ASCENSION LUTHERAN CHURCH THE LUTHERAN CHURCH MISSOURI SYNOD LITTLETON, COLORADO January 27, 2019 10:30 a.m. THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY Not Just Another Service AS WE GATHER It s easy to take for granted something that happens every time we gather in the Lord s house and around His Means of Grace. It s easy to lose sight of the fact that, whenever we worship in Spirit and in truth, Jesus Himself is present. As He did in the ancient Nazareth synagogue among His own family and friends, Jesus stands in our midst, opening the Scriptures to us, and showing us how He has come to fulfill them for our salvation. More than just speaking the Word, Jesus is the Word made flesh! Today, in our hearing, Jesus comes anew with God s favor for us. Let us gladly receive Him!
GATHERING SONG BUILD YOUR KINGDOM HERE Rend Collective Come set Your rule, and reign In our hearts again. Increase in us, we pray. Unveil why we're made. Come set our hearts ablaze with hope, Like wildfire in our very souls; Holy Spirit, come, invade us now. We are Your church; we need Your pow'r in us. We seek Your kingdom first. We hunger and we thirst; Refuse to waste our lives, for You're our joy and prize. To see the captives' hearts released; The hurt, the sick, the poor at peace. We lay down our lives for heaven's cause. We are Your church; we pray, revive this earth. CHORUS: Build Your kingdom here. Let the darkness fear. Show Your mighty hand. Heal our streets and land. Set Your church on fire. Win this nation back. Change the atmosphere. Build Your kingdom here, we pray! Unleash Your kingdom s power, Reaching the near and far. No force of hell can stop Your beauty, changing hearts. You made us for much more than this; Awake the kingdom seed in us. Fill us with the strength and love of Christ. We are Your church; We are the hope on earth. CHORUS
PREPARATION PASTORAL GREETING OPENING SONG BLESS THE LORD (10,000 REASONS) Myrin/Redman Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul; Worship His holy name. Sing like never before, O my soul; I'll worship Your holy name. The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning, It's time to sing Your song again. Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me, Let me be singing when the evening comes. CHORUS: Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul; Worship His holy name. Sing like never before, O my soul; I'll worship Your holy name. You're rich in love and You're slow to anger. Your name is great and Your heart is kind. For all Your goodness, I will keep on singing; Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find. CHORUS And on that day, when my strength is failing, The end draws near, and my time has come; Still, my soul will sing Your praise unending, Ten thousand years, and then forevermore! CHORUS X2 Worship Your holy name, Lord, I'll worship Your holy name. Sing like never before, O my soul; I'll worship Your holy name, Worship Your holy name, Worship Your holy name. INVOCATION In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. O Lord, hear us as we silently come before You. In silent prayer, God s children bring their sins to Jesus. Father, thank You for hearing us as we pray:
Too often we have neglected Your Word and ignored Your work in our lives. Instead of focusing on You, we have focused on ourselves. Instead of serving others, we have expected to be served. Forgive us, gracious Father, and renew us through Your Word of life. Help us to see Jesus in our midst as Your Word made flesh crucified for our sins and raised to life again. By the working of Your Holy Spirit, give us hearts to joyfully worship You. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Jesus stands and proclaims the Good News in your hearing this day! As your pastor and as His servant, it is my joy to announce His forgiving grace to all of you and, in His stead and by His command, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. WORD Old Testament Reading: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 (The people gather as one to hear God s Word.) All the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel. So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, "This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Lector: This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a (In Christ, we are one Body with many members.) The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work
miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts. Lector: This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Congregation, please rise for the Gospel. Holy Gospel: Luke 4:16-30 (Jesus reads and fulfills God s Word in His hometown synagogue.) The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the fourth chapter. Glory to You, O Lord. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked. Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: `Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.' " "I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian." All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to You, O Christ. CHILDREN S MESSAGE Kathy Johnson
SONG OF THE DAY THAT S WHY WE PRAISE HIM! Walker He came to live, live a perfect life; He came to be the Living Word, our light. He came to die so we d be reconciled; He came to rise to show His pow r and might. CHORUS: That s why we praise Him, that s why we sing; That's why we offer Him our everything. That s why we bow down and worship this King, Cause He gave His everything, Cause He gave His everything. Halle, hallelujah. Halle, hallelujah. Halle, hallelujah. Halle, hallelujah. CHORUS He came to live, live again in us; He came to be our conqu ring King and friend. He came to heal and show the lost ones His love; He came to go prepare a place for us. CHORUS Halle, hallelujah. Halle, hallelujah. Halle, hallelujah. Halle, hallelujah. CHORUS SERMON A Word Pastor John Larson TEXT: Nehemiah 8: 1-3, 5-6, 8-10 APOSTLE S CREED Text found in the back of the Hymnal. PRAYER OF THE CHURCH THE SHARING OF THE PEACE The peace of the Lord be with you always. And also with you. We share the Lord s peace with one another, saying, Peace be with you.
OFFERING WHO YOU SAY I AM Hillsongs Who am I that the highest King Would welcome me? I was lost but He brought me in Oh His love for me Oh His love for me CHORUS: Who the Son sets free Oh is free indeed I m a child of God Yes I am Free at last, He has ransomed me His grace runs deep While I was a slave to sin Jesus died for me Yes He died for me CHORUS In my Father s house There s a place for me I m a child of God Yes I am I am chosen Not forsaken I am who You say I am You are for me Not against me I am who You say I am I am chosen Not forsaken I am who You say I am You are for me Not against me I am who You say I am I am who You say I am CHORUS In my Father s house There s a place for me I m a child of God Yes I am HOLY COMMUNION AT ASCENSION The Lord, our Host, invites to his Supper those who are baptized into the Christian faith, confess him as Savior, have been instructed and have examined themselves, truly repent of sins, believe the Risen Lord is present in the sacrament with his true body and blood, and resolve to live faithfully and obediently. For those with an intolerance to alcohol, the center ring of the tray contains grape juice. Gluten free wafers are available to those with wheat allergies. Children who have not been instructed, yet desire a blessing, are invited to come forward with arms crossed. When receiving the bread and wine, the communicant may respond with Amen!, a word of affirmation and belief.
SACRAMENT PREFACE The Lord be with you. 2 Timothy 4:22 And also with you. Lift up your hearts. [Colossians 3:1] We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. [Psalm 136] It is right to give Him thanks and praise. THE WORDS OF OUR LORD Matthew 26:26 28; Mark 14:22 24; Luke 22:19 20; 1 Corinthians 11:23 25 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 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 it, in remembrance of Me. LORD S PRAYER (Matthew 6:9 13) Text found in the back of the Hymnal.
DISTRIBUTION SONGS EMMANUEL McGee Emmanuel, Emmanuel, His name is called Emmanuel. God with us, revealed in us, His name is called Emmanuel. JESUS MESSIAH Tomlin He became sin, who knew no sin; that we might become His righteousness; He humbled Himself, and carried the cross. Love so amazing, love so amazing. CHORUS: Jesus, Messiah; Name above all names; Blessed Redeemer; Emmanuel. The Rescue for sinners, the ransom from heaven; Jesus, Messiah, Lord of all. His body, the bread; His blood, the wine; Broken and poured out, all for love. The whole earth trembled, and the veil was torn. Love so amazing, love so amazing. CHORUS All our hope is in You, all our hope is in You; All the glory to You, God, the light of the world. CHORUS Jesus, Messiah, Lord of all. The Lord of all! The Lord of all. O WORD OF GOD INCARNATE LSB 523 GENERAL COMMUNION BLESSING BENEDICTION Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Our gracious Redeemer now sends us out, with His Word in our hearts and our lips, that we may declare His grace to the world He came to save. The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. Numbers 6:24 26 Amen. CLOSING SONG EVERLASTING GOD Brown Riley Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord Wait upon the Lord We will wait upon the Lord Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord Wait upon the Lord We will wait upon the Lord Our God You reign forever Our Hope our strong Deliv'rer CHORUS: You are the everlasting God The everlasting God You do not faint You won't grow weary You're the defender of the weak You comfort those in need You lift us up on wings like eagles CONGREGATIONAL CONCERNS
Serving in Worship OFFICIANT and CELEBRANT DIRECTOR OF MUSIC MINISTRIES CHOIR ACCOMPANIST AGAPE Pastor John Larson Michael Zehnder Diana Gaide Rose Berger, Bri Fort, Lisa O Neal, Ken Price, Bob Shiflet, Larry Westra ELDER 8:00 Scott Luethy 10:30 Bill Redden LECTOR 8:00 Mike Reimnitz 10:30 Margo Pasha ACOLYTE 8:00 Chrissy Coon 10:30 Cody Urbach USHERS 8:00 Clyde Wiggins, Members of the Congregation 10:30 Jason Dierking, Members of the Congregation SERVER 10:30 Margo Pasha ALTAR GUILD Sheila Beu, Gloria Mielke, Dawn Munson CCLI License #1903595