The livestream may be found here.
January 1, 2023, 10:30
a.m.
The Name of Jesus
Tetragrammaton
Grace Episcopal Church, Decorah, Iowa
THE NAME OF JESUS
FIRST READING: God revealed his name to Moses at the burning bush:
I AM WHO I AM. In Hebrew the four letters are YHWH, which is known as the ‘tetragrammaton.’
The word YHWH is not pronounced by Orthodox Jews, who use the name Adonai, translated
‘Lord,’ instead. This is why, in our English Bibles, the word LORD is capitalized,
to indicate that the divine name is indicated. In Numbers, Moses and Aaron are instructed
to bless the people of Israel with the divine name. The first syllable of Jesus’
name is reminiscent of the first syllable of the name YHWH. His name, ‘God
saves,’ is a reminder that Jesus’ saving act will be reminiscent of God’s act
to save the people in the Exodus.
SECOND READING: Jesus’ naming takes place at the circumcision rite.
In Galatians, Paul makes the argument that in being circumcised according to
the Law, Jesus fulfilled the Law for both Jews and Gentiles, so that, after his
death and resurrection, inclusion in the covenant people might be through faith
in Jesus for both circumcised and uncircumcised.
GOSPEL: Just as Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, showed his faith in
God’s Word through the angel by naming his son ‘John,’ so Mary and Joseph show
their faith in giving their child the name that the angel had revealed to them.
Perhaps we should see, in Mary’s treasuring of the shepherds’ words and her
pondering of them in her heart, the rejoicing in another angelic sign, giving
her and Joseph strength to name the child according to the angel’s word.
OPENING MUSIC
Greet Now the
Swiftly Changing Year
- Richard Wienhorst
All Praise to You
Eternal Lord
- J. S. Bach, Paul Manz
THE HOLY
COMMUNION
Stand
WHymn Green LBW 48 All Praise to You, Eternal
Lord
APOSTOLIC GREETING
The grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the
communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you. 2 Corinthians 13:13
KYRIE
In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
HYMN OF PRAISE
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Amen
Mary treasured the words of the shepherds
and pondered them in her heart.
Let
us hear the Word of the Lord. Luke 2:19
Sit
CHOIR ANTHEM What
Cheer? Good Cheer!
Text/ Anonymous medieval poem; Music/ Peter
Warlock
Lift
up your hearts and be ye glad
In Christ His birth, the angel bade.
Say
to each other, if any be sad:
What cheer?
Good cheer! Good cheer! Good cheer!
Be merry and
glad this good New Year!
The
King of Heaven his birth hath take:
Now joy and mirth we ought to make.
Say
each to other for his dear sake:
What cheer? Good cheer!
Good cheer! Good cheer!
Be merry and
glad this good New Year!
I
tell you all with heart as free,
Right welcome ye be all to me;
Be
glad and merry for charity.
What cheer?
Good cheer! Good cheer! Good cheer!
Be merry and glad
this good New Year!
First Reading Numbers 6:22-27
22The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 23Speak to Aaron and
his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,
24The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25the Lord make his
face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
26the Lord lift up his
countenance upon you, and give you peace.
27So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless
them.
the Word of the Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
PSALM 8
Antiphon
1 O | Lord our Lord,*
how exalted is your
name in | all the world!
2 Out of the mouths of in- | fants and children*
your majesty is
praised a- | bove the heavens.
3 You have set up a stronghold against your | adversaries,*
to quell the enemy
and | the avenger.
4 When I consider your heavens, the work | of your fingers,*
the moon and the
stars you have set | in their courses,
5 what is man that you should be mind- | ful of him,*
the son of man that
you should | seek him out?
6 You have made him but little lower | than the angels;*
you adorn him with
glo- | ry and honor;
7 you give him mastery over the works | of your hands;*
you put all things
un- | der his feet:
8 all | sheep and oxen,*
even the wild
beasts | of the field,
9 the birds of the air, the fish | of the sea,*
and whatsoever
walks in the paths | of the sea.
10 O | Lord our Lord,*
how exalted is your name in |
all the world! Antiphon
Second Reading Galatians 4:4-7
4When the fullness of time had
come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5in
order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption
as children. 6And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit
of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7So you are no
longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
VERSE Philippians 2:10 Setting by Richard Hillert
Alleluia. At the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth. Alleluia.
Gospel Luke 2:15-21
The Holy Gospel
according to St. Luke.
15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven,
the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this
thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16So
they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the
manger. 17When they saw this, they made known what had been told
them about this child; 18and all who heard it were amazed at what
the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured all these words and
pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
21After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the
child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was
conceived in the womb.
The Gospel of the
Lord.
Sermon
Stand
WHYMN OF THE DAY
Green LBW 181 Greet Now the Swiftly Changing
Year
CONFESSION OF FAITH Nicene Creed
X At the words ‘For us and for our salvation,’ and continuing through ‘and
was made man,’ a solemn bow is appropriate to praise the incarnation of our
Lord.
the
Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven
and earth,
of all that is,
seen and unseen.
We
believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the
Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were
made.
X For us and
for our salvation
he came down
from heaven;
by the power of
the Holy Spirit
he became
incarnate from the virgin Mary, and
was made man. X
For our
sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered
death and was buried.
On
the third day he rose again
in
accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into
heaven
and
is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to
judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom
will have no end.
We
believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and
the Son.
With the Father and the Son he
is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the
prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic
and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one Baptism for
the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of
the dead,
and the life of
the world to come. Amen
In and through the
name of Jesus, let us pray to the Father.
Silence is kept.
Father, in
obedience to the angel’s message, Mary’s child was called
Jesus, for he was
to save his people from their sins. We give thanks for
the salvation
offered us in his name, and pray for the mission of the
Church to make his
name known to all people. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Father, your Son
was brought by Mary and Joseph to be circumcised
according to the Law,
that through him the Law might be fulfilled and
all might be
adopted into your family. We pray that, by the power of the
Spirit, we may
always confidently call upon you as Father, and rejoice in
the riches of our
inheritance among the saints. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Guide us in this
new year of grace. Fill our bishop Dan and all ministers
of the Gospel with
knowledge and wisdom. Preserve the Church in the
truth and increase
its unity. Raise up faithful leaders to proclaim the
good news. Lord, in
your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Give those who have
been entrusted with authority the love of truth, the
zeal for justice,
and the wisdom to choose the good. We pray for the
President of the
United States, Joseph; the Congress, the Courts,
and all who hold positions
of responsibility, especially those who are
newly elected or
appointed to office. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for those
who carry heavy burdens of illness, poverty, grief, or oppression into this New
Year. May your mercy find them on the road, and use us to be your messengers to
them in time of need…
Lord, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
We remember with
thanksgiving all who have loved the name of Jesus.
We pray that,
surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses, we may run with perseverance the race
that is set before us until we receive the unfading crown of glory. Lord, in
your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Into your hands,
Father, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your steadfast love,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
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.
OFFERTORY Psalm 50:14, 23 Setting by Richard Hillert
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most
High. Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who
order their ways right I will show the salvation of God.
Hear
us, O Lord Jesus Christ, from your dwelling place,
from
the glorious throne of your kingdom, and come and cleanse us.
You are seated on high with the Father,
and you dwell also with us here, although
unseen.
By
your mighty hand render us worthy to receive in holy communion
your
spotless body and your precious blood.
Amen
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.
The pastor leads the people in praying the Eucharistic canon:
We give you thanks, Father,
through Jesus Christ, your beloved Son,
whom you sent in
this end of the ages
to save and redeem
us and to proclaim to us your will.
He is your Word,
inseparable from
you.
Through him you created all things,
and in him you take
delight.
He is your Word,
sent from heaven to
a virgin's womb.
He there took on our nature and our lot
and was shown forth
as your Son,
born of the Holy
Spirit and of the virgin Mary.
It is he, our Lord Jesus, who fulfilled all your will
and won for you a
holy people;
he stretched out
his hands in suffering
in order to free
from suffering those who trust you.
It is he who, handed over to a death he freely accepted,
in order to destroy
death, to break the bonds of the evil one,
to crush hell underfoot,
to give light to the righteous,
to establish his
covenant, and to show forth the resurrection,
taking bread and
giving thanks to you, said:
Take and eat; this is my body, broken for you.
Do
this for the remembrance of me.
In the same way he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all
to drink, saying:
This
is my blood poured out for you.
Do
this for the remembrance of me.
Remembering, then, his death and resurrection,
we lift this bread
and cup before you,
giving you thanks
that you have made us worthy
to stand before you
and to serve you as your priestly people.
And we ask you:
Send your Spirit
upon these gifts of your Church;
gather into one all
who share this bread and wine;
fill us with your
Holy Spirit to establish our faith in truth,
that we may praise
and glorify you
through your Son Jesus Christ.
Through him all glory and honor are yours,
Almighty Father,
with the Holy Spirit,
in your holy Church
both now and forever.
Amen
In the presence of Christ, we pray to his Father using the words he gave
us.
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
Matthew
6:9-15
and that life is the light of the world.
God here among us,
light in the midst of us,
bring us to light and life.
We adore Christ, present in bread and wine.
DISTRIBUTION
WDISTRIBUTION HYMN
Choir How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds
Text/
John Newton;
Music
Leland B. Sateren;
arr.
J. M. Strobel
How
sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear!
It
soothes our sorrows, heals our wounds, and drives away all fear.
It
makes the wounded spirit whole and calms the heart’s unrest;
’Tis
manna to the hungry soul and to the weary, rest.
Dear
name! The rock on which I build, my shield and hiding place;
my
never-failing treasury, filled with boundless stores of grace.
O
Jesus, shepherd, guardian, friend, my Prophet, Priest, and King,
My
Lord, my life, my way, my end, accept the praise I bring.
How
weak the effort of my heart, how cold my warmest thought;
But
when I see thee as thou art, I’ll praise thee as I ought.
Till
then I would thy love proclaim with every fleeting breath;
And
may the music of thy name refresh my soul in death!
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
POST-COMMUNION
CANTICLE
Eternal God,
whose incarnate Son was given the Name of Savior:
grant that we who have shared
in this sacrament of our
salvation
may live out our years in the power
of the Name above all
other names,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Sit
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE FAITH
FAMILY
INSTALLATION OF CONGREGATIONAL LEADERS
The magi, led by a star, came to Christ, bringing
him their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, paying him homage. You too have
come forward, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, to worship and adore Christ
and serve him in taking up office, as you have been elected by your
congregation. You bring gifts of time, skill, and wisdom, to lay before God for
use as he sees fit. On behalf of this congregation, I ask you to affirm your
willingness to take up these tasks.
St. Paul writes: There
are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There
are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. There are different
abilities to perform service, but the same God gives to everyone ability for
particular service. The Spirit's presence is shown in some way in each person,
for the good of all. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)
You have been elected to positions of leadership
and trust among the people of Saint Stephen Lutheran Church.
You are to see that the words and deeds of this
household of faith reflect him in whose name we gather.
You are to work together with other members to see
that the worship and work of Christ are done in this congregation, and that
God's will is done in this community and in the whole world.
You are to be diligent in your specific area of
serving, that the one Lord who empowers you is glorified.
You are to be examples of faith active in love, to
help maintain the life and harmony of this congregation.
On behalf of your sisters and brothers in Christ, I
ask you: Are you ready to accept and faithfully to carry out the duties of the
offices to which you have been elected?
R/ Yes, by the help of God.
Stand
People of God, I ask you: Will you support these,
your elected leaders, and will you share in the mutual ministry that Christ has
given to all who are baptized?
Yes, by the help of God.
I now declare you installed in your offices in this
congregation. God bless you with his Holy Spirit, that you may prove faithful
servants of Christ.
Amen
The love of the Lord Jesus
draw you to himself,
the power of the Lord Jesus
strengthen you in his service,
the joy of the Lord Jesus fill your hearts.
Amen
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor
and X give you peace.
Amen
WCLOSING HYMN
Green LBW 559 Oh, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
1 Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!
2 My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all the earth abroad
the honors of your name.
3 The name of Jesus charms our fears
and bids our sorrows cease,
sings music in the sinner’s ears,
brings life and health and peace.
4 He breaks the pow’r of canceled sin;
he sets the pris’ner free.
His blood can make the foulest clean;
his blood avails for me.
5 To God all glory, praise, and love
be now and ever giv’n
by saints below and saints above,
the church in earth and heav’n.
Text:
Charles Wesley, 1707-1788, alt.
Go
in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be
to God!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2023 Augsburg Fortress. All
rights reserved.
Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License
#20540.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of
Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the
United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Additional liturgical material from Common Worship:
Times and Seasons, copyright the Church of England.
McCully and Miles of Chicago.
Tetragrammaton, from Art
in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt
Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57246 [retrieved
December 20, 2022]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tetragrammaton_a.jpg.
St Stephen Lutheran Church
55 Forsythe Road
Pittsburgh PA 15220
(412) 279-5868
office@ststephenpittsburgh.org
Saturday Evening Worship –
6:30 pm
Sunday Morning Worship – 10:30
am
