us in such large measure! In all his wisdom and insight ⁹God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ. ¹⁰This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head. ¹¹ All things are done according to God’s plan and decision; and God chose us to be his own people in union with Christ because of his own purpose, based on what he had decided from the very beginning. ¹²Let us, then, who were the first to hope in Christ, praise God’s glory!

John 1:1-18

¹ In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²From the very beginning the Word was with God. ³Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him. ⁴The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to humanity. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out. ⁶ God sent his messenger, a man named John, ⁷who came to tell people about the light, so that all should hear the message and believe. ⁸He himself was not the light; he came to tell about the light. ⁹This was the real light—the light that comes into the world and shines on everyone. ¹⁰ The Word was in the world, and though God made the world through him, yet the world did not recognize him. ¹¹He came to his own country, but his own people did not receive him. ¹²Some, however, did receive him and believed in him; so he gave them the right to become God’s children. ¹³They did not become God’s children by natural means, that is, by being born as the children of a human father; God himself was their Father. ¹⁴ The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father’s only Son. ¹⁵ John spoke about him. He cried out, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘He comes after me, but he is greater than I am, because he existed before I was born.’ ” ¹⁶ Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. ¹⁷God gave the Law through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

The Apostle’s Creed

    I believe in God, the Father Almighty maker of heaven and earth.

    And in Jesus Christ, his 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.

    I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of  the body, and the life everlasting.  Amen.

Kid Sermon

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (366)

It came upon the midnight clear,

That glorious song of old,

From angels bending near the earth

To touch their harps of gold:

"Peace on the earth, goodwill to all,

From heav'n's all-gracious king."

The world in solemn stillness lay

To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come

With peaceful wings unfurled,

And still their heav'nly music floats

O'er all the weary world.

Above its sad and lowly plains

They bend on hov'ring wing,

And ever o'er its babel sounds

The blessed angels sing.

For lo, the days have come to pass

By prophets seen of old,

When down into the circling years

Came Christ as was foretold.

His word of peace shall to the earth

God's ancient promise bring,

And all who take this gift will hear

The song the angels sing.

Sermon

The Prayers

The Lords 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

Service of the Sacrament

Pastor:            The Lord be with you.

People:          And also with you.

Pastor:            Lift up your hearts.

People:          We lift them to the Lord. 

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

People:         It is right to give Him thanks and praise.       

Pastor:            It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should   always sing of your glory, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. For you are the hope of the nations, the builder of the city that is to come. Your love made visible in Jesus Christ brings home the lost, restores the sinner and gives dignity to the despised. In his face your light shines out, flooding lives with goodness and truth, and making us all, a divided and broken humanity, forever one in your kingdom.

People:          Amen.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have had mercy on those whom You created and sent Your only-begotten Son into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior. With repentant joy, we receive the salvation accomplished for us by the all-availing sacrifice of His body and His blood on the cross. Gathered in the name and the remembrance of Jesus, we beg You, O Lord, to forgive, renew, and strengthen us with Your Word and Spirit. Grant us to faithfully eat His body and drink His blood as He bids us to in His own testament. Gather us together from the ends of the earth to celebrate, with all the faithful, the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end. Receive our prayers; deliver and preserve us. To You alone be all glory, honor, and worship, now and forever. Amen

Lamb of God

Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;

have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;

have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;

grant us peace.

Consecration & Distribution

Silent Prayer after Communion:

Father of all, we give you thanks and praise that, when we were still far off, you met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, he declared your love, gave us grace and opened the gate of glory. May we who share Christ’s body live his risen life; we who drink his cup bring life to others; we whom the Spirit lights give light to the world. Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us so we and all your children shall be free and the whole earth live to praise your name, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Post Communion Song     

Thank the Lord and sing His praise;

tell everyone what He has done.

Let everyone who seeks the Lord,

rejoice and proudly bear His name.

He recalls His promises,

and leads His people forth in joy

with shouts of thanksgiving. Alleluia, alleluia.