God Gathers Us. Prelude Star of the East Michael Shea, Lani Smith. *Opening Hymn I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light # 649 WOV

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1 Sunday, January 6, a.m. Worship The Feast of the Epiphany *Please Stand As You Are Able LBW - Lutheran Book of Worship WOV With One Voice God Gathers Us Prelude Star of the East Michael Shea, Lani Smith Words of Welcome/Greeting Our Guests *Invocation and Salutation *Opening Hymn I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light # 649 WOV *Brief Order for Confession and Forgiveness p. 10 WOV *Sharing the Peace of the Lord *Kyrie p. 28 *Hymn of Praise Glory to God p. 29 *Prayer of the Day The Children s Sermon (prayer cards picked up by ushers at this time) Holy Scripture Isaiah 60: 1-6 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip. 5 Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to

2 you, to you the riches of the nations will come. 6 Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord. Holy Scripture: Ephesians 3: For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles 2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. 7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Holy Gospel: Matthew 2: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi [a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 In Bethlehem in Judea, they replied, for this is what the prophet has written: 6 But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him. 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. Sermon Go and Search Carefully Pastor Daniel M. Powell 2

3 *Apostles Creed p. 33 WOV *Prayer of the Church We Respond to God s Grace Our Response in Tithes and Offerings Musical Offering What Did the Star See? J. Paul Williams, Joseph M. Martin Sanctuary Choir Kristin Cline, flutist *Prayer of Dedication p. 35 WOV God Feeds Us The Sacrament of Holy Communion *The Great Thanksgiving p. 36 WOV *Holy, holy, holy Lord p. 36 *The Words of Institution p. 37 *The Lord s Prayer Lamb of God p. 39 Distribution of the Meal and Blessing of the Children Musical Offering I Wonder As I Wander arr. Mark Hayes Post-Communion Blessing p. 40 Council Installation *Closing Hymn We Are Marching in the Light of God # 650 LBW *Benediction *Dismissal P Gathered by God C Receiving the Lord P Sent by the Spirit C Revealing His Love The Postlude March of the Kings Carl Simone 3

4 Prayers And Praises Intercessory Prayers 12/16/18 Great Grandson of Bob and Mary Dunn Krista Barone Smith (friend of Carol Drown) Dave Driskill (friend and coworker of Bryan and Beth Szekacs) Jason Thompson (brother of Robert Thompson) 12/23/18 Donna Stelzer Jack McCarthy (cousin of Kerry Rothgeb) 12/30/18 Chloe (great niece of Mary Lynn Johnson) James Davis (friend of Norman Parks) Eloise Newport (granddaughter of Su-Ann and Jerry Newport) Prayers of Sympathy For the friends and family of Jimmy Snide Prayers of Support For our Senior Pastor Call Committee For North American Lutheran Church Disaster Relief Ministry For members of the U.S. military For first responders For marriages and families in crisis For all seeking employment For 2018 Grace council and staff For those suffering from addiction For Christian faith-based ministries For our community, country, and our world For family and friends living in care facilities For Bishop John Bradosky, the North American Lutheran Church, and the Southwest Ohio Mission District of the NALC Dear Heavenly Father~ as we begin this new year in prayer with you, may we pray with more faith and thoughtfulness. Remind us, if we never make requests with bold faith, we may never experience the joy of watching You answer our prayers! Even though we may be afraid of what Your answers will be, encourage us to ask specifically how we can do more for You. We earnestly pray for more chances to be like your faithful servant Paul and talk with others about You this year. Show us how to look at the world with prayerful eyes watchful for ways that allow You to use our hands and feet to reach others in Your Most Holy Name. Oh, how we love You. Here we are Lord, please 4 use us. Amen Prayerfully submitted by the Grace Prayer Support Team

5 This Week Sun., Jan. 6 8:00 a.m. Worship/Council Installation (S) The Feast of 9:15 a.m. Sunday School for all ages the Epiphany 10:15 a.m. Fellowship 10:45 a.m. Contemporary Worship/Council Installation (S) 8:00 p.m. Community group (P) Mon., Jan. 7 1:00 p.m. Stephen Ministry (CR) 6:00 p.m. Girl Scouts (YW104) Tue., Jan. 8 8:00 a.m. Men s Bible Study (P) 9:30 a.m. Faith Guild (P) 11:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Staff meeting/grace office closed 2:00 p.m. Joy Guild (CW102) 6:00 p.m. Executive Committee (CR) 6:15 p.m. Fraker small group (L) 7:00 p.m. Agape Guild (P) 7:00 p.m. Cub Scouts (CW105) Wed., Jan. 9 1:30 p.m. Charity Guild (CW102) 5:30 p.m. Grace Notes rehearsal (S) 6:00 p.m. Stephen Ministry (CW102) 7:00 p.m. Disciple Fast Track (N108) 7:00 p.m. Sanctuary Choir rehearsal (MR/S) Thu., Jan. 10 9:00 a.m. Service Quilter s Guild (N108) 9:00 a.m. Community ministry (FH) 11:00 a.m. Adult Bible Study (P) Fri., Jan. 11 6:00 p.m. Council retreat (Café) 8:00 p.m. Community group (CR) Sat., Jan. 12 8:00 a.m. Men's Bible study (P) 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Council retreat (Lynwood cabin) Sun., Jan. 13 8:00 a.m. Worship (S) Baptism of 9:15 a.m. Sunday School for all ages Our Lord 10:15 a.m. Fellowship 10:45 a.m. Worship (S) 12:15 p.m. Financial Stewardship (CR) 2:30 p.m. Worship at Springfield Manor 8:00 p.m. Community group (P) C Café CC Community Center CR Conference Room CW Children s Wing FH Fellowship Hall K Kitchen L Library MR Music Room N Narthex NY Nursery P Parlor S Sanctuary YW Youth Wing 5

6 Announcements ( announcements to by NOON on Tuesdays.) Today: We begin a new adult Sunday School class titled Forgiven. This three session class focuses on God s forgiveness as well as our need to forgive others and ourselves. We will meet in the fellowship hall. Our Sunday School offerings will support the work of the NALC Disaster Response team. Learn more about this ministry at 8 a.m. Ushers Needed: We are in need of ushers for the 8 a.m. services. If you are interested in serving on a team, sign up in Sign-Up Central. 8 a.m. Offering Tellers are needed. For more information contact Suzanne Klopfenstein at or at Suzanne.klopfenstein@coxinc.com or sign up in Sign-Up Central. There will be a 4 week break for all Youth Groups. Youth Groups will return at their normal times the week of February 4. Rainbow table needs volunteers for Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29 for both shifts (2-5 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.) Please use Sign-Up Central or call Robert Thompson. ( ). Chancel/Altar flowers for If you would like to provide chancel or altar flowers for the sanctuary on a special date in 2019 please contact Darla Kalifoot at ext Please return your coin houses for the Fuller Center for Housing no later than next Sunday! Put them on the table in the narthex. Our 2019 Grace Council officers: President/ Craig Witker; Vice President/ Lance Jones; Secretary/ Steven Schumacher; Treasurer/ Kristi Leeth 6

7 Announcements ( announcements to by NOON on Tuesdays.) A reminder to the parents of our 4th and 5th graders - Parent Review session for Are you Smarter Than a 4th Grader is next Sun., Jan. 13, 9:15-10:15 with Pastor Powell in the Children s Wing (CW102). The competition between you and your 4/5th grader will be the following Sun., Jan same time and place. Don t miss out on this fun opportunity with Pastor Powell and your family! How have you served the Lord this week? As a part of our efforts to provide 10,000 hours of service to area outreach ministries, share how you have served by completing the statement found on Sign-Up Central. Attendance Records Last Sunday - December 30, :00 a.m. Worship...79 Adult Sunday School...30 Youth Sunday School :45 am Worship Tithes and Offerings...$17, Scripture Readings Next week - January 13, 2019 Baptism of Our Lord Isaiah 43:1-7 Romans 6:1-11 Luke 3:15-22 Our Celebration of Holy Communion Our congregation offers Holy Communion, following instruction by our pastors, to all fifth graders and older. For our guests, come forward and share Holy Communion if you have been baptized ( in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as Jesus instructed us), accept Jesus as Lord, and believe the words of Jesus that this meal is His body and blood, given and shed for you. Everyone is encouraged to come forward to receive a blessing. We are thankful to have you with us! 7

8 SERVING THIS MORNING Pastor Daniel M. Powell Pastor Thomas M. Brodbeck Acolytes Cooper Quesenberry Lectors Michelle Kouse Communion Asst: Mike Thompson, Michelle Kouse, Stacey Laux Ushers *Steeg and Diane Hertz, John and Janet Rice, Ed Urbanek Altar Care Kristi Leeth, Marilyn Kissell Sight & Sound Jason Kouse Organist Bev Kaech Choir Director Barbara Blackburn Offering Tellers Jack and Mary Sommers Church Prep Ron Coss Fellowship Hosts Cathy Noyes, Barb Maxwell, Mel Leonard Parking Assts. Terry Fredrich, Rob Caudill Safety Stewards Steve Garrett, Jim Rolfes Welcome Center Agnes Smoot Nursery Attendants: Ginger Hennig, Morgan Huffstetler (7:45) Carol Drown (9:00) *Team Leader GRACE STAFF Daniel M. Powell, Senior Pastor Thomas M. Brodbeck, Associate Pastor Barbara Blackburn, Director - Sanctuary, Handbell, and Handchime Choirs Carol Drown, Nursery Attendant Bev Kaech, Coordinator of Worship Music & Arts, Principal Organist Darla Kalifoot, Church Administrator GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH Janet Rice, Director of Lay Ministry 1801 St. Paris Pike Matt Rugh, Director of Youth and Children s Ministry Springfield, Ohio Robert Thompson, Caretaker 8 Cindy Witker, Ministry Assistant