| Prelude
Greeting and Welcome
Lighting of the Candles
Hymn of Invocation – We Three Kings of Orient Are
We three kings of Orient are: Bearing gifts we traverse afar— Field and fountain, moor and mountain— Following yonder star. Refrain
Refrain: Oh, star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect light.
Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain: Gold I bring to crown Him again, King forever, ceasing never, Over us all to reign. Refrain
Frankincense to offer have I, Incense owns a Diety nigh; Prayer and praising, all men raising, Worship Him, God on high. Refrain
Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume Breathes a life of gathering gloom— Sorr’wing, sighing, bleeding, dying, Sealed in the stone-cold tomb. Refrain
Glorious now behold Him arise: King and God and Sacrifice; Alleluia, Alleluia! Earth to the heav’n replies. Refrain
+ Preparation +
Invocation P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen.
Opening Sentences – Psalm 43:4; 124:8 P: I will go to the altar of God, C: to God my exceeding joy. P: Our help is in the name of the LORD, C: who made heaven and earth.
Confession and Absolution P: I confess to almighty God, C: before all the company of heaven, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed through my fault, through my own fault, through my own most grievous fault; wherefore I pray almighty God, for the sake of Jesus Christ, His Son, to have mercy on me, forgive me my sins, and bring me to everlasting life. P: Upon this, your confession, I, by virtue of my office as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God to all of you. In the stead and 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.
+ Word +
Introit P: I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; C: therefore nations will praise you forever and ever. P: Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; C: you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. P: Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; C: your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
All: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen
P: I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; C: therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.
Salutation and Prayer of the Day P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. P: Let us pray. O God, by the leading of a star You made known Your only-begotten Son to the Gentiles. Lead us, who know You by faith, to enjoy in heaven the fullness of Your divine presence; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen.
First Reading – Isaiah 60:1–6 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD.
P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle – Ephesians 3:1–12 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God.
Holy Gospel – Luke 4:31-37 P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the fourth chapter. C: Glory to You, O Lord.
And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord. C: Praise to You, O Christ.
Children’s Hymn – We Are the Church (AGPS 252)
Refrain: I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together! All who follow Jesus all around the world! Yes, we’re the church together!
The church is not a building, The church is not a steeple, The church is not a resting place, The church is a people. Refrain
We’re many kinds of people, With many kinds of faces, All colors and all ages, too, From all times and places. Refrain
Children’s Sermon – Pastor Scott
Hymn of the Day – As with Gladness Men of Old (LSB 397)
As with gladness men of old Did the guiding star behold; As with joy they hailed its light, Leading onward, beaming bright; So, most gracious Lord, may we Evermore be led by Thee.
As with joyful steps they sped, Savior, to Thy lowly bed, There to bend the knee before Thee, whom heav’n and earth adore; So may we with willing feet Ever seek Thy mercy seat.
As they offered gifts most rare At Thy cradle, rude and bare, So may we with holy joy, Pure and free from sin’s alloy, All our costliest treasures bring, Christ, to Thee, our heav’nly King.
Holy Jesus, ev’ry day Keep us in the narrow way; And when earthly things are past, Bring our ransomed souls at last Where they need no star to guide, Where no clouds Thy glory hide.
In the heav’nly country bright Need they no created light; Thou its light, its joy, its crown, Thou its sun which goes not down; There forever may we sing Alleluias to our King.
Sermon
Apostles' Creed I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life + everlasting. Amen.
Prayers
+ Celebrating birthdays this week: 8 – Pat Price, Katie Dawdy; 10 – Norma Bentzinger, David Williams; 11 – Avery Schoeman
Special Celebrations and Needs:
+ Church family members: Al Grimm, diagnosed with skin cancer; Vicki Lucas, recovering from a stroke; Terry Buchholz, recovering from an appendectomy; Dan DeFosset, undergoing surgery; Sharon Gaal, anticipating surgery; Cathie Albers, recuperating from hip replacement; Layton Wille, recovering from back surgery; Hank Schlichter, diagnosed with inoperable stomach cancer; Ken Kight, home from the hospital + Friends of our congregation: Michael Becker, diagnosed with cancer; Seminarian Ryan Barnett, healing from leg surgery; Gary Schouten, cousin of Valerie Wehmueller, fighting kidney cancer; Don, friend of the Wehmueller family, upon a diagnosis of liver cancer; Rebecca Guion, daughter-in-law of Mary Guion, in the hospital + Those who are homebound or in nursing facilities: Twylah Atwood, Mary Aufderheide, Jules Bush, Frank & Sharon Gaal, Mary Guion, Jerry & Jane Keathley, Shirley Williams
Offering
Offertory
+ Sacrament +
Preface P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. P: Lift up your hearts. C: We lift them to the Lord. P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. C: It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
Proper Preface P: It is truly meet, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord; for what had been hidden from before the foundation of the world You have made known to the nations in Your Son. In Him, being found in the substance of our mortal nature, You have manifested the fullness of Your glory. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:
Sanctus 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 if the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. The Words of Our Lord P: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My + body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.” In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My + blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
Proclamation of Christ P: As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. C: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. P: O Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, in giving us Your body and blood to eat and to drink, You lead us to remember and confess Your holy cross and passion, Your blessed death, Your rest in the tomb, Your resurrection from the dead, Your ascension into heaven, and Your coming for the final judgment. So remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:
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.
Pax Domini P: The peace of the Lord be with you always. C: Amen.
Distribution
Distribution Hymn – Faith and Truth and Life Bestowing (LSB 584)
Faith and truth and life bestowing, Open now the Scriptures, Lord, Seed to life eternal sowing, Scattered on the wind abroad. Let not hearts, Your Word receiving, Like a barren field be found, Choked with thorns and unbelieving, Shallow earth or stony ground.
May the Spirit’s pow’r unceasing Bring to life the hidden grain, Daily in our hearts increasing, Bearing fruit that shall remain. So in Scripture, song, and story, Savior, may Your voice be heard. Till our eyes behold Your glory Give us ears to hear Your Word.
Blessing
Post-Communion Collect P: We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we implore You that of Your mercy You would strengthen us through the same in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one another; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen.
Benediction P: 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.
Closing Hymn – Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word (LSB 655)
Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word; Curb those who by deceit or sword Would wrest the kingdom from Your Son And bring to naught all He has done.
Lord Jesus Christ, Your pow’r make known, For You are Lord of lords alone; Defend Your holy Church that we May sing Your praise eternally.
O Comforter of priceless worth, Send peace and unity on earth; Support us in our final strife And lead us out of death to life.
Postlude
+ WORSHIP LEADERS + Preacher/Celebrant/Liturgist – Pastor Scott Jonas Organist/Pianist – Seth Carruthers Lector – Steve Phelps Communion – Jerry Nicolaus and Seminary Student Sound/Video – Ken Clark Ushers – Judy George, Lisa Grossenheider, John Steele, Jack Hurley Greeters – Paul & Sandy Barbercheck
Altar Flowers this morning are given with the following dedication: “Remember not the former things…Behold, I am doing a new thing… I will make a path in the wilderness.” (Isaiah 43:18-19) “Ask using my name and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.” (John 16:24)
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