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Bethany Lutheran Church Long Beach, California

(562) 421-4711

4th SUNDAY OF EASTER + + + MAY 3, 2020

+ God Gathers Us In His Presence + WELCOME INVOCATION:

Leader: In the name of the Father and of the Son+ and of the Holy Spirit. People: Amen. Leader: Christ is Risen! People: He is Risen Indeed! Leader: The prophets, poets and apostles alike captured our condition quite well: - We all like sheep have gone astray… (Isaiah 53) - We have strayed like lost sheep… (Psalm 119) - We were like sheep going astray… (I Peter 2:25)

And so, we too confess that we have gone astray and sinned in thought word and deed, and we further confess that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition.

People: O Most merciful God, I confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.

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AGNUS DEI:

Leader: His peace is yours! For in mercy God, our heavenly Father, has given His Son, His Lamb, to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins! Now the Lamb, who is the Shepherd of your soul, increase in you true knowledge of Him and His will and true obedience to His Word that You might follow Him all the days of your life and into life everlasting. People: Amen.

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OPENING HYMN: “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” LSB 709

5 Thou spreadst a table in my sight; Thine unction grace bestoweth; And, oh, what transport of delight From Thy pure chalice floweth!

6 And so through all the length of days

Thy goodness faileth never; Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise Within Thy house forever!

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+ God Gives Us the Gift of His Word + PSALM OF THE DAY: Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. – NIV ® THE HOLY GOSPEL: John 10:1-10, 14, 15b, & 16b

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what He was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full... “I am the good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me... and I lay down My life for the sheep... there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. – NIV ®

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APOSTLE’S CREED:

(* catholic means the universal Christian Church)

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy *catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

+ We Give Thanks for God’s Word + OFFERING:

If you so desire, Text Giving is now available. Text GIVE to 562-210-0463. Thank you!

VOLUNTARY PRAYERS: (Congregational Response, "Lord, have mercy.") Leader: Dear Lord, You are God’s own Son who has taught us to pray: People: 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.

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CHILDREN'S MESSAGE SERMON HYMN: “I Am Jesus' Little Lamb” LSB 740

MESSAGE: “The Shepherd Who Is the Lamb... The Lamb Who Is the Shepherd”

+ God Sends Us Forth for Lives of Love and Service +

THE BLESSING

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+ + + + + + ARE YOU RECEIVING THE BETHANY BULLET?

If you would like to receive the Bethany Bullet please email Aimee Coleman (acoleman@bethanylutheran.org) with your name and email address. The Bethany Bullet is a weekly capsule of worship highlights and big information that your brain may or may not have 'downloaded' from the prior Sunday. The purpose is to bolster you in faith, build you up in the key Biblical themes shared the previous Sunday in worship, to bring to mind the important issues on Bethany's plate and to broaden your awareness of opportunities of service to your Lord, your church, and your community. Tell a friend about the Bethany Bullet! COPYRIGHTS:

Liturgy (or the appropriate portion thereof) from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission. License #000012696. “Agnus Dei” LSB 163 “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” LSB 709 Text: Henry W. Baker, 1821-77. Tune: Irish, c. 18th.; setting: Service Book and Hymnal, 1958. Text and music: Public Domain. “I Am Jesus' Little Lamb” LSB 740 Text: Henrietta L. von Hayn, 1724-82; tr. The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941. Tune: Choral-Buch... Bruder-Gemeinen, Leipzig, 1784; setting: Ewald Weiss, 1906-98. Text and music: Public Domain. Setting: © 1984 Bavarian Lutheran Church.