In fear and tribulation.

O hear and grant our fervent plea:

Come, mighty judge, and set us free

From death and ev’ry evil. Public domain

Acknowledgments

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy

Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway

Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All

rights reserved.

Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2006 Concordia Publishing

House.

Prayer before Church on the Beatitudes of Revelation

September 29th, 2013

Revelation

Liturgy

A service designed from

the liturgical responses

of the book of Revela-

tion in celebration of the

Feast of St. Michael

and All Angels.

Prayer before Church on the Beatitudes of Revelation Lord Jesus, in the Book of Revelation, You called blessed those who read aloud Your words and those who hear and keep what is writ-ten; You called blessed those who die in the Lord from now on for they rest from their labors; You called blessed those who stay awake and those invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb; You called blessed those who share in the first resurrection; and You called blessed those who wash their robes in Your blood; So bless us to take to heart Your warnings and Your promises, that we may joyfully greet Your return; for You are the Father’s Son, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit ever reign, one God, now and forever. Prayer before Church on the Promises of Christ to the Overcomers Lord Jesus, You promised to the one who overcomes that we shall eat from the Tree of Life in God’s paradise; we shall not be hurt by the second death; You shall give us of the hidden manna and a white stone and a secret name; You will give us authority to rule the nations with an iron scepter and the morning star; that we would be dressed in white and not have our names blotted from the Book of Life; You would confess our names before Your Father and His angels; You would place us as a pillar in God’s temple and give us Your holy name; and that You would grant us to sit with You on Your throne; In view of such great promises, help us to repent and to remain faithful to You in the midst of our tribulations, that we may receive from Your hand the blessings You long to bestow; for You live and reign with the Father and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

511 Herald, Sound the Note of Judgment LSB 511

508 The Day Is Surely Drawing Near LSB 508

5 My Savior paid the debt I owe

And for my sin was smitten;

Within the Book of Life I know

My name has now been written.

I will not doubt, for I am free,

And Satan cannot threaten me;

There is no condemnation!

6 May Christ our intercessor be

And through His blood and merit

Read from His book that we are free

With all who life inherit.

Then we shall see Him face to face,

With all His saints in that blest place

Which He has purchased for us.

7 O Jesus Christ, do not delay,

But hasten our salvation;

We often tremble on our way

Nunc Dimittis LSB 211

Post-Communion Collect

P Gracious God, our heavenly Father, You have given us a foretaste of

the feast to come in the Holy Supper of Your Son's body and

blood. Keep us firm in the true faith throughout our days of pil-

grimage that, on the day of His coming, we may, together with all

Your saints, celebrate the marriage feast o the Lamb in His king-

dom which has no end; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now

and forever.

C Amen.

Benediction LSB 212

P The Lord bless you and keep you.

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

The Lord look upon you with favor and T give you peace.

C Amen.

© 1977 Moir A. J. Waters. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License .NET, no. 100012729. © 1975 Stainer admin. Hope Publishing Co. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License .NET, no. 100012729.

Invocation From Revelation 1:4-5

P "Grace to you and peace from Him Who is and who was and who

is to come, and from the sevenfold Spirit Who is before His

throne, and from Jesus Christ T the faithful witness, the firstborn

of the dead, and the ruler of the kings on earth."

C Amen

Jesus amid the seven lampstands with the seven stars

Exhortation and Confession From Revelation 2::2-5, 3:3, 2:10

P Jesus said, "I know your works, your toil and your patient endur-

ance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil; I know

your tribulation and your poverty; But I have this against you: you

have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore

from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at

first. Remember then what you received and heard. Keep it, and

repent. Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the

churches."

C God be merciful to me, a sinner. Forgive my sins and blot out

all of my iniquity for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our

Lord.

P Upon this your confession, I by virtue of my office as a called and

ordained servant of Christ announce the grace of God unto all of

you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus

Christ forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of

the Son T and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

941 We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God LSB 941

© 1999 Stephen P. Starke. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License .NET, no. 100012729. Public domain

Salutation and Collect From Revelation 1:1

676 Behold a Host, Arrayed in White From Revelation 7

Public domain

7 Easter triumph, Easter joy!

This alone can sin destroy;

From sin’s pow’r, Lord, set us free,

Newborn souls in You to be.

Alleluia!

8 Father, who the crown shall give,

Savior, by whose death we live,

Spirit, guide through all our days:

Three in One, Your name we praise.

Alleluia!

Public domain

Distribution

639 Wide Open Stand the Gates From Revelation 20

© 2002 GIA Publications, Inc. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License .NET, no. 100012729. Public domain

P Let us pray,

P To Him Who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb, Who sent Your

angels to Your servant John to reveal to us what is to come; to

encourage us to remain faithful under the attacks of Satan until

Your return: strengthen us by the power of Your Word, to hear it,

read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest it, that we might be blessed

by You in the world to come and the we might be a faithful wit-

ness to Your Gospel while there is still time; through Jesus Christ,

the Father's Son, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Him and the

Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

812 Come, Let Us Join Our Cheerful Songs LSB 812

The child and the woman escaping the dragon

Regarding the victory of Christ over Satan at the crucifixion Revelation 12:1–9; 20:1–15

1And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with

the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2She was

pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with

seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4His tail swept

down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the

dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when

she bore her child he might devour it. 5She gave birth to a male child, one

who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to

God and to his throne, 6and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she

has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. 7Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the

dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8but he was defeated

and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9And the great dragon

was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the

deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his an-

gels were thrown down with him. 1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the

key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2And he seized the dragon, that

ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand

years, 3and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that

he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were

ended. After that he must be released for a little while. 4Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority

to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been be-

headed for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not

worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their fore-

heads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand

years. 5The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were

ended. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is the one who shares in

the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will

be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand

years. 7And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his

prison 8and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners

of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like

the sand of the sea. 9And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth

and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came

down from heaven and consumed them, 10and the devil who had deceived

them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false

prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his

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 tres-

pass 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.

633 At the Lamb's High Feast We Sing LSB 633

5 Mighty Victim from the sky,

Hell’s fierce pow’rs beneath You lie;

You have conquered in the fight,

You have brought us life and light.

Alleluia!

6 Now no more can death appall,

Now no more the grave enthrall;

You have opened paradise,

And Your saints in You shall rise.

Alleluia!

Sanctus LSB 178

The Words of Our Lord

P Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took

bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to

the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My T body, which is given

for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”

P In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had

given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you;

this cup is the new testament in My T blood, which is shed for

you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in

remembrance of Me.”

Proclamation of Christ From 1 Corinthians 11 & Revelation 22:20

P As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the

Lord's death until He comes.

C Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

P O Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, in giving us Your body

and blood to eat and to drink, You lead us to remember and con-

fess Your holy cross and passion, Your blessed death, Your rest in

the tomb, Your resurrection from the dead, Your ascension into

heaven, and Your coming for the final judgment. So remember us

in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:

presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12And I

saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were

opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the

dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they

had done. 13And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades

gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of

them, according to what they had done. 14Then Death and Hades were

thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15And if

anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into

the lake of fire.

Reading Response

C "Worthy [is the Lamb] to take the scroll and to open its seals,

for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people

for God

from every tribe and language and people and nation,

and You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,

and they shall reign on earth!"

Michael throws down the ancient serpent

Regarding the battle between Satan and the Saints before

Christ's return Revelation 12:13–17; 13:5–10 13And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he

pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14But the woman

was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the

serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a

time, and times, and half a time. 15The serpent poured water like a river out of

his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. 16But the earth

came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swal-

lowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17Then the

dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest

of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to

the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea. 5And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous

words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6It

opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name

and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7Also it was allowed to

make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over

every tribe and people and language and nation, 8and all who dwell on earth

will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foun-

dation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. 9If anyone

has an ear, let him hear:

10If anyone is to be taken captive,

to captivity he goes;

if anyone is to be slain with the sword,

with the sword must he be slain.

Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

Reading Response

C "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our

God

and the authority of His Christ have come,

for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down,

who accuses them day and night before our God.

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony,

Jesus returns on the white horse to battle the forces of Satan

Preface Prayer From Revelation 19:6-8

C "Hallelujah! For the LORD our God the Almighty reigns! Let us

rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of

the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; it

was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and

pure! Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage sup-

per of the Lamb!

P Let us pray,

We bless You and praise You, O LORD of heaven and earth, for

You have ransomed us from every nation, tribe, people, and lan-

guage by the blood of the Lamb, Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.

As we await His return to judge the living and the dead, He has

promised to give us a foretaste of that great feast to come in His

own body and blood, broken and poured out for us for the for-

giveness of sins. So strengthen our hearts and lift up our voices

that we may join with the voices of angels and archangels and all

the company of heaven in the eternal song of praise to You, O

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:

We All Believe From Revelation 4, 5, and 21

1 We all believe in one true God,

The Father worthy to be praised

For each creation day by day.

Angels and saints, Your song now raise!

We worship the LORD who made heaven and earth,

Our Father who art in heaven,

Whose love sent His Son to give life to His world;

To bring us back to Him.

2 We all believe in Jesus Christ,

The Father's Son, the holy Lamb,

Who came from heaven to be slain;

Born so to raise us up again.

We worship the LORD who is worthy of praise,

Whose blood ransomed men for God.

Who rose from the grave and is coming again

To bring us back to God.

3 We all confess the Holy Ghost,

The Spirit from the Father, Son;

Who speaks the Faith into our hearts

And unifies the Church in One.

We worship the LORD, sanctifier of men,

He Who calls out with the Bride,

"Come, thirsty ones, come, drink new life from the dead,

The water from His side." Public domain

Offering

Prayers of the Church

Preface This is the Feast, LSB 155

for they loved not their lives even unto death.

Therefore rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them!

But woe to you, O earth and sea,

for the devil has come down to you in great wrath,

because he knows that his time is short."

Regarding the Last Day when Christ returns to judge the living

and the dead Revelation 14:14–20; 20:10—21:8 14Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one

like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his

hand. 15And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice

to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap

has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16So he who sat on the

cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a

sharp sickle. 18And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has

authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the

sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the

earth, for its grapes are ripe.” 19So the angel swung his sickle across the earth

and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great wine-

press of the wrath of God. 20And the winepress was trodden outside the city,

and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600

stadia. 10and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and

sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented

day and night forever and ever. 11Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his

presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12And I

saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were

opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the

dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they

had done. 13And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades

gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of

them, according to what they had done. 14Then Death and Hades were

thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15And if

anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into

the lake of fire. 1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first

earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city,

new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride

adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and

they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4He

will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither

shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things

have passed away.” 5And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things

new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and

true.” 6And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the be-

ginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of

life without payment. 7The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he

will be my son.” 8But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the

sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the

lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Reading Response

C "We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty,

Who is and who was,

for You have taken Your great power and begun to reign!

The nations raged, but Your wrath came,

and the time for the dead to be judged,

and for rewarding Your servants, the prophets and saints,

and those who fear Your name, both small and great,

and for destroying the destroyers of the earth!"

521 Christ, the Lord of Hosts, Unshaken LSB 521

5 Swift as lightning falls the tyrant

From his heav’nly perch on high,

As the word of Jesus’ vict’ry

Floods the earth and fills the sky.

Wounded by a wound eternal

Now his judgment has drawn nigh!

6 Jesus, send Your angel legions

When the foe would us enslave.

Hold us fast when sin assaults us;

Come, then, Lord, Your people save.

Overthrow at last the dragon;

Send him to his fiery grave. © Peter M. Prange. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License .NET, no. 100012729.

© 1967 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License .NET, no. 100012729.

Sermon

The heavenly Jerusalem coming down on the clouds