Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church (LCMS)

WELCOME to

The Fourth Sunday Of Easter

Today's Readings, Sermon, and Prayers

This concludes the Readings, Prayers, and the Sermon for today.

It is our practice to proceed with the

SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT

We encourage everyone to attend a service to receive the Sacrament.

Pastor Bontke will accept calls to schedule communion for individuals who wish to receive the Sacrament of Communion on Tuesday after 9:30 a.m. The Sacrament will be given on Wednesday after 10 a.m.

BEAUTIFUL SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH
6830 S. Pleasant Valley Rd.
Austin, TX 78744
Office 512-443-4947

Thought for Today: May 5, 2024
Believers in Christ receive the forgiveness of sins through His name. As baptized believers, we are called to love one another, clinging to God’s promises and bound by His commands. Our love for God is marked by obedience to His will. God’s love for us is marked by Christ’s obedience on the cross. In Christ, we have a faith that grasps, believes, and confesses Him to be the Son of God. This is our victory in overcoming the
world.

Epistle…………………………………...................................................1 John 5:1–8
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.

Collect of the Day

P O God, the giver of all that is good, by Your holy inspiration grant that we may think those things that are right and by Your merciful guiding accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.

Reverend Jonathan Bontke

Holy Gospel……………………………………………....................John 15:9–17

[Jesus said:] “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”

Planted in Christ's Love15:38

Nicene Creed
C I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,
whose kingdom will have no end
And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life + of the world to come. Amen.

Prayer of the Church—Responsive Form
The Ascension of Our Lord (B)
9 May 2024

Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.

Father of glory, since Your Son has gone up with a shout and the sound of a trumpet, open our lips to sing praises to our King and live confidently in His victory. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Father of glory, Your Son has commanded us to go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation. Bless the proclamation of Your Church, that many may believe, be baptized and be saved. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Father of glory, give us a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Christ. Enlighten the eyes of our hearts to look forward in the hope to which You have called us in Christ. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Father of glory, You put all things under the feet of Your incarnate Son when You seated Him in power at Your right hand. Bless [_____________ and] all who make, administer and enforce our laws. Let the Gospel have free course among us and be preached to the joy and edification of Your people. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Father of glory, You have raised Your Son from the dead and seated Him at Your right hand in the heavenly places. Let His blessing rest upon [_____________ and] all who suffer or grieve, that they may be sustained in their trials and granted His comfort and healing. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Father of glory, You gave Your incarnate Son to the Church as head over all things. Enliven us by the Holy Communion of His body and blood to live in Him as His Body, the Church, and the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

O Lord, heavenly Father, we gratefully remember the sufferings and death of Your dear Son, Jesus Christ, for our salvation. Rejoicing in His victorious resurrection from the dead, we draw strength from His ascension before You, where He ever stands for us as our own High Priest. 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. Graciously receive our prayers, deliver and preserve us, for to You alone we give all glory, honor and worship, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Sermon from Sunday April 28 by Reverend M.J. Meyer

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SERVICE OF THE WORD

Introit Psalm 66:1–2, 8–9, 20; antiphon: v. 16

First Reading……………………………………………………………...........Acts 10:34–48

Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

The Lord’s Supper

Our Belief and Practice

The Lord’s Supper is celebrated at this congregation in the confession and glad confidence that, as He says, our Lord gives into our mouths not only bread and wine, but His very body and blood to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of sins, and to strengthen our union with Him and with one another. Our Lord invites to His table those who trust His words, repent of all sin, and set aside any refusal to forgive and love as He forgives and loves us, that they may show forth His death until He comes. Because those who eat and drink our Lord’s body and blood unworthily do so to their great harm, and because Holy Communion is a confession of the faith which is confessed at this altar, any who are not yet instructed, in doubt, or who hold a confession differing from that of this congregation and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and yet desire to receive the sacrament, are asked first to speak with the pastor. Anyone who is not communing today but would like to come forward to receive a baptismal blessing is welcome. Please cross your arms against your chest to indicate you desire a blessing not communion.

“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.” 1Corinthians11:28

To assist you in preparing to receive the Lord’s Supper Martin Luther in his Small Catechism teaches us to ask ourselves the following questions:

1. Am I sorry that I have sinned against God?
2. Do I believe that Jesus died for my sins and gives me His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper as Scripture says?
3. Do I plan, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to change my sinful life?

Those preparing to receive the Lord’s Supper should be able to honestly answer ‘yes’ to each of these questions. A more complete examination is found on pages 329-330 of the hymnal - Lutheran Service Book. Prayers for “Before communing” and “Thanksgiving after receiving the Sacrament”, are located on the inside front cover of the hymnal.

Gradual                                  adapt. from Matthew 28:7; Hebrews 2:7; Psalm 8:6
Christ has risen | from the dead.*
    [God the Father] has crowned him with glory and | honor.
He has given him dominion over the works | of his hands;*
    he has put all things un- | der his feet.ype your paragraph here.

The Readings for this Sunday are printed below. If you would like to hear the Word of God, go to "BibleGateway.com" and go to the Book and Chapter and Verse.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.

P      In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C      Amen.

P      If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
C      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 on God’s Word and for self-examination.

P      Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.
C      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 holy name. Amen.

P 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.
C Amen.

GIVE NOW

Curb Side20:48

Offering

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,
the power and the glory,
forever and ever.
Amen.

Sermon Text: John 15:9-17

Sermon:

Remember your Baptism Daily!

We urge each of you to remember your Baptism every day, and to go at every opportunity to a church where they teach that Jesus suffered, died, and rose in victory for all of your sins, we also encourage you to read your Bible daily, in this way God will feed your faith and keep you sure of going to heaven.

One of many OAFC Witnessing method.

Home

The Mission of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church:

Is to gather together to be built up in God’s word and to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

What about The Gospel?

Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This pamphlet has been prepared to show you how much we need the Gospel, why it is such good news, how we receive it and how we respond to it. Why do we need the Gospel? We cannot really understand how good the message of the Gospel is until we understand how bad our situation is without it. We are poor miserable sinners. We sin daily and deserve nothing but God’s wrath and punishment. Without Jesus Christ, our situation would be totally hopeless. The Scriptures describe human beings as dead in trespasses and sin. Without the mercy and cleansing of God through the blood of Jesus Christ, there awaits for us only everlasting punishment in hell. Thus, we need the Gospel— desperately! What is the Gospel? The word “gospel” is a translation of a Greek word that means, “an announcement of good news.” The Gospel is the good news that God the Holy Trinity decided not to abandon humanity when Adam and Eve ﬁrst fell into sin. God decided then and there that sin and death would not have the last word. He promised to send a Savior. When the time was right, God sent His Son into our world to be born of the Virgin Mary. Our Lord Jesus Christ lived a perfect life for us. On the cross, He received the penalty and punishment for the sins of the whole world, offering Himself as the perfect sacriﬁce for sin. Jesus rose from the dead, victorious over our ancient enemies: sin, death and the devil. Therefore, each Christian is able with great joy and conﬁdence to declare before the whole world: “My Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.” What glorious good news! The one, true eternal and all- powerful God came into our world to live, suffer, die and rise again for us. We, who are unholy and unrighteous, receive the forgiveness of all our sins and thus receive the perfect holiness and righteousness of Christ our Savior—as a free gift—purely because of His love for us. That is good news! That is the Gospel! How do we receive this great salvation in our lives today? How do we personally receive the forgiveness Christ won for the entire world? How does what happened on the cross nearly 2,000 years ago ﬂow into our lives today? Here too there is very good news. God, through His Gospel, offers us forgiveness and help against sin in more than one way. God is surpassingly rich in His grace. He gives His Gospel to us through His Word, through Baptism, through the Sacrament of the Altar, and through confession and absolution. These are the ways God enters our lives today to apply to us personally the great salvation Christ won for the world. The Holy Spirit works through the Word of the Gospel to create and sustain faith in our heart that Christ is the Savior of the world, and thus our Savior too. The Bible is the Word of God, written down for our learning and ediﬁcation. The Scriptures are ﬁlled with the good news of Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us. Through the almighty, Spirit-ﬁlled Word, God gathers us into His church, which is truly the mother that begets and bears every Christian through the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is present, effective and active through the Word when it is proclaimed, heard and meditated upon. The Sacrament of Holy Baptism is water included in God’s command and combined with God’s Word; or as St. Paul says in Holy Scripture, “The washing of water with the word.” Through Baptism, we are made partakers of Christ’s death and resurrection. Therefore, we know that Baptism works forgive- ness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal life to all who believe. Since Baptism is connected to the Word and promise of God, it is truly a life-giving water, rich in grace—a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit. Christ has provided a special application of the Gospel through confession and absolution. Confession is admitting our sins to God and receiving His forgiveness from our pastor, as from God Himself, not doubting, but ﬁrmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven. Thus, by divine ordinance, Christ Himself has entrusted absolution to his Christian church and commanded us to absolve one another from sins. The Lord’s Supper is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself, for us Christians to eat and to drink. In the Lord’s Supper, Christ’s body and blood are given to us as our treasure and gift which sustains our faith and life in Him. If you are heavy-laden and feel your weakness, go joyfully to the Sacrament and receive refreshment, comfort and strength. Those who want to be forgiven by God and who want to enjoy His presence in their lives, hunger and thirst for the Word and Sacraments. With the Psalmist we say, “My soul thirsts for God,for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” God has provided the means to receive Him. So, Christians hunger and thirst for God’s Word, absolution, the Sacrament, etc. We have the certainty that God meets us and gives us what we need in His means of grace. The forgiveness Christ won for the world on the cross is applied to us personally by God through His Word and Sacraments. What a joy for us to know that where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. Thus, we believe that we cannot, by our own reason or strength, believe in Jesus Christ our Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel, enlightens us with His gifts, sanctiﬁes and keeps us in the true faith. In the same way, He calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctiﬁes the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all of our sins, and the sins of all believers. How does God cause us to respond to His Gospel? We love God because He ﬁrst loved us. Our Lord is at work in us both to will and to do what is pleasing to Him. Christians look to the Ten Commandments to know what is pleasing to God and wish to serve Him in gratitude for the great salvation that is theirs in Christ. From the Word of God we learn that God wants us to put Him ﬁrst, above any other person or thing, to respect His name and not misuse it, to hear and obey His Word. Children are to honor and obey their parents and others in authority. We are to look out for the welfare of others, doing nothing to hurt or harm our neighbor. We are to live sexually pure and decent lives, with husbands and wives loving and honoring each another. In looking out for our neighbor’s welfare and helping him to improve and protect his property and business, we are also to take care not to lie about our neighbor, but to help, support and defend him in every need, and, ﬁnally, we are to be content with what we have been given, and not want what is not ours. What a joyful privilege we have to serve God and others! He gives us the opportunity to bear witness to our faith through both our words and our deeds. How is the Gospel obscured? The Gospel is obscured by well-intentioned people who want to encourage a life of good works, and end up making Christians think that it is by their works that they are saved. This is a great danger. Through His Word and Sacraments, Jesus is constantly working in our lives to forgive our sins and strengthen our relationship with God. God always receives the credit for our salvation. He is the one working in us. This is not something we can do. Our good works are the result of God’s love in our hearts and lives. Our good works in this life do not save us, only Christ saves us. Works serve our neighbor and show to the world that we are grateful for God’s mercy in our lives. Another way the Gospel can be obscured is when too much emphasis is put on an emotional response to the Gospel. Some Christians believe that unless they have some sort of ecstatic, charismatic experience, or feel some sort of “spiritual high,” they are not really Christians. It is truly sad that some people look into their own hearts for the security that they are children of God, instead of putting their hope and trust in the objective work of Christ for them, and in the means God uses to come to them—His Word and Sacraments. If we ﬁnd ourselves beginning to ask, “Am I doing enough?” or thinking, “It doesn’t matter what I do, for God will forgive me anyway,” then we are at risk of losing Christ and His forgiveness. We look always to Jesus and put our hope and trust in Him. He is our Savior. And, that’s good news! All blessing, honor, thanks and praise to Father, Son and Spirit, the God who saved us by His grace. All glory to His merit! O triune God in heaven above, you have revealed your saving love. Your blessed name we hallow. — Dr. A. L. Barry President The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Seventh Sunday of Easter

READINGS
Acts 1:12–26
Matthias is added to the apostles.

Psalm 1
“The Lord knows the way of the righteous.”

1 John 5:9–15
“Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself.”

John 17:11b–19
“As You sent Me . . ., so I have sent them.”

Welcome to Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church!

We give thanks that the Gracious Lord Jesus Christ has gathered us together here for his Divine Service. Today again our Lord comes to serve us and lavish us with his gifts of life, forgiveness, and salvation. Rejoicing in those wonderful gifts, we sing with David in Psalm 84: “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! A day in your courts is better than a thousand Elsewhere.”

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Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church Prayer List

If you wish to add names, or continue to leave names on the list, please call the office. (512-443-4947)

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What about The Gospel?

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church (LCMS)