Midweek Vespers

March 25, 2020

439 O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken sts. 1–7

5 The sinless Son of God must die in sadness;

The sinful child of man may live in gladness;

Man forfeited his life and is acquitted;

God is committed.

6 There was no spot in me by sin untainted;

Sick with sin’s poison, all my heart had fainted;

My heavy guilt to hell had well-nigh brought me,

Such woe it wrought me.

7 O wondrous love, whose depth no heart hath sounded,

That brought Thee here, by foes and thieves surrounded!

All worldly pleasures, heedless, I was trying

While Thou wert dying. Text and tune: Public domain

Stand

Lenten Versicles LSB 229

+PSALMODY+

Psalm 4

1Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

You have given me relief when I was in distress.

Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

2O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?

How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?

3But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;

the LORD hears when I call to him.

4Be angry, and do not sin;

ponder in your own hearts on your beds and be silent.

5Offer right sacrifices,

and put your trust in the LORD.

6There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?

Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”

7You have put more joy in my heart

than they have when their grain and wine abound.

8In peace I will both lie down and sleep;

for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Sit

439 O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken sts. 8–15

12 I’ll think upon Thy mercy without ceasing,

That earth’s vain joys to me no more be pleasing;

To do Thy will shall be my sole endeavor

Henceforth forever.

13 Whate’er of earthly good this life may grant me,

I’ll risk for Thee; no shame, no cross, shall daunt me.

I shall not fear what foes can do to harm me

Nor death alarm me.

14 But worthless is my sacrifice, I own it;

Yet, Lord, for love’s sake Thou wilt not disown it;

Thou wilt accept my gift in Thy great meekness

Nor shame my weakness.

15 And when, dear Lord, before Thy throne in heaven

To me the crown of joy at last is given,

Where sweetest hymns Thy saints forever raise Thee,

I, too, shall praise Thee. Text and tune: Public domain

+READINGS+

First Reading 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

1And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to

you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and

him crucified. 3And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much

trembling, 4and my speech and my message were not in plausible

words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power

of God.

6Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a

wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to

pass away. 7But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which

God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8None of the rulers of this

age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the

Lord of glory. 9But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,

nor the heart of man imagined,

what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit

searches everything, even the depths of God. 11For who knows a

person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him?

So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of

God. 12Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the

Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely

given us by God. 13And we impart this in words not taught by human

wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those

who are spiritual.

14The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God,

for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them

because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual person judges

all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16“For who has

understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have

the mind of Christ.

P. O Lord, have mercy on us

C. Thanks be to God

Second Reading John 14:15–21

15[Jesus said:] “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be

with you forever, 17even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot

receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him,

for he dwells with you and will be in you.

18“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will

see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20In that day you will know

that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves

me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father,

and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

P. O Lord, have mercy on us

C. Thanks be to God

Responsory LSB 230

Sermon

+CANTICLE+

Stand

Antiphon page 231

Magnificat

Sit

Announcements

Offering

+PRAYER+

Kneel/Stand

Kyrie LSB 233

Lord’s Prayer page 233

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.

Collects LSB 233

P O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy, be gracious to all

who have gone astray from Your ways and bring them again

with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast

the unchangeable truth of Your Word; through Jesus Christ,

Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy

Spirit, one God, now and forever.

P Almighty God, heavenly Father, give us grace to trust You

during this time of great distress. In mercy put an end to the

coronavirus epidemic that is afflicting many people around the

world.

Grant relief to those who are suffering, and comfort to those

who mourn the death of loved ones. Sustain all medical

personnel who are attending to the sick and bless the efforts of

those who are working tirelessly to discover a treatment for this

disease. Grant perseverance to all who are impacted, who suffer

financially, and whose vocations provide food, education,

and other functions of society. Grant communion to us in our

isolation and uplift the lonely as we are united in the Body of

Christ. In these times of affliction and distress, strengthen us by

Your Word and Spirit to continue steadfast in the one, true,

saving faith; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our suffering Lord

and Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

C Amen

L O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels,

and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which

the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Your

commandments and also that we, being defended from the fear

of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus

Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and

the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen. Stand

Benedicamus LSB 234

Benediction LSB 234

888 O Gladsome Light, O Grace

Text and tune: Public domain

Acknowledgments

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a

publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2018 Concordia Publishing House.

Serving Our Lord in His House Today:

Pastor: Rev. David Wurdeman

Organist: Linda Ecker

Elders: Clarence Salzman & Bob Pulley