01/25/25

As We Gather

  Just as the fulfillment of Isaiah is done in Jesus’ ministry, it may at times seem insignificant and even unimportant when the light of the Gospel is preached in our hearing and in our world today. How many of us have heard God’s voice directly saying, “Follow me”? Those who were baptized as infants have no memory of ever being apart from God or His church. The life of faith in God may just seem normal or even routine to us—nothing out of the ordinary. Yet, Jesus is saying to you, “Repent” and “Follow Me,” even in the ordinary details of life.

Children Activity Bags We value children in our worship services. If needed, there is a family room available for families with children. The family room has a diaper changing table, a closed-circuit TV to watch the worship service, toys and books for children. The family room is located across from the kitchen in the long hallway, the first door on the right, just past the bathrooms. There are “King’s Kids” bags with activities for children to help them worship. They are near the usher’s station on a small rack. Please return the bag to the rack after the service.

Holy Communion The Scripture teaches the Lord’s Supper is a precious gift of God in which Christ gives us His true body and blood, together with the bread and wine, for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. Because the Bible teaches that this Sacrament may also be spiritually harmful if misused, and that participation in the Lord’s Supper is an act of confession of faith, we ordinarily commune those who have been instructed in the teachings of our church and who have confessed their faith in these teachings. If you have a question, please speak to Pastor Ralph before the service. For those who prefer a non-alcoholic alternative, there is grape juice at the center of each tray. Those not receiving the Sacrament, including children, are invited to come to the altar, cross their arms over their chest, and receive a special blessing.

The First Doom: the Withdrawal of the Word  “Scripture considers the removal of God’s Word from men the greatest plague and manifestation of God’s wrath. On the other hand, there is no greater manifestation of grace than the sending of His Word!  What Luther says # 4816 

Third Sunday of Epiphany

January 25, 2026

Opening Hymn                  Rise, Shine, You People LSB 825

Invocation, Confession and Absolution  (Psalm 51: 1-9)

P:   We gather in the name and at the invitation of our great and gracious triune God;

C:   In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

P:   Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; 

C:   according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 

P;   Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 

C:   For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 

P:   Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, 

C:   so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 

P:   Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 

C:   Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; 

P:   you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. 

C:   Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; 

P:   wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 

C:   Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 

All:   Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 

P:   Today Jesus Christ comes to you with an invitation saying, “Repent” and “Follow Me.” He open our ears to hear His call of salvation and life and enables us to hear and follow the voice of Christ our Lord. As a called and ordained servant of the Word, I announce the grace of God to you: All your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C:   Amen.

Hymn of Desire                   Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God             liturgy page 192-3

Prayer of the Day

All:   Lord God, by Your powerful Word, draw us by Your grace and mercy to a living faith in Your salvation, Your help, and Your purpose for us, that we may live daily trusting in Your guidance and love; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

O T Lesson                 (The light of God’s reign breaks into the world.)                 Isaiah 9:1–4

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan—  ² The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. ³ You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. ⁴  For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 

N T Lesson                                     (Divisions in the church)                    1 Corinthians 1:10–18 

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. ¹¹ My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. ¹² What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” ¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? ¹⁴ I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. ¹⁶ (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) ¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. ¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Gospel Lesson     (Jesus begins repentance and followership.)          Matthew 4:12–25

When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. ¹³ Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— ¹⁴ to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: ¹⁵ “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— ¹⁶ the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” ¹⁷ From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” ¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him. ²¹ Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. ²³ Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. ²⁴ News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. ²⁵ Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.

Message Song                 Hear the Call of the Kingdom

Hear the call of the kingdom, lift your eyes to the King;

Let His song rise within you as a fragrant offering

Of how God, rich in mercy, came in Christ to redeem

All who trust in His unfailing grace.

Hear the call of the kingdom to be children of light

With the mercy of heaven, the humility of Christ;

Walking justly before Him, loving all that is right,

That the life of Christ may shine through us.

                         Chorus:      King of heaven, we will answer the call,

We will follow, bringing hope to the world,

Filled with passion, filled with power to proclaim

Salvation through Jesus’ name.

Hear the call of the kingdom to reach out to the lost

With the Father’s compassion in the wonder of the cross,

Bringing peace and forgiveness, and a hope yet to come:

                   Let the nations put their trust in Him.      Chorus

Words and music by Keith and Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend

Copyright 2006, Thankyou Music Used by permission CCLI license #11390779

Message                                         The Call to Repent and Follow

God has provided

1.      The means by which a person can be saved    and have a right relationship with God.

2.      The world, through the Gospel, an opportunity to become a part of His Church and everlasting Kingdom.

3.      God called ordinary      men and women to do extra ordinary    feats that require heavenly resources for godly gains!

Nicene Creed

C:   I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary  and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father.  And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end. 

And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life ✠ of the world to come. Amen.

Offering 
Offertory                                               We Praise You, O God                                            LSB 785 vs 1

Prayers of the Church  

 After each petition:

 P:  Lord, in your mercy,

 C:  hear our prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer

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 temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Supper

Preface                                                                      page 194 in the hymnal

P:  The Lord be with you.

C:  ♪ And with thy spirit.

P:  Lift up your hearts.

C:  ♪ We lift them up 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 good, right, and salutary …. And with the host of heaven we sing:

Sanctus — Holy, Holy, Holy                                          page 195 in the hymnal

C:  ♪ Ho -ly, ho-ly, ho-ly Lord God of Sa – ba – oth. Heaven and earth are full of Thy   

        glory. Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He, blessed is He, 

        blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna 

        in the highest.

The Words of Institution (Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper)

Pax Domini—The Peace of the Lord                  page 197 in the hymnal

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always.C:  ♪ Amen.

Agnus Dei – Lamb of God                                                                          page 198 in the hymnal                                      

C:  ♪ O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world; 

         have mercy upon us.

         O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world; 

         have mercy upon us.

         O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world; 

         grant us Thy peace.  A – men.

Distribution of Communion

Distribution Hymn                            O God of Mercy, O God of Might                          LSB 852

Nunc Dimittis                                                                                              page 211 in the hymnal

C: ♪ O Lord, now let Your servant      Depart in heav’nly peace,    For I have seen the glory     Of Your redeeming grace:     A light to lead the Gentiles    Unto Your holy hill,    The glory of Your people,   Your chosen Israel.  All glory to the Father,   All glory to the Son,  All glory to the Spirit,    Forever Three in One;    For as in the beginning,    Is now, shall ever be,   God’s triune name resounding    Through all eternity.

Post Communion Collect

All:  As You, O Lord, have called us in our ordinary lives to follow You, so You have given us extraordinary gifts. To sustain the spirit of true repentance and faith You have given, we give You thanks that through ordinary bread and wine You continue to give us forgiveness and life through Your very body and blood, once shed in atonement on the cross, now risen from death, and forever living everywhere among Your faithful people. Glory to You, O Lord, now and forever. Amen.

Benediction                                                                                                    Numbers 6:24–26                                                                                           

P:   The blessing of God Almighty—the Father who created us, the ✠ Son who saved us and shall return to welcome us home, and the Holy Spirit who creates and nourishes the faith that Jesus is the Lord—be with you now and forever.

C:   Amen. 

Closing Hymn                                Forth in Thy name, O Lord, I Go         LSB 854 Tune 704

Announcements 

Dismissal

P:   Go in peace as you serve the Lord.      

C:   Thanks be to God!   

Postlude