IMMANUEL LUTHERAN J A N 6-7. First Sunday after Epiphany. Where is He who has been. Vol. 81 No. 2. Pastor Joe Naumann Deacon Mark Stelter

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1 J A N Vol. 81 No. 2 IMMANUEL LUTHERAN First Sunday after Epiphany Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? Pastor Joe Naumann Deacon Mark Stelter Organist Bonnie Cornish Sound Nathan Clobes Video Tony Harris Screen Russell Schmitt Head Usher Karl Friedrichs Assistant Usher Kyle Hulke Welcome to everyone who has come to share the Good News of the Gospel with us today! We ask our guests to please sign our register, and invite you to join us regularly for worship. For more information about our church, please contact Pastor Naumann North Second Street Mankato, MN

2 Pre-Service Meditation and Prayer Psalm 72 {tlh pg 138} The world's remotest nations, Upon whose weary faces The sun looks from the sky, Shall run with zeal untiring, With joy the Light desiring That breaks upon them from on high. ORDER OF WORSHIP WE PREPARE TO MEET OUR LORD OPENING HYMN Arise and Shine in Splendor {tlh 126} INVOCATION Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Congregation: Amen. OUR CONFESSION OF SINS P: Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God, our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. Our help is in the name of the Lord. C: Who made heaven and earth. P: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord. C: And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. All: O almighty God, merciful Father, I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You. I justly deserve Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for my sins and sincerely repent of them. I pray that You would of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being. P: Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office as a called servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. 1

3 PSALM OF THE DAY psalm 72:1-5 WE PRAISE OUR LORD P: Give the king Your judgments, O God, C: And Your righteousness to the king's Son. P: He will judge Your people with righteousness, C: And Your poor with justice. P: The mountains will bring peace to the people, C: And the little hills, by righteousness. P: He will bring justice to the poor of the people; C: He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor. P: They shall fear You As long as the sun and moon endure, C: Throughout all generations. P: Glory be to God! C: GLORIA PATRI Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen. KYRIE Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us. LUTHER S SANCTUS HYMN Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old, The Lord of all in spirit did behold High on a lofty throne, in splendor bright, With robes that filled the temple courts with light. Above the throne were flaming seraphim; Six wings had they, these messengers of Him. With two they veiled their faces as was right, With two they humbly hid their feet from sight, And with the other two aloft they soared; One to the other called and praised the Lord: Holy is God, the Lord of heav nly hosts! 2

4 Holy is God, the Lord of heav nly hosts! Holy is God, the Lord of heav nly hosts! His glory fills the heavens and the earth! The beams and lintels trembled at the cry, And clouds of smoke enwrapped the throne on high. P: Let us pray. C: Amen OUR LORD SPEAKS TO US OLD TESTAMENT READING isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. 2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. 3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. C: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! NEW TESTAMENT READING revelation 21:1-4, :1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. 22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). 26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb s Book of Life. C: Praise be to You, O Christ OUR CONFESSION OF FAITH IN THE NICENE CREED I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. 3

5 And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, Whose kingdom will have no end. And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father and the Son, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, Who spoke by the prophets. And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, And I look for the resurrection of the dead And the life of the world to come. Amen. HYMN As with Gladness Men of Old {tlh 127} SERMON TEXT matthew 2:1-12 Pastor Paul Nolting Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him. 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also. 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped 4

6 Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM! WE OFFER OURSELVES TO OUR LORD OFFERTORY Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation; and uphold me with Your free Spirit. Amen. OFFERING OF THANKFUL HEARTS PRAYERS OUR LORD GIVES HIMSELF TO US COMMUNION LITURGY P: The Lord be with you. C: And with your spirit. P: Lift up your hearts. C: We lift them up unto the Lord P: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God. C: It is meet and right so to do P: It is truly fitting, right, and beneficial that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying: C: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth; heav n and earth are full of Your glory; Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He, Blessed is He, Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest! 5

7 P: The Lord s Prayer C: For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. WORDS OF INSTITUTION P: The peace of the Lord be with you alway! C: Amen. O Christ, the Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. O Christ, the Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. O Christ, the Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world, grant us Your peace. Amen. DISTRIBUTION Our Practice of Close Communion We believe that God desires unity of faith and confession among all who commune together. All communicant members of Immanuel and of our sister congregations in the Church of the Lutheran Confession are welcome at the Lord s Table. If there are visitors present who wish to commune with us in the future, you are invited to speak with Pastor after the service. Please register for Communion at either binder in the front or rear of church. Members who have difficulty at the kneeling rail may sit in the front pew on either side. The pastors will bring communion to you. Communicants sitting in the balcony should come down to the narthex for direction to the table. If you desire the bread in your hand, simply extend your hand to the Pastor as he approaches you with the bread. COMMUNION HYMNS Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning {tlh 128} O Jesus, King of Glory {ws 718} LORD, NOW LET US DEPART C: Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace according to Your word. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people. A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel. Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen. OUR LORD BLESSES US BENEDICTION C: Amen. Amen. Amen. 6

8 CLOSING HYMN Bright and Glorious is the Sky {ws 717:1,5} Luther s Sanctus Hymn cf. Isaiah 6:1ff CW 267. Text Translation Copyright 1941 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. OneLicense.net License #A Liturgy from The Lutheran Hymnal 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission. License # Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted service elements are in public domain. NEXT SUNDAY: Deacon Scott Kruse Organist Vivian Hanel Sound Joshua Clobes Video Paul & Diane Bode Screen Rachael Hanel Ushers Second Sunday of the Month: Head Usher Paul Bade Assistant Usher Justin Mueller: Todd Kruse, David Lueck, Bennett Olmanson, Daniel Pfeiffer, Daryl Pischner, Mike Schweim, Dale Spear, Philip Stelter Thank You to Pastor Paul Nolting for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to us here at Immanuel. Pastor Nolting is our former pastor and is currently the pastor of the tri-parish of Grace Lutheran Church in Valentine, NE, Peace Lutheran Church in Mission, SD, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church in White River, SD. May God bless him and Sara in their continued ministry! Out of Town Pastor Naumann will be out of town until Thursday, January 11. He can be reached in case of emergency by cell phone at Membership Survey Immanuel is conducting a survey of all members now through the end of January. It is important that you participate so that we can update records and contact info and receive your input! You can fill it out 1) going to immanuelmankato.org and clicking on the link 2) picking up a paper survey and turning the completed one to the church secretary or 3) going to the Social Studies room following the service today! Annual Reports Boards and Committees: please turn in Annual Reports to church@immanuelmankato.org by January 10. Annual Voters Meeting Monday, January 22, 7:00pm. We encourage our voters attendance and involvement at this meeting. To become a voting member you must be: (1) male communicant member of Immanuel for 6 months or longer; (2) 18 years old or older; (3) make your request known to the pastor or to the chairman of the congregation prior to a voters meeting. As always, non-voters are welcome to attend voters meetings. Undecorating the Church to follow after church today. Help would be appreciated by anyone able to stay. Thank you! Whitewater Camp Save the Date! February 2-4. More information to follow. Endowment Fund This month the envelope packs have a special envelope for the endowment fund. When money is given to this fund, it is invested to earn interest. The first goal of this fund is to reduce and eliminate tuition in our school. Only the interest earned can be paid to the school (church) to pay expenses. This keeps our tuition rates lower and may in the future eliminate tuition. Tuition does not cover all expenses. 7

9 THIS WEEK AT IMMANUEL Tuesday, January 9 6:30pm - Deacons Meeting 7:00pm - Board of Education Meeting 7:00pm - Board of Property Meeting 7:30pm - Board of Finance Meeting 7:00pm - Council Meeting Wednesday, January 10 12:45pm - Worship Service: Charter # 181 or Consolidated Communications # 7 Thursday, January 11 5:45pm - Worship Service: Charter # 181 or Consolidated Communications # 7 6:00pm - Church Choir Friday, January 12 6:30am - Men s Breakfast Bible Study 8:00-10:00am - Pastor's Office Hours Saturday, January 13 6:00pm - Worship Service 7:00pm - Bible Study and Sunday School Sunday, January 14 8:15am - Immanuel Meditations KTOE 1420am or 102.7fm 9:00am - Bible Study and Sunday School 10:00am - Worship Service LAST WEEK S ATTENDANCE SATURDAY: 59 + SUNDAY: 180 = 239 New Year's Day Service: 47 Men's Breakfast: 21 LAST WEEK S FRUITS OF FAITH $14,284 IMMANUEL $11,557 CLC MISSIONS $1,192 $1,094 Received Needed Mission Development - $5,100 Endowment - $35 Land Purchase - $60 ILC Building - $250 Tuition Aid - $50 Immanuel Student Aid - $50 NYD, ASC'n, NYE - $1,110 New Year's Day Offering - $876 8

10 7 Habits of a Mission-Minded Congregation Part three ENCOURAGING ONE ANOTHER Encouragement is often tough to come by these days. We naturally look for approval and appreciation for what we do for others whether it be at work, school, at the home, or even at church. But it is far easier to tear someone down than to build someone up with an encouraging word and support. Proverbs 12:25: An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. Proverbs 15:23: A man finds joy in giving an apt reply and how good is a timely word! There are hundreds of encouragement passages throughout the Bible that deal with encouragement in both the spiritual and earthly sense. Take some time to look them up! Because both are important. Earthly encouragement displays a kind and loving attitude towards others. It shows a genuine interest in their life and can literally change their outlook on their day. Most people really appreciate this type of care and concern. Spiritual encouragement is much more difficult on average, because it involves building up others in Christ s Word and may mean going out of our comfort zone. However, this encouragement will have an impact on the eternal outlook of their soul. In Luke 22:32, the Savior said to Peter: But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren. While it is very discouraging to see people placing other things ahead of the Lord, encouragement can be as simple as helping someone make use of the opportunities to hear and study the Word of God (home devotions and readings, attending worship at the Lord s house, Bible classes, Sunday school, etc.). This may be either a verbal encouragement, invitation, as well as by example. 9 Continued on opposite side

11 Hebrews 10:24: And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting (encouraging) one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. No matter what you do, make it a deliberate, ongoing, prayerful attempt to be an encouragement to others, especially when it comes to their faith and walk with Christ our Savior! Mission minded examples Encouragement goes so much further than words. James 1:22 says, But be doers of the word, and not hearers only. If you want to become better at being a good spiritual leader and encourager of others, spend time with Jesus praying about it and working on it! 1. Make visits with your fellows Christians! At one congregation, a group of ladies (typically 4 to 6) meet weekly for Bible study at the individual s homes. At another, they hold a men s breakfast once a week. They select their own topics to discuss. It is a good opportunity to study the Word and to help, pray, and support each other. Essentially a Christian friend network. Take a minute to talk to your pastor and church leaders about starting or joining one! 2. Attend a Christian Retreat! Sign up to attend and also invite others to a seminar specifically designated to encourage the Christian s faith life! One example is of the newly formed ManUp Weekend Leading in the Image of Christ, held in the fall. Or the Women s weekend in the Spring. There s also the Arise and Shine group. And many Youth Camps for children and young adults. Talk to your pastor and check them out for some great faith-building encouragement in Christ! 7 Habits of a Mission-Minded Congregation Love for the Lost Imitating the Great Commission Reliance Upon the Word Desire to Achieve Unity Encouraging one another Strengthening the Individual Thinking of Ideas (Being Creative) Committee on Domestic Fields The Committee of Domestic Fields is a subcommittee of the CLC Mission Board. The purpose of the Committee on Domestic Fields (CDF) is to make outreach ideas and material available to CLC congregations and to encourage them in carrying out the Great Commission of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 10

12 Wyalusing State Park October 12-14, 2018 Registration + Information manup.clclutheran.org register by Spetember 1 $75/person Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love (I Corinthians 16:13-14)