St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
313 4th Street, Manistee, MI 49660
www.StPaulsManistee.com
facebook.com/SPLCManistee
Pastor Dennis Himm (810) 252-5821
April 21, 2024 4th Sunday of Easter “The Risen Savior Provides Good Shepherding”
WELCOME
HYMN 360 “The Lord’s My Shepherd; I’ll Not Want”
(Please stand for last stanza)
SERVICE OF THE WORD - pages 38-44
PRAYER OF THE DAY:
O Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Good Shepherd who laid down your life for the sheep. Lead us now to the still waters of your life-giving Word that we may abide in your Father’s house forevermore; for you live and reign with him and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Sing) Amen.
FIRST LESSON: Acts 20:28-32
The good shepherd asks his sub-shepherds to keep watch over the flock.
28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,[a] which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. 32 Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
P: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
PSALM 23 – page 72
SECOND LESSON: 1 John 4:1-6
St. John encourages us to test all those who claim to have a spiritual message. Not all such individuals have been sent by God.
1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
P: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
VERSE OF THE DAY:
Alleluia. Alleluia. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me. Alleluia.
(Sing) Alleluia.....page 40
GOSPEL: John 10:11-18
Jesus explains why he is the good shepherd.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
P: The Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise be to you, O Christ!
HYMN 375 “The King of Love My Shepherd Is”
SERMON: John 10:11-18
Jesus Is Truly the Good Shepherd
APOSTLES’ CREED - page 4
PRAYER
LORD’S PRAYER
HYMN 515 “Shepherd of Tender Youth”
PRAYER - page 43
C: Amen. (sung)
BLESSING - page 443
C: Amen. Amen. Amen. (sung)
HYMN 432 “I Am Jesus' Little Lamb”
ANNOUNCEMENTS & REFRESHMENTS
THANKOFFERING BASKET BY DOOR
The members of St Paul's have joined together to do the Lord’s work in this area and around the world. Our guests may but are not expected to participate in this offering which supports our church’s ministry.
CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING after refreshments today.
REMEMBER: St. Paul’s offers Sunday School for children and Bible Class for adults before each Sunday service at 9 am. All are invited to grow in God’s Word.
SERVING TODAY
Pastor Dennis Himm
Organist Kay Himm
Common Service © 1993 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved.
All Scripture readings are from the NIV 2011. Used by permission.