Author: Rev. Thomas C. Messer

The Feast of St. Silas, Co-Worker of St. Paul
Divine Service 3, Page 184
The Service of Preparation
(Upon entering the nave, silence should be observed to allow all the opportunity to prayerfully prepare for the presence of the Lord and the reception of His gifts)
Preparatory Prayer
Lord, I love the habitation of Your house and the place where Your glory dwells. In the multitude of Your tender mercies prepare my heart that I may enter Your house to worship and confess Your holy name; through Jesus Christ, my God and Lord.
Confession and Absolution (pp. 184-185)
The Service of the Word
The Introit Ps. 33:1, 4, 20-22; antiphon: Liturgical Text
Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating a feast day in honor of all the saints,
at whose solemnity the angels rejoice, and give praise to the Son of God.
Shout for joy in the LORD, all you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
Our soul waits for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
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.
Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating a feast day in honor of all the saints,
at whose solemnity the angels rejoice, and give praise to the Son of God.
The Kyrie (p. 186)
The Gloria in Excelsis (pp. 187-189)
The Salutation and Collect of the Day (p. 189)
O Almighty God, who hast knit together Thine elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Thy Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, grant us grace so to follow Thy blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to the unspeakable joys which Thou hast prepared for those who unfeignedly love Thee; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
The First Reading Acts 16:16-40
16As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.
19But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” 22The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. 27When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
35But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” 36And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” 38The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 39So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. 40So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.
The Gradual Ps. 34:9-10b
Fear the LORD, ye his saints,
For there is no want to them that fear him.
They that seek the LORD
Shall not want any good thing.
The Alleluia and Verse
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Holy Gospel Matthew 5:1-12
1Seeing the crowds, [Jesus] went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
The Apostles’ Creed (p. 192)
The Hymn of the Day: 828 “We Are Called to Stand Together”
The Homily
Offerings are not gathered during Service. While Pastor Messer prepares the Table for the Holy Supper, you may spend time prayerfully preparing to receive the Blessed Sacrament (you may wish to read through Luther’s “Christian Questions . . .” on pp. 329-330). If you wish to leave an offering, you may do so by placing it in the plate by the door as you depart after Service.
The Prayer of the Church
P Lord, in Your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
The Service of the Sacrament
(Communicants are to be in full confessional fellowship with the LCMS)
The Preface - Agnus Dei (pp. 194-199)
The Distribution
The Nunc Dimittis - Benediction (pp. 199-202)
Soli Deo Gloria!

The introit, collect, and gradual are from Lutheran Service Book, Altar Book © 2006 CPH. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. This bulletin was created using Lutheran Service Builder © 2006 CPH.

The Feast of St. Silas,
Co-Worker of St. Paul
Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church
325 E. Warwick Dr. ~ Alma, Michigan ~ 48801
463-5754 ~ www.peacealma.org
Rev. Thomas C. Messer, Pastor
Home: 463-3093 ~ Cell: (989) 388-2037 ~ pastor@peacealma.org