Fifth Sunday After Epiphany Worship Bulletin – St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church

St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

5th Sunday after Epiphany

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

02-05-2023 10:00AM Hybrid Worship

+ Gathering +

THE CALL TO WORSHIP:

L The WORD became flesh and, full of grace and truth lived among us.

C We have seen his glory, the glory which he received as God’s only SON!

L If you are a follower, then you are – in and through the presence of Christ – the salt of the earth.

C We will preserve God’s Word in our hearts

and add the distinct flavor of God’s grace to the lives of others.

L If you are a follower, then you are – in and through the power of Jesus in your life – the lights of the world.

C We will not hide ourselves under a basket,

but will shine forth with good deeds, giving God all the glory.

L My sisters and brothers, the time is fulfilled, God’s Kingdom is at hand, positive change is in the air!

And there is much to do in Jesus’ name!

C Let us meet Him in worship, proclaim Him in service, and love Him forever,

JESUS THE CHRIST, OUR SAVIOR AND LORD! Alleluia!

OPENING SONG: “HOLD OUT YOUR LIGHT”

Hold out your light, you heav’n bound soldier! Hold out your light, you heav’n bound soldier!

Hold out your light, you heav’n bound soldier! Let your light shine around the world!

O brother, can’t you hold out your light? [3X] Let your light shine around the world!

O sister, can’t you hold out your light?

O children, can’t you hold out your light?

O preacher, can’t you hold out your light?

O { name }, can’t you hold out your light?

THE PRAYER OF THE DAY:

Father in heaven, You sent your Son Jesus to embody, reveal, and announce your Kingdom.

He, in turn, has sent us to be salt and light.

This is my purpose, this is our mission – to be different and to make a difference.

Now that I know Him, I want to love Him.

Now that I love Him, I want to serve Him.

Lord, keep me thirsty in my heart and busy in my witness. Amen.

+ The Holy Word +

FIRST READING: ISAIAH 58:1-9a [Returning from exile in Babylon, Israel is troubled by the ineffectiveness of their fasting. The “new fast” God requires results in acts of justice, such as feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked.]

58:1 Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins.

58:2 Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God.

58:3 “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers.

58:4 Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.

58:5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?

58:6 Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

58:7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

58:8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

58:9a Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

SECOND READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 2:1-16 [Paul speaks about the gospel message, his own ministry, and God’s wisdom. If the cross is really the message, then our ministry ought to be done with humility and a dependence on Christ.]

2:1 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom.

2:2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

2:3 And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.

2:4 My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

2:5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

2:6 Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish.

2:7 But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.

2:8 None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

2:9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him”

2:10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

2:11 For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God.

2:12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.

2:13 And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.

2:14 Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

2:15 Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.

2:16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

GOSPEL VERSE:

“Always remember Jesus, Jesus.

Always remember Jesus, Jesus.

Always keep Him on your mind.”

THE GOSPEL: MATTHEW 5:13-20 [Salt does not exist for its own sake. A light has no purpose but to shine. Jesus says that you are salt and light. So be it and do it!]

5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.

5:15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

5:18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

5:19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

THE SERMON: Pastor Neil or Pastor Gwen

SONG SELECTION: All Saints Choir

THE PRAYERS… We pray that the joy and light of JESUS CHRIST will touch all lives!

AFFIRMATION OF BAPTISM [Previously baptized into the ONE Church of Jesus Christ on this earth, and now officially joining our St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church family through public affirmation of their baptism, are Ida Swindle, Stephanie Fluellen, and Charlotte Webb.]

L Let us pray. Merciful God, we thank you for our sisters in Christ, whom you have made your own by water and the Word in baptism. You have called them to yourself, enlightened them with the gifts of your Spirit, and nourished them in the community of faith. Uphold your servants in the gifts and promises of baptism, and unite the hearts of all that you have brought to new birth. We ask this in the name of Christ.

C Amen.

L I ask you to profess your faith in Christ Jesus, reject sin, and confess the faith of the church.

Do you renounce the devil and all the forces of evil that defy God?

I renounce them.

L Do you renounce the powers of this world that rebel against God?

I renounce them.

L Do you renounce the ways of sin that draw you from God?

I renounce them.

L Do you believe in God the Father?

(and ALL) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

L Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

(and ALL) I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come to judge the living and the dead.

L Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?

(and ALL) I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

L You have made public profession of your faith. Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in holy Baptism: to live among God’s faithful people; to hear the Word of God and share in the Lord’s supper; to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed; to serve all people, following the example of Jesus; and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth?

I do, and I ask God to help and guide me.

L People of God, do you promise to support our brother and pray for him in his life in Christ?

C We do, and we ask God to help and guide us.

L (laying hands on and praying) O God, stir up in (NAME) the gift of your Holy Spirit:

the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the

fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence, both now and forever. Amen.

+ The Holy Meal +

OFFERING OF TITHES (10% giving) AND GIFTS… Through loving deeds and generous acts, God gives each of us the opportunity to become a blessing to others. Let us truly represent the presence, the peace, the power, and the promises of Jesus to a searching, sinsick, and suffering world.

SONG SELECTION: All Saints Choir

THE OFFERTORY SONG: “THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE”

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine… (3X)

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

Ev’rywhere I go, I’m gonna let it shine… (3X)

Jesus gave it to me, I’m gonna let it shine… (3X

OFFERING PRAYER by the Communion Assistant:

O Lord our God, You have anointed us to bring good news and to proclaim liberty, to bind up the brokenhearted and to liberate the oppressed. Help us to shine forth always and in all ways with the bright glory of Jesus Christ. Amen.

THE PREFACE:

L The Lord be with you. C AND ALSO WITH YOU!

L Lift up your hearts! C WE LIFT THEM UP IN LOVE FOR GOD!

L Let us give thanks to the Lord our God! C IT IS RIGHT TO GIVE GOD THANKS AND PRAISE!

THE EUCHARISTIC WORDS by the Celebrant, who recalls and re-enacts Jesus’ Holy Meal.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (spoken)

COMMUNION AND BLESSINGS… All believers in Christ are welcome at the Lord’s Table! We will have “continuous distribution” with wafers and either wine or grape juice. CHRIST COMES TO US IN BREAD AND WINE AND BLESSING, BRINGING US PEACE, UNITY, STRENGTH, AND HOPE!

COMMUNION SONGS: Brown #295 Brown #235

THE COMMUNION BLESSING by the Celebrant after all have communed.

POST-COMMUNION PRAYER by the Communion Assistant.

+ Sending +

BENEDICTION by the Pastor… God sends us TO SHINE with the Light of Jesus Christ in a shadowy world!

CLOSING SONG: “WE ARE MARCHING IN THE LIGHT OF GOD” Brown #63