A Praying
Church
651.645.2575
www.mtolive-wels.net
Carl R. Henkel, pastor
651.631.8625
The Ascension Of Our Lord
Thank You for sharing this time of worship with us. We're glad you're here! Please sign the Friendship Register. Do come
again! If you do not have a local church
home, we invite you to make your home with us.
Here you will find Christian love, opportunities for spiritual growth,
warm friendships, and a feeling of being part of the family of God.
The Lord's Supper
is being celebrated today. This special meal, instituted by Christ, unites us
with Him and our brothers and sisters in the faith. This sacrament is intended
for those who are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
trust in Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven; and believe that the true body
and blood of Jesus are present with the bread and wine of Holy Communion. Guests who share this faith are invited to
speak with the pastor before joining us in this holy meal.
Assisting Us In Worship This Morning
Pastor
Norb Meier, guest pastor
The
Greg Schuyler family, greeters
Joel
Meier, head usher
Margaret
Meier, organist
Mark
Sauer, communion assistant
Words of Welcome
Hymn: 169
Invocation
Scripture
[P] If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is
not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us
our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1John
1:8-9)
[C] Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious
thoughts. See if there is any offensive
way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)
[P/C] My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if
anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father
in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our
sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
(1John 2:1-2)
Silent confession
Prayer
[P/C] Lord, I do not claim to be
without sin. Thank You for taking all my sins upon Yourself
when You died on the cross. Thank You that You have
purified me from all my sins. In the life You place
before me from day to day, I desire to express my gratitude to You for Your
forgiveness and for all that You do for me.
Hymn of gratitude
Come,
O sinners, one and all. Come accept His invitation.
Come,
obey His gracious call; Come and take His free salvation!
Firmly
in these words believe: Jesus sinners does receive.
Oh,
how blest it is to know, Were as scarlet my
transgression,
It
shall be as white as snow By Your blood and bitter passion,
For
these words I do believe: Jesus sinners does receive.
Ascension foretold
[P] Jesus said, What if you see the Son of Man
ascend to where He was before! (John 6:62)
[C] “I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the one who sent
Ascension witnessed
[P] When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, He was taken up
into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. (Mark
[C] When He had led them out to the vicinity of
[P] After saying this, He was taken up into a cloud while they were
watching, and they could no longer see Him. As they strained
to see Him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them.
“Men of
[C] The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of
His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided
purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews
1:3)
[P/C] Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in
a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among
the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. (1Timothy
Hymn: 171v.1-2, 6
Ascension result – He rules all things
[P] …That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He
exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right
hand in the heavenly realms, far
above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be
given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under His feet
and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness
of Him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:19-23)
[C] Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name
that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in
heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)
Ascension result – He intercedes for us
[P] Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through
Him, because He always lives to intercede for them. (Hebrews
7:25)
[C] Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more
than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also
interceding for us. (Romans 8:34)
[P] Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For
we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was
without sin. (Hebrews 4:14-15)
[C] Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we
may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews
4:16)
Ascension result – the gift of the Holy Spirit
[P] On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a
loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me
and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture
has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this He meant the Spirit, whom those
who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not
been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. (John
7:37-39)
[C] But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away.
Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send
Him to you. (John 16:7)
Choir Anthem: “Be
Still My Soul”
Ascension result – a spiritual gift for each one
[P/C] But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When He ascended
on high, He led captives in His train and gave gifts to men.” (John
7:37-39)
Ascension result – a promised second coming
[P] For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of
the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.
Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, the way the high
priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.
Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the
world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away
with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and
after that to face judgment, so
Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will
appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are
waiting for Him. (Hebrews 9:24-28)
Hymn: 175 v. 1-2,
6
Ascension message: Difficult to Believe
That is the power which the Father exerted in
Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the
heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and
every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one
to come. (Ephesians 1:20-21)
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him
in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6)
Response (sung
twice)
Majesty,
worship His majesty.
Unto
Jesus be all glory, honor, and praise.
Majesty,
worship His majesty,
Jesus,
who died, now glorified, King of all kings!
Offerings
The Lord’s Supper (Hymnal
page 35)
Prayer, Lord’s Prayer, and Benediction
Closing Hymn: 170
v. 1 and 5
Today: 8:45am Prayer Time (Fireside Room)
9:00am Family Worship/Holy Communion (at
the front pew)
10:00am Social Time
10:30am Sunday
School
Monday: 11:30am Mt. Olive Worship Service on Cable Channel 14
Tuesday:
Thursday: Articles for
the June/July Olive Branch are Due
Next Sunday: 9:00am “Time of Grace” on WUCW, Channel 23
9:00am Family Worship Service
10:30am Education
Hour
40
Days After Easter, Jesus
ascended back into heaven where He continues to rule over the world for the
glory of His Church. Ascension Day was
Thursday, May 17th, and we gather to celebrate it this morning.
Sincere
Thanks to Pastor Norb Meier for
leading our worship today. Pastor Henkel
is preaching at
Our
Spring Congregational Assembly has been scheduled for this morning
beginning at
Christian
Life Ministries Walk for Life:
It is time again for our Walk for Life event at
The
Latest Issue of “Meditations” is now available in the tract
rack in back of church. Please take one
home. This devotional booklet contains
devotions for June 3rd through September 1st.
Sunday Worship And Picnic In
· Call
Day Service at
· Graduation
Service at
· and coverage of
To
watch these events live, or to check out the new programming that’s added to
Streams each week, visit http://streams.wels.net.
Camp
Croix Registration Forms are still available in the church
office. We have camper registration
forms and staff registration forms.
Summer camp is only a month away!
Saints’ Game: Christian Life Ministries’ annual St. Paul
Saints’ Baseball fellowship is planned for Wednesday, June 13th. See the Saints vs. the
Strike Up The Band –
for a Patriotic Tribute to honor veterans and service personnel. All alumni and friends of
SCLHS: it’s not too early to think about items
for AUCTION 2008. New sale items,
furniture, unique collectibles, and theme items may be donated and stored at