THE HOLY TRINITY

May 18, 2008

+Feast of the Holy Trinity +

May 11, 2008 Setting IV [ELW page 147] 8:15 & 11a.m.

+ WELCOME, VISITORS +

Please sign our visitor's book at our Welcome Center in the narthex.

CHILDCARE is PROVIDED in lower level of the Education Building during the 11:00 service only. There is a “CRY ROOM” down the stairs off the Narthex where the service can be heard via speaker. “BUSY BAGS” and CHILDREN’S BULLETINS may also be found in the narthex .

THROUGHOUT THE SERVICE, CONGREGATIONAL

RESPONSES ARE IN BOLD TYPE.

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PRELUDE Creator Spirit, Heavenly Dove

chorale settings by Johann Sebastian Bach

GATHERING

FOLLOWING THE PRELUDE,

ALL RISE FOR THE APOSTOLIC GREETING.

APOSTOLIC GREETING

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

THE MINISTERS AND CHOIR PROCESS

TO THE CHANCEL DURING THE HYMN OF PRAISE.

HYMN OF PRAISE All Glory Be to God on High #410

SALUTATION

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Almighty Creator and ever-living God, we worship your glory, eternal Three–in-One, and we praise your power, majestic One–in-Three. Keep us steadfast in this faith, defend us in all adversity, and bring us at last into your presence, where you live in endless joy and love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

WORD

FIRST READING Genesis 1:1-2:4a

“Creation”

Holy Wisdom, holy Word.

Thanks be to God.

PSALMODY Psalm 8 [choir or cantor]

(ALL REPEAT THE ANTIPHON at the beginning and after each verse.)

SECOND READING 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

Paul writes: Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

Holy Wisdom, holy Word.

Thanks be to God.

GRADUAL HYMN Now to the Holy Spirit Let Us Pray #743

1. All. 2. Women. 3. Men. 4. All.

GOSPEL Matthew 28:16-20

The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the twenty-eighth chapter.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw Jesus, they worshipped him; but some doubted.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with your always, to the end of the age.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

SERMON Pastor William Yancey

HYMN OF THE DAY I Bind unto Myself Today # 450
1, 2, & 3. In unison. 4. IN HARMONY. 5. In unison.

AFFIRMATION OF BAPTISM, RITE OF CONFIRMATION (11:00) [ELW page 234]

FLANNERY ALLISON, MIRIAM BOHLMANN KUNZ,

SCOTT FLOERKE, AMY LEE, MAYA LIGHT, DAVID OWEN,

HALEY PRYOR, GENEVIEVE SCHMOEKER, AND KARL WEBSTER

CREED (8:15)

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

PRAYERS

With the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, let us pray for the church, those in need, and all

of God’s creation.

A brief silence.

After each portion of the prayers:

Hear us, O God;

your mercy is great.

IN OUR PRAYERS:

We pray for the continued blessing of the Holy Spirit to be with our confimands, especially FLANNERY ALLISON, MIRIAM BOHLMANN KUNZ, SCOTT FLOERKE,

AMY LEE, MAYA LIGHT, DAVID OWEN, HALEY PRYOR, GENEVIEVE SCHMOEKER, AND KARL WEBSTER who are confirmed today.

We pray for peace and comfort to be with CAROL ANN WANG (aunt of SHERMAN LEE) and her family as she nears her end of days.

We give thanks for God’s healing power upon TED MEINERS who is recovering at home from surgery.

We pray for God’s comfort to be with LOIS DANKER who has returned to the Beauvais Manor for her care.

We pray for DAN NICHOLS, cousin of STEPHEN MAGER. We ask God’s spirit of strength and comfort during a time of serious illness.

We remember VIRGINIA BREGITZER in prayer as she continues to live with ALS. May the peace and love of God sustain her.

We rejoice with all graduates from area universities, particularly with our many friends from Washington University and St. Louis University. May the Holy Spirit bless and guide them as they go forward.

Accept these prayers and the prayers of our hearts, O God, for the sake of the crucified and risen one, Jesus Christ, our redeemer. Amen.

MEAL

PEACE

OFFERING

OFFERTORY (8:15)                   We Praise You, O God                                                        # 228
                          The morning canticle of praise to the Trinity, the Te Deum laudamus.

                                             I. Choir: 1-2, 3-4.             ALL: 5-6.

                                             II. Choir: 7, 8-9.               ALL: 10-11.

                                             III. Choir: 12-13, 14-15. ALL*: 16-17.

* ALL PLEASE RISE ON THE FINAL VERSES.

VOLUNTARY (11:00) Creator Spirit, Heavenly Dove

chorale settings by Johann Pachelbel

OFFERTORY CANTICLE (11:00)

Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow [music, # 883]

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow

praise God, all creatures here below

praise God above, ye heav’nly host;

praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

OFFERTORY PRAYER

God of all creation,

All you have made is good, and your love endures forever. You bring forth bread from the earth and fruit from the vine. Nourish us with these gifts, that we might be for the world signs of your gracious presence in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING

YOU ARE WELCOME AT GOD'S TABLE. Believing in the real presence of Christ in the holy meal, this church practices Eucharistic hospitality. We invite all baptized persons to share in the Holy Eucharist. Children are invited to come forward for the blessing. GRAPE JUICE is provided in the tray of individual cups for those who prefer this alternative. It is recognized by a deeper rose color.

It is indeed right …we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY ( SANCTUS)

THANKSGIVING AT THE TABLE

You are indeed holy, almighty and merciful God. You are most holy, and great is the majesty of your glory.

You so loved the world that you gave your only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.

We give you thanks for his coming into the world to fulfill for us your holy will and to accomplish all things for our salvation.

In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: this cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

For as often as we eat this bread and drink from this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Remembering, therefore, his salutary command, his life-giving passion and death, his glorious resurrection and ascension, and the promise of his coming again, we give thanks to you, O Lord God Almighty. We ask you mercifully to accept our praise and thanksgiving and with your Word and Holy Spirit to bless us, your servants, and these your own gifts of bread and wine, so that we and all who share in the body and blood of Christ may be filled with heavenly blessing and grace, and, receiving the forgiveness of sin, may be formed to live as your holy people and may be given our inheritance with all your saints.

To you, O God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory in your holy church, now and forever

LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those

who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours,

now and forever. Amen

AGNUS DEI (8:15) Tomás Luis de Victoria

LAMB OF GOD (AGNUS DEI) (11:00)

COMMUNION HYMN Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty #413

Father Most Holy #415

PRAYER

O God, our provider, you nourish us with holy food and drink, and you open our hearts to the needs of others. Refresh us with your Spirit, that our words and deeds may proclaim your creative and life-giving Word, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

SENDING

ANNOUNCEMENTS

BLESSING

SENDING HYMN Holy Spirit, Ever Dwelling #582

DISMISSAL

POSTLUDE Creator Spirit, Heavenly Dove

chorale setting by Wilhelm Friedrich Zachau

***Those wishing to listen to the postlude may be seated near the organ. Conversationalists are invited to the narthex.***

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Acknowledgements: Service music reprinted from ELW, copyright © 2006 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Augsburg Fortress license # 14709-LIT. Psalm 8: How Great is Your Name.Tune: Antiphon, A. Gregory Murray, © 1963, The Grail, England, GIA Publications, Inc., agent. Used by permission. OneLicense.net # A-704944. All rights reserved.

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Music Commentary:

Our worship for this Trinity Sunday is one great doxology – a joyful acclamation of praise to our heavenly Father and Creator; to his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer; and to that life-giving Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts.

In the Church of late antiquity, the Gloria Patri (“Glory be to the Father…”) was known as the lesser doxology (in contradistinction to the greater doxology, the Gloria in Excelsis – Our Hymn of Praise). These hymns extolling the Holy Trinity arose from a real need in the early Church to combat the encroaching Arian heresy, which denied Christ’s divinity. That controversy was finally laid to rest at the Council of Nicea in 325, whence came our Nicene Creed, which unequivocally articulates our faith in a triune God.

The tune for our Trinitarian Communion Hymn, John Bacchus Dykes’ Holy, Holy, Holy, takes the name NICAEA. This tune has from its inception been associated with Reginald Hebers’ confessional text, an expansion and paraphrase of the lesser doxology.

The well-known Old Hundredth, with a trinitarian text by Thomas Ken (1637-1711), is recognized by people in many Christian denominations as, simply, the Doxology. It is our offering canticle this morning (11:00).

What are all the bells for? It is customary in many churches to announce a final, trinitarian stanza of a hymn by the ringing of the zimbelstern, a mechanical set of bells. Here at Bethel we do likewise, to add a joyful noise to our doxology of praise. At the singing of the trinitarian stanza the congregation, if seated, is invited to rise.

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+ CHURCH & COMMUNITY NEWS +

* The deadline for items to be received for publication in

Bethel’s worship BULLETIN is: WEDNESDAY by 1 p.m.!

Please E-MAIL your submission to:

Office@bethel-ucity.org. *

THE FLOWERS GRACING THE CHANCEL this morning are placed this day for the greater glory of God by KATRINA STIERHOLZ and MARK BANASZAK in honor of the Confirmation of their godson, KARL WEBSTER and all the Bethel confirmands today.

CONFIRMATION DAY: Today, we celebrate with FLANNERY ALLISON, MIRIAM BOHLMANN KUNZ, SCOTT FLOERKE, AMY LEE, MAYA LIGHT, DAVID OWEN,

HALEY PRYOR, GENEVIEVE SCHMOEKER, AND KARL WEBSTER on their day of Confirmation. Please join the newly confirmed at a reception in the narthex after the 11:00 a.m. service. The hospitality goodies today come from the generosity of Albert Webster and Kristina Stierholz.

THE POWER OF TWELVE - COME OUT AND SERVE. While it may have appeared that we took a break from announcements last week, in fact, we were just deferring to St. Paul who, in Corinthians Chapter TWELVE which was read last Sunday said: "There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose. *** All are the work of one and the same Spirit, who distributes different gifts to different people just as he chooses." Paul's message is the message at the heart of the Power of Twelve. Depending on your different gift, you could be (or already are) contributing in 1. Music, 2. Worship, 3. Bethel School, 4. Lutheran Campus Ministry, 5. Hospitality, 6. Property Maintenance, 7. Mission, 8. Spiritual Development (e.g., Adult education , Bible Study), 9. Youth, 10 Stephen Ministers, 11. Community Outreach (e.g., Grace and Peace) and 12. insert your "different" gift here. We look forward to hearing from you and to seeing you at the members meeting on June 1. Please contact Steve Poplawski (sjpoplawski@bryancave.com), Sue Flesch (scflesch@giftedresourcecouncil.org), Richard Amelung ( Amelunrc@slu.edu) or Paul Bregitzer (torchgin2@charter.net) with your thoughts, questions and suggestions. Thanks for the continuing contribution of your different gifts to the Bethel community.

DEACONS meet on Monday, May 19^th at 7:00 p.m.

STEPHEN MINISTRY meets Thursday, May 29^th at 2 p.m.

THE DEADLINE for the June issue of The Bethel Connection newsletter is TODAY, May 18. Please submit items to jaroos@att.net, or to the church office marked “Attention: JUDY ROOS.” Thank you!

REMINDER: Bethel’s SUMMER SCHEDULE begins next Sunday, May 25th, with a single worship service at 9:30 a.m. Please read the following notice about PARKING for members during these single service Sundays of summer.

SUMMER PARKING AT BETHEL - PLEASE READ:

We appreciate the cooperation of the mobile members of Bethel in foregoing the use of the Forsyth on-site parking area, in favor of members and visitors who need parking close to the church. We especially remind our new members, and attendees at the early service during the rest of the year, of the current parking plan:

BETHEL ON-SITE PARKING

The Bethel on-site parking spaces north of the Education Building and the school playground are available to any Bethel member or visitor on a first come – first served basis.

The Bethel on-site parking spaces south of the Education Building (the so-called Forsyth area) are reserved for the following four groups of people:

1. Holders of disabled parking permits.

2. Visitors.

3. Other mobility impaired persons.

4. Families attending worship with a child under the age of three.

PARKING OPTIONS FOR MOBILE BETHEL MEMBERS

1. North and south sides of Forsyth west of Big Bend – heavily used.

2. South side of Forsyth east of Big Bend – an underutilized area – there are about 25

parking spaces between Big Bend and Olympian Way .

3. Some parking is available near Big Bend on Northmoor and Lindell.

Lindell must be entered via Asbury.

4. There is a small parking lot on the east side of Big Bend north of the Washington

University field house – room for 6-12 cars depending on usage by others.

N.B. There is an extensive Washington University parking lot located on the north side of Forsyth immediate east of the Washington University football stadium. Enter off Forsyth via Olympian Way or Hadley Way.

NEXT MONDAY, MAY 26th, IS MEMORIAL DAY. The Bethel Church office, as well as the school office, will be closed for the holiday. Normal business resumes on Tuesday.

THIS YEAR’S ANNUAL BETHEL VOTERS’ MEETING will be held on Sunday, June 1. There will be only one service that day, at 9:30 a.m. The Annual Meeting will follow immediately after. Among other business, the 2008/’09 budget will be presented for passage.

COME HUNGRY AND HELP THE STUDENTS OF BETHEL SCHOOL!

The mission board is honoring the students and families of Bethel School with a Special Scholarship Fund and we need the congregations help! We know that Bethel School is important to many members and their families, but what you don’t know is how thankful the parents and students are to have you! Come help celebrate the Bethel School Community June 8^th after the 9:30 service. Brunch and activities to be held from 11-1pm. All funds raised will go to support the students of Bethel School.

BETHEL SCHOOL SUMMER FUN PROGRAM BEGINS JUNE 9^th!!! Send your little ones ( 3 years old through 4^th grade) to Bethel this summer! There are 5 two-week themed sessions. Each session includes a mini sports camp, tutoring, field trips and swimming at Heman Park Pool. Please look for the bright yellow brochures available in the narthex or call the School at 314-863-3111.

It's almost time for Bethel's SUMMER PICNICS once again! This year, the Families With Children Committee is planning two church picnics, one at Irv Zeid park (Olivette) on Sunday, Jun 15th and another at Deer Creek Park (Richmond Heights) on Sunday, August 10th.

PLEASE SAVE THE DATES!

LECTORS ARE NEEDED FOR SUMMER SERVICES: if you can assist in our worship service by reading a lesson (always the first lesson), please sign up on the summer schedule sheet in the church entry. HOSPITALITY VOLUNTEERS ARE ALSO NEEDED. Thank you for participating! Names signed up by Thursday morning can be acknowledged in the Sunday bulletin (the back cover).

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2008

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ADULT EDUCATION FORUM

Adult Ed meets downstairs in the Fellowship Hall on Sunday mornings at 9:30, except on the first Sunday of the month.

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This meeting wraps up the exciting Spring 2008 Adult Educational Forum program. We have discussed topics concerning Christian ethics, Christology, and church history.

TODAY: May 18: Bob McMullen, Bread for the World board member, will speak about the 2008 mission focus for Bread for the World and the letter campaign to address world hunger (one of the Millenium Development Goals). This session will also be the End of Spring Adult Forum Brunch!! We will make plans for the 2008-2009 adult forum topics and enjoy a light brunch. Please come with your ideas!!

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+ COMMUNITY NEWS +

Members of the congregation have often asked what’s going on at Bethel School, and so each Sunday we will try to introduce you to some of the students and happenings…