Lord God, heavenly Father, who have tenderly remembered us miserable men and have set Your Son over us as our keeper, not only to feed us with Your Word but also by His protection to deliver and preserve us from sin, death, and the devil: we beseech You to grant by Your Holy Spirit that, just as this Shepherd knows us and has assumed our troubles as His own, so in all our pressing concerns, we may also cling to Him, seek and expect help and comfort from Him, heartily follow His voice, and so through Him obtain eternal salvation. Amen.
Welcome! We ask all of you, both visitors and members, to sign a Welcome card located in the pew rack. Please fill out this card, place it in the offering plate, or hand it to an usher as you leave the service.
Prayers – For our home-bound members:
St. John’s – Alfred Larson.
Our Savior – Charlotte Scepaniak, Doris Vilhauer, Betty Zundel, Vi Schnaidt, Ken & Dorothy Maas, Loretta Podoll, Larry Nupen, Evelyn Grieben, Betty Meints, Verdena Dabbert, Lorraine Krage.
And for the children we sponsor through Mission Haiti: Michelet Voltaire, Michel Djoury, and Orgea Djouna.
Introit Psalm 23; antiphon: John 10:14, 15b
I am the good | shepherd.*
I know my own and my own know me, and I lay down my life | for the sheep.
The Lord is my | shepherd;*
I | shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green | pastures.*
He leads me beside still | waters.
He re- | stores my soul.*
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his | name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are | with me;*
your rod and your staff, they | comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my | enemies;*
you anoint my head with oil; my cup | overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days | of my life,*
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for- | ever.
Glory be to the Father and | to the Son*
and to the Holy | Spirit;
as it was in the be- | ginning,*
is now, and will be forever. | Amen.
I am the good | shepherd.*
I know my own and my own know me, and I lay down my life | for the sheep.
Collect of the Day
Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
First Reading Acts 4:1–12
1As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,
2greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
3And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.
4But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
5On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem,
6with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.
7And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders,
9if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed,
10let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.
11This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
12And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Gradual adapt. from Matthew 28:7; Hebrews 2:7; Psalm 8:6
Christ has risen | from the dead.*
[God the Father] has crowned him with glory and | honor.
He has given him dominion over the works | of his hands;*
he has put all things un- | der his feet.
Epistle 1 John 3:16–24
16By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
17But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
18Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
19By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;
20for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.
21Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
22and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
23And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
24Whoever keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Holy Gospel John 10:11–18
11[Jesus said:] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
13He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,
15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.
18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Acknowledgments
The Introit, Collect, Gradual, and Verse are from Lutheran service Book: Altar Book, copyright 2006 CPH. All Scripture quotations, including those from Luthern Service Book, are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
St. John’s
Organist: Zachary Daggett
Ushers: Logan Ringgenberg & John Bisbee
Next Week: Brent & Barb Miller
Our Savior
Organist: Zachary Daggett
Elders: Douglas Klipfel & Don Hoops
Altar Guild: Ann Lee & Rebecca McHenry
Acolytes: Tristan Tschappat & Rhylan Tschappat
Last Week: Attendance – 105; Sunday School – 17
Offering – General Fund $2,926; Sunday School $20.50; St. John’s $417.14; Total $3,363.64
Schedule for the Week
Sunday St. John’s Service of the Word – 8:15 am
Bible Study at St. John’s – after the service
Sunday School – 9:30 am
Our Savior Divine Service with Communion – 10:45 am
Board of Education – after the service
Monday Mat Ladies – 1:00 pm
Deacons – 3:30pm
Tuesday Coffee & Confessions – 6:30 am
Wednesday Staff Devotion – 9:00 am
Catechism Class – 5:00 pm
Vespers – 6:00 pm
Bible Study – 6:30 pm
Next Sunday St. John’s Divine Service with Communion – 8:15 am
St. John’s Voters Meeting – after the service
Sunday School – 9:30 am
Bible Study at Our Savior – 9:45 am
Our Savior Divine Service with Communion – 10:45 am
Family Game Day & Potluck & Teacher Recognition
Pastor Ludwig will be in the office during the morning on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
St. John’s Voters Meeting – The quarterly voters meeting at St. John’s will be after the service next Sunday, April 28
th.
Family Game Day & Potluck & Teacher Recognition hosted by the Board of Education will be Sunday, April 28
th. There will be a potluck after the service, followed by Bingo and other games. All are welcome! Enjoy the afternoon with your church family, and thank our Sunday School and Confirmation teachers for giving their time and talents to our children.
The Confirmands and their families would like to invite the congregation to join them for lunch in the fellowship hall after the service on May 5
th, Confirmation Sunday. The confirmands are Abigail Andreasen, Bethany Andreasen, Ally Johnson, and Rhylan Tschappat.
Church League Softball – Our Savior and St. John’s will put together a softball team this year. If you are interested, contact Eric Johnson 605-216-6701.
Vacation Bible School is set for June 2 – 6, 2024. The theme is “Celebrate the Savior!” Of all the blessings God gives us, His Son Jesus is the biggest reason to celebrate. Starting with Jesus’ birth and concluding with His resurrection, children will learn about Jesus’ unending love and forgiveness.
Hours are from 6:00 to 8:30 pm, with time for a sack lunch from 5:30 to 6:00.
Registration forms are available by the library. Friends, neighbors, and relatives are welcome also!
The Board of Education needs teachers and helpers in all areas. There will be a sign-up sheet in the library area soon. Please consider your talents and how you can help serve.
Portals of Prayer for April – June are available in the narthex.
Annual Reports for 2023 are available in the narthex. More will be printed if they run out.
The Lutheran Witness – Going forward, there will be a change in how you receive your Lutheran Witness magazine. The church will order a bulk subscription which will be delivered to the church, and members can pick it up there. They will be hand-delivered to our homebound members. The SD District news insert will still be included. Since the cost of magazines has nearly doubled in the last few years, the congregations of the South Dakota District of the LCMS have voted to end the policy of required blanket subscriptions, because some churches can no longer afford it. We do receive a discount on the bulk order. Individuals can subscribe on their own if they’d like it delivered directly to their home.
The Lutheran Witness provides great information, instruction, and encouragement from our confessional Lutheran perspective, therefore the church encourages you to continue reading it.
The April issue is available in the narthex.
LCMS Stewardship Ministry – April 21 – 4
th Sunday of Easter
John 10:14 – “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” What does it mean to know the Lord? It starts with being known by the Lord: He claims us as His own and calls us by name. Then, once we are His, we learn to know Him, and in knowing Him, we learn to imitate Him. That is how the Christian life of good works and generosity grows from the Lord’s grace.
Building Healthy Families: Your mom wants to stay in her own home and wants you to stop worrying about her. You want her to be happy, but you worry about her living alone as she ages. Sound familiar? A recent AARP survey found that staying at home as long as possible is a stated goal for 95% of people age 75 and older. Be creative and seek mutually agreeable solutions which make staying at home safe as long as possible; be brave and respectful and have conversations about options before a move is needed. Find helpful ideas and resources at
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/aging-place/aging-place-growing-older-home or invite a counselor from LFS out to speak to a group in your church or community about this important topic!
Lutheran Family Service www.LutheranFamilyService.org
(John 10:11). His life is not taken from Him, but He lays it down willingly, of His own accord, because He knows and loves the sheep. As the One sent by the Father, He has the
(John 10:18). So has He done, and now He continues to love and serve as the Good Shepherd of the sheep by the voice of His Gospel. He thus calls all people into the fold of His Church, so that there may be
(John 10:16). That is why the apostles
(Acts 4:2). Since
(Acts 4:12). His voice comforts our hearts against all condemnation and gives us courage to
