Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany Coronavirus
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
02-06-2022 10:00AM Worship
THE GREETING AND OPENING VERSES:
L Blessed be the holy Trinity, (+) one God,
who creates us and forms us, who redeems us and calls us, who unites us and sends us.
C Amen.
L When our mighty, mighty God comes calling in your life…
C you can’t help but pay attention.
L When the great glory of the Lord shines before you
C your knees buckle and your heart is humbled.
L When the holy Lord lays his hand upon you…
C it’s not so easy to break free from that grip.
L But fear not, my brother! Fear not, my sister! Bring your imperfections and your sin…
C for the Lord brings mercy, peace, grace, and the invitation to a brand new life!
L So, go ahead, take a chance, humble down, step up, jump in, answer when your name is called, change direction, measure your life by a higher standard, give yourself over to the message and the mission of Jesus!
C He is the SON OF GOD, the WORD-MADE-FLESH, the LIGHT OF THE WORLD, our SAVIOR, our LORD!
Let us meet Him in worship, proclaim Him in service, and love Him forever. Hallelujah!
OPENING SONG: “HERE I AM, LORD” Brown #230
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY:
Let us pray.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, the earth is filled with your glory!
You sent your Son Jesus as the Word of Life for our eyes to see and our ears to hear.
Help us to leave our old lives behind, launch into deeper waters, and embrace the new life of
discipleship you offer.
Lord, keep us thirsty in our hearts and busy in our witness. So be it, Amen.
FIRST READING: ISAIAH 6:1-13 [Unworthy but consecrated a prophet! Set on fire to “raise hell”!]
6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple.
6:2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.
6:3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
6:4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke.
6:5 And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
6:6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.
6:7 The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.”
6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”
6:9 And he said, “Go and say to this people: ‘Keep listening, but do not comprehend; keep looking, but do not understand.’
6:10 Make the mind of this people dull, and stop their ears, and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed.”
6:11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is utterly desolate;
6:12 until the LORD sends everyone far away, and vast is the emptiness in the midst of the land.
6:13 Even if a tenth part remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains standing when it is felled.” The holy seed is its stump.
BLACK HISTORY MOMENT: “The Unheard-of Famous Black Historians” Juanita Williams
SECOND READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-11 [Unfit but called to be an apostle! Struck down to “stand for Christ”!]
15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand,
15:2 through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you–unless you have come to believe in vain.
15:3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,
15:4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,
15:5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
15:6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.
15:7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
15:8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them–though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
15:11 Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.
GOSPEL VERSE:
“Always remember Jesus, Jesus.
Always remember Jesus, Jesus.
Always keep Him on your mind.”
THE GOSPEL: LUKE 5:1- 11 [Sinful but invited to “fish for people”!]
5:1 Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God,
5:2 he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.
5:3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
5:4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”
5:5 Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.”
5:6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.
5:7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.
5:8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
5:9 For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken;
5:10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who are partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”
5:11 When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
THE SERMON: Pastor Gwen or Pastor Neil
SONG SELECTION: Youth Choir or Black History Choir
OUR CONGREGATION’S “BLACK HISTORY MONTH” AFFIRMATION:
In a racist society where even the Church is shamefully divided by color, St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church affirms the gifts and celebrates the achievements of African Americans. We affirm that the need for Black History Month has not diminished since the inception of Black History Week in 1925.
We remember with tears the many African peoples and lands that were exploited and enslaved over several centuries. We remember with tears the many Africans who died on slave ships and slave plantations,
in revolts and lynchings, in race riots and freedom marches, and as an ultimate result of continued oppression and internalized despair.
We remember and celebrate the great abolitionists, inventors, scientists, entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, entertainers, ministers, soldiers, and educators of the past. We remember and celebrate the great parents, children, grandparents, teachers, leaders, examples, freedom fighters, and achievers of the present. We remember the political achievements of African Americans who paved the way in a country where its people have not always been free, even to vote, and we celebrate the election of the first African American President of the United States.
We remember this congregation’s own journey to become a more inclusive ministry, and we celebrate how the Light of Christ has enabled us to walk together in worship and witness, in love and faith. Not only do we remember and celebrate, but we also commit ourselves to shine forth with the liberating peace and justice of God’s love this day and our entire lives. May the Lord inspire us to be faithful and courageous! Amen.
OFFERING [Probably none of us fishes for a living but all of us are called and sent to cast nets of invitation, mercy, and love as we say and show and share the good news of Jesus Christ all over the face of this earth! Let’s be courageous and generous in our response!]
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:
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.
MUSIC SELECTION: “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY! LORD GOD ALMIGHTY” Dennis Fortune Green #165
THE PRAYERS… We pray that the joy and light of JESUS CHRIST will touch all lives!
THE LORD’S PRAYER
SONG SELECTION: Youth Choir or Black History Choir
THE BENEDICTION