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February 7, 2021,
10:30 am
The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE
EPIPHANY
The color green, used for the vestments and
paraments for the Sundays after the Epiphany, represents growth and life in the
Holy Spirit.
OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah chapter 40 is the
beginning of what scholars call ‘Second Isaiah.’ In ‘First Isaiah’, the focus
is on the prophetic warning of exile; now we hear the prophetic good news of
return from exile. In the midst of a land of idols, the prophet proclaims the
power of God who created all things and has power to heal and save Israel.
NEW TESTAMENT: Paul is defending his
ministry to the Corinthians. He explains that he does not proclaim the Gospel
for profit, but because he is under an obligation from God. Religious teachers
in that time charged for their services (and Paul in other places defends the
idea of provision for pastors!) but in order to preach to more people, Paul
will not accept payment. Strangely enough, this refusal to accept payment
offends the Corinthians. Paul must show the Corinthians that he does everything
for the sake of saving others.
GOSPEL: After Jesus’ authoritative teaching and exorcism in
the synagogue, he continues his work (on the Sabbath!) by healing Peter’s
mother-in-law. Healing is part of his exercise of God’s authority, and once the
Sabbath is over, the entire community of Capernaum gathers outside Peter’s
house, bringing many to be healed. But Jesus’ ministry is not to be restricted
to Capernaum. He will not ‘set up shop,’ but instead is an itinerant preacher,
proclaiming the good news of God throughout rural Galilee.
OPENING MUSIC God, Whose Almighty Word
I.
Richard Proulx
II.
David Cherwien
Please meditate on the
text of the hymn as it is played:
1 God,
whose almighty word
chaos
and darkness heard
and
took their flight:
hear
us, we humbly pray,
and
where the gospel day
sheds
not its glorious ray,
let
there be light!
2 Lord,
who once came to bring,
on
your redeeming wing,
healing
and sight,
health
to the sick in mind,
sight
to the inly blind:
oh,
now to humankind
let
there be light!
3 Spirit
of truth and love,
life-giving,
holy dove,
speed
forth your flight;
move
on the water’s face
bearing
the lamp of grace,
and
in earth’s darkest place
let
there be light!
4 Holy
and blessed three,
glorious
Trinity,
wisdom,
love, might!
Boundless
as ocean’s tide,
rolling
in fullest pride,
through
the earth, far and wide,
let
there be light!
Text:
John Marriott, 1780-1825, alt.
BRIEF ORDER FOR CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Stand
The sign of the cross may be made by all in
remembrance of their Baptism.
In the name of the Father, and of the X Son, and of the
Holy Spirit.
Amen
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all
desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our
hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you
and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and
just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(1 John 1:8-9)
Silence for reflection and self-examination.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we
are in bondage to sin
and cannot free ourselves.
We have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole
heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as
ourselves.
For the sake of your Son, Jesus
Christ, have mercy on us.
Forgive us, renew us, and lead us,
so that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your holy name. Amen
Almighty God, in his mercy, has given his Son to
die for us, and for his sake forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained
minister of the Church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to
you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of
the
X Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
THE HOLY
COMMUNION
APOSTOLIC GREETING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the
communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:13
And also
with you.
HYMN OF PRAISE Gloria in excelsis Deo
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his
people on earth. Luke 2:14
Lord God, heavenly king, almighty God and Father:
We
worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you
for your glory.
Lord
Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb
of God:
You
take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
You
are seated at the right hand of the Father;
receive our
prayer.
For
you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
you
alone are the Most High,
Jesus
Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of
God the Father. Amen
PRAYER
OF THE DAY
The Lord be with
you.
And
also with you.
God our Father, out of your power and compassion
you sent your Son into our afflicted world
to proclaim the day of salvation.
Heal the brokenhearted; bind up
our wounds.
Bring us health of body and
spirit
and raise us to new life in your
service.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your
Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen
CALL TO THE WORD
Jesus went
through Galilee,
proclaiming the
message in their synagogues
and casting out
demons.
Let us hear the Word of the
Lord. Mark 1:39
Sit
First Reading Isaiah
40:21-31
21Have you not known? Have you
not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to live in;
23who brings princes to naught,
and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
25To whom then will you compare me,
or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
26Lift up your eyes on
high and see:
Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers
them,
calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
mighty in power,
not one is missing.
27Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
30Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
31but those who wait for the Lord
shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 147:1-12,
21c
The psalm is read
responsively between the pastor and the people.
The Lord heals the
brokenhearted. (vs.
3)
The Lord heals the brokenhearted.
1 Hallelujah! How good it is to sing praises | to
our God!*
How pleasant it is to honor |
him with praise!
2 The Lord re- | builds Jerusalem;*
he
gathers the ex- | iles of Israel.
3 He heals the | brokenhearted*
and binds | up their wounds.
4 He counts the number | of
the stars*
and
calls them all | by their names.
5 Great is our Lord
and might- | y in power;*
there is no limit | to his
wisdom.
6 The Lord lifts | up the lowly,*
but
casts the wicked | to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord
| with thanksgiving;*
make music to our God up- | on
the harp.
8 He covers the heav- | ens
with clouds*
and
prepares rain | for the earth;
9 he makes grass to grow up- | on the mountains*
and green plants to | serve
mankind.
10 He provides food for |
flocks and herds*
and
for the young ravens | when they cry.
11 He is not impressed by the might | of a horse;*
he has no pleasure in the
strength | of a man;
12 but the Lord has pleasure in | those who fear
him,*
in
those who await his | gracious favor. 21cHallelujah!
The
Lord heals the brokenhearted.
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 9:16-23
16If I proclaim the gospel, this
gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me
if I do not proclaim the gospel! 17For if I do this of my own will,
I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. 18What
then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel
free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
19For though I am
free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might
win more of them. 20To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win
Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am
not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. 21To
those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free
from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the
law. 22To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I
have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. 23I
do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Stand
VERSE
Alleluia. Jesus said: I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,
but
will have the light of life. Alleluia. John
8:12
Gospel Mark 1:29-39
The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark.
Glory to you, O Lord.
29As soon as [Jesus and the
disciples] left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with
James and John. 30Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever,
and they told him about her at once. 31He came and took her by the
hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick
or possessed with demons. 33And the whole city was gathered around
the door. 34And he cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because
they knew him.
35In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went
out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36And Simon and his
companions hunted for him. 37When they found him, they said to him,
“Everyone is searching for you.” 38He answered, “Let us go on to the
neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is
what I came out to do.” 39And he went throughout Galilee,
proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise
to you, O Christ.
Sit
SERMON
HYMN OF THE DAY Praise To the Lord, the Almighty
Please meditate on the text of the hymn as
it is played.
1 Praise to the Lord,
the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise
him, for he is your health and salvation!
Let all who hear now
to his temple draw near,
joining in glad
adoration!
2 Praise to the Lord,
who o'er all things is wondrously reigning
and, as on wings of
an eagle, uplifting, sustaining.
Have you not seen all
that is needful has been
sent by his gracious
ordaining?
3 Praise to the Lord,
who will prosper your work and defend you;
surely his goodness
and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew what the
Almighty can do
if with his love he
befriend you.
4 Praise to the Lord! Oh,
let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and
breath, come now with praises before him!
Let the amen sound
from his people again.
Gladly forever adore
him!
Text:
Joachim Neander, 1650-1680; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827-1878, alt.
Stand
CONFESSION OF
FAITH
The pastor and people confess the faith of the Church in the words of the Apostles’
Creed.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator
of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his 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 again to judge the living and the dead.
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
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
Let us pray for the whole
people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs.
Silence is kept.
For the Church of Christ throughout the world, that
your healing work may be accomplished in and through us; Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
For those called to preach the Gospel which Christ
entrusted to the Church, that they may be faithful in their calling and bold in
their preaching; Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
For the members of our faith family, that we may
use the freedom we have in Christ to serve you, each other, and all around us;
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
For those who
hold civil authority in our land: our President, Joseph; our Governor, Thomas;
our legislators and magistrates; and for the members of the armed forces and
all who work for peace, justice, health, and protection; Lord, in your mercy,
hear
our prayer.
For our communities, the nation, and the world; for
the conversion of all those possessed by demons who incite to violence and
despair; Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
For all who are beset with illness or addiction;
the poor, the downtrodden, and the oppressed; for those who suffer from
physical, mental, emotional, and sexual abuse; and for these who have asked for
our prayers:
The pastor reads the names
submitted for prayer.
The people are invited to
offer spoken or silent petitions.
Lord, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
For those whom
your Son has brought to final and complete healing, that we may rejoice with
them when your kingdom is revealed; Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Into your hands,
Father, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your steadfast love,
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Peace
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.
The people exchange a sign of peace
with the simple words, Peace be with you.
Sit
The Lord’s Table is prepared.
Stand
PRAYER
OF PREPARATION
Open
the heavens, Lord our God,
and
send your transforming Spirit
on
us and on these gifts.
May
we who are baptized into Christ
be
ready to share his cup of suffering
and
strengthened to serve him forever.
Amen
GREAT THANKSGIVING
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 indeed right and salutary that we
should at all times and in all places offer thanks and praise to you, O Lord,
holy Father, through Christ our Lord.
Mighty in healing, victorious over evil, he preached
the good news of your kingdom to all your people, and by the Holy Spirit he
continues to proclaim to us the Gospel message of freedom and peace.
And so, with the Church on earth and the
hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy,
holy, holy LORD, God of power and might!
Heaven
and earth are full of your glory;
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
Hosanna in the highest! Isaiah 6:3, Matthew 21:9
The pastor leads the
people in praying the Eucharistic canon:
You are indeed holy, almighty and merciful God;
you are most holy,
and great is the majesty of your glory.
You so loved the world that you gave your only Son,
that whoever
believes in him
may not perish but have eternal life.
Having come into the world, he fulfilled for us your holy will
and accomplished
our salvation.
In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took
bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave
it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this
is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all
to drink, saying:
This cup is the new
covenant in my blood,
shed for you and
for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Remembering, therefore, his salutary command,
his life-giving
Passion and death,
his glorious
resurrection and ascension,
and his promise to come again,
we give thanks to
you, Lord God Almighty,
not as we ought,
but as we are able;
and we implore you
mercifully
to accept our praise and thanksgiving,
and, with your Word
and Holy Spirit,
to bless us, your servants,
and these your own
gifts of bread and wine;
that we and all who
share
in the body and blood of your Son
may be filled with
heavenly peace and joy,
and, receiving the
forgiveness of sin,
may be sanctified in soul and body,
and have our
portion with all your saints.
All honor and glory are yours, O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
in your holy
Church, now and forever.
Amen
Christ is in our midst.
By the power of the Spirit,
we pray to his Father, saying:
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 LORD heals the brokenhearted and binds up their
wounds.
Thanks be to God. Ps. 147:3
We adore Christ with the words of the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God).
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
Grant us peace.
John 1:29, see also Luke 17:13
Please meditate on the text of
the hymn as it is played.
O Jesus, Blessed Lord
1 O
Jesus, blessed Lord, to you
my
heartfelt thanks and praise are due;
you
have so lovingly bestowed
on
me your body and your blood.
2 Break
forth, my soul, in joy and say:
What
wealth has come to me today!
My
Savior dwells within my soul
and
makes my wounded spirit whole!
Text: Thomas H. Kingo, 1634-1703; tr.
Arthur J. Mason, 1851-1928, alt.
When all have received, the congregation stands at the
direction of the pastor.
The body and blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
Amen
Lord, now you let your servant
go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled.
My own eyes have seen the
salvation
which you have prepared in the
sight of every people:
A light to reveal you to the
nations
and the glory of your people
Israel.
Glory 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 Song
of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32)
We
give you thanks, almighty God,
that
you have refreshed us through the healing power of this gift of life;
and
we pray that in your mercy
you
would strengthen us through this gift,
in
faith toward you and fervent love toward one another;
for
the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
BENEDICTION
Almighty God heal you from your wounds,
protect you from every evil,
make you to rejoice in the presence of the Kingdom
and give you hope for the life of the world to
come.
Amen
Almighty God, Father, X Son, and Holy Spirit,
bless you now and forever.
Amen
Go
in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
CLOSING MUSIC O Morning
Star, How Fair and Bright
