Salem-Sauk Valley Lutheran Parish

Order of Sunday Worship- Third Sunday of Easter – April 23rd, 2023

At Sauk Valley Lutheran Church

Prelude Emily Larson, Musician

Welcome/Announcements

Invocation:
P: We gather in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit. C: Amen.

Opening Prayer:
P: O Lord, our Maker, Redeemer, and Comforter, we are assembled in Your
presence to hear Your holy Word. We pray that You would open our hearts by Your
Holy Spirit, that through the preaching of Your Word we may be taught to repent of our
sins, to believe on Jesus in life and in death, and grow day by day in grace and holiness.
Hear us for Christ’s sake. C: Amen.

Opening Hymn: “Thou Art the Way” Concordia #214

Confession of Sin:
P: Let us bow before the Lord and confess our sins.
C: Almighty God, our Maker and Redeemer, we poor sinners confess to You that we
are by nature sinful and unclean, and that we have sinned against You by thought,
word, and deed. Therefore, we flee for refuge to Your infinite mercy, seeking and
imploring Your grace, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Kyrie:
C: O God the Father in heaven, have mercy upon us!
O God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy upon us!
O God the Holy Spirit, true Comforter, have mercy upon us!
Absolution:
P: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, has had mercy upon us, and has given his only
Son to die for us, and for his sake God forgives all our sins. To those who believe in his
name he gives power to become the children of God, and has promised them his Holy
Spirit. Those who believe and are baptized shall be saved. Grant this Lord unto us all.
C: Amen.
Gloria:
P: Glory be to God in the highest.
C: And on earth peace, good will toward men.
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
Prayer of the Day:
P: Let us pray together.
C: O God, your Son makes himself known to all his disciples in the breaking of the
bread. Open the eyes of our faith, that we may see him in his redeeming work, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Psalmody - 116:1-4, 12-19
First Reading- Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Second Reading- 1 Peter 1:17-23
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Gospel Reading- Luke 24:13-35
P: The Gospel of the Lord.
C: God be praised for his glad tidings!

Apostles Creed
C: I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe 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, dead, and buried. He
descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven
and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty from whence he shall 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 life everlasting. Amen.

Children’s Message – “Jesus Loves Me”

Offering and Offertory: We give Thee but Thine own, whate’er the gift might be. All that we
have is Thine alone, a trust O Lord from Thee.

Hymn: “When Peace Like a River” Concordia #213

Sermon Pastor Lexy Carson

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.

It might seem like Easter is way in the past, the Cadbury eggs all eaten up, the Easter bunny put
back in storage, the empty tomb long gone but we are still in the season of Easter in the church
year and while it feels like Easter is far in the rear view mirror. The passage that we hear for
today, takes place on Easter Sunday. This season of Easter is filled with Gospel passages that
follow immediately after the resurrection, it’s like diving into the Easter story week after week
here.

So, on Easter Sunday we have these two disciples, not part of the original twelve but two
followers of Jesus one unnamed and the other we are told is Cleopas. We really don’t know
much at all about these two other than they were followers of Jesus. Yet, they are central to
arguably one of the most treasured and depicted pieces in Christianity. The sky is the limit on
pieces of artwork, books and devotionals that are written because of this beloved passage here.
So while these two we know little about, they become pretty famously known because they are
in this passage. Part of the reason this passage is so well known and beloved is because there’s a
humanness to this passage that really appeals to people. There’s also just this irony in Jesus
listening to these disciples talk. It’s just a great conversation.

To set the context a bit, on this Easter Sunday these two are leaving Jerusalem. They are done
with the Passover, Jesus has died and they’ve heard from the women that the tomb was empty
but no one has seen Jesus. Peter ran to the tomb but found nothing. No one has seen Jesus.

And then we enter the road to Emmaus, the first encounter anyone has with Jesus. And these two
followers of Jesus don’t know who he is, they are kept from recognizing him. This man just

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shows up and starts talking to them, he says “What are you discussing together as you walk
along?”

Do you even have to ask that Jesus? It’s Easter Sunday afterall. What do you think they are
talking about? Cleopas responds back, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not
know the things that have happened there in these days?” It’d be like not having heard of 9/11. It
is a mind boggling equivalent. How have you not heard about what happened in Jerusalem, what
happened to Jesus Christ. How haven’t you heard?

And Jesus plays along with it, he says, “What things?” So they tell him the whole story, “About
Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and
all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and
they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And
what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed
us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us
that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went
to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” The irony is just
thick, they accuse Jesus of not knowing what happened, they call him a visitor and is the only
one who really knows what is going on.

It’s kind of like the show Undercover Boss, the boss of a company goes in and pretends to work
on the frontlines. The Subway CEO goes and is greeting customers, making sandwiches and
talking with fellow employees and they have no idea it is the boss, they just think it’s a new
employee. It’s kind of like that. They have no idea it is Jesus walking with them and then they
tell the story of what happened to Jesus, right to Jesus face.

The difference in Undercover Boss and this unrecognizable Jesus is that the show tends to catch
some people being bad at their jobs, and we see them get fired. Whereas Jesus hears these two
disciples pour out his story and he responds back “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe
all that the prophets have spoken!”

He sees how bad of disciples they are, they are fleeing Jerusalem, they are sad and hopeless they
literally said to Jesus’s face we had hoped Jesus would be the one to redeem Israel. We had
hoped, past tense. They don’t believe Jesus anymore, this is Easter and these two are sad,
downcast, hopeless. Jesus says they are foolish and slow to belief, which they absolutely clearly
are. And just when Jesus should leave cut them off, punish them for being horrible disciples. He
stays, he stays until they recognize him. He doesn’t cut them off, he stays and makes himself
known to them.

Of all the things that Jesus could have been doing after his resurrection, he literally chases these
two foolish, unbelievers down. These two who were distraught and despairing, Jesus chases them
down. These two who are going in the opposite direction of Jesus. He goes and finds them, just
as he leaves the 99 for the 1.

There’s a lot of hope for us in that. There are times where it might be tempting to flee the
opposite direction of Jesus. To just want some peace and quiet, because being a disciple is not
easy. There’s a toll that comes with following Jesus, the road isn’t always easy and smooth. Your
journey out these doors is filled with your own troubles and burdens and sometimes it seems a
lot easier to just walk the other way. Leave it all behind. There might be times where it seems
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like all too much to believe, too much to carry. Just as the disciples, we too say we had hoped
Jesus would have done this instead. We had hoped. Past tense.

The hope for us isn’t that the tomb was empty on Easter morning. An empty tomb is just an
empty tomb. The true hope and joy of Easter is that Jesus was set loose from death and this
resurrected Jesus who could go absolutely anywhere. He could have been having the best steak
dinner, but instead he goes to the sinners. He goes to the ones who are going the opposite
direction of him and he goes not to reprimand, or punish but he goes to give mercy, to open their
eyes.

This resurrected Jesus, our Savior meets you in the same way. Jesus Christ comes today to open
your eyes, to open your ears to hear that death did not defeat Jesus. Just as death will not defeat
you. Jesus Christ absolves you of all your sin, Jesus Christ has come to open your eyes, to give
you his mercy. That’s the hope and joy this Easter that Jesus finds you on whatever road you are
on and reveals himself to you, to give you peace.

The peace of Christ which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus. Amen.

Hymn: “Jesus, Jesus, Only Jesus” Concordia #217

Prayer of the Church: Each prayer will end: Lord, in your mercy. C: Hear our prayer.

Holy Communion
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Lift up your hearts to the Lord.
C: We lift up our hearts unto the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C: It is meet and right so to do. P: It is truly meet, right, and salutary that we should at all times
and in all places give praise to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. But chiefly we are bound to praise you for the glorious resurrection of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. For he is the very Paschal Lamb, who was offered for us, and has taken
away the sin of the world, who by his death has destroyed death and by his rising to life again
has restored us to everlasting life. Therefore, with angels and archangels and all the company of
heaven, we laud and magnify Your glorious name; evermore praising you and singing:
C: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth. Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Hosanna
in the highest. Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Words of Institution
Lord’s Prayer
Invitation/Distribution
Thanksgiving-
P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you.
P: Let us give thanks and pray: We thank you Lord God almighty that you have refreshed us
with these gifts; and we ask you, in your mercy, to strengthen us through these same gifts in faith
toward you and in fervent love for one another; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.
C: Amen.

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Benediction
P: Now may the Lord bless us and keep us. May the Lord make his face to shine upon us
and be gracious to us. May the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us and give
us his peace.
C: Amen, Amen, Amen.
Doxology
C: Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below.
Praise him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Dismissal: P: Go in peace. Serve the Lord. C: Thanks be to God!
Postlude

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