01/11/25

As We Gather

  When Jesus was coming up out of the baptismal waters, the voice of the Father proclaimed Him as His Son, in whom He delighted. Those words would be repeated on the Mount of Transfiguration, but with this order to the disciples: “Listen to Him!” Those two events “framed” Jesus’ ministry of obedient service and His revelation of God’s great love even before His sacrifice on the cross. Seeing Him, we learn what it means to be “alive to God in Christ Jesus,” as Paul urges in the Epistle. Today we listen again to the Gospel, respond with prayer and praise, and are given grace to tell our friends what Christ has done for us all.

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.

Baptism of Infants Surely Efficacious “I still maintain, as I have in the postil, that the surest form of baptism is infant baptism. For an old person may deceive, may come to Christ as a Judas and permit himself to be baptized. But a child cannot deceive. It comes to Christ in baptism as John came to Him and as little children were brought to Him, that His word and work may come over them, touch them, and thus make them holy. For His Word and work cannot pass by without effect; and in Baptism they are directed at the child alone. If they were to fail of success here, they would have to be entire failures and useless means, which is impossible.”  What Luther Says # 139

The Baptism of Our Lord

January 11, 2026

Welcome

Opening Hymn                    To Jordan’s River Came our Lord                    LSB 405 vs 1-4

Invocation, Confession and Absolution  (Psalm 85: 1-7)

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:   You showed favor to your land, O Lord; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. 

C:   You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. 

P:   You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger. 

C:   Restore us again, O God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us. 

P:   Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations? 

C:   Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? 

P:   Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.

C:   Almighty God, our dear Father in heaven, in Holy Baptism You have marked us with the sign of the holy cross upon our foreheads and upon our hearts to mark us as people of Your choosing to be redeemed by Christ the crucified. Open our eyes to Your light of freedom and forgiveness and to Your calling of us to be Your own followers and chosen people of Your eternal kingdom. Amen.

P: Upon this your confession, the almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given you the new birth of water and of the Spirit, has forgiven you all your sins. God strengthen you with His grace to life ✠ everlasting.

C: Amen. Thanks be to God for our Baptism into Christ!

Hymn of Praise             To Jordan’s River Came our Lord                    LSB 405 vs 5-6

Prayer of the Day

All:   Father in heaven, at the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River You proclaimed Him Your beloved Son and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. Make all who are baptized in His name faithful in their calling as Your children and inheritors with Him of everlasting life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

O T Lesson                               (God delights in His Servant.)                                   Isaiah 42:1–9

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. ² He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. ³ A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; ⁴ he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.” ⁵ This is what God the Lord says— he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: ⁶ “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, ⁷ to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. ⁸ “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. ⁹ See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.” 

N T Lesson             (Baptized into Christ, we walk in newness of life.)          Romans 6:1–11

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. ⁵ If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. ⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

Gospel Lesson (The Father proclaims Jesus His beloved Son.)           Matthew 3:13–17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵ Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. ¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. 

Message Song                           King of Kings                      Ligertwood/Ingram

In the darkness we were waiting Without hope without light

Till from heaven You came running  There was mercy in Your eyes

To fulfil the law and prophets  To a virgin came the Word

From a throne of endless glory  To a cradle in the dirt

         Chorus:   Praise the Father, Praise the Son,  Praise the Spirit three in one

God of glory Majesty  Praise forever to the King of Kings

To reveal the kingdom coming  And to reconcile the lost

To redeem the whole creation  You did not despise the cross

For even in Your suffering  You saw to the other side

                  Knowing this was our salvation  Jesus for our sake You died         Chorus

And the morning that You rose  All of heaven held its breath

Till that stone was moved for good  For the Lamb had conquered death

And the dead rose from their tombs  And the angels stood in awe

For the souls of all who’d come To the Father are restored

And the Church of Christ was born  Then the Spirit lit the flame

Now this gospel truth of old  Shall not kneel shall not faint

By His blood and in His Name  In His freedom I am free

                For the love of Jesus Christ  Who has resurrected me   Chorus

CCLI Song # 7127647© 2019 Fellow Ships Music | So Essential Tunes | Hillsong Music Publishing Australia For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.comCCLI License # 11390779

Message                                         The Call of the Baptized

1.      We celebrate Jesus’ Baptism identifying Himself with mankind.

2.      We celebrate the identification by His Father as the One true Son who for our sake delivers us from our sin.

3.       We celebrate the new life we Have in Christ beginning in our Baptism.

Catechism Explanation of Baptism: It’s Purpose and Use

P:   What is Baptism?

C: Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s word.

P:   Which is that word of God?

C: Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

P:   What does such baptizing with water indicate?

C: It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

P:   Where is this written?

C: St. Paul writes in Romans, chapter six: “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

Offering 

Offertory                                 Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow                               LSB 805

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                      Precious Lord, Take My Hand                                   LSB 739

Nunc Dimittis                                                                                              page 199 in the hymnal

C: ♪ Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy Word, for mine  

       eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people,

       a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel. Glory be to the            Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and 

       ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Post Communion Collect

All:  We give thanks, heavenly Father, that we have again been assured that our sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake. Strengthen us now as we seek to serve You and love the people around us as Your sons and daughters, who have been given Christ’s own righteousness in this great exchange of faith and love; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, 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                           All Christians Who Have Been Baptized                   LSB 392

Announcements 

Dismissal

P:   Go in peace as you serve the Lord.      

C:   Thanks be to God!   

Postlude