St Paul’s

Evangelical Lutheran Church

313 4th Street, Manistee, MI 49660

website: StPaulsManistee.com

facebook: SPLCManistee

Pastor Dennis Himm (810) 252-5821

April 6, 2025 Lent 5

HIDING TREASURE IN THE TRASH

WELCOME

HYMN 125 “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”

– please stand for last stanza

SERVICE OF WORD & SACRAMENT - page 26

PRAYER OF THE DAY:

Eternal God and Father, help us to remember Jesus, who obeyed your will and bore the cross for our salvation that through his anguish, pain, and death we may receive forgiveness of sins and inherit eternal life; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Sing) Amen.

FIRST LESSON: Isaiah 43:16-21

Isaiah prophesied that the nation of Babylon would trash Judah and carry them into captivity. Isaiah also prophesied that this would produce the treasure of spiritual renewal.

16 This is what the LORD says, who makes a road through the sea and a path through mighty waters, 17 who brings out the chariot and the horses, the army and the strong warrior. They will all lie down together. They will not get up. They are extinguished. Like a wick they go out. 18 Do not remember the former things. Do not keep thinking about ancient things. 19Watch, I am about to do a new thing. Now it will spring up. Don’t you know about it? Indeed I will make a road in the wilderness. In the wasteland I will make rivers. 20 The wild animals, the jackals and ostriches, will honor me, because I am providing water in the wilderness, rivers in a parched waste-land, water for my chosen people to drink. 21 This people that I formed for myself will declare my praise.

P: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

PSALM 73 – page 94

SECOND LESSON: Philippians 3:4b-14

St. Paul views as trash what most consider to be treasure and treasures what most consider to be trash.

4b If anyone else thinks that he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6in regard to zeal, persecuting the church; in regard to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. 7 But, whatever things were a profit for me, these things I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. 8 But even more than that, I consider everything to be a loss because of what is worth far more: knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I have lost all things and consider them rubbish, so that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, which comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God by faith. 10 I do this so that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, 11 in the hope that in some way I may arrive at the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus also took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it yet, but there is one thing I do: Forgetting the things that are behind and straining toward the things that are ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

P: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

VERSE OF THE DAY:

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

GOSPEL: Luke 20:9-19

God the Father sent his Son into the world knowing the world would consider Jesus trash, even though Jesus is the precious cornerstone upon which God builds his house.

9 He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to some tenant farmers, and went away on a journey for a long time. 10When it was the right time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenant farmers beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. 11 The man went ahead and sent yet another servant, but they also beat him, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty handed. 12 He then sent yet a third. They also wounded him and threw him out. 13 The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my son, whom I love. Perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 But when the tenant farmers saw him, they talked it over with one another. They said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. So what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “May it never be!” 17 But he looked at them and said, “Then what about this that is written: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone? 18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush the one on whom it falls.” 19 That very hour the chief priests and the experts in the law began looking for a way to lay hands on him, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.

P: The Gospel of the Lord.

C: (sung) Praise be to you, O Christ!

HYMN 349 “Jesus, Priceless Treasure”

SERMON: Philippians 3:4b-14

Know the Difference Between Trash & Treasure

NICENE CREED - page 31

PRAYERS & LORD’S PRAYER (traditional)

COMMUNION LITURGY - pages 33-35

Because God’s Word clearly teaches the Real Presence of Christ body and blood, and the fellowship connected with the Lord’s Supper, we kindly request that only WELS and ELS communicant members receive this Sacrament. For more information, please contact Pastor Himm.

COMMUNION DISTRIBUTION

THANK THE LORD & PRAYER - page 36

BLESSING (sung) Amen. Amen. Amen.

HYMN 316 “O Jesus, Blessed Lord, to Thee”

WELS Connection

ANNOUNCEMENTS & REFRESHMENTS

THANKOFFERING BASKET BY DOOR

The members of St Paul's & the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) have joined together to do the Lord’s work here and around the world. Our guests may but are not expected to participate in this offering which supports our church’s ministry.

PLEASE SIGN OUR GUEST BOOK IF YOU ARE VISITING.

It’s located in the entryway by the stairs going to the basement.

WEDNESDAY LENTEN WORSHIP – April 9 at 1:30 pm at Redeemer Lutheran in Scottville. Lunch will be served at 12:30 pm.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH: Pastor Himm offers a free, no obligation class to help you grow in faith and Bible knowledge, or to become a communicant member of St. Paul’s. Contact Pastor Himm to set up a convenient time to meet for a class designed for you.

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version ® (EHV ®)