There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46:4-7
REFORMATION SUNDAY
October 26, 2025
TODAY’S SERVICE: Today we celebrate the festival of Reformation. On this festival, we thank the Lord for the wonderful truth that we
are saved by grace through faith without any works required by us.
We also thank God for preserving the truths of His Word and ask him
to keep us faithful to his Word. In our service today, we will see that
the Lord has special things to tell us in his Word. In his Word he tells
us all that we need for salvation. The Lord wants us to both preserve
his Word in its truth and purity and also share it with the world.
OPENING PRAYER: Luther’s Morning Prayer
ALL: I thank you, my heavenly Father,
through Jesus Christ, your dear Son,
that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger.
Keep me this day also from sin and every evil,
that all my doings and life may please you.
Into your hands I commend my body and soul and all things.
Let your holy angel be with me,
that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.
HYMN (#202) “If God Had Not Been on Our Side”
THE INVOCATION
M: In the name of God the Father:
C: Who has created us, preserves us, and sent his Son
to suffer and die in order to redeem a world fallen from his grace;
M: In the name of God the Son:
C: Who gave his life on the cross to save us from our sins
and rose from the grave to give victory over death;
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M: In the name of God the Holy Spirit:
C: Who works through the Word and Sacraments
to create and strengthen saving faith in our hearts. Amen.
THE CONFESSION OF SINS
M: As we approach our holy God to worship, let us draw near to him in
humility, and confess our sins to him:
C: Lord God, my heavenly Father,
I confess that I have been sinful from the instant my life started.
I know that sin has infected me completely,
and I admit that all my thoughts, desires, words, and actions are
corrupted by sin.
I confess that I have angered you time and again with my many sins.
I admit that I could never earn your love or forgiveness with my
own works.
I admit that I deserve only your curse and everlasting
punishment in hell.
M: Have mercy on me, O God:
C: According to your unfailing love;
M: According to your great compassion:
C: Blot out my transgressions.
M: Wash away all my iniquity:
C: And cleanse me from my sin.
Silence for private confession
M: Hear us, Lord, as we cry to you for mercy:
ALL (sung) (#303—v.1-2)
With broken hearts and contrite sigh
A trembling sinner, Lord, I cry.
Your pard’ning grace is rich and free—
O God be merciful to me!
I smite upon my troubled breast,
With deep and conscious guilt oppressed,
Christ and his cross my only plea—
O God be merciful to me!
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THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF FORGIVENESS
M: Take heart, you who sorrow over sin. God demonstrates his own
love for us in this:
C: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
M: The blood of Jesus, his Son,
C: Purifies us from all sins.
M: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not
from yourselves,
C: It is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
M: There is now no condemnation:
C: For those who are in Christ Jesus.
M: Be of good cheer, the Lord Jesus has shed his blood for the sins of
the whole world. Because of Jesus’ perfect life and innocent death,
our God has declared us to be righteous in his sight and forgiven for
all. Through Jesus you are God’s dear child and he will always love
you, care for you, and bless you. He will not treat you as your sins
deserve. You will not be lost forever in hell. Through the Lord Jesus,
eternal life is yours as a free gift. This is the gospel message. Do you
believe this?
C: Yes, I believe.
M: Praise be to our loving God for working in your heart to lead you to
believe this good news. Through faith these wonderful blessings are
yours personally to enjoy. Through faith in Jesus, you are God’s dear
child, and you shall live with him forever in heaven.
C: May the Lord be praised for his wonderful mercy
and his amazing grace.
All (sung) (#376—verse 6)
Jesus be worshiped endlessly!
Your boundless mercy has for me,
For me, and all your hands have made,
An everlasting ransom paid.
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THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
M: Gracious Lord, our refuge and strength, pour out your Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep them steadfast in your word, protect and comfort them in all temptations, defend them against all their enemies, and bestow on the church your saving peace; 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.
BE SEATED
THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSON Jeremiah 31:31-34
31 Yes, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers, when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant of mine, although I was a husband to them, declares the Lord.
33 But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put my law in their minds, and I will write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will each one teach his neighbor, or each one teach his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord, for I will forgive their guilt, and I will remember their sins no more. (EHV)
M: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
PSALM OF THE DAY (Sung) Psalm 46 (page 84)
THE EPISTLE LESSON Galatians 5:1-6
5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not allow anyone to put the yoke of slavery on you again. 2 Look, I, Paul, tell you that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I testify again to every man who allows himself to be circumcised that he is obligated to do the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be declared righteous by the law are completely separated from Christ. You have fallen from grace. 5 Indeed, through the Spirit, we by
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faith are eagerly waiting for the sure hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters. Rather, it is faith working through love that matters. (EHV)
M: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
VERSE OF THE DAY
M: Alleluia. If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Alleluia. (John 8:31-32)
THE GOSPEL LESSON John 8:31-36
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, you are really my disciples. 32 You will also know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 “We are Abraham’s descendants,” they answered, “and we have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be set free’?”
34 Jesus answered, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Everyone who keeps committing sin is a slave to sin. 35 But a slave does not remain in the family forever. A son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. (EHV)
M: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
THE CONFESSION OF FAITH
M: O Heavenly Father, you have created us and continually shower us
with blessings:
C: “I believe that God made me and every creature, and that he
gave me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my
mind and all my abilities.”
M: O Jesus, our Savior, you have redeemed us with your precious blood:
C: “I believe that Christ has redeemed me, a lost and condemned
creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and
from the power of the devil, not with gold and silver but with his
holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death.”
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M: O Holy Spirit, you have created faith in our hearts which clings to
the Word and Promises of the Bible.
C: “I believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe
in Jesus Christ my Lord nor come to him; but the Holy Spirit
has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts,
sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”
HYMN OF THE DAY (#201) “A Mighty Fortress”
SERMON TEXT John 8:31-36
SERMON THEME “The Truth Will Set You Free”
HYMN (#390) “Salvation Unto Us Has Come”
OFFERING – Please leave offering in the basket as you depart.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
M: Lord God, our Father, you have told us wonderful things in your
Word:
C: In your Word you tell us the truths we need to know for our
salvation. You give us your promises to sustain and nourish our
faith. You give us guidance on how to live in joyful response to
your love.
M: In your grace you have sent gospel messengers to share with us your
life-giving Word of salvation. Your Spirit has worked through the
good news about Jesus to bring us to saving faith. Now we are your
dear children and are heirs of salvation. For this we say:
C: Praise be to you, O Lord.
M: With your Word you have sustained and nourished our faith, you
have calmed our fears and comforted our consciences, you have
given us guidance and strength for life. For this we say:
C: Praise be to you, O Lord.
M: The good news of full and free salvation by grace through faith was
all but lost for a time in our world’s history.
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C: We thank you for working through the reformers of the past to
rediscover, defend and proclaim this precious truth.
M: Lord, we ask that you would help us to carry on the work of the
Reformation which Martin Luther started so long ago.
C: Please help us also to preserve and defend all the words of the
Scriptures, especially the message of salvation by grace through
faith without works. Help us to pass this message on to our
children and grandchildren. Help us also to work together to
share this good news with the whole world.
M: May this also inspire a zeal in us to give ourselves completely to
the work of the kingdom, always remembering that the work of
your kingdom is the most important work there is.
Special Prayers
M: Hear us as we bring you our private petitions.
Silent Prayer
M: We bring these requests before you, our loving heavenly Father.
We trust that you will hear us for the sake of Jesus our Savior who
has also taught us to pray:
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.
THE BENEDICTION
M: Jesus says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth.
C: And the truth will set you free.”
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M: Brothers and sisters, may God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit keep
us always faithful to him and to all of his Word.
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.
CLOSING HYMN (#203) “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word”
THE SILENT PRAYER
(Words to consider from Martin Luther)
The world is not so hostile to any vice, to any wickedness, as it is to the name of Christ and to his Gospel. Here the ranting and raving which the hatred and the enmity of the devil inspire are boundless, for he will absolutely not tolerate this name and this faith.
(What Luther Says #1722)
Merciful God! Thou hast made it possible for me to stay a Christian; help me to stay a Christian and to increase in faith from day to day. Even if the entire world fell away, and everybody joined the sects, and the devil broke all vessels, I would pay no attention to it, but with Thy divine help I would abide by the gospel.
(What Luther Says #1511)
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REFORMATION SUNDAY October 26, 2025
Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church
THE SCHEDULE
Sun., Oct. 26 4 p.m., Reformation Service
at Redeemer Lutheran Church
Tues., Oct. 28 7 p.m., Choir Practice
Wed., Oct. 29 6:30 p.m., Catechism
Sun., Nov. 2 Remember Daylight Savings Time
Next Sunday, Nov. 2, Greeters: Munsterteiger Family
Visiting Shut-Ins for November: Donna Frank & Darlene Weese
OUR FATHER’S BUSINESS
QUARTERLY VOTERS MEETING is scheduled for after the worship service this morning after the ice cream social. Men over 18 years of age who are interested in becoming voting members are encouraged to contact Pastor Oehlke or a council member.
FALL ICE CREAM SOCIAL: We will have a fall ice cream social after church on Oct. 26 with proceeds used to assist any of our young people who wish to attend the International Youth Rally or Camp Croix.
AREA REFORMATION SERVICE: There will be an area Reformation Service on Oct. 26 at 4 p.m. at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 9200 Elm Creek Blvd., Maple Grove, with full instruments including pipe organ, brass and choral voices joined by handbells. The preacher will be Pastor Isaac Cherney from West. The service will be followed by a full meal including lots of fellowship.
WEST THEATER PRODUCTION: West Lutheran High School’s theater will be presenting Ken Ludwig’s “Treasure Island” on Oct. 30 at 10 a.m.; Oct. 31 at 7 p.m.; Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. See poster on west bulletin board.
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME: Remember on Sunday, Nov. 2 we “Fall Back,” gaining an hour.
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REFORMATION SUNDAY October 26, 2025
CEMETERY FALL CLEAN-UP: Please remove all flowers and other items from the cemetery by Oct. 31. Thank you.
VETERANS DAY AMMO CAN: As Veterans Day approaches, our congregation’s Lutheran Military Support Group (LMSG) is asking for donations with an ammo box available in the narthex (Nov. 2 & 9). LMSG is a partnership of WELS and ELS veterans and is working to grow awareness of and bring Christian support to military members and their families. For more info, visit www.lutheranmilitary.org. West Lutheran High School will host a Veterans Day Program “Creeds and Deeds” on Nov. 11 with breakfast at 8:15 a.m. and program at 9:15 a.m. The speaker will be Technical Sergeant Laishun “Nelson” Mak.
ATTENDANCE AT THE LORD’S HOUSE:
Sunday, Oct. 19 60
FOR THE LORD’S WORK: Oct. 19: General Fund-$1,503.; West-$50; Salem-$2; Fishers-$10. (Note to consider: General fund needs about $,2,600 per week. We have been averaging $2,300).
