Grace Lutheran Church

555 SW Cashmere Blvd.

Port St. Lucie, FL 34986-2034

Office: 772-871-6599

Gracelutheranpsl@gmail.com

www.GraceLutheranPSL.com

Pastor Cris Escher

Email: cris@gracelutheranpsl.com

We are so happy that you are here with us today. Our desire is to be like another home for you. We encourage you to register your name on the fellowship pad which you will find at the end of the row where you are sitting. If you are new to Grace or to the area and are looking for a church home, we hope you will consider joining our family here at Grace. A Fellowship Hour is held after the Worship Service, and we invite you to stay for a few minutes so we can get acquainted.

THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION is celebrated in our Worship Service today. This meal is for Christ Followers who recognize their sinfulness and their need for Christ’s forgiveness and strength, and desire to live a new life in Christ. We receive this meal recognizing the presence of Christ in, with, and under the bread and the wine. Children who have not been instructed in the meaning of the Sacrament may come to the Lord’s Table with their parents for a blessing, but are asked to fold their arms across their chests to indicate they are to receive a blessing. All those who commune are asked to indicate their participation by marking the appropriate column in the Red Attendance Books as they are passed at the beginning of the Worship Service.

IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE SACRAMENT, the wine is made available in both the individual glasses and the common cup. Following the distribution of the bread, the individual cups will be offered. Then the common cup will be offered to those who do not have an individual cup in their hand. The acolyte will then gather the individual glasses. For those who have an intolerance to wine, grape juice is lighter colored in the individual communion glasses. Those who find it difficult to walk to the altar can be communed in the pew. Please inform the usher of your need.

ATTENDANCE BOOKS PLEASE BE SURE TO PASS ALONG THE RED ATTENDANCE BOOKS IN YOUR ROW AND ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO SIGN IT. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR MINISTRY OF CARE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.

Believe: Who He Is

Who is God? Have you ever thought about that question? If someone were to ask you, how would you answer. Perhaps you would say Jesus. Perhaps you would say creator. The list goes on endlessly. But how does God work? What is the relation of the Father to the Son and to the Holy Spirit? The Apostles’ Creed, written almost 2000 years ago, answers these questions and is still amazing to this day.

Today: How did Israel remember that God had saved them from slavery? They would give of their firstfruits and make sure the poor had food. What does this have to do with Pentecost?

(Asterisks (**) indicate that the people stand)

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty

Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee.

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!

God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,

Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea.

Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,

Which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee

Though the eye made blind by sin thy glory may not see,

Only thou art holy, there is none beside thee,

Perfect in pow’r, in love and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty!

All thy works shall praise thy name in earth, and sky, and sea.

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!

God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

Pastor: Praise the Lord! And blessed are those who revere His name,

PEOPLE: WHO TURN FROM EVIL AND DELIGHT IN HIS COMMANDMENTS.

Pastor: Their homes will be stocked with wealth and riches,

PEOPLE: AND THEIR LOVE FOR JUSTICE WILL ENDURE FOREVER.

Pastor: They give freely to the poor

PEOPLE: THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOR ALL TIME.

Taken from Psalm 112

** THE PASSING OF THE PEACE

Pastor: The peace of the Lord be with you all.

PEOPLE: AND ALSO WITH YOU.

(We greet one another with the handshake of peace and with the words

“The Peace of the Lord be with you.”)

Father, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.

Jesus, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.

Spirit, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.

THE CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

During Confession we take time to slow down and realize how we have lost God’s Great Story of goodness. We have served ourselves and our interests above God.

(Take a moment of silent reflection upon our need for God’s forgiveness)

Pastor: O Almighty God,

PEOPLE: WE CONFESS THAT WE HEAR THE GOOD NEWS BUT DO NOT ALWAYS LIVE IT OUT. WE FAIL TO TRUST YOUR KINGDOM COMING. FORGIVE US LORD. OPEN OUR HEARTS AND MINDS TO RECEIVE THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST IN OUR DAILY LIVES, THAT WE MIGHT LIVE ETERNALLY. IN THE NAME OF OUR SAVIOR WE PRAY. AMEN.

Pastor: The Story of Jesus is …….

There is new life everywhere. There is Good News everywhere. There is nothing lost that cannot be found, no dark place where light cannot shine, no awful past that cannot lead to a bright future. You are God’s beloved; you are a child of the resurrection. Live in the hope and promise of Christ. Your sins are forgiven, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

PEOPLE: AMEN.

** THE PRAYER OF THE DAY

Pastor: Almighty and merciful God,

Thank you for setting us free from slavery to sin and the condemnation of the law. Make us alive by Your Spirit, and ready to follow and serve You. For You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

PEOPLE: AMEN

THE FIRST LESSON Genesis 2:15-20

The authority to name something is unique to humanity. To name is to share in God’s creative act.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.

Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.

PEOPLE: THANKS BE TO GOD.

THE SECOND LESSON Galatians 5:16-26

Paul has been preaching about the call of God to freedom, As free people, the Spirit gives us the characteristics of Jesus, and for those who follow Him and live in the Spirit, these characteristics or fruits are a gift from God.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.

PEOPLE: THANKS BE TO GOD.

** THE HOLY GOSPEL Mark 11:12-14,20-26

The tree is “fully leafed out”—a stage that usually comes after figs are ripe and not before. Because the tree looks as though it ought to have fruit but doesn’t, it is a perfect illustration of people who believe they have the good fruit of righteousness even though their actions are void of true compassion and love, as empty and useless as leaves. And so Jesus curses the fig tree, not out of anger with the tree itself, but as a warning to hypocrites who think their appearance is more important than the fruit of their actions.

On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Pastor: The Gospel of the Lord

PEOPLE: PRAISE TO YOU, O CHRIST.

** THE APOSTLES’ CREED

SERMON HYMN “Glory Be to God the Father”

Glory be to God the Father,

Glory be to God the Son,

Glory be to God the Spirit;

Great Jehovah, Three in One!

Glory, Glory

While eternal ages run!

Glory be to Him who loved us,

Washed us from each spot and stain;

Glory be to Him who bought us,

Made us kings with Him to reign!

Glory, Glory

To the Lamb that once was slain!

Glory to the King of angels,

Glory to the Church’s King,

Glory to the King of nations;

Heav’n and earth, your praises bring!

Glory, glory

To the King of Glory sing!

Glory, blessing, praise eternal!

Thus the choir of angels sings;

Honor, riches, pow’r, dominion!

Thus its praise creation brings.

Glory, glory

Glory to the King of kings.

THE SERMON Pastor Cris Escher

Believe: First Fruits of the Spirit

Sermon Slides and Resources.

Deuteronomy 16

9 “You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. 10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. 11 And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there. 12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.

Leviticus 23

15 “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. 16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. 17 You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord. 18 And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 19 And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings.20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 And you shall make a proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.

22 “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”

Let the vineyards be fruitful, Lord,

And fill to the brim our cup of blessing.

Gather a harvest from the seeds that were sown,

That we may be fed with the bread of life.

Gather the hopes and the dreams of all;

Unite them with the prayers we offer now.

Grace our table with Your presence, and give us

A foretaste of the feast to come.

** THE PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH

(After each petition)

Pastor: . . . Lord, in your mercy,

PEOPLE: HEAR OUR PRAYER.

** THE LORD’S PRAYER

Pastor: The Lord be with you.

PEOPLE: AND ALSO WITH YOU.

Pastor: Lift up your hearts.

PEOPLE: WE LIFT THEM TO THE LORD.

Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

PEOPLE: IT IS RIGHT TO GIVE HIM THANKS AND PRAISE.

Pastor: The tree of life in the midst of the garden was the tree of our defeat.

Christ was lifted up on the tree of victory; and where life was lost, there life has been restored. And so we praise you ....

PEOPLE HOLY, HOLY, HOLY LORD, GOD OF POWER AND MIGHT,

HEAVEN AND EARTH ARE FULL OF YOUR GLORY.

HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST.

** THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION

THE DISTRIBUTION HYMNS

“The Lamb”

The Lamb, the Lamb, O Father, where’s the sacrifice?

Faith sees, believes, God will provide the Lamb of price! (REFRAIN)

WORTHY IS THE LAMB WHOSE DEATH MAKES ME HIS OWN!

THE LAMB IS REIGNING ON HIS THRONE!

The Lamb, the Lamb, One perfect final offering.

The Lamb, the Lamb, Let earth join heaven His praise to sing. (REFRAIN)

The Lamb, the Lamb, As wayward sheep their shepherd kill.

So still, His will, on our behalf the Law to fill. (REFRAIN)

He sighs, He dies, He takes my sin and wretchedness.

He lives, forgives, He gives me His own righteousness. (REFRAIN)

He rose, He rose, My heart with thanks now overflows.

His song prolong ‘Till ev’ry heart to Him belong. (REFRAIN)

“Blessed Assurance”

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

O what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

(CHORUS)

THIS IS MY STORY, THIS IS MY SONG,

PRAISING MY SAVIOR ALL THE DAY LONG;

THIS IS MY STORY, THIS IS MY SONG,

PRAISING MY SAVIOR ALL THE DAY LONG.

Perfect submission, perfect delight!

Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

Angels descending bring from above

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love. (CHORUS)

Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest;

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love. (CHORUS)

“Great is Thy Faithfulness”

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

CHORUS

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS! GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!

MORNING BY MORNING NEW MERCIES I SEE;

ALL I HAVE NEEDED THY HAND HATH PROVIDED

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, LORD, UNTO ME!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love. (CHORUS)

Pardon for sin, and a peace that endureth;

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide.

Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow;

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside. (CHORUS)

Pastor: May the God who breathed life into creation be your delight. May Christ Jesus give hope to your dreaming, and may the Holy Spirit, your advocate and supporter, set your hearts ablaze with a passion for peace.

PEOPLE: AMEN.

** THE CLOSING HYMN “Doxology”

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen

SENDING

Pastor: Go in peace. Serve the Lord.

PEOPLE: THANKS BE TO GOD.

Today June 11, 2017

Sunday School & Adult Bible Study 8:45 pm

Worship 10:00 am

Voters Meeting 11:00 am

Fellowship 11:15 am

Korean Church Worship 1:00 pm

This Week

AA Sunday, 7:30 pm

Via de Cristo @ Bocks home Monday, 6:30 pm

Adopt-a-Mile Tuesday, 8:30 am

Surviving Spouses Tuesday, 12:30 pm

Bible Study @Perkin’s Restaurant Thursday, 7:00 am

Mahjong Thursday, 12:00 noon

Korean Church Prayer Meeting Saturday, 6:00 am

NEW WOMEN’S COMMUNITY GROUP Beginning Sunday, June 25 at 7:00 pm in the home of Leigh Liagre, Leigh and Coli will begin a new women’s Bible study, fellowship, and prayer group. Email coliescher@gmail.com if you would like more information.

SUNDAY SCHOOL AND ADULT BIBLE CLASS will begin at 8:45 am. Students from grades 4 through 7 will be together in one class taught by Barbara Ruzicka. We will be using the children’s room. Friends are welcome. And of course, all adults are invited to participate in the Sunday Morning Adult Bible Class.

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS Austin Blizzard, 6/13; Corey Birtwell, 6/14; D Vik, 6/14.

ANNIVERSARIES George Tsikoudis & Susan Schill, 6/13 (25).

If we have missed your anniversary or birthday, please drop us a note

in the office or email us at Gracelutheranpsl@gmail.com.

THE FLOWERS adorning the altar this morning are given to the glory of God by Lois Danzo.

FLOWER CHART The flower chart continues to be posted on the bulletin board in the narthex. If you would like to order flowers to adorn the altar for a specific Sunday, please write your name on the appropriate line. The cost per Sunday is $27.00. We thank you for your help.

PRAYER LIST/CHAIN If you have family and/or friends you would like our members to include in our prayers, please submit their names in writing by completing one of the forms in the narthex or send an email to the church office at GraceLutheranPSL @gmail.com and title it “Prayer List”. Members of the “Prayer Chain” are listed on the bulletin board in the narthex. Thank you.

www.GraceLutheranpsl.com

Remember to check out our website and follow us on Facebook. They’re both “works-in-progress”, but the calendar and information on our website is updated constantly.