The Baptism of Our Lord January 11, :00 A.M.

Transcription

1 A Prayer Upon Entering Church O Lord Jesus Christ, who humbled yourself to take the baptism of sinful men, and was there declared to be the Son of God: grant that we who have been baptized into you may rejoice to be the children of God and servants of all; for your name's sake, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns ever one God, world without end. Amen. ~ The Book of Common Worship (Church of South India) The Baptism of Our Lord January 11, :00 A.M. Welcome to the Lord s Day. After Christmas, the Church moves to the season of Epiphany, which means revelation or showing forth. Our readings from the Bible teach us anew how our Lord Jesus Christ revealed His salvation and showed forth the grace of God in His public ministry. It all began with His baptism in the Jordan River, where He put Himself in the place of sinners and committed Himself to them. That s the key to understanding Baptism: it s Jesus giving to you all that He is, and taking to Himself all that you are. What a gift!

2 Sharing God s Blessings Today Sunday s Radio Broadcast, and the flowers at the altar, are sponsored by Donna Nuernberg in honor of the Lord s baptism and in remembrance of her own baptism: All who believe and are baptized shall see the Lord s salvation. (LBW #194, stanza 1) The sponsor charts for 2015 for Broadcasts and Flowers are available for you to sign up. The charts are by the stairs by the northwest entry. The sponsor charts for 2015 for Broadcasts ($200) and Flowers ($60) are available for you to sign up. The charts are by the stairs by the northwest entry. You may also call the church office to sign up for Bulletin Sponsor ($20). A Welcome for Those With Young Children God and His church are delighted to welcome young children to worship. This house is their home, too. So please, relax and enjoy your time here: Jesus knows that children tend to wiggle and squawk, so please don t feel embarrassed by it. Your children are welcome at Zion. To make it a bit easier on your family, please consider sitting towards the front where you children can easily see the worship leaders, hear the words, note the colors, wonder about some of the images up there, and embrace the action at the altar. As we go along, softly explain the liturgy to your children, encouraging them to chime in with their parts: Amen! Lord have mercy! And also with you! I believe! Our Father! All of that belongs to them, too. Be sure to sing and pray your parts as you stand and kneel and sit. Your children learn by taking your lead. If you and your child must leave, please hurry back. There is a nursery downstairs for those who would like to use it, but like Jesus, we want your children in the liturgy, not out. Let the little children come unto me. (Luke 18:16). If you need help, just ask. There are lots of folks here who will lend a hand. Announcements Parish announcements may be found in the weekly newsletter, For You, provided by the ushers after worship. 2

3 PRELUDE Variations on Morning Star Jan Bender, Robert A. Hobby, Wilbur Held, John Leavitt, Jeffrey Blersch Please stand and turn toward the cross as it is carried into the sanctuary. PROCESSIONAL HYMN Brightest and Best of the Stars of the Morning green hymnal #84 GREETING P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. C: And also with you. KYRIE P: In peace, let us pray to the Lord. P: For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord. 3

4 P: For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the holy Church, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord. P: For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord. P: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord. GLORIA P: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. 4

5 PRAYER OF THE DAY P: The Lord be with you. P: Let us pray... Father in heaven, at the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River you proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit. Make all who are baptized in his name faithful in their calling as your children and inheritors with him of everlasting life; through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen Prayer may not change things for you, but it for sure changes you for things. ~ Samuel M. Shoemaker, A.D. Please be seated. 5

6 CHORAL RESPONSE The Baptism of Our Lord Charles Callahan OLD TESTAMENT Genesis 1:1-5 1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. L: The Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. PSALM 29 Choir: Ascribe to the LORD, you gods,* ascribe to the LORD glo ry and strength. C: Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;* worship the LORD in the beau ty of holiness. Choir: The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders;* the LORD is upon the mighty waters. C: The voice of the LORD is a pow erful voice;* the voice of the LORD is a voice of splendor. Choir: The voice of the LORD breaks the cedar trees;* the LORD breaks the ce dars of Lebanon; C: he makes Lebanon skip like a calf,* and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox. 6

7 Choir: The voice of the LORD splits the flames of fire; the voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;* the LORD shakes the wilder ness of Kadesh. C: The voice of the LORD makes the oak trees writhe* and strips the forests bare. Choir: And in the temple of the LORD* all are crying, Glory! C: The LORD sits enthroned a bove the flood;* the LORD sits enthroned as king for evermore. Choir: The LORD shall give strength to his people;* the LORD shall give his people the bless ing of peace. All: 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 EPISTLE Romans 6:1-11 1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. This God, who is over many waters and sits enthroned over the flood, has himself been swept overboard, immersed and engulfed in the river Jordan... To drown in the waters of baptism in which the Lord himself was drowned, to receive the pentecostal fire of the Spirit which the Lord himself sent in this way we creatures of nature can worship our God in nature, and live. ~ Sarah Hinlicky, God on the Loose, Christian Century, December 28, 2004 A.D. 7

8 It is sheer wickedness and blasphemy when our new spirits, in order to slander Baptism, ignore God s Word and ordinance, consider nothing but the water drawn from the well, and then babble, How can a handful of water help the soul? Of course, my friend! Who does not know that water is water, if such a separation is proper? But how dare you tamper thus with God s ordinance and tear from it the precious jewel clasp with which God has fastened and enclosed it For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. L: The Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Please stand. VERSE GOSPEL P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the 1st chapter. 4John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, 8

9 After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased. P: The Gospel of the Lord. Please be seated. SUNDAY SCHOOL During the singing of the hymn, children of preschool age through grade 4 may leave for Sunday School classes downstairs in the church hall. Please reclaim your children at 10:25 a.m. after their music time in the balcony. HYMN OF THE DAY When Jesus Came to Jordan blue hymnal #647 SERMON Please stand. Big Christ, Little Christs For the nucleus in the water is God s Word and God s name, and this is a treasure greater and nobler than heaven and earth. Thus Baptism is a very different thing from all other water.... God himself stakes his honor, his power, and his might on it. Therefore it is not simply a natural water, but a divine, heavenly, holy, and blessed water praise it any other way you can all by virtue of the Word, which contains and conveys the fullness of God. ~ Martin Luther, Large Catechism, 1529 A.D.

10 BAPTISMAL HYMN God s Own Child, I Gladly Say It Baptism leads to faith and not vice versa, as most modern theologians assert. If it were otherwise, faith would end up believing in itself, its own power to believe.... Baptism is the perfect cure for the modern, narcissistic self. ~ Gerhard O. Forde, A.D., in The Preached God AFFIRMATION OF BAPTISM The pastor addresses the congregation concerning the gift of Baptism. The congregation then renews its baptismal vows: P: Do you renounce all the forces of evil, the devil, and all his empty promises? C: I do. 10

11 P: Do you believe in God the Father? C: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. P: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God? C: 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. P: Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit? C: 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 P: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all creation, according to its needs. P:... O King of Kings, C: receive our prayer. P: Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy, through your son, Jesus Christ our Lord. C: Amen P: 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 his Word and share in his supper, to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, to serve all people, following the example of our Lord Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in 11

12 all the earth? C: I do, and I ask God to help and guide me. P: God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit bless and guide you, now and forever. C: Amen BAPTISMAL HYMN God s Own Child, I Gladly Say It 12

13 Please be seated. OFFERING While the offerings are received, please pass in your row the Friendship Register, and add your name(s). If you are a guest or visitor, please include your address. VOLUNTARY When Jesus Came to Jordan Please stand. OFFERTORY Wayne L. Wold Property is a divine trust. Things are tools, not prizes. Life is not for selfindulgence, but for selfdevotion. When, instead of saying, "The world owes me a living," men shall say, "I owe the world a life," then the kingdom will come in power. We owe everything to God but our sins. Fatherland, pedigree, home-life, schooling, Christian training all are God's gifts. ~ Maltbie Davenport Babcock A.D. (American Presbyterian clergyman) 13

14 OFFERTORY PRAYER P: Blessed are you, heavenly Father, for the priceless gift of your Son, sent into our flesh to redeem the creation. Grant that we may now so eat of his flesh and drink of his blood that we may ever dwell in him, and he in us. C: Amen THE GREAT THANKSGIVING P: The Lord be with you. He is The Bread sown in the Virgin, leavened in the Flesh, molded in His Passion, baked in the furnace of the Tomb, placed in the Churches, and set upon the Altars, which daily supplies Heavenly Food to the faithful. ~ Peter Chrysologus A.D. P: Lift up your hearts. P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. P: It is indeed right and salutary... we praise your name and join their unending hymn: SANCTUS ( Holy ) 14

15 WORDS OF INSTITUTION P: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: Take, eat; this is my body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me. In the same way also he took the cup after the supper, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying: Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink of it, in remembrance of me. THE LORD S PRAYER P: Lord, remember us in your kingdom, and teach us to pray: C: 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 Lords are lordliest in their wine. ~ John Milton, A.D. in Samson Agonistes ACCLAMATION P: The Word was made flesh C: and we have seen his glory, full of grace and truth. 15

16 AGNUS DEI ( Lamb of God ) The Church embraces Baptism, absolution, and the Lord's Supper. However one wants to name these things, whether one speaks of sacraments with the Latin church or of mysteries with the Eastern church, or whether one includes them with the Word in the collective term 'means of grace', one thing they all have in common: The coming world is anticipated in them.... Please be seated. The congregation is ushered forward for Communion. If you cannot use the steps to the altar, you may either ask an usher to have Communion brought to you, or you may go to the altar in the side (west) chapel. Those not communing may cross their arms over their chest for a blessing. Holy Communion is the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which He joyfully gives to His Church to eat and to drink. This gift bestows tremendous benefits. His body and blood forgives ours sins, strengthens our faith, binds us to the Lord, and unites us with each other. In this is life and salvation. The Lord therefore invites to His altar baptized Christians who trust that they will receive in Holy Communion all that He promises there: His body and blood, the forgiveness of sins, union with Christ and His Church, life, and salvation. Know that He gives it to you with great joy. 16

17 COMMUNION HYMNS Beautiful Savior green hymnal #518 As with Gladness Men of Old green hymnal #82 Please stand after all have received the sacrament. POST-COMMUNION PRAYER P: Let us pray. O God of wonder, we have tasted your goodness, and beheld your presence in the Word made flesh. Shine forth his light in all we say and do, and fill the earth with your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. C: Amen BENEDICTION P: Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever. Please turn toward the cross as it is carried out of the sanctuary. RECESSIONAL HYMN In Thee Is Gladness green hymnal #552 SILENT PRAYER POSTLUDE In Thee is Gladness + Soli Deo Gloria + To God alone be glory Robert A. Hobby.... They do not merely describe a divine, heavenly reality; they bestow right now a share in it. The forgiveness of sins, which we receive in Baptism and the absolution, is the anticipation of the acquittal in the Last Judgment. Our death and our resurrection to eternal life have begun already in our baptism (Rom. 6:3-11). In the Holy Supper Christ comes to us now and gives us a share in the 'messianic'; heavenly feast. ~ Herman Sasse, A.D., in This Is My Body 17

18 A Prayer as You Go Almighty God, who by our baptism into the death and resurrection of Thy Son Jesus Christ dost turn us from the old life of sin: Grant that we, being reborn to new life in Him, may live in righteousness and holiness all our days; through the same Thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. ~ The Book of Common Prayer Serving at Worship Celebrant and Preacher: The Rev. Steven Gjerde Organist: Kantor Irene Beethe Choir: Zion Kantorei Lector: Mark Gehrke Radio Announcer: Ryan Fernstaedt Acolytes: Paul Gjerde; Clark Kittel; Hailey Revie Elder: Larry Parsch Ushers: Marty and Janet Dettmering; Roger Ormond; Gary and Sue Wolslegel Communion Assistants: Sally Christoffersen; Rob Kittel; Steve Zeinemann Altar Guild: Debra Thomas; Bonnie Waack Acknowledgements The liturgy is reprinted from the Lutheran Book of Worship, Used by permission of Augsburg Fortress license #13202-L. Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. Used by permission. God s Own Child, I Gladly Say It : Text: 1991 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Used by permission LSBHymnLicense.net Tune: Public domain. 18

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20 Zion Lutheran Church Sixth and Grant Streets, Wausau, Wisconsin Those who trust in the Lord shall be like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. (Psalm 125:1) Church Telephone: Senior Pastor Steven K. Gjerde Associate Pastor Theodore B. Gulhaugen Kantor Irene Beethe Parish Nurse Lenore Grosinske Office Manager Pam Gabriel Secretary Anna Mae Zeinemann Head Custodian Michael Renken Custodian Roger Ormond To contact us by To visit our webpage: Host of the Wausau Lutheran Hour Sundays, 9:00 am, WSAU Radio 550AM (or click Listen Live at Member Congregation of Lutheran CORE 20