**CALL TO WORSHIP Breathe on Me
Breathe on me, Breath of God
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.
**OPENING HYMN “Rejoice, the Lord is King” LW#179
1 Rejoice, the Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore;
Rejoice, give thanks, and sing,
And triumph evermore:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice; again I say, Rejoice!
2 Our
Savior Jesus reigns,
The God of truth and love;
When he had purged our stains,
He took his seat above:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice; again I say, Rejoice!
3 His
Kingdom cannot fail;
He rules over earth and heaven;
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus given:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice; again I say, Rejoice!
4 He
sits at God’s right hand
Till all his foes submit
And bow to his command
And fall beneath his feet:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice; again I say, Rejoice!
**INVOCATION (Matthew 28:19)
**CONFESSION/ABSOLUTION (1 John 1:8-9)
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.
(silence for reflection and self examination)
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. We justly deserve your present and eternal punishment. 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 most Holy Name. Amen.
Pastor: 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 the Word I therefore forgive you all your sins in the Name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen
INTROIT (Psalm 122, spoken responsively)
Pastor: “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
People: all
you who love her;
Pastor: that you may nurse and be satisfied
People: from
her consoling breast;
Pastor: I was glad when they said to me,
People: “Let
us go to the house of the Lord!”
Pastor: Our feet have been standing
People: within
your gates, O Jerusalem!
Pastor: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
People: “May
they be secure who love you!
Pastor: For my brothers and companions’ sake
People: I
will say, “Peace be within you!”
All: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.
Pastor: “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
People: all
you who love her;
Pastor: that you may nurse and be satisfied
People: from
her consoling breast;
**KYRIE
Pastor: In peace let us pray to the Lord:
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord:
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of us all, let us pray to the Lord:
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord:
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: Help, save, comfort, and defend us gracious Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
**PRAYER FOR TODAY
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment, You receive us as Your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT Exodus 16:2-21
2And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
4Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” 8And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.”
9Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” 10And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11And the Lord said to Moses, 12“I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”
13In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. 14And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 15When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. 16This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’” 17And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. 18But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. 19And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” 20But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
CHOIR ANTHEM
THE EPISTLE Acts 2:41-47
41So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
42And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Return to the Lord, your God for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and abounding in steadfast love.
**GOSPEL LESSON John 6:1-15
1After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” 8One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. 14When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
15Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
**WHAT WE BELIEVE 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.
SERMON HYMN “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” LW#412
1 The King of love my shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am his
And he is mine forever.
2 Where
streams of living water flow,
My ransomed soul he leadeth
And, where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.
3 Perverse
and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love he sought me
And on his shoulder gently laid
And home rejoicing brought me.
4 In
death’s dark vale I fear no ill
With thee, dear Lord, beside me,
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.
5 Thou
spredst a table in my sight;
Thine unction grace bestoweth;
And, oh, what transport of delight
From thy pure chalice floweth!
6 And
so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never.
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
Within thy house forever.
THE MESSAGE “Can You Blame Them?” (John 6:1-15)
OFFERING (We worship the Lord with our offerings)
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with your free Spirit.
CHOIR
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
Pastor: LORD, remember us in Your Kingdom and teach us to pray:
**THE LORD’S PRAYER (Spoken)
**THE BENEDICTION (Numbers 6:24-27)
Pastor: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.
People: Amen.
**CLOSING HYMN “I Am Trusting You, Lord Jesus” LW#408
1 I am trusting you, Lord Jesus,
Trusting only you;
Trusting you for full salvation,
Free and true.
2 I
am trusting your for pardon;
At your feet I bow,
For your grace and tender mercy
Trusting now.
3 I
am trusting you for cleansing
In the crimson flood;
Trusting you to make me holy
By your blood.
4 I am trusting you to guide me;
You alone shall lead,
Every day and hour supplying
All my need.
5 I
am trusting you for power;
You can never fail.
Words which you yourself shall give me
Must prevail.
6 I
am trusting you, Lord Jesus;
Never let me fall.
I am trusting you forever
And for all.