THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORDMAY 24, 2020

GATHERINGThe Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God.

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESSP:  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.C: AmenP:  Almighty God . . . through Jesus Christ our Lord.C: AmenP:  Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.

P:  Most merciful God,C: we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. AmenP: In the mercy . . . in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  C: Amen.

1

GATHERING HYMN

GREETING The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  And also with you.

KYRIEIn peace, let us pray to the Lord.Lord, have mercy.For the peace from above,and for our salvation,let us pray to the Lord.Lord, have mercy.For the peace of the whole world,for the well-being of the Church of God,and for the unity of all,let us pray to the Lord.Lord, have mercy.For this holy house,and for all who offer here their worship and praise,let us pray to the Lord.Lord, have mercy.Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.Amen.

ELW 650

2

PRAYER OF THE DAY Let us pray. Almighty God, your only Son was taken into the heavens and in your presence intercedes for us. Receive us and our prayers for all the world, and in the end bring everything into your glory, through Jesus Christ, our Sovereign and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

WORD God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching, and song.

First Reading: Acts 1:1-11 A reading from Acts     [Luke writes:] 1In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning 2until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; 5for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”  6So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 931The LORD is king, robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength. The LORD has made the world so sure that it cannot be moved.2Ever since the world began, your throne has been established; you are from everlasting.3The waters have lifted up, O LORD, the waters have lifted up their voice; the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.4Mightier than the sound of many waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea, mightier is the LORD who dwells on high.5Your testimonies are very sure, and holiness befits your house, O LORD, forever and forevermore.

3

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23A reading from Ephesians     15I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Gospel: Luke 24:44-53The holy gospel according to St. Luke.Glory to you, O Lord.     44[Jesus said to the eleven and those with them,] “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.”45Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”  50Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. 52And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53and they were continually in the temple blessing God.The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

4

CHILDREN'S TIME Pr. Megan Hoewisch

SERMON Pr. Megan Hoewisch

HYMN OF THE DAYELW 579

5

APOSTLES' CREEDI believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,he is seated at the right hand of the Father,and 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.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

OFFERINGCollection plates are in the narthex. Please drop your offering in them on your way out.

For those listening to KOJM: at this time, we invite you to get out your checkbooks. Our address is P. O. Box 66, Havre, MT 59501.

OFFERING HYMN We Are an OfferingWe lift our voices, we lift our hands, We lift our lives up to you: we are an offering.Lord, use our voices, Lord use our hands, Lord use our lives, they are yours: we are an offering.All that we have, all that we are,All that we hope to be, we give to you, we give to you.We lift our voices, we lift our hands, we lift our lives up to you: We are an offering, we are an offering.

6

OFFERING PRAYER Let us pray together: Blessed are you, O God, ruler of heaven and earth. Day by day you shower us with blessings. As you have raised us to new life in Christ, give us glad and generous hearts, ready to praise you and to respond to those in need, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

THANKSGIVING FOR THE WORD Let us pray.  Praise and thanks to you, holy God, for by your Word you made all things: you spoke light into darkness, called forth beauty from chaos, and brought life into being. For your Word of life, O God,we give you thanks and praise.By your Word you called your people Israel to tell of your wonderful gifts: freedom from captivity, water on the desert journey, a pathway home from exile, wisdom for life with you. For your Word of life, O God,we give you thanks and praise.Through Jesus, your Word made flesh, you speak to us and call us to witness: forgiveness through the cross, life to those entombed by death, the way of your self-giving love. For your Word of life, O God,we give you thanks and praise.Send your Spirit of truth, O God; rekindle your gifts within us: renew our faith, increase our hope, and deepen our love, for the sake of a world in need. Faithful to your Word, O God, draw near to all who call on you; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever. Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER ELW p. 112Our 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 thosewho trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

7

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

SENDING BLESSING

SENDING SONG

DISMISSAL AND MISSION STATEMENTWe go forth in faith, sharing God’s love,

In kindness serving all.

ELW 855

8

Be at peace. Share the good news.Thanks be to God. Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTSNew Worship Guidelines Moving forward, our services will be in person, on Facebook, and on KOJM Radio. If there is a spike in COVID cases, we will move back to Radio and Facebook only.  Worship will look a little different, too: 

Everyone will come in and go out through the front doors to reduce traffic in tight hallways. 

Every other pew will be roped off and we ask that you sit 6 ft. away from anyone else in the pew who is not part of your family. 

Masks: Studies have shown that singing propels our germs up to 26 feet, so we ask that only folks with masks participate in singing. However, everyone will be allowed into the service, whether or not you have a mask. We will have some clean homemade masks for people to take if you don't have your own. 

If you need to use the restroom, please use the stairway in the narthex by the front door, and sanitize your hands going down and going up the stairs. There will be sanitizer at the base of these stairs.

There will be no coffee hour in the Fellowship Hall. Even with these changes, we are looking forward to worshiping together!

Pianist:  Brooke DonovanVocalist and Reader:  Judy Solomon

Pentecost Geraniums: Sunday, May 31 is Pentecost, when we decorate our sanctuary with the red geraniums that will then be planted around our sign out front. Please bring red geraniums to the church office between Tuesday, May 26 and Thursday, May 28, 9:00-2:00 p.m. along with the coupon printed below. You can also bring in the coupon with a donation (about $7 per geranium), and we can purchase the plants on your behalf. Thank you for helping us honor our loved ones, glorify the Holy Spirit, and beautify our building, inside and out!

PRAYER LISTGrieving Families: Sharon Engh (wife of Pr. Jim Engh), Beth Davidson; Dori Stoner (mother of Jon Stoner); Betty Majerus (Judy Solomon’s sister in law); Daniel Carpenter; Dan WillsonMedical Issues: John Malley; Sondra Pepin – Recovering at Home; Connie Maize (Linda Malley sister); Butch Hay (Linda Malley relative); Eva (young child with leukemia); Doris 

9

Gullickson (Nancy Erickson mother); Steve Gawryluk; Pr. Stan Hoobing; Jamie Young; Jackie Hillman; Sharlene Hanson; Arletta Nicholson; Wacee Simenson; Eileen Viall; Pr. Walt Kirkegaard; Finley Grace Whitmore; Harry Plum; Carolyn RichardsonThose at Home: Lita MoogLiving In Community:Timber Creek: Dave Knudson (Lyle’s brother)Eagle’s Manor: Mildred Kjorli; Edith Anderson; Mary GrandburgNMCC: Monica Doll; Mary Meland; Ruth MorseCare & Comfort Home: Delores Ball; Ruth MeredithAway: Sharlene Hanson (Chester)

Pr. Megan Hoewisch pastormegan.flc@gmail.com

406-265-5881 (o); office@flchavre.net www.flchavre.org303 6th Avenue P.O. Box 66   Havre, MT  59501

Visit our Facebook page for updates on things around the church: FirstLutheranChurchHavre

Listen in on Sunday mornings: 

Name ___________________________Phone ___________________________In Memory Of ____________________In Honor of ______________________

Pentecost Geraniums Geraniums & coupons can be dropped off May 26-28 9:00 – 2:00 p.m. To be planted in front of the church sign as a reminder to us of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

10

11:00 a.m. on 610 AM – KOJM and 98.3 FM

11