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Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Worship/Bible Classes/Devotions

Service Bulletin:  The service bulletin follows below. You may also access as a PDF for printing by clicking here.
 
COVID-19 Response Plan
Zion, along with other area congregations is joining in the effort to contain the virus while also taking care of the ongoing ministry and the needs that increase during these times.
 
In-Person Worship – While in-person worship has been suspended for the time being, please check the website, Facebook page, and your email for updates. Your board of lay ministry remains committed to resuming in-person worship as soon as possible.
 
Worship Online
While the shelter-in-place advisory is in effect, the following services will be live-streamed on our Facebook page (Zion Lutheran Church and School).

  • Every 8am Sunday morning service in April (with the exception of Easter)
  • The Midweek Lenten Service on April 1 at 7pm
  • The Maundy Thursday Service on April 9 at 7pm
  • The Good Friday Service on April 10 at 7pm
  • The Easter Service on April 12 at 7am

These services are also available as an archive at anytime on our Facebook page.  Bulletins will be made available digitally through a link on our website (www.zionseymour.org) and through our church-wide email distribution list. To be placed on that list, please call the church office. You may also make the request on the “Contact Us” page of our website.
 
Share the Peace of the Lord – Please join the livestream of the service during the ten minutes leading up to the start time. During that time, please feel post a comment or greeting to your fellow worshipers, perhaps by sharing the peace or with a simple “hello.”
 
Offerings may be mailed to or dropped off at Zion. If you would like to set up automatic withdrawal of your offerings, please call the church office, or download this form and return it to the office. Thank you to everyone whose offerings help us to give witness to the unchanging Christ and His promises in these times.
 
Prayer List – If you would like the names of those included in the Prayer of the Church in the upcoming service, please contact the church office so that your email might be added to the weekly prayer chain list. The names will be available through that list. Out of respect for the privacy of our members, we will not be publishing the names of those on the prayer list in any communications that are available on the internet. To add someone to the regular Sunday prayers, please call the church office.
 
Altar Flowers –To place flowers on the altar please sign up on the flower chart in the hallway across from the sacristy.

Video Daily Devotions led by our pastors are available on our Facebook page. They are based on The Treasury of Daily Prayer. You may purchase a copy of the book through cph.org or by calling the church office.

Resurrection Egg  Devotions - A series of children's messages based on 12 simple items that were part of the story of Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection begins Wednesday, April 1. A new message will be available at 9:30am each morning on our Facebook page. By clicking here, you may also access a PDF of related games, recipes, coloring sheets. The PDF also contains an activity sheet for parents to print that correlates with each day's message.

Bible Classes – All in-person Bible classes are suspended. Please keep an eye on the Zion Facebook page for opportunities for Bible study in the days ahead.
 
The Passion of Our Lord According to St. Matthew - The first lesson of this at-home Bible study of key events of Holy Week and Easter is available by clicking here.

All Other Announcements follow the worship service below.
 

Word & Worship

Compline

As We Gather
The trees of the Bible help us realize why we need a Savior, how God provided a Savior for us in the person of Jesus Christ, and how the saved lives of repentant believers look. Today we consider how we are like the fruitless trees mentioned throughout the Bible. They cannot bear good fruit, for they are bad trees. Without God’s re-creating us, we are no better than the “brood of vipers” who opposed our Lord. But the Word of God, our new birth in Holy Baptism, and the forgiveness coming in the Sacrament of the Altar changes us to be good trees. And thus we are able to produce the good fruit of the Spirit.
 
Hymn - LSB 433 Glory Be to Jesus
Glory be to Jesus,
    Who in bitter pains
Poured for me the lifeblood
    From His sacred veins!
 
Grace and life eternal
    In that blood I find;
Blest be His compassion,
    Infinitely kind!
 
Blest through endless ages
    Be the precious stream
Which from endless torment
    Did the world redeem!
 
Abel’s blood for vengeance
    Pleaded to the skies;
But the blood of Jesus
    For our pardon cries.
 
Oft as earth exulting
    Wafts its praise on high,
Angel hosts rejoicing
    Make their glad reply.
 
Lift we, then, our voices,
    Swell the mighty flood;
Louder still and louder
    Praise the precious blood!
Text: Public domain
 
Opening Versicles - Psalm 92:1
L   The Lord Almighty grant us a quiet night and peace at the last.
C   Amen.
 
L   It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
C   to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
 
L   to herald Your love in the morning,
C   Your truth at the close of the day.
 
Exhortation
L   Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
 
Silence for self-examination.
 
Confession of Sins
L   Holy and gracious God,
C   I confess that I have sinned against You this day. Some of my sin I know—the thoughts and words and deeds of which I am ashamed—but some is known only to You. In the name of Jesus Christ I ask forgiveness. Deliver and restore me that I may rest in peace.
L   By the mercy of God we are redeemed by Jesus Christ, and in Him we are forgiven. We rest now in His peace and rise in the morning to serve Him.
C   Amen.
 
Psalm Psalm 148; antiphon: v. 13
P   Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted;
C   His majesty is above earth and heaven.
 
P    Praise the Lord!
       Praise the Lord from the heavens;
C    praise him in the heights!
P    Praise him, all his angels;
C    praise him, all his hosts!
P    Praise him, sun and moon,
C    praise him, all you shining stars!
P    Praise him, you highest heavens,
C    and you waters above the heavens!
 
P    Let them praise the name of the Lord!
C    For He commanded and they were created.
 
P    And He established them forever and ever;
C    He gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.
 
P    Praise the Lord from the earth,
C    you great sea creatures and all deeps,
P    fire and hail, snow and mist,
C    stormy wind fulfilling his word!
P    Mountains and all hills,
C    fruit trees and all cedars!
P    Beasts and all livestock,
C    creeping things and flying birds!
P    Kings of the earth and all peoples,
C    princes and all rulers of the earth!
P    Young men and maidens together,
C    old men and children!
 
P    Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted;
C   His majesty is above earth and heaven.
 
P    He has raised up a horn for His people, praise for all His saints,
C    for the people of Israel who are near to Him. Praise the Lord!
 
P    Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted;
C   His majesty is above earth and heaven.
 
The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ - Calvary
 
A   This is the Passion of the Lord.
C   Thanks be to God.
 
Office HymnLSB 425 When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
When I survey the wondrous cross
    On which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss
    And pour contempt on all my pride.
 
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
    Save in the death of Christ, my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
    I sacrifice them to His blood.
 
See, from His head, His hands, His feet
    Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet
    Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
    That were a tribute far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
    Demands my soul, my life, my all!
Text: Public domain
 
First ReadingGalatians 5:1, 13–25
   For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. . . .
   For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
   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 walk by the Spirit.
 
A   This is the Word of the Lord.
C   Thanks be to God.
 
Second Reading - Matthew 7:15–20
   “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
 
A   This is the Word of the Lord.
C   Thanks be to God.
 
Responsory
P   There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
C   Christ Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
 
P   In that day the Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of Him shall the nations inquire, and His resting place shall be glorious.
C   Christ Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
 
P   There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
C   Christ Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
 
Hymn Among the Bible’s Trees
Among the Bible’s trees we live.
How true they grow, as well they should.
From them may we this Lententide
Learn how our Lord died for our good.

The fruit we bear betrays our sin:
Diseased within, we cannot love.
We use our freedom as excuse
And heed not prompting from above.

But by God’s pow’r we are renewed,
With fruit to share in ev’ry need
And in sweet joy, peace, faithfulness
A harvest raise to God indeed.

Lord Jesus Christ, God’s only Son,
Whose body hung on Calv’ry’s Tree,
O living Word, Your sacrifice
Pardon proclaims eternally.
Text: James Pierce. Copyright © 2019 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Sermon Good Trees Bearing Good Fruit; Bad Trees Bearing Bad Fruit

Hymn LSB 691 Fruitful Trees, the Spirit’s Sowing
Fruitful trees, the Spirit’s sowing,
    May we ripen and increase,
Fruit to life eternal growing,
    Rich in love and joy and peace.
 
Laden branches freely bearing
    Gifts the Giver loves to bless;
Here is fruit that grows by sharing,
    Patience, kindness, gentleness.
 
Rooted deep in Christ our Master,
    Christ our pattern and our goal,
Teach us, as the years fly faster,
    Goodness, faith, and self-control.
 
Fruitful trees, the Spirit’s tending,
    May we grow till harvests cease;
Till we taste, in life unending,
    Heaven’s love and joy and peace.
Text: © 1984 Hope Publishing Co. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001729
 
Offering - Offerings may be mailed to or dropped off at Zion. If you would like to set up automatic withdrawal of your offerings, please call the church office, or download this form and return it to the office. Thank you to everyone whose offerings help us to give witness to the unchanging Christ and His promises in these times.
 
Prayer of the Church
P   Let us pray for the Church here and around the world, and people everywhere in their various needs.
For everyone weighed down by their bondage to sin and an inability to stop sinning by thought, word, and deed, let us pray to the Lord.
C   For the sake of Christ’s sacrifice on the tree of the cross, heavenly Father, open their ears to hear the Gospel anew; free them to live before You in Your kingdom.
 
P   For everyone who has fallen prey to society’s distorted morality, let us pray to the Lord.
C   For the sake of Christ’s sacrifice on the tree of the cross, heavenly Father, surround them with faithful and caring members of the Body of Christ; call them back in repentance and hope.
 
P   For those who keep the peace at home or are deployed abroad, for those who provide care and guidance in relationships, finances, and health, and for those who respond to natural disasters and crises of various sorts, let us pray to the Lord.
C   For the sake of Christ’s sacrifice on the tree of the cross, heavenly Father, accompany them with Your Holy Spirit; protect them from harm, and give them wisdom in all circumstances.
 
P   For ourselves and the Church around the world as we seek to produce true spiritual fruit, let us pray to the Lord.
C   For the sake of Christ’s sacrifice on the tree of the cross, heavenly Father, assure us that we are Your pleasant planting; forgive our errors, and send us to serve in faithfulness and love.
 
P   These and any other things You would have us ask, heavenly Father, grant to us for the sake of the sufferings and death of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C   Amen.
 
Collect
L   Abide with us, Lord, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. Abide with us and with Your whole Church. Abide with us at the end of the day, at the end of our life, at the end of the world. Abide with us with Your grace and goodness, with Your holy Word and Sacrament, with Your strength and blessing. Abide with us when the night of affliction and temptation comes upon us, the night of fear and despair, the night when death draws near. Abide with us and with all the faithful, now and forever.
C   Amen.
 
Lord’s Prayer - Matthew 6:9–13
L   Taught by our Lord and trusting His promises, we are bold to pray:
C   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.

Nunc Dimittis (sung) - Luke 2:29–32
C   Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
 
Benediction
P   The almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, the T Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless you and keep you.
C   Amen.
 
Hymn to DepartLSB 878 Abide with Me
Abide with me, fast falls the eventide.
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
 
I need Thy presence ev’ry passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.
 
Come not in terrors, as the King of kings,
But kind and good, with healing in Thy wings;
Tears for all woes, a heart for ev’ry plea.
Come, Friend of sinners, thus abide with me.
 
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
 
I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still if Thou abide with me!
 
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies.
Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
Text: Public domain
 
Acknowledgments
Compline from Lutheran Service Book. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2018 Concordia Publishing House.

Weekly Announcements

 

Zion Boards/Organizations

The Parish Planning Council is meeting weekly to coordinate the overall ministry of Zion during COVID-19. Please give your pastors or leaders a call if you have suggestions that might be helpful in serving others in the uncharted waters of our time.
 
Office Hours - The church office is open as normal to accomplish essential tasks.

The Visiting Ambassadors Meeting scheduled for April 1st has been cancelled.  The Visiting Ambassadors visitations will be on hold until further notice due to the Coronavirus.

LWML Spring Workshop will be held at Calvary in Bedford on Saturday, April 18.  Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.  Guest speaker is Doris Zakian from Bloomington, IN.  Topics will be the 21st Century Pentecost, Ministry to International Students, and several more.  Ingathering will be a collection for the Chinese Ministry.

Camp Lakeview Scholarship Applications are in the Narthex.  Sponsored by Zion Women’s Fellowship-LWML. Pick one up and return by Sun., Apr 26.

Men's Bible Study will begin a new study on the Parables starting in May. We will take a look at Jesus' parables, their meaning and what they can teach us today as we live out our lives as Christian men. Join us for the study of God's word and fellowship, we meet the first Saturday of each month at 8 am at Zion.  Our next study will take place on May 2 at 8 am.  See Mike Schult for any questions.

The Zion Foundation Board will be accepting grant requests again this year.  Requests may come from any board, committee, or member of Zion Lutheran Church; however, grants must be approved by the appropriate board. In an effort to help people better understand and to guide them through the process for grant requests, the Zion Foundation Board has developed a grant application form.  This form has all the key information needed for the review, plus it also has a narrative of helpful hints of items.  Please be very specific about the amount requested (have a quote sheet if possible) and the way the requested money will be used.  Also work with the board that will be responsible for the grant. The Zion Foundation Board is currently accepting grant requests for the 2020 year. The request should be submitted no later than May 3, 2020.  All requests must be made in writing on the grant application form and delivered to the church office or the foundation president, Matt Meyer.  Grant application forms are available in the church office.

Women’s Bible Study is cancelled. Please read the last 2 chapters on your own to complete the study. We will regroup in the fall. Thanks to all who participated. - Sherry & Marie
 

Schools

Zion Lutheran School
Zion Lutheran School 2020-2021 school year registration is open
. Our programs consist of classes ranging from 2-year old children through kindergarten and an extend care offerings in both the 2020 summer & 2020-2021 school year, throughout each week.  We ask that anyone who tends to enroll a child in one of these programs please do so as soon as possible!
 
We need your help! – don’t forget the Zion Lutheran School “Reading Curriculum Sponsors” Fund Drive.  The goal is $15,000 to help purchase our new reading curriculum materials for the upcoming school year. We are currently at $550 toward the goal. If you can be a sponsor, at any of these levels, please make your check out to “Zion Lutheran School Reading Curriculum” and get it to the school. Help our ZLS children become proficient at their reading skills!
 
ZLS Fundraising Opportunities:

  • Papa John’s Pizza – besides ZLS getting 10% of your order cost, you get a 30% discount. Use promo code ZIONLS30
  • Freddy’s Steakburgers – Every Monday through March & April. Show the Freddy’s flyer (found on the church website) when ordering.
Donations to the Zion Lutheran School SGO account can be done by visiting the website http://www.lutheransgo.org/donate/ or sending in a completed donor form to “The Lutheran SGO of Indiana” in Fort Wayne. These donation forms are available at Zion in the church narthex and the church & school offices.
 

Daily Word & Worship

Know Your Bible - is a short devotional program produced by area LCMS pastors that airs Monday through Saturday at 7am on local radio stations 1390 AM and FM 99.3 FM.

Portals of Prayer, a daily devotional booklet, is available for pickup at the church office.

The Lutheran Witness, a monthly magazine containing news, information, and a short Bible study is available in the office.

Daily Devotions, both in print and/or video are available from the following sites.

Home Devotions - Fathers (and heads of households), click here for a marvelous video by chaplain of our LCMS International Center on how to do family devotions.
Zion's Facebook Page Zion's Facebook Page
Zion's Website Zion's Website






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Zion Lutheran Church and School · 1501 Gaiser Dr · Seymour, IN 47274-3627 · USA

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