Confirmation Sunday / 5th Sunday of Easter May 3, 2026
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Welcome and Announcements
*Call to Worship: Psalm 146 (pg. 622)
*Opening Prayer …………………………………………….. pg. 2
OPENING HYMN ------------------------------------------------- # 174
“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”
*Confession of Sins ……………………………............. pg. 48 # 1
*Kyrie & Declaration of Grace ..………………………….… pg. 3
HYMN ----------- “Open My Eyes, That I May See” ---------- # 124
*Scripture Lessons: 1st Reading: Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60 (pg. 1086)
2nd Reading: 1 Peter 2:2-10 (pg. 1204)
*The Gospel: John 14:1-14 (pg. 1070)
*Response to the Word ……………………………………… pg. 3
*Confession of Faith – The Nicene Creed….…………......... pg. 18
*Gloria Patri …………………………………………………. pg. 4
The Offering
*Response: “Create in Me A Clean Heart O God” ……..….. pg. 17
*Prayers of the Church
HYMN --------- “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” ----------- # 173
Confirming her faith in Jesus Christ: Brooke Hotchkiss
Sermon: Titus 3 – “Devoted to Good Works”
The Rite of Confirmation
HYMN ----------------- “Because He Lives”--------------------- # 545
* Communion Service: The Exhortation ……………………. pg. 6
* The Lord’s Prayer & Words of the Institution.……………. pg. 7
Lamb of God ………………………………………………. pg. 20
Hymns during the distribution of Communion: # 83, 104, 542, 544,
WOV # 770
*Closing Prayer
*The Benediction & Three-fold Amen ...……………………. pg. 8
THE DOXOLOGY ……………………………...………….. # 390
Organ Postlude
WE CORDIALLY WELCOME all who have come to worship with us this morning! We ask our visitors to please sign the guest book and let us know how we may assist you in any way. God’s peace and joy be upon you!
Announcements
Holy Communion: We invite all who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and who have received Confirmation or other Biblical instruction on this Sacrament to come to the altar to participate in the Lord’s Supper. All other, including children, are invited to come forward to receive a blessing from the Pastor. We also invite you to prepare yourself by reading “Personal Preparation for Holy Communion,” (hymnal pages 14-15). Please note: The 6 cups in the center ring of the communion trays are Grape Juice for those wanting juice instead of wine.
Monthly hymn #174: "All Hail the Power
of Jesus’ Name"
Memory verse: Psalm 34:4-5
"I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my
fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never
covered with shame."
Everyone is welcome to stay after Confirmation today for lunch and cake.
Muffin Sunday in May will be moved to May 31st.
AFLC Annual Conference Date: June 10-13, 2026, Theme: "Sure Hope" - Philippians 1:6, Location: Concordia College | Moorhead, MN, Registration: https://www.aflc.org/conferences/
South Dakota primary is coming up soon as well as midterm elections in the fall. The following is a resource for Christians to be able to guide their voting choices in keeping with their faith in Jesus Christ - https://christianvoterguide.com/states/south-dakota/
This Week’s Activities:
6th – Wed. – Council Meeting, 7:30 p.m.
10th – Sun. – Worship - Acts 1, 9:00 a.m.,
Sunday School, 10:00 a.m.
CHURCH CLEANING: May 4 – 10 Chris Lau & Kendal Lau
Usher for Sunday, May 10: John Engelland & Justin Wright
*Call to Worship: Psalm 146
146 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my
soul!
2 I will praise
the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God
while I have my being.
3 Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the
earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God
of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea,
and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the
oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens
the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed
down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he
upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the
wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign
forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise
the Lord!
1st Reading: Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60
6 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.
2 And Stephen said:
51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
2nd Reading: 1 Peter 2:2-10
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen
and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to
shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the
cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
*The Gospel: John 14:1-14
14 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.