2025-01-26_Third_Sunday_after_Epiphany

Epiphany 3 January 26, 2025

Welcome to our Church! We welcome you in our Risen and Living Savior, Jesus!

A Morning Prayer O Lord—our Maker, Redeemer, and Comforter—we are assembled in your presence to hear your holy Word. We pray that you would open our hearts by your Holy Spirit, that through the preaching of your Word we may repent of our sins, believe in Jesus, and grow day by day in grace and holiness. Hear us for Jesus’ sake.

Sunday School & Bible Class continues this week with adults meeting in the church basement and children in the school at 9:10am. For our Sunday Morning Bible Class, we will be studying the same lessons as the children are studying in Sunday School, but with adult study questions. This is a great opportunity to review the basic Bible stories and see their applications to our lives of faith. This week’s story is: The wine Sign – A Wedding at Cana. Next Sunday’s story: Mountain message – Jesus Preaches on the mount.
Please make plans to join us!

Monday/Wednesday Bible Class will be meeting this week and beginning a new study from Luther’s Catechism – The Lord’s Prayer. Please make plans to join us!

Radio Service: 9:30am on WBEV 95.3 FM
Sunday, January 26, 2025
Sermon: Just Another Sunday; Just And other Church Service
Hymns: CW21 (Blue) 918, 912, 362:1-5, 931
Sunday, February 2, 2025
Sermon: We Are Saved by God’s Name and Message
Hymns: CW21 (Blue) 917, 745, 702, 383

PERSONAL PRAYERS are on p. 255-258 in the Hymnal. CHRISTIAN QUESTIONS for PREPARATION FOR COMMUNION begin on p. 295.

517 Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness

Order of Service: The Service, Setting Two, Hymnal p. 172
First Option for Confession and Forgiveness

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, you sent your Son to proclaim your kingdom and teach with authority. Anoint us with the power of your Spirit that we too may bring good news to the afflicted, bind up the brokenhearted, and proclaim liberty to the captive; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

[Sun 10:00] Grades 3-4, “All I Have is Christ” (Hymn 380)

First Reading Isaiah 61:1–6

1The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the afflicted. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for those who are bound, 2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a cloak of praise instead of a faint spirit, so that they will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord to display his beauty.

4Then they will rebuild ancient ruins. They will raise up what was formerly devastated, and they will renew ruined cities, which have been devastated for generations. 5Strangers will stand and shepherd your flock, and foreigners will be your farmers and vinedressers. 6You will be called the Lord’s priests. You will be named ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of nations, and you will boast about their riches.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 146 (Hymnal) I Will Praise the Lord All My Life

I will praise the Lord / all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long / as I live.
Do not put your trust in / princes,
in human beings, who / cannot save.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of / Jacob,
whose hope is in the / Lord their God. Refrain

He upholds the cause of / the oppressed
and gives food to the / hungry.
The Lord sets / pris’ners free,
the Lord gives sight / to the blind.
The Lord reigns for- / ever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations. / Praise the Lord.
Glory be to the Father and / to the Son
and to the Holy / Spirit,
as it was in the be- / ginning,
is now, and will be forever. / Amen. Refrain

Tune: Henry V. Gerike
Setting: Henry V. Gerike
Music: © 2002 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: License no. 130321657

Second Reading Acts 4:23–31

23After Peter and John were released, they went to their own friends and reported everything the high priests and the elders had said. 24When they heard this, with one mind they raised their voices to God and said, “Master, you are the God who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. 25By the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David, your servant, you said:

Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
26The kings of the earth take their stand,
and the rulers are gathered together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.

27“For certainly, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and people of Israel, were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28They did whatever your hand and your plan had decided beforehand should happen.

29“Now Lord, look at their threats and give to your servants the ability to keep on speaking your word with all boldness 30as you stretch out your hand to heal and as signs and wonders take place through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

31After they prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken. Also, everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Stand

Gospel Acclamation CW 179

Gospel (Sermon) Luke 4:16–30

16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

18The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free those who are oppressed,
19and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

20He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

22They all spoke well of him and were impressed by the words of grace that came from his mouth. And they kept saying, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

23He told them, “Certainly you will quote this proverb to me, ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ Do here in your hometown everything we heard you did in Capernaum.” 24And he said, “Amen I tell you: No prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25But truly I tell you: There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three years and six months, while a great famine came over all the land. 26Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in Sidon. 27And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was healed except Naaman the Syrian.”

28All those who were in the synagogue were filled with rage when they heard these things. 29They got up and drove him out of the town. They led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30But he passed through the middle of them and went on his way.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise be to you, O Christ!

Be seated

384 Hail to the Lord’s Anointed

Sermon Still Today Scripture Is Fulfilled In Our Hearing

Nicene Creed, Hymnal, p. 180

Prayer of the Church

Father of glory, you are the Lord of light. Banish the darkness of sin, guilt and fear from our lives and let your light shine forth.