https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npANzD1eLC8

Our Lord Ascends to His Throne of Victory, Honor, and Glory!    May 21 & 24, 2023 

ZION EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH – LCMS  700 Main St.  P.O. Box 220   Clyman, WI  53016

 Pastor Dan 1-(920)-341-2025     shepherdatzion@gmail.com

Bulletin Announcement email: zionclyman@gmail.com

AS WE GATHER 

We gather to celebrate Our Lord’s Ascension.  Christ the King taking His rightful seat in all glory, honor, and authority at God the Father’s right hand.  With the ancient worshipers, who clapped their hands and shouted praises to God at the coronation of their king, we rejoice in the victory Jesus earned for us by His death for our sin and His resurrection over death’s grave.  Our praises keep rolling from our Easter celebration some forty days ago to today and for all eternity, as we witness our Lord’s ascension.  The capstone of His victory.  Scepter in hand and seated upon His throne, Christ reigns over all things in heaven and on earth for our Good and His glory.  We are honored to be in His presence this day and receive from our King the gifts He gracefully bestows.

Ringing of the Bell and Welcome

 Hymn  “There Is a Redeemer”  (Sorry we could not publish this hymn)

Invocation – In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.    Amen

 Opening Sentences   Psalm 110:1, 4–5; antiphon: Psalm 47:5 –   God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.  The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand,   until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”  The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”  The Lord is at Your right hand; He will shatter kings on the day of His wrath.     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.  God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

 Confession and Absolution  Based on Colossians 1:15–19 – Let us come before our Lord and King to confess before Him and our Heavenly Father that we are sinners, repentant and in need of the assurance of His mercy and His forgiveness.      A short time silence to reflect on those sins weighing heavy on our hearts

Lord Jesus, You are the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  All things have been created by You: things in heaven and things on earth, visible and invisible.  All things are Yours, including us who have been created by You and for Your glory.  Yet our sinfulness, what we do and what we fail to do, separates us from You and Your will for our lives.  For those sins we are sorry.  By Your blood shed on the cross, You have reconciled us to the Father.  Be merciful to me a sinner and grant me Your forgiveness and peace.  Amen.  Our merciful Father has heard your confession through His Son, Your Lord, Jesus Christ who intercedes for you at His right hand.  Through faith in Christ, you have been reconciled to God your heavenly Father and stand forgiven in His presence.  As a called and ordained servant of Christ the King, and by His authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the X Son, and of the Holy Spirit.     Amen.

Psalm 47 (God sits on His holy throne.) –   Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.  How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth!  He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.  He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.  God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.  Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.  For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.  God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.  The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.

Kyrie In peace let us pray to the Lord.  For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.  For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord.  For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.  Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

Hymn of Praise – Gloria in Excelsis  LSB 170

Salutation – The Lord be with you.     And with thy spirit.

 Prayer of the day – Almighty God, as Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, ascended to His throne in all victory, glory and honor, grant that we also not only ascend in heart and mind to be with Him but on the day You call us home we will ascend to live with our Lord forever, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.     Amen.

 First Reading   Acts 1:1–11  – (Jesus ascends to His throne of victory.)      In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.  After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.  He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.  On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”  So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”  He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.  They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky?  This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Epistle  Ephesians 1:15–23  (Christ is seated at His Father’s right hand in His full power and glory.)   For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.  I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.  That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.  And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Verse     Romans 6:9; Matthew 28:20b –    Alleluia. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.    Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Alleluia.

Holy Gospel Luke 24:44–53 – (Jesus departs from His disciples and is carried into heaven.)  The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the twenty-fourth chapter.       Glory to You, O Lord.

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”  Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.  I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”  When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them.  While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.  Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.  And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.     This is the Gospel of the Lord.   Praise to You, O Christ.

 Apostles’ 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.

Hymn  “Christ Sits at Gods Right Hand”         LSB 564

Sermon

Prayers of the Church

 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.

We Gather our Tithes and Offerings

Service of the Sacrament  

Preface   2 Timothy 4:22 –   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 Him thanks and praise.

Proper Preface –   It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, for the countless blessings You so freely bestow on us and all creation.  Above all, we give thanks for Your boundless love shown to us when You sent Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to humble Himself for our salvation and now reigns at Your right hand on His  throne of victory, where He rules over all things as King of kings and Lord of lords.  Therefore, with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and singing:

Sanctus  LSB 178

Prayer of Thanksgiving –  Heavenly Father, we thank You for the suffering and death of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who rescued us from sin and death, providing for us the way to life forever with You.  We praise You for His resurrection triumph and draw strength from His ascension to His throne of victory, where He now sits in authority, ruling over all things at Your right hand.  Gather Your people from every corner of the earth that we may sing Your praises and receive the mercy of our King. For to You alone, O God, we give our heartfelt thanks and endless praise.

The Words of Our Lord – Consecration of the Elements

Pax Domini   LSB 180 – The peace of the Lord be with you always.

Agnus Dei   LSB 180

 We Celebrate our Lord’s Supper –  Distribution Hymns:  “See, the Lord Ascends in Triumph”   LSB 494     The Head that Once Was Crowned with Thorns”  LSB 532    “Alleluia!  Sing to Jesus”   LSB 821

Post-Communion Canticle –  Thank the Lord  LSB 181

Post-Communion Thanksgiving – O God the Father, the One who reigns in glory with Your Son and is seated upon His throne of victory, we thank You that for His sake You have given us pardon and peace in this sacred sacrament of His body and blood.  Reign in us as we trust in You as King of kings and Lord of lords.  We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord and King, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.    Amen.

Benediction –  The King invites us to trust in Him as He watches over us and blesses us with all that we need to overcome this world, as He has in our place and for us.  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 X give you peace.    Amen.

Hymn:  “On Christ’s Ascension I Now Build”       LSB 492     

_______________________________________________

 *Announcements*

From the Board of Stewardship and Evangelism:    Acts 1:11 – “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ is ascended, and Christ will come again. We live out our lives in this world in the sure confidence of the life to come. We live as people who know our Lord Jesus and who know that He is coming back. This knowledge makes all the difference in how we approach the things of this world.

The Pewpoint – THEME OF THE DAY – The Ascended Lord Jesus Is with Us Always in His Church on Earth –  After He rose from the dead, the Lord Jesus presented Himself alive to the apostles, “appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). When He ascended to the right hand of the Father, He did not orphan His Church, but He fills all things in heaven and on earth and gives gifts to His disciples. Even now, through His Church, He continues “to do and teach” (Acts 1:1), preaching “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 24:47) even “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Though the cloud hid Jesus from the sight of His disciples then, and He remains hidden from sight even now, He remains with His people through His Gospel and Sacraments. He comes to us by the Word of His apostles, by the promise of His Father and by the power of the Holy Spirit, whom He pours out upon “the church, which is his body” (Eph. 1:22–23). In this holy Christian Church, we bless God and worship Christ with joy, for in His Church He blesses us with forgiveness, lifts us up in His hands and seats us with Himself “in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:20).

YES IN CHRIST  —  Saying Yes With Our Treasures –   Needed per week to make budget: $3,072               Sunday Envelopes $3,135   Plate $43

Attendance:  Sunday Service:  38    Communed:    34  Mid-Week Service:  12  Communed:    12

****Semi-Annual Voters Meeting –  June 4th following the worship meeting

On their special day please wish them a Happy Birthday.

Brothers and sisters in Christ to lift up in prayer!

• Penny Huebner who had surgery on Monday May 8th.
• Those in the congregation who are facing health challenges and going through treatments

The Lutheran Witness is here for May 2023 – pick up a copy in the back or narthex.

We received a newsletter from Cindy Wrucke, missionary from Czech Republic. Pick up a copy in the narthex or the back of church.