01/16/2022

On the second Sunday of each Epiphany season, the manifestation of Jesus as the Christ sent by God is grounded in the Gospel of John, who gives us the deepest insight into the goal of our Lord’s entire earthly ministry. Now the same Spirit who empowered Jesus all along the way of the cross empowers us. The one Spirit enables each of us to love God and one another in a united worship of God and a variety of service and care for one another. “The faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14) overflow in us who already now celebrate the marriage feast of the Lamb and His kingdom, which has no end.

Family Room & Children Activity Bags- 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 (in a miraculous way), 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 the LCMS ordinarily communes only those who have been instructed in the teachings of our church and who have confessed their faith in these teachings. Please speak to Pastor Ralph before the service if you have a question about this. 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.
Small Catechism for the New Year – That God’s people, and even many priests, were in great need of clear Christian instruction in Luther’s day, so too, we find in our day many who either do not know or understand God’s redeeming love in Jesus. Society, in general, has done on of two things: 1) downplayed the importance of God’s Word for our good; or 2) totally disregards God’s interest in the affairs of men and seeks to eliminate the Bible’s influence upon society. The First Commandment: You shall have no other gods before me. What does this mean? “We should fear and love, and trust in God above all things.” “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5

Epiphany 2

January 16, 2022

Welcome

Hymn                                       Hail to the Lord’s Anointed           LSB 398      tune 835 vs 1-3

Invocation, Confession and Absolution 

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:   God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

C:   But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

P:   Let us therefore confess our sins to God our Father.

C:   Merciful God, we confess that we live surrounded by the darkness of sin. Our lives are spent in the darkness of the fallen world by our own sin in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done as well as the good we have failed to do. Deliver us from this darkness and grant us Your forgiveness by the light of Your Son’s saving death on the cross and the power of His resurrection. Amen.

(Silence for Meditation)

P:   Jesus Christ, the light of the world, opens heaven before us and brings us life again. By the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C:   Amen.

Song of Praise                 How Can I Keep From Singing                                       Tomlin

There is an endless song       It echoes in my soul

I hear the music ring        And though the storms may come

I am holding on       To the rock I cling

Chorus         How can I keep from singing Your praise

How can I ever say enough      How amazing is Your love

How can I keep from shouting Your name        I know I am loved by the King

And it makes my heart want to sing

I will lift my eyes   In the darkest night 

For I know my Savior lives   And I will walk with You

Knowing You’ll see me through   And sing the songs You give   Chorus

Bridge                   I can sing in the troubled times       Sing when I win

I can sing when I lose my step      And fall down again

I can sing ‘cause You pick me up       Sing ‘cause You’re there

I can sing ‘cause You hear me, Lord       When I call to You in prayer

  I can sing with my last breath           Sing for I know

                   That I’ll sing with the angels        And the saints around the throne         to Chorus

Prayer of the Day

All:   Lord God, heavenly Father, who sent Your Son to establish a new creation, by the forgiveness won in the glory of His cross and resurrection, renew our lives by the breath of the Holy Spirit empowering us to worship You in purity and serve one another in love; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

O T Lesson                    (The bridegroom rejoices over his bride.)                       Isaiah 62:1–7

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. ² The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. ³ You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. ⁴ No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married. ⁵ As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. 

⁶ I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, ⁷ and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. 

N T Lesson          (The work of the Spirit in everyday Christian life)     1 Corinthians 12:1–11

Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. ² You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. ³ Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. ⁴ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. ⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. 

Anthem                                                 Saw You Never in the Twilight                         Ascension Choir  10:30 am

Gospel Lesson                                       (The wedding at Cana)                                        John 2:1–11

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, ² and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” ⁴ “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” ⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” ⁶ Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.⁷ Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. ⁸ Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, ⁹ and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰ and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” ¹¹ This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.  

Message Hymn                             My Hope is Built on Nothing Less                             LSB 576

Message                                        But You Have Saved the Best Till Now

The Kingdom of Heaven

1. is with those who claim _______       _______           _______!

2. Continues in the same manner God’s people have always continued throughout time

_________     ___________   in God’s promises!

3. _____________     all that God desires for His people as we live in the abundance of our ____________     and the blessings from above!

Notes:

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.

Prayers of the Church  

 After each petition:

 L:  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 160 in the hymnal

L:  The Lord be with you.

C:  ♪ And also with you.

L:   Lift up your hearts.

C:  ♪ We lift them to the Lord.

L:   Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C:   ♪ It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

L:   It is truly good, right, and salutary …. And ever more praising You and singing:

Sanctus — Holy, Holy, Holy                                         page 161 in the hymnal

C:  ♪ Holy, holy, holy Lord God of pow’r and might: Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Hosanna. Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

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

Pax Domini—The Peace of the Lord                                                   page 163 in the hymnal

L:   The peace of the Lord be with you always.

C:   ♪ Amen.

Agnus Dei – Lamb of God                                                                    page 163 in the hymnal

C:  ♪ Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.

         Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.

         Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; grant us peace.

Distribution of Communion

Distribution Hymn                               From All That Dwells Below the Skies        LSB 816

  Follow the Star            Choir                          10:30 am

Post Communion Canticle                                                        page 164 in the hymnal

C:  ♪ Thank the Lord and sing His praise; tell ev’ryone what He has done.  Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear His name.  He recalls His promises and leads His people forth in joy with shouts of thanksgiving. Alleluia, alleluia. 

Post Communion Thanksgiving

All: Heavenly Father, You have made us glad and increased our joy, making us to share in the glory of Your Son’s cross and resurrection by Means of His very body and blood given and shed for us. Empower us by Your Holy Spirit to be His love and light in our world; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Benediction                                                                                                       Numbers 6:24–26

L:   The Lord bless you and keep you.  The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.  The Lord look upon you with favor and ✠ give you peace.

C:   Amen.                                                           

Offering                            (Please place offering in plate in Narthex.  Thank you!)   

Sending Hymn             Hail to the Lord’s Anointed                        LSB 398   tune 835 vs 4-5

Announcements                                                                                      

Dismissal

L:   Go in peace! Serve the Lord!

C:   Thanks be to God.

Postlude 

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Natural and Eternal Life “There is no denying the fact that even natural life comes from God, which unbelievers, too, have from Him, as St Paul says, “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28) In Fact, natural life is part of eternal life. It is a beginning, but it is ended by death because it does not recognize and honor Him from whom it comes. This same sin cuts it off. Therefore it must die eternally. On the other hand, those who believe and recognize Him through whom they live never die; but their natural life will be extended into eternal life, as Christ says in John 8: 51, “He who keeps my word will never taste death;” and John 11: 25: “He who believes in Me will live though he dies.”     What Luther Says # 2439   

Faith and Unbelief are Springs of Action     No work is so evil that it can damn a man, and no work is so good that it can save a man; but faith alone saves us, and unbelief damns us.  The fact that someone falls into adultery does not damn him.  Rather the adultery indicates that he has fallen from faith.  This damns him; otherwise adultery would be impossible for him.  So, then, nothing makes a good tree except faith.  For this is what the Lord says (Luke 3:9):  The tree should be cut down.   He does not say that the fruits are to be knocked off.  This is why works of love do not make me good; but faith alone does, faith in which I do these works and bear this fruit.  This is the reason why we must begin with faith.  What Luther Says # 1403