Third Sunday after Epiphany 1/21/24
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
JANUARY 21, 2024
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, WELCOME TO ST. PAUL’S!
8:00 & 10:30 a.m.
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THE ENTRANCE RITE
PRELUDE Prelude on the Tune: Franconia Setting: Richard W. Gieseke
WELCOME
ENTRANCE HYMN Arise Your Light Has Come With One Voice 652 (Alternate Tune: Franconia)
Arise, your light is come!
The Spirit’s call obey;
Show forth the glory of your God,
Which shines on you today.
Arise, your light is come!
Fling wide the prison door;
Proclaim the captives’ liberty,
Good tidings to the poor.
Arise, your light is come!
All you in sorrow born,
Build up the broken-hearted ones
And comfort those who mourn.
Arise, your light is come!
The mountains burst in song!
Rise up like eagles on the wing;
God’s power will make us strong.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION LSB 203
In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared.
Since we are gathered to hear God’s Word, call upon Him in prayer and praise, and receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of this altar, let us first consider our unworthiness and confess before God and one another that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition. Together as His people let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God, our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ, and saying: God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to everlasting life. Amen.
Almighty God, merciful Father, in Holy Baptism You declared us to be Your children and gathered us into Your one, holy Church, in which You daily and richly forgive us our sins and grant us new life through Your Spirit. Be in our midst, enliven our faith, and graciously receive our prayer and praise; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
KYRIE LSB 204
Lord, have mercy;
Christ, have mercy;
Lord, have mercy.
HYMN OF PRAISE – “Gloria in Excelsis” LSB 204
1 To God on high be glory
And peace to all the earth;
Goodwill from God in heaven
Proclaimed at Jesus’ birth!
We praise and bless You, Father;
Your holy name, we sing—
Our thanks for Your great glory,
Lord God, our heav’nly King.
2 To You, O sole-begotten,
The Father’s Son, we pray;
O Lamb of God, our Savior,
You take our sins away.
Have mercy on us, Jesus;
Receive our heartfelt cry,
Where You in pow’r are seated
At God’s right hand on high—
3 For You alone are holy;
You only are the Lord.
Forever and forever,
Be worshiped and adored;
You with the Holy Spirit
Alone are Lord Most High,
In God the Father’s glory.
“Amen!” our glad reply.
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God,
mercifully look upon our infirmities and stretch forth the hand of Your majesty to heal and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST LESSON (Be seated) Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. . . .
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 62 (Sung responsively)
For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress;
I shall not be greatly shaken.
How long will all of you attack a man
to batter him,
like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.
They take pleasure in falsehood.
They bless with their mouths,
but inwardly they curse.
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress;
I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.
Those of low estate are but a breath;
those of high estate are a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
they are together lighter than a breath.
Put no trust in extortion;
set no vain hopes on robbery;
if riches increase, set not your heart on them.
Once God has spoken;
twice have I heard this:
that power belongs to God,
and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.
For you will render to a man
according to his work.
SECOND LESSON I Corinthians 7:29-31
This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
GOSPEL VERSE (Stand) LSB 205
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL Mark 1:14-20
The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the 1st chapter
Glory to You, O Lord.
After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON (Be seated)
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus. Amen. Dear friends in Christ:
One of the best strategies for achieving success in life is to assemble a good team. Owners of sports teams know that they need to find the right combination of executives, managers and players to build a winning program. Other businesses, too, operate in the same way. Even in politics, where it seems to be all about the candidate, real success only comes when there’s a good team of workers and supporters behind the scenes.
In our Gospel reading for today we see Jesus continue to assemble his team of disciples. Last week it was Philip and Nathaniel whom he called to follow him. Today it was Simon and Andrew, James and John. As we know, Jesus would eventually assemble a team of twelve disciples to work closely with him and continue his mission.
Sports teams need good players at each position. And businesses need people who are experts in their field. So we might think that Jesus, too, chose people who could bring particular gifts to his team. Let’s think about this.
Philip, whom we heard about last week, certainly showed the gift of bringing others to Jesus. He told Nathaniel about Jesus, and even hung in there when Nathaniel scoffed at Jesus being from Nazareth. Philip didn’t back down when challenged but kept inviting, saying to him: “come and see.”
Nathaniel, for his part, seemed to be a man with some scholarly gifts. He knew that the scriptures said nothing about the importance of Nazareth. And he seemed to know, too, that Jesus’ words about seeing him under the fig tree were meant to indicate more than just his location, since fig trees had important symbolic meaning in the scriptures.
It’s hard to discern any kind of gifts that Simon, Andrew, James and John might have had – at least in today’s brief text. But since they were fishermen, we know they would have needed certain skills to do their work. More than this, however, other details given in the text suggest that these men knew how to run a business. Notice that they were not just fishing by themselves, but also with their father and some hired men. The mention of their father suggests that they were well established in the area and had not come recently looking for work. The mention of the hired men says that they had made enough money to employ others. Perhaps Jesus saw in these hard-working and successful businessmen from established families gifted people who could be used well in his ministry.
The presence of these men’s gifts, however, doesn’t mean that they also weren’t surprising choices. Because they were. We would expect Jesus to call religious people, or at least those who were showing an interest in what he was doing. And if not these, then perhaps young people who could be molded or influential people who could open doors for him.
But Jesus wasn’t about always seeking the best. His ways, we know, are very different than ours. If anything, Jesus calls the ordinary and the frail; the unworthy and the rejected. He made it known that he came to call lost sinners. And he showed this in his ministry too.
When Jesus assembles a team, the most important characteristic is not talent or giftedness. Nor is it how successful or how religious a person is that matters to him. Rather, the most important quality Jesus looks for is simply a willingness to follow. Jesus looks for a willingness to give up one’s own personal agenda and follow his voice instead.
Simon and Andrew, James and John left their boats and followed Jesus. They discerned in the voice of Jesus the very call of God, and this moved them to obey. They left their jobs. They left their families. They started out on a journey with Jesus as their teacher and their master, and they trusted that the journey would lead to good things—even though they didn’t know what those good things would be. In other words, they decided to live by faith.
You and I are also called to follow Jesus. He has approached each of us and spoken to our hearts, saying “come, follow me.” And in this he has called us to leave behind the quest to simply satisfy ourselves. He has called us, instead, to re-adjust our loyalties so that nothing is more important to us than him.
Many of us hear this invitation of Jesus and are intrigued by the adventure that comes with it. We hear Jesus say: “I will make you fishers of men” and we become excited about the prospect of helping others. I must admit that this was a big part of my motivation in becoming a follower of Jesus. It sounded great to be a helper. And it is.
But before we can become a fisher of men, we need to be a follower of Jesus. Before we can find a good purpose for our life, we need to know who we are in relationship to God.
That’s why, as we gather together today in God’s house, we need to hear again what God has done for us through Jesus.
In today’s Gospel reading, Simon and Andrew, James and John all respond to the calling of Jesus immediately. And this might lead us to think that Jesus asserted some special power over them to convince them, or that they were simply looking for an excuse to hit the road. But reading through all the Gospels, it seems instead that they were already familiar with Jesus, and thus didn’t make this decision without thought.
Jesus, as we know, was getting the word out about his plan and purpose. We heard this at the beginning of today’s reading, which explained how Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God, saying: “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent anbelieve in the gospel.” Here we have Jesus being very clear about his mission. His words here could be thought of as his “mission statement.”
Through these words, Jesus also speaks to us. He wants us to know that he has brought the Gospel of God—that is, the Good News of what God is doing for us.
Jesus told the people of his day that the time was fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God was at hand. It certainly was. Jesus was beginning a ministry of teaching that would give people instructions for life. And more than this, Jesus would soon perform the greatest of all works—his dying on the cross to pay the price of humanity’s sin. The news of this great work would transform hearts and change the world.
Jesus’ words in the text were told so that people would be prepared for this Good News. He wanted them to feel an excitement and an urgency about what was happening.
So also today. The Good News of Jesus’ sacrifice should fill us with excitement– setting us ablaze with energy and joy! The Good News creates an urgency to share it.
The Good News of Jesus Christ is a freedom from our sins. It is also the presence of God’s Kingdom on earth. Many Jews of that time used the phrase “kingdom of God” as a revolutionary slogan that called for a violent revolt against their Roman occupiers. Jesus meant it much differently. He used it as a message that God was present in the world and that he was renewing it through his message of grace and the good works of his people.
And then there is the last part of Jesus’ mission statement. After telling us that the time is fulfilled and the kingdom is at hand, Jesus gives us something to do. We are to “repent and believe in the Gospel.”
Jesus came to call people to both repentance and faith. But these are actually two sides of the same coin. Repenting is an admittance on our part that we need help. Faith is a belief that help is on the way. Repenting is the expression of sorrow that we have offended God. Faith is the expression of trust that God will not punish us for offending him, but rather forgive us.
When we repent of ours sins, we have chosen not to overlook these sins or pretend they didn’t matter, but instead own up to them with the faith that God will not hold them against us. Repentance is following Jesus as he goes to the cross – since we know that he is there to make atonement for our sins.
When Jesus calls us to follow him, he is calling us to first repent of our sins and then believe in the Good News of our forgiveness. Once this is done, we are then prepared to join Jesus’ team and become a fisher of men.
On Monday at our annual Leadership Orientation meeting, St. Paul’s team members and I once again examined our congregation’s mission statement as a means of preparing for the year ahead. We reminded ourselves that we have decided to share the life-changing good news of God’s love for all people in Jesus Christ. The Gospel was life-changing for Simon and Andrew, James and John, Philip and Nathaniel, and it has been so for us as well. And because of this, we now wish for such a life-change to come to all who are still under sin’s power, and to all who are still without Christ’s hope.
Every time we gather together as a congregation, we are reminded that we are not doing this great work alone but that we are a part of a team. And this is a team that has many gifts.
Above all, however, it is a team with a great leader—Jesus Christ. He not only leads us in our work together, but he leads each of us along the path of salvation.
As we think about our part on the team, let us remember, then, to listen to the voice of our leader. He calls us to repent and believe. And he calls us to follow. Through these callings he will do great things as He establishes His Kingdom.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY (Stand) Shine, Jesus, Shine With One Voice 651
Refrain
Shine, Jesus, shine
Fill this land with the Father’s glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth your word
Lord, and let there be light
Lord, the light of your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness, shining
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us
Set us free by the truth you now bring us
Shine on me, shine on me Refrain
As we gaze on your kingly brightness
So our faces display your likeness
Ever changing from glory to glory
Mirrored here may our lives tell your story
Shine on me, shine on me Refrain
APOSTLES’ CREED Hymnal, back cover
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.
OFFERING
Offerings support the church’s mission work – both here and through our many partners. Offerings may be placed in the box at the sanctuary entrance or sent to the church through our website or the mail. Fellowship Cards help us welcome new people and track participation. Please fill one out and place it in the offering box following the service.
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For faithfulness and urgency in the Church, that as this world passes away, we may be bold to proclaim the kingdom of God come near in Christ Jesus, for he does not desire the death of a sinner but that all would repent and believe the Gospel, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For the Church’s mission, that as Christ called Peter and Andrew, James and John to follow Him and made them fishers of men, He would send faithful church workers also in our time; and for those who generously support the missionaries, seminaries, colleges and other institutions of our Church for the spread of the Gospel and the service of God’s people, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For Christians in every home, that they may have constancy and contentment in their God-given stations; for the married, that God would give them comfort and faithfulness, strengthening them also to pass on the faith to the next generation; and for all of us that we may live free from anxiety and attend to holiness in body and spirit with undivided devotion to Christ, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For our nation and its leaders, and for all the people of the world, that God would call to repentance those who have forgotten Him and that He would extend his blessing upon the faithful – not letting disaster befall them but preserving them in peace and quietness, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For all who are struggling with illness and injury, both physical and mental, that God would graciously behold and help them according to his mercy; and for those on our prayer list, and for those we name in our hearts at this time… that they would be kept in faith and good spirit, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For wisdom and faith to turn from every distracting anxiety that would draw our hearts away from God’s blessed Gospel; and for confidence in the resurrection and the peace of a clean conscience by the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name; let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For all who come to Christ’s Holy Supper, that the Holy Spirit would work repentance and faith and draw us closer to our Lord God and to one another, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
Hear us, heavenly Father, for the sake of Christ Jesus, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
OFFERTORY VERSE O Living Bread from Heaven LSB 642
O living Bread from heaven,
How well You feed your guest!
The gifts that You have given
Have filled my heart with rest.
Oh, wondrous food of blessing,
Oh, cup that heals our woes!
My heart, this gift possessing,
With praises overflows.
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SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT
PREFACE (Stand) LSB 208-210
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
It is truly good, right, and salutary … 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 LSB 208
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth adored;
Heav’n and earth with full acclaim shout the glory of Your name.
Sing hosanna in the highest, sing hosanna to the Lord;
Truly blest is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
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 WORDS OF OUR LORD
PAX DOMINI
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
Amen.
AGNUS DEI LSB 210
1 O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God,
You take the sin of the world away;
O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God,
Have mercy on us, Lord, we pray.
2 O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God,
You take the sin of the world away;
Have mercy on us, Jesus Christ,
And grant us peace, O Lord, we pray.
DISTRIBUTION (Be seated)
Those wishing to commune at the foot of the steps should come forward first. Those wishing to commune at the altar rail should come forward after these, front rows first, from both sides of the aisle. After receiving, all should return to their seats. A common dismissal will be given at the end.
COMMUNION HYMN Father, We Thank Thee LSB 652
(10:30 AM) Introductory Setting: Jeffrey Blersch
1 The only Son from heaven,
Foretold by ancient seers,
By God the Father given,
In human form appears.
No sphere His light confining,
No star so brightly shining
As He, our Morning Star.
2 O time of God appointed,
O bright and holy morn!
He comes, the king anointed,
The Christ, the virgin-born,
Grim death to vanquish for us,
To open heav’n before us
And bring us life again.
3 O Lord, our hearts awaken
To know and love You more,
In faith to stand unshaken,
In spirit to adore,
That we, through this world moving,
Each glimpse of heaven proving,
May reap its fullness there.
4 O Father, here before You
With God the Holy Ghost
And Jesus, we adore You,
O pride of angel host:
Before You mortals lowly
Cry, “Holy, holy, holy,
O blessèd Trinity!”
BLESSING
NUNC DIMITTIS (Stand) LSB 211
1 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.
2 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.
PRAYER
BENEDICTION
SENDING HYMN Listen, God Is Calling LSB 833
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE Listen, God Is Calling Setting: Kevin Hildebrand
FELLOWSHIP: LWML
Those serving:
8:00 a.m.
Greeter: Steve Janssen
Comm. assist: Jim Easterly
Reader: Anne Kauzlarich
10:30 a.m.
Greeter: Jason Starck
Comm. assist: Dan Buuck
Reader: Dan Buuck
Acolyte: Daniel Wang
AV Assistants: Hannes Buuck, Andreas Buuck