St. John’s Lutheran Church
150th Anniversary
1857-2007
July 15, 2007 10:00 A.M.
150th Anniversary
of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
July 15, 2007 10:00 A.M
.Preservice Music
The Ringing of the Bells
(Rise)
The Processional Hymn: “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”
Text by: Edward Perronet (1726-1792) LSB #549 - Words are public domain.
All:
All hail the power of Jesus’ name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem
And crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem
And crown Him Lord of all.
Crown him, you martyrs of our God,
Who from His altar call;
Extol the stem of Jesse’s rod
And crown Him Lord of all.
Extol the stem of Jesse’s rod
And crown Him Lord of all.
Men:
O seed of Israel’s chose race,
Now ransomed from the fall,
Hail him who saves you by his grace
And crown Him Lord of all.
Hail him who saves you by his grace
And crown Him Lord of all.
Women:
Hail him, you heirs of David’s line,
Whom David Lord did call,
The God Incarnate, man divine,
And crown Him Lord of all.
The God Incarnate, man divine,
And crown Him Lord of all.
All:
Sinners, whose love can never forget
The wormwood and the gall,
Go, spread you trophies at His feet
And crown Him Lord of all.
Go, spread you trophies at His feet
And crown Him Lord of all.
Let every kindred, every tribe
On this terrestrial ball
To Him all majesty ascribe
And crown Him Lord of all.
To Him all majesty ascribe
And crown Him Lord of all.
Oh, that with yonder sacred throng
We at His feet may fall!
We’ll join the everlasting song
And crown Him Lord of all.
We’ll join the everlasting song
And crown Him Lord of all.
The Invocation
P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
The Confession and Absolution
P: Beloved in the Lord. Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins to God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
C: Who made heaven and earth.
P: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord.
C: And you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
P: We mourn and lament over our sins of thought, word, and deed.
C: We confess our sins of doing those things of evil, while failing to complete those good works You would have us do.
P: We admit that we have wasted Your gifts in selfish living,
C: And we admit that we have considered our ways better and more important than the cause of the Gospel.
P: For the sake of Jesus Christ,
C: Forgive us.
P: For the sake of Jesus Christ,
C: Heal us.
P: For the sake of Jesus Christ,
C: Lead us into the paths of His righteousness.
P: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, has had mercy on us and has given His only Son to die for us and for His sake forgives us all our sins. To those who believe on His name He gives power to become the children of God and has promised them His Holy Spirit. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. Grant this, Lord, to us all.
C: Amen.
P: Let us bless the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God!
The Introit 1 Chron. 29:10b, 11, 13; antiphon Ps. 26:8
P: O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house
C: And the place where Your glory dwells.
P: Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of Israel
C: Our Father, forever and ever.
P: Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty,
C: For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours.
P: Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
C: And You are exalted as head above all.
P: And now we thank You, our God,
C: And praise Your glorious name.
ALL: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
P: O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house
C: And the place where Your glory dwells. (Sit)
The Hymn of Praise: “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”
Text by Joachim Neander 1650-1680) LSB # 790
Words are public domain.
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is your health and salvation!
Let all who hear
Now to His temple draw near,
Joining in glad adoration!
Praise to the Lord, who over all things is wondrously reigning
And, as on wings of an eagle, uplifting, sustaining.
Have you not seen
All that is needful has been
Sent by His gracious ordaining?
Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;
Surely His goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew
What the Almighty can do
As with His love he befriends you.
Praise to the Lord! Oh, let all that is in me adore Him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen
Sound from His people again.
Gladly forever adore Him!
The Collect of the Day
P: Almighty God, You have promised to be with Your Church forever. We praise You for Your presence in this place of worship and ask Your ongoing blessing upon those who gather here. Dwell continually among us with Your holy Word and Sacraments, strengthen our fellowship in the bonds of love and peace, and increase our faithful witness to Your salvation;
C: Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The Choral Selection: “Rise Up and Walk”
The Readings
The Old Testament Reading: Leviticus 19:9-18
The Gradual
P: O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house,
C: And the place where Your glory dwells.
P: Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,
C: At Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
P: Blessed are those who dwell in Your house,
C: Ever singing Your praise. Ps. 26:8; 84:3-4
The Epistle: Colossians 1:1-14
The Verse: (Rise)
P: Alleluia. Alleluia. Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
C: But to Your name give glory, for the sake of Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness. Alleluia.
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the tenth chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
The Holy Gospel: Luke 10:25-37
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the + life everlasting. Amen. (Sit)
The Anniversary Hymn: “For Many Years, O God of Grace”
Text by William M. Czamanske (1873-1964). TLH 639
Words reprinted by special permission
from Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
For many years, O God of grace,
This church has been Thy dwelling place
And we your congregation.
Oh Christ, our precious cornerstone,
Our faith is built, and Christ alone
Is still our one foundation.
This day We pray: "Let us greet Thee, Lord, and meet Thee
Here with singing,
All our praises to Thee bringing."
Here children have been born anew
As manifold as morning dew,
Their vows to you confessing.
Here many found a table spread,
They ate Christ’s body with the bread
And drank the cup of blessing.
This day We pray: "Let none falter At Thine altar.
We adore Thee,
Gladly worship here before Thee."
Here when the marriage vows were made,
Both bride and groom besought Thine aid,
Thy love their own transcending.
Here mourners, with their troubled hearts,
Have found the peace Thy Word imparts,
The joy that has no ending.
This day We pray: "May the story of Thy glory
Here resounding
Be a song of grace abounding!"
The Sermon: “Our God Remains the Same”
The Text: Hebrews 13:7-9 —The Rev. Edward Meyer
“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teaching, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.” (ESV)
The Choral Response: “Garden of His Grace”
The Ingathering of our Tithes and Offerings
The Offertory: "His Glorious Church" by Duncan
The Prayers (Rise)
P: Almighty and eternal God, worthy to be held in reverence by all the children of men, we give You humble and hearty thanks for the innumerable blessings which without any merit or worthiness on our part You have bestowed upon us.
C: We thank You for the past 150 years of grace granted to this congregation.
P: We praise You especially that You have preserved for us Your saving Word and the holy Sacraments.
C: O Lord, we implore You to grant and preserve to Your holy Church throughout all the world purity of doctrine and faithful pastors to preach Your Word with power.
P: Help all who hear the Word rightly to understand and truly to believe it
C: Send laborers into Your harvest, and open the door of faith to those who do not know or confess Jesus as their only Savior.
P: In mercy remember the enemies of Your Church, and grant them repentance to life.
C: Protect and defend Your Church in all tribulation and danger.
P: Strengthen us and all fellow Christians to set our hope fully on the grace revealed in Jesus Christ.
C: Help us to fight the good fight of faith, that in the end we may receive the salvation of our souls.
P: Bless our country and all in authority. Protect our service men and women and all who serve in public safety.
C: Graciously defend us from all calamity by fire, wind, and water, from war and pestilence, from scarcity and famine, and from every other evil.
P: Be the God and Father of the widow and the fatherless, the helper of the sick and needy, and the comforter of the forsaken and the distressed.
C: Give strength to the weak, relief to the suffering, and peace to the dying.
P: Accept, we implore You, our bodies and souls, our hearts and minds, our talents and powers, together with the offerings we bring before You.
C: Bless these offerings and those who bring them so that the good news of salvation is proclaimed in the name of Jesus.
P: Grant Your continual grace and peace to Your people, especially to the members of this household of faith here at St. John’s Lutheran Church and School.
C: Increase in us the desire to take up our cross daily and follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.
P: As we are strangers and pilgrims on earth, help us by true faith and a godly life to prepare for the world to come, doing the work You have given us to do while it is still day, before the night comes when no one can work.
C: And when our last hour comes, support us by Your power, and receive us into Your heavenly kingdom;
P: through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, and who has taught us to pray:
All: 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.
The Benedicamus and Benediction
P: Let us bless the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
P: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.
C: Amen.
The Recessional Hymn: “The Church’s One Foundation”
Text by Samuel J. Stone (1839-1900) LSB # 644 - Words are public domain.
The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood he bought her,
And for her life He died.
Elect from every nation,
Yet one over all the earth;
Her charter of salvation:
One Lord, one faith, one birth.
One holy name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses
With every grace endued.
Though with a scornful wonder
The world sees her oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed,
Yet saints their watch are keeping;
Their cry goes up, “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song.
Through toil and tribulation
And tumult of her war
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore
Till with the vision glorious
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.
Yet she on earth has union
With God, the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won.
O blessed heavenly chorus!
Lord, save us by your grace
That we, like saints before us,
May see You face to face.
Silent Prayer
Postlude
+ + +
We encourage you to gather in the school gymnasium immediately after the worship service for the dinner. Restrooms are available both in the church basement as well as in the school for your convenience.
Welcome in the name of Jesus Christ! We are blessed by your presence with us today as we celebrate 150 years of God’s grace. “Reaching Up—Reaching Out” is our theme, reaching up as we continue to worship our Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as well as reaching out in mission work to those who do not know or confess Jesus Christ as their only Lord and Savior. This Our theme verse is from 1 Peter 1:25: “The Word of the Lord endureth forever,” proclaiming the true source of our hope that sustains us in all time of need.
150 years is a long time for any organization to exist. Begun on July 19, 1857, with a handful of people, St. John’s has grown from its start as a congregation, later building the church located at the corner of 3rd and A Streets in 1863 (Civil War time) to her current site at the corner of Kingsbury and Monroe since 1954. St. John’s Lutheran School, begun two months after the start of the church, has educated many children in the basic instructions of daily life as well as instruction for eternal life.
Whether you live in the La Porte area or have come to visit from a distance, we are pleased that you have joined us today to thank God for His grace, especially to St. John’s Lutheran Church and School.
Immediately following our worship this morning, the dinner will be served in the Gymnasium of the school. There will also be a short program to recount the history of St. John’s. Please take the time to look at the various displays in the school as well as to visit with those whom you may remember from days past. During the afternoon you are invited to see our 4th of July float. Feel free to take photographs of family and friends with the church in the background.
May God bless your travel home and please come again!
