Twelfth Sunday of Easter                                                               August 31, 2003

SALEM  EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCH

10   McClellan  Circle  -  Buffalo, New York

Phone:  824-2787

(e-mail: salemoncircle@yahoo.com)

website:  www.salembuffalo.com

Rev. David F. C. Wurster, Ph.D.  -  Pastor  -  825-3253

Rev. Richard E. Blemaster, Pastor Emeritus

No Sunday School & Bible Classes . . . will resume September 7

Worship  .  .  .  .  9:30 a.m.

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ORDER  OF  WORSHIP

G A T H E R I N G

HYMN  -  “All People That On Earth Do Dwell”

      1.   All people that on earth do dwell,

            Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;

            Him serve with mirth, his praise forthtell;

            Come ye before him and rejoice.

      2.   Know that the Lord is God indeed;

            Without our aid he did us make.

            We are his folk, he doth us feed,

            And for his sheep he doth us take.

      5.   To Father, Son and Holy Ghost,

            The God whom heav’n and earth adore,

            From us and from the angel host

            Be praise and glory evermore.

INVOCATION  -

Pastor:     In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

People:               Amen.

Pastor:     Your Word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

People:   Your faithfulness continues through all generations; You

               established the earth, and it endures.

Pastor:     Your Laws endure to this day, for all things serve You.

People:   If Your Law had not been my delight, I would have perished

               in my affliction.

Pastor:     I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have preserved

               my life.

People:   Save me, for I am Yours; I have sought out Your precepts.

Pastor:     The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder Your

               statutes.

People:   To all perfection I see a limit; but Your commands are

               boundless.

CONFESSION  AND  ABSOLUTION

Pastor:     Jesus is the Bread of Life, come down from heaven to give life to the

               world.                                                                                                             John 6:33

People:   If we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive

               our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.                   1 John 1:9

Pastor:     Jesus, the Bread of life, invites us to come to Him for life and

               salvation.                                                                 

                    (silence for reflection)

               O Jesus, living Bread from heaven,

People:   We confess to You that we are by nature sinful.  We have sinned

               against You in thoughts, words, and actions.  We have grumbled

               and complained.  We have lived a life of impurity, ignorance, and

               futility whenever we have forgotten You.  forgive us our sins.

Pastor:     Your sins are forgiven!  Through Him, you have been re-created to be

               like God in righteousness and holiness.  Therefore, as a called and

               ordained servant of the Word, I announce the grace of God to all of

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

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

               of the Holy Spirit.

People:               Thanks be to God!  Amen.

INTROIT  &  GLORIA  PATRI  (insert)  -  sung  by  all 

KYRIE/HYMN OF PRAISE  - 

      Sing gloria to heav’n’s high King;

      And peace on earth God’s rule will bring.

      We glorify, praise, and adore

      Our blessed God forevermore.

      We thank You for Your glorious reign,

      Almighty Father, strong to save.

COLLECT  OF  THE  DAY  -  read by all  -  (insert)

      (Announcements and Children’s  Message)

T H E   W O R D

OLD  TESTAMENT  (insert)  -  I Kings 19:4-8

GRADUAL  (insert)  -  spoken  by  all

EPISTLE  (insert)  -  Ephesians 4:30 – 5:2

      (VERSE) – “The Lord’s My Shepherd, Leading Me” –

1.   The Lord’s my shepherd, leading me to pastures newly green;

      Deep flow the waters of his care, His mercies unforeseen.

      He loves me so, he leads me to His pastures gently green.

2.   My hungry soul he fills again with manna from above;

      He sets my footsteps right again in pathways of his love.

      For his name’s sake he nurtures me with manna from above.

GOSPEL (insert)  John 6:41-51

HYMN  OF  THE  DAY - “When Morning Gilds the Skies”

1.   When morning gilds the skies, my heart awaking cries:

      May Jesus Christ be praised!  When evening shadows fall,

      This rings my curfew call:  May Jesus Christ be praised!

2.   When mirth for music longs, this is my song of songs:

      May Jesus Christ be praised!  God’s holy house of prayer

      Has none that can compare with “Jesus Christ be praised!”

5.   Let all of humankind in this their concord find:

      May Jesus Christ be praised!  Let all the earth around

      Ring joyous with the sound:  May Jesus Christ be praised!

6.   Sing, sun and stars of space, sing, all who see his face,

      Sing, “Jesus Christ be praised!”  God’s whole creation o’er,

      Today and evermore shall Jesus Christ be praised!

SERMON  -  “Small Town Vision”  -  John 6:41-51

CREED  -  Apostles  Creed  (rise)  -    

      I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

        And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.  He descended into hell.  The third day he rose again from the dead.  He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.  From thence he will come 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.

THE  PEACE  OF  THE  LORD  AND  GREETINGS

OFFERING  -  Duet:  Melissa Banas & Joanne Kushka – “Sanctuary”  --

      Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true;

      With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living sanctuary for You.

“This Is My Commandment”

      This is my commandment that you love one another,

      That your joy may be full.    (Repeat)

      That your joy may be full.  (Repeat)

      This is my commandment that you trust one another . . . .

OFFERTORY – “God of Grace and God of Glory”

1.   God of grace and God of glory, on your people pour your pow’r;

      Crown your ancient church’s story; bring its bud to glorious flow’r.

      Grant us wisdom, grant us courage

      For the facing of this hour, for the facing of this hour.

4.   Save us from weak resignation to the evils we deplore;

      Let the gift of your salvation be our glory evermore. 

      Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,

      Serving you whom we adore, serving you whom we adore.

S E N D I N G

PRAYERS  FOR  TODAY’S  NEEDS  AND  MISSIONS

(Leader: Let us pray to the Lord: -

Congregation:  Lord, have mercy)

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

BENEDICTION 

HYMN  -  “My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less”

1.   My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

      No merit of my own I claim but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

      REFRAIN:  On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;

                          All other ground is sinking sand.

2.   When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace;

      In ev’ry high and stormy gale my anchor holds within the veil.

      REFRAIN.

3.   His oath, his covenant, his blood sustain me in the raging flood;

      When all supports are washed away, He then is all my hope and stay.

      REFRAIN.

4.   When he shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in him be

            found,

      Clothed in his righteousness alone, redeemed to stand before the throne!

      REFRAIN.

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ASSISTANTS  IN  TODAY’S  WORSHIP

Officiant  . .  .  Rev. David F. C. Wurster, Ph. D.                        Lector  . . . Melissa Banas

Organist  .  .  .  Lois L. Jones                       Welcomers  . . . Russ Alessi Jr. & Carl Radtke

Acolytes  .  .  .  Bernie Bruenn & Jeremy Calzone           Prayer  Leader  . . Claire Carlson

Ushers  .  .  .  .  Richard  Landseadel,  Stephen  Jarmusz  Jr.,  Stephen  Jarmusz  Sr.,

                         George  Merkt,  Rose  Ann  Merkt

Altar  .  .  .  .  .  Kim  Alessi,  Sally  McAlpine,  Fran  Wiedemann

FLOWERS  -  Are given by Norbert Bialo in memory of wife, Elsie,, whose birthday

                          was September 1.

SICK  -  Harold Pollinger;

BIRTHDAY  -  Dorothy Metzler’s 90^th this Saturday.

ANNIVERSARY  -  Michael & Barbara Turner’s 5^th this Saturday.

NEXT  SUNDAY   -   Sunday School and Bible Classes at 9:00 a.m.; Worship Service

                                     at 10:30, with the Installation of our new Director of Christian Growth; Sunday School teachers and officers  -  RALLY DAY.

THIS  -  Mon. – OFFICE  CLOSED;  Tues. – 7:00, Acolyte Training;  Wed.  -  11:00, WEEK   Staff meeting;  Thurs.  -  9:30, Bible Study; 12:00 – Golden Agers