ASCENSION LUTHERAN CHURCH THE LUTHERAN CHURCH MISSOURI SYNOD LITTLETON, COLORADO January 21, 2018 8:00 am SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY I Will Make You Fishers of Men AS WE GATHER Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishermen by trade. Jesus invited them to follow Him, promising He would make them fishers of men. What could this possibly mean? The prophet Jonah may provide a clue. Swallowed, and then regurgitated by a great fish after running from God, Jonah was given another chance to cast a Gospel net for the people of Nineveh. With only the lure of Jonah s brief, Law-heavy sermon, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!, God reeled in a bountiful Kingdom-catch, saving more than 120,000 people and animals in that city. Jesus own preaching announces the fullness of time, the presence of God s reign, and invites repentance and faith in the Good News from God, which He embodies and enacts. This message proclaimed and sacramentally enacted is the net by which Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies people under God s gracious reign.
PREPARATION PRELUDE The God of Abraham Praise M. Burkhardt GREETING TOLLING OF THE BELL Congregation, please stand during the tolling of the bell PROCESSIONAL HYMN The God of Abraham Praise LSB 798 Verse 1 - ALL Verse 2 - ALL Verse 3 - Choir only Verse 8 - ALL
INVOCATION In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Psalm 145:9 God, whose Word establishes reality, we admit that we have turned from the face-to-face relationship of love with You for which we have been created. Sin infects us through and through. Yet, we trust in Jesus alone whose life, death, and resurrection bring Your healing power to bear on our grave condition. Hear us, and heal us by Your love for Jesus sake. The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made. Therefore, as a called and ordained servant of Jesus and by His authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. WORD KYRIE O Lord, who sent Jonah with a message of repentance for the people of Nineveh, have mercy on us. O Christ, who calls our marriages a picture of You as Bridegroom and the Church, Your Bride. have mercy on us. O Lord, who proclaimed the present reign of God, inviting all people to repent and believe Your Gospel, have mercy on us, and grant us Your peace. Amen.
PSALM OF PRAISE O Come Let us Sing (Venite Matins) Psalm 95:1-7 SALUTATION The Lord be with you. And also with you. PRAYER OF THE DAY Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities and stretch forth the hand of Your majesty to heal and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Old Testament: Jonah 3:1-5, 10 (The people of Nineveh repent at the preaching of Jonah.) Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city--a visit required three days. On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. Lector: This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Epistle: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 (Time is short, Jesus claims our attention.) What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. Lector: This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Congregation, please stand. Gospel: Mark 1:14-20 (Jesus invites His followers to become fishers of men.) The Holy Gospel according to Mark, the first chapter. Glory to You, O Lord. After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother
John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to You, O Christ. HYMN OF THE DAY The Saints in Christ Are One in Every Place LSB 838 SERMON Missed Opportunities Pastor Larson TEXT: Luke 10:25-37 CREDAL HYMN Tune: Hymn to Joy (LSB 477) I believe in God the Father, Maker of the heav ns and earth And in Jesus Christ, our Savior, God s own Son, of human birth. Virgin Born, the Lord incarnate, Whom the Spirit did conceive; Suffered under Pontius Pilate; He s the God whom I believe. Crucified, was dead and buried, Down to hell in victory; From the dead he rose the third day; Up to heav n triumphantly. There at God s right hand he s ruling. By his will the world is led. He will come to judge the nations. Both the living and the dead. I believe in God the Spirit, In his church, his chosen band. They are joined in sweet communion, Holy in his sight they stand, I believe in sins forgiven; That the dead will rise again; I believe in life eternal. Amen! Amen! Amen! PRAYER OF THE CHURCH Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs. God, the center of our lives, Jesus announced the presence of Your gracious reign among us here on earth. Turn our hearts and the hearts of all people to You that we all may come to trust in Your mercy through Jesus life, death, and resurrection. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. God, the center of our lives, bring healing and hope to all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, [especially...]. Grant them patience in every affliction and hearts that rest in Your unfailing love, trusting that underneath it all are Your everlasting arms. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God, the center of our lives, as we return to the center of our life together around Your Table for the Lamb s high feast, remind us that Jesus is the center of everything. In Him all things hold together, including every part of our lives and all our relationships. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Into Your hands we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns in communion and love with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. The peace of the Lord be with you always. Amen. We greet one another with a word of reconciliation, such as Peace be with you. OFFERING Let Us Ever Walk With Jesus Paul Manz 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 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. Come, for the Supper is ready! 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. 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. PROPER PREFACE It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord; for what had been hidden from before the foundation of the world You have made known to the nations in Your Son. In Him, being found in the substance of our mortal nature, You have manifested the fullness of Your glory. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:
SANCTUS Holy Lord of Power and Might Text: Andrew R. Jones. Copyright 2017 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission. THE WORDS OF OUR LORD 22:19 20; 1 Corinthians 11:23 25 Matthew 26:26 28; Mark 14:22 24; Luke 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 Found in the back cover of the Hymnal
AGNUS DEI O Christ, God s Sacrificial Lamb Text: Andrew R. Jones. Copyright 2017 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission. DISTRIBUTION HYMNS "The Prayer" arr. Dan Coates Diana Gaide, pianist O Christ, who called the Twelve LSB 856 Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus Verse Two CHOIR ONLY, arr. Johnson LSB 685 O God of Light LSB 836 BENEDICTION 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. Amen. HYMN Listen, God Is Calling LSB 833 POSTLUDE Jig Fugue D. Buxtehude
Serving in Worship OFFICIANT and CELEBRANT DIRECTOR OF MUSIC MINISTRIES Pastor John Larson Michael Zehnder ELDER 8:00 Norm Finfrock 10:30 Roger Gaide LECTOR 8:00 Tom Munson 10:30 Jeanette Nelson ACOLYTE 8:00 Josh Federico 10:30 Erik Schwerin USHERS 8:00 Clyde Wiggins, Members of the Congregation 10:30 Jason Dierking, Members of the Congregation SERVER 10:30 Helen Hartman ALTAR GUILD Shelia Beu, Phyllis McConnell, Judy Peterson, Deb Shiflet FLOWERS Tom & Dawn Munson, in honor of Dawn s dad s (Jim Nichols) 82nd Birthday CCLI License #1903595