SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER May 25, 2025

Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church

Wisconsin Synod

Pastor Rev. Christopher Oehlke Pastor’s Phone: 1-262-909-7827

Organist Karen Davis, Mindy Kane, Church Telephone 763-682-4573

Lorraine Roush Email pastor@myimmanuel.org

WELCOME, VISITORS:     We are glad you could be with us and we welcome you back any time. Please sign our “Welcome” card found in the pew holders or sign the guest book in the narthex/entry.

Prayer Before Worship

I was glad when they said to me: “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” (Ps. 122:1) The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silent before Him. (Hab. 2:20) Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men and He will dwell with them. And they shall be His people and God Himself shall be with them and be their God. (Rev. 21:3)

SERVICE OF THE WORD

Beginning on Page 38 in the Hymnal.

HYMN (#282) “Lord, Open Now My Heart to Hear”

M: The grace of our Lord (+) Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.

C: And also with you.

CONFESSION OF SINS

M: We have come into the presence of God, who created us to love and serve him as his dear children. But we have disobeyed him and deserve only his wrath and punishment. Therefore, let us confess our sins to him and plead for his mercy.

C: Merciful Father in heaven, I am altogether sinful from birth. 

In countless ways I have sinned against you and do not deserve to be called your child. But trusting in Jesus, my Savior, I pray: Have mercy on me according to your unfailing love. Cleanse me from my sin, and take away my guilt.

M: God, our heavenly Father, has forgiven all your sins. By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, he has removed your guilt forever. You are his own dear child. May God give you strength to live according to his will.

C: Amen.

PRAYER AND PRAISE

M: In the peace of forgiveness, let us praise the Lord.

C: (Sung) Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

Blessed are they who take refuge in him.

Your Word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

Your faithfulness continues forever.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

Blessed are they who take refuge in him.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

M: Let us pray: O God, you are the giver of everything good. Inspire us, your humble servants, to long for what is right and, through your gracious guidance, accomplish it to your glory; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C:     (Sung) Amen.

THE WORD

FIRST LESSON Acts 14:8-22

⁸ In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. ⁹ He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed ¹⁰ and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. ¹¹ When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” ¹² Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. ¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: ¹⁵ “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. ¹⁶ In the past, he let all nations go their own way. ¹⁷ Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” ¹⁸ Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them. ¹⁹ Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. ²⁰ But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. ²¹ They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, ²² strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.                (NIV)

M: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God. 

PSALM OF THE DAY (Sung) Psalm 65 (page 89)

SECOND LESSON Revelation 21:10-23

¹⁰ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹ It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. ¹² It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. ¹³ There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. ¹⁴ The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ¹⁵ The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. ¹⁶ The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. ¹⁷ The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. ¹⁸ The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. ¹⁹ The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. ²¹ The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. ²² I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.            (NIV)

M: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

VERSE OF THE DAY

M: Alleluia. Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Alleluia.     (Psalm 30:5)

C: (Sung) Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! 

These words are written that we may believe 

that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. 

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

GOSPEL John 16:16-24

¹⁶ Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.” ¹⁷ At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁸ They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.” ¹⁹ Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? ²⁰ Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. ²¹ A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. ²² So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. ²³ In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. ²⁴ Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.                  (NIV)

M: The Gospel of the Lord.

C: (Sung) Praise be to you, O Christ!

HYMN OF THE DAY (#377 v. 1-5) “Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice”

SERMON TEXT Revelation 21:10-23

SERMON THEME “The Promise of Paradise Brings Peace”

APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth.

I believe 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 is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. 

From there 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.

THANKSGIVING

OFFERING – Please leave offering in the plate as you depart.

HYMN (#214) “Jerusalem the Golden”

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

M: O Lord God, our strength, our song, and our salvation, you 

fulfilled your promises by the resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ, from the dead. 

C: Thanks be to God! You give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

M: In your compassion you sent Christ, the Good Shepherd, who laid down his life to rescue the lost.

C: Drive out all doubt and gloom that we may delight in your glorious triumph.

M: Lift our eyes heavenward to see him who lives to make intercession for the saints, and grant us confidence in the greatness of his power. Keep before us the vision of your redeemed people standing before your throne and singing the song of victory:

C: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive wisdom and power and honor and glory and praise.

M: Make us instruments of your peace as we bring the good news of hope and new life to those around us. Guide us in the use of all that you have entrusted to us: our time, our talents, and our treasures.

C: Risen Lord, live in us that we may live for you.

M: Merciful Lord Jesus, grant healing to the sick, and strengthen the faith of the suffering and the dying. Assure them of your abiding presence, and comfort them with the hope of eternal life.

Special prayers and intercessions may follow.

M: Hear us, Lord, as we bring you our private petitions.

Silent prayer.

M: Gracious Father, you have restored to us the joy of your salvation. With happy hearts, we come before you and say:

C: Alleluia! Thanks be to God! Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER

C: 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.

M: O Lord God, our heavenly Father, pour out the Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep us strong in your grace and truth, protect and comfort us in all temptation, and bestow on us your 

saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: (Sung) Amen.

M: Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another. Serve the Lord with gladness.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look on you with favor and (+) give you peace. 

C: (Sung) Amen. Amen. Amen.

HYMN (#329) “Lord, Dismiss Us with Your Blessing”

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER May 25, 2025

Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church

THE SCHEDULE   

Thur., May 29 7 p.m., Ascension Day Service at Mt. Olive, Delano

Next Sunday, June 1, Greeters: Ordorff Family

Shut-In Visitors for May: Sharon Liefert and 

Lolene Liefert-Trulson

OUR FATHER’S BUSINESS

THANK YOU to Pastor Bruce Janisch for sharing God’s Word with us this morning and conducting our service. Pastor Oehlke is leading worship at Mt. Olive, Delano.

“BLESSED BASSINET” MAY FUND-RAISER:  The “Blessed Bassinet” is set up in the upper narthex to collect baby items and/or cash during the month of May to benefit the New Day Pregnancy and Resource Center. 

MEMORIAL DAY AMMO-CAN:  The ammo box will be available May 18 & 25 for donations to benefit the Lutheran Military Support Group (LMSG)—a group working to grow awareness of and bring Christian support to military members and their families.

SUMMER PICNIC (FKA “SOMETHIN’ ON A BUN”) SAVE-THE-DATE:   This year’s fund-raising event will be on July 6. Volunteers are being sought to help organize the (A) Luncheon, (B) Silent Auction and (C) Bean Bag Competition. Contact Pastor or Julie with your interest. And we are always open to suggestions and new options.

NERF COMPETITION: Redeeming Grace is hosting their summer nerf event on Sat., June 7. 1^st-4^th grades (parents welcome to participate) from 3 to 5 p.m.; 5^th-12^th grades from 6-8 p.m. Admission is a non-perishable food shelf item with raffle tickets for each with drawings through the event. RSVP to Pastor Mayer at pastorjmayer@gmail.com by Wed., June 4.

ASCENSION DAY SERVICE:         Mark your calendar for the 2025 Special Ascension Day Service on Thursday, May 29, 7 p.m., at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, Delano. Pastor David Russow will be preaching the sermon. Also participating will be the circuit pastors and the brass choir.

DIXON BIRTHDAY:  The family of David Dixon would like to invite the congregation to a birthday celebration on Sun., June 1, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Park View Care Center, community room.

CEMETERY STANDS: If anyone needs help in placing the stands in the new cemetery, contact Terry Weese at 763-258-9670 or Paul Johnson at 763-355-8806.

MEDITATIONS entitled “Point Me Heavenward” have arrived with daily devotions for June 1-Aug. 30. Large print editions are also available. Feel free to take additional copies of either version to share. A free-will offering would be gratefully accepted to help defray the costs.

ATTENDANCE AT THE LORD’S HOUSE: 

Sunday, May 18 58

Verse of the Day

During the week memorize and think about this verse of the day:

Weeping may stay for the night, 

but rejoicing comes in the morning. 

(Psalm 30:5)