We will be back to in-person worship next Sunday, February 6.
“The glory of God is often revealed when and where it is least expected. God uses our lips to declare that glory, inexperienced and hesitant though they may be. God uses our love to demonstrate that glory and so urges us to exercise it. God uses Jesus of Nazareth, water and the word, bread and wine, to reveal God’s glory where and when God chooses. Take heed, lest the glory of God slip through our midst unnoticed.”
Order of Worship Service for Sunday, January 30, 2022
Prelude: “The Gift of Love,” – Hopson. Vocalists: Miriam Anderson & Pam Edwards
Meditation
The glory of God is often revealed when and where it is least expected. God uses our lips to declare that glory, inexperienced and hesitant though they may be. God uses our love to demonstrate that glory and so urges us to exercise it. God uses Jesus of Nazareth, water and the word, bread and wine, to reveal God’s glory where and when God chooses. Take heed, lest the glory of God slip through our midst unnoticed.
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, who creates us, redeems us, and calls us by name.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you and your beloved children. We have turned our faces away from your glory when it did not appear as we expected. We have rejected your word when it made us confront ourselves. We have failed to show hospitality to those you called us to welcome. Accept our repentance for the things we have done and the things we have left undone. For the sake of Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us and lead us, that we may bathe in the glory of your Son born among us, and reflect your love for all creation.
Amen.
Rejoice in this good news: In ☩ Christ Jesus, your sins are forgiven. You are descendants of the Most High, adopted into the household of Christ, and inheritors of eternal life. Live as freed and forgiven children of God.
Amen.
Opening Hymn: ELW 715- “Christ, Be Our Light,” all verses.
Prayer of the Day
Almighty and ever-living God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and love; and that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
First Reading: Jeremiah 1:4-10
God calls Jeremiah to be a prophet and consecrates him in the womb. Jeremiah’s task is to preach God’s word amid the difficult political realities of his time, before the Babylonian exile. He is to make God known not only to Judah, but also to the nations.
4Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,
5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
6Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” 7But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.
8Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord.”
9Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,
“Now I have put my words in your mouth.
10See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Christians in Corinth prided themselves on their spiritual gifts. Paul reminds them that God gives us many gifts through the Holy Spirit, but the purpose behind all of them is love, the kind of love that God showed us in Jesus Christ.
1If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
Gospel: Luke 4:21-30
People in Jesus’ hometown are initially pleased when he says that God will free the oppressed. Their pleasure turns to rage when he reminds them that God’s prophetic mission typically pushes beyond human boundaries so that mercy and healing are extended to those regarded as outsiders.
21Then Jesus began to say to all in the synagogue in Nazareth, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’ ” 24And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. 25But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 28When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
Sermon: Pastor Chris Lee
Hymn of the Day: ELW 514- “O Word of God Incarnate,” all verses.
Prayers of Intercession
The Spirit of the Lord is poured out upon us in abundance; so we are bold to pray for the church, the world, and all that God has made.
Guide your church in the ways of faith, hope, and love. Cultivate ministries and communities of compassion that bear witness to your enduring presence among us. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Teach us to live in humility on the earth. Curb arrogance that leads to destruction of natural resources and disregard for future generations. Inspire the work of scientists who urge us to live in harmony with your creation. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
You are the refuge of all who seek hope and freedom. Accompany immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers who cross borders to find safety and opportunity. Embolden leaders to draft compassionate policies on behalf of migrants and those who assist them. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Love bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things. Comfort with your love all who are lonely, fearful, or brokenhearted. Sustain the hope of all those who suffer in body or spirit especially Ruth Mortland; Richard Mowery; Melvin Neu; Sky Stoutt; Gary Berg; Jeanna LaRue; Bruce and Sandy Wright; Betty Lee; Paige Wheeler; Julie Prenatt; David Neu; Sheri Stoutt; Nan Hibbs; Britta Maddox; Everett Noah; Libby Hofsas; Noah Stoutt; Shelley Collis; Richard Hotchkiss; Nancy and Bob Bosco; Charysse and Adean Heritage and Family; Randy McIntyre; Karen Bemowski; Marilyn Hubbard; Helen Schubert, and all those we name before you now, aloud or in our hearts…
Give them tangible signs of your steadfast love. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Your grace falls upon young and old alike. Bless the gifts of children in this congregation and in this community. Give us humble hearts to follow their leadership. Inspire us with their laughter, their insight, and their curiosity. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
We praise you for those who have gone before us and now see you face to face especially Brenda Pinske and Dick Utsch. Abide with us in this mortal life until we rest in the arms of your neverending love. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Since we have such great hope in your promises, O God, we lift these and all of our prayers to you in confidence and faith; through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.
Peace
Great Thanksgiving
The Lord’s Prayer
Communion: ACS 1082- “O God, You Search Me.”
Communion: ELW 737- “He Comes to Us As One Unknown.”
Prayer after Communion
We give you thanks, gracious God, for we have feasted on the abundance of your house. Send us to bring good news and to proclaim your favor to all, strengthened with the richness of your grace in your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Blessing
God, who leads you in pathways of righteousness, who rejoices over you, and who calls you by name, ☩ bless your going out and your coming in, today and forever.
Amen.
Sending Hymn: ELW 543- “Go, My Children, With My Blessing,” all verses.
Dismissal
Go with Christ into a weary world. Share the good news.
Thanks be to God.
Postlude: ELW 403- “Like the Murmur of the Dove’s Song.”
Facebook link to Worship Service for Sunday, January 30, 2022:
https://www.facebook.com/190629367619921/videos/630611758153624
Upcoming Commemorations
Presentation of Our Lord
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
Forty days after the birth of Jesus we mark the day Mary and Joseph presented him in the temple in accordance with Jewish law. There they were greeted by Simeon, an aged priest who offered the song “Lord, now you let your servant depart in peace,” as well as by the prophet Anna, who spoke of the redemption of Israel.
Image credits: The greatest of these is LOVE, Heartlight and The Presentation in the Temple, sacredmurals.com
Music credits:
Vocalists: Miriam Anderson & Pam Edwards
Pam Edwards: Music Director/ Piano
“The Gift of Love.” American Folk Tune. Arr. by Hal Hopson, based on I Corinthians 13. Copyright 1972 in FOLK SONGS FOR WEDDINGS by Hope Publishing Company. One License #148957. All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream and print the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-704843.
“Christ, Be Our Light.” Text: Bernadette Farrell, b. 1957. Music: CHRIST, BE OUR LIGHT, Bernadette Farrell. Text and music copyright 1993 Bernadette Farrell. Published by OCP Publications, 5536 NE Hassalo, Portland, OR 97213. All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream and print the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-704843.
“O Word of God Incarnate.” Text: William W. How, 1823 – 1897, alt.. Music: MUNICH, Neuvermehrtes Gesangbuch, Meiningen, 1693. Public domain.
“O God, You Search Me.” Text: Bernadette Farrell, b. 1957. Music: Bernadette Farrell. Text and music copyright 1992 Bernadette Farrell, admin, OCP Publications. All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream and print the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-704843.
“He Comes to Us As One Unknown.” Text: Timothy Dudley-Smith, b. 1926. Music: C. Hubert H. Parry, 1848 – 1918. Text copyright 1984 hope Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream and print the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-704843.
“Go, My Children, With My Blessing.” Text: Jaroslav J. Vajda, b. 1919, alt.. Music: AR HYD Y NOS, Welsh traditional. Text copyright 1983 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream and print the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-704843.
“Like the Murmur of the Dove’s Song.” Text: Carl P. Daw Jr., b. 1944. Music: Peter Cutts, b. 1937. Text copyright 1982 Hope Publishing Company. Music copyright 1969 Hope Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream and print the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-704843.
Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2022 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Reprinted/ streamed with permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS006904. Duplication in any form is prohibited without permission or valid license from the copyright administrator.