06/08/2026
Welcome
I rejoiced with those who said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord! In order to make your worship with us this morning as beneficial and comfortable as possible, here are a few tidbits about our worship and facilities...
This morning's order of service is printed in the service folder.
If you are in need of restrooms, they are located in the basement.�Please feel free to ask an usher for directions.
Hymnals can be found in front of you.
If your child becomes restless during the service, that's okay! We're glad they're here and Jesus is pleased when they are brought to hear his Word. However, if you need to take your child out of the worship service for any reason, feel free to use the quiet room in back.
If it is difficult for you to stand for extended periods, please do not feel obligated to stand when invited to stand.
If you are visiting us today, please sign our guest register.
May our ever-giving and gracious God fill your heart with joy, peace, and hope through the message of forgiveness in our living Savior, Jesus Christ!
Confirmation
Confirmation means "strengthening." This strengthening takes place in directed Bible study and then is publicly acknowledged in a ceremony in which an individual publicly confesses faith in Jesus and unity of faith with the body of believ-ers. Such a confession also assures others that the individual is ready for Holy Communion.
The Order of Service
OPENING PRAYER (spoken in unison)
Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for your great goodness in bringing us to the knowledge of your Son, Jesus Christ, and in giving us both the heart to believe and mouth to confess his saving name. Enable us to bring forth fruits of faith and to remain steadfast in the faith until the day comes when all who have fought the good fight of faith will receive the crown of righteousness through Jesus Christ. Amen.
OPENING HYMN
Today Your Mercy Calls Us 339 (vS. 1,2)
please stand for the second verse
INVOCATION
Minister: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Congregation: Amen.
Be seated
EXAMINATION OF THE CONFIRMANDS (PART ONE)
Please stand
REVIEW OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
M: What does God tell us about ourselves in his holy Word?
C: He says that we are sinners and deserve only his punishment.
M: What should we do if we are not aware of our sins or are not troubled by them?
C: We should examine ourselves according to the Ten Commandments and ask how well we have carried them out.
M: When we examine ourselves we should ask ourselves questions like these:
How well have I carried out my responsibilities as a husband or wife or single person, as a parent or child, an employer or employee, a teacher or stu-dent. Have I loved God with all my heart, gladly heard his Word, and patiently endured affliction? Have I been disobedient, proud or unforgiving?
Have I been selfish, lazy, envious, or quarrelsome? Have I lied or deceived, taken something not mine, or given anyone a bad name? Have I abused my body or permitted indecent thoughts to linger in my mind? Have I failed to do what is right and good?
C: You shall have no other gods.
M: We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.
C: You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
M: We should fear and love God that we do not use his name to curse, swear, lie or deceive, or use witchcraft, but call upon God's name in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
C: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
M: We should fear and love God that we do not despise preaching and his
Word, but regard it as holy, and gladly hear and learn it.
C: Honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.
M: We should fear and love God that we do not dishonor or anger our parents and others in authority, but honor, serve, and obey them, and give them love and respect.
C: You shall not murder.
M: We should fear and love God that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and befriend him in every bodily need.
C: You shall not commit adultery.
M: We should fear and love God that we lead a pure and decent life in words and actions, and that husband and wife love and honor each other.
C: You shall not steal.
M: We should fear and love God that we do not take our neighbor's money or property or get it by dishonest dealing, but help him to improve and protect his property and means of income.
C: You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
M: We should fear and love God that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, or give him a bad name, but defend him, speak well of him, and take his words and actions in the kindest possible way.
C: You shall not covet.
M: We should fear and love God that we do not scheme to get our neighbor's inheritance or house or obtain it by a show of right, but do all we can to help him keep it. Similarly, we are not to force or entice away our neighbor's spouse, workers, or animals, but urge them to stay and do their duty.
EXAMINATION OF THE CONFIRMANDS (PART TWO
Please stand
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
M: When we realize that we have sinned against God and deserve his punish-ment, we will confess before God all our sins and ask him for his mercy and forgiveness. Therefore, let us confess our sins to God.
C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good. For this I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity. But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.
M: God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.
Please be seated
EXAMINATION OF THE CONFIRMANDS (PART THREE)
CHOIR
"In Christ Alone"
1 In Christ alone my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace, When fears are stilled, when striv-ings cease! My Comforter, my all in all, Here in the love of Christ I stand.
2 In Christ alone—who took on flesh, Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness, Scorned by the ones he came to save.
Till on that cross, as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on him was laid. Here in the death of Christ I live.
3 There in the ground his body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day Up from the grave he rose again!
And as he stands in victory, Sin's curse has lost its grip on me.
For I am his and he is mine—Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
4 No guilt in life, no fear in death, This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man Can ever pluck me from his hand;
Till he returns or calls me home, Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.
SCRIPTURE READING
Joshua 111-9
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LoRD, the LoRD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them-to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country-to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor for-. sake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
7 "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ' Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
EXAMINATION OF THE CONFIRMANDS (PART FOUR)
Please stand
GOSPEL LESSON
John 15:1-5
15 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Be seated
HYMN
Let Me Be Yours Forever | 596
SERMON
2 Timothy 1:13-14
NOW WHAT?
2 Timothy 1:33-14 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teach-ing, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. " Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you-guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
Those being confirmed come forward
RITE OF CONFIRMATION
PROFESSION OF FAITH
The Pastor addresses the congregation
M: Since it is God alone who enables us both to will and to do his good pleas-ure, it is right for us, dear friends in Christ, to call on him for these con-firmands, that he would graciously complete the good work he has begun in them. Let us therefore, bow our heads and pray.
M: Gracious Father, you have adopted this brother and sister in Baptism and anointed them with your Holy Spirit. Renew and strengthen them by that same Spirit so that they may continue to grow in faith and boldly confess you before others. Lord, in your mercy,
C: Hear our prayer.
M: Move them to faithfully hear your Holy Word and joyfully receive your sacrament that they may again and again be assured of your gracious love and forgiveness. Lord, in your mercy,
C: Hear our prayer.
M: Give them the sincere desire to die each day to sin and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Lord, in your mercy,
C: Hear our prayer.
M: Clothe them with the kindness, humility, and patience of Christ so that they may live at peace with all the members of Christ's body. Lord, in your mercy,
C: Hear our prayer.
M: Protect them from the powers of evil, and give them the weapons to fight against the devil. Lord, in your mercy,
C: Hear our prayer.
M: Keep them faithful and holy so that they may inherit eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
C: Amen.
C: 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 tempta-tion, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
M: Brother and sister in Christ, what we as a Christian congregation have here asked our heavenly Father to confer on you, we now ask him to give you individually.
The confirmand kneels and receives the blessing
HYMN
Christ Be My Leader | 367
Please stand
M: O God the Father, source of all goodness, in your loving kindness you sent your Son to share our humanity. We thank you that through him you have given us pardon and peace in this sacrament. We also pray that you will not forsake us but will rule our hearts and minds by your Holy Spirit so that we willingly serve you day after day, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
BLESSING
M: The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look on you with favor and + give you peace.
A - men. A - men. A - men.
Be seated
CLOSING HYMN
Go, My Children, with My Blessing | 332
REJOICE
We praise God for the faith he has created and sustained in this year's confirmands: Westin Howell and Harmony Peat. May God in his grace continue to keep them in his flock through his Word, and may you continue to support them and keep them in your prayers.
I asked Westin and Harmony to write a short "essay" in response to this question: "What does your Christian faith mean to you?" Below are their answers.
Westin George Howell
Confirmation Verse Matthew 28:20—Surely I am with you al-ways, to the very end of the age.
My Christian faith means to me that I believe in Christ. Since I believe in Christ I can get into heaven with him. It is important that I believe in Christ because he is the only way into heaven. It also means that I believe everything he says is true.
Harmony Ann Peat
Confirmation Verse Psalm 46:1—God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
A lot, because Jesus sacrificed his life for us all. We wouldn't be alive if he didn't sacrifice his life for us. We would be lost in sin. Jesus saved my soul and I will live eternally with God our Savior. If I sin, I know God takes it away through Jesus and I am very grateful because of it all.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SERVICE PARTICIPANTS
Presiding Minister
Vacancy Pastor Joel Neumann
Phone: 715.721.2011
Email: [email protected]
Organist
Mrs. Viena Ebersold
THANK YOU
Thank you to the choir for beautifying our worship with song this morning.
COUNCIL MEETING
We will have a church council meeting following our service this morn-ing.
