January 22 online worship

Preparations for Worship:

• Do your best to eliminate distractions like the phone, TV, etc.
• Worship actively! Whether you are by yourself or with others, try reading the parts of the service aloud (responses, lessons, and prayers).
• This service is for children too. Help them participate. Ask those who have that ability to read a prayer or lesson aloud. Take a moment to describe what’s happening. Ask questions. Encourage little ones to draw what they are hearing while you all listen. Unlike our more typical Sunday worship at church, you can pause at any time for questions and discussion.
• Before you begin, load each of the videos below. (You might first have to get past a distracting ad.)
• Pause for a moment of quiet meditation. Then pray:
  “Heavenly Father, I have come to worship you. Draw near to me in your gracious Word, and assure me of your loving kindness. Curb my wandering thoughts, that with undivided attention I may hear your voice and speak your praise. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.”

O Lord, open my lips. And my mouth shall declare your praise.

Hasten to save me, O God. O Lord, come quickly to help me.

The glory of Christ is revealed: let us worship him.

Lord, we pray that your mercy and grace may always go before and follow after us that, loving you with undivided hearts, we may be ready for every good and useful work; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Almighty God, you sent your Son to proclaim your kingdom and teach with authority. Anoint us with the power of your Spirit that we too may bring good news to the afflicted, bind up the brokenhearted, and proclaim liberty to the captive; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

LESSON – ISAIAH 8:19-9:4

¹⁹When they tell you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists, who whisper and mutter,” shouldn’t a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? ²⁰To the law and to the testimony! If people do not speak according to this word, there will be no dawn for them. ²¹They will pass through the land, distressed and starving, but when this takes place and they are starving, they will be frustrated, and they will curse their king and their God. They will turn their faces upward, ²²and then they will look down to the ground, but I tell you, they will see only distress, darkness, and the gloom that brings anguish. They will be banished into thick darkness.  Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for the land that was in anguish. In former times, he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will cause it to be glorious, along the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles.  ²The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.  For those living in the land of the shadow of death, the light has dawned.  ³You have multiplied the nation. You have increased its joy.  They rejoice before you like the joy at harvest time, like the celebration when people divide the plunder.  ⁴For you have shattered the yoke that burdened them.  You have broken the bar on their shoulders and the rod of their oppressor,  as you did in the day of Midian.

GOSPEL – MATTHEW 4:12-23

¹²When Jesus heard that John was put in prison, he withdrew into Galilee. ¹³He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. ¹⁴He did this to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ¹⁵Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, along the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, ¹⁶the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and on those dwelling in the region and the shadow of death a light has dawned.  ¹⁷From that time, Jesus began to preach: “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near.”  ¹⁸As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. ¹⁹He said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  ²⁰They immediately left their nets and followed him. ²¹Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them. ²²Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.  ²³Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.

DEVOTION – 1 JOHN 2:3-11

OFFERING

Offerings may be given on-line at tithe.ly/risensavior, mailed to the church, or dropped off at the church.

Our members have joined together in faith and love to do the Lord’s work in this community and around the world.  Guests need not feel obligated to participate in this offering which supports our ministry.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Lord of all nations, Your Son became flesh to enlighten a world darkened by sin with His grace.

Visit us with His gifts of forgiveness and life, that our way may be glorious with His salvation.

Almighty God, You have called us to be united in the same mind and judgment in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Preserve us from divisions and quarreling wrought by false teaching and cults of personality, and fix our eyes on the Word of the cross.

Holy God, Your Son welcomed the sick, the afflicted and those oppressed by demons and healed them. Have mercy upon all whom we bring before You in prayer, especially we give you thanks for the results Lisa Schultz received who had scans and is cancer free. 

Deliver all in our hearts according to Your gracious will.

Holy Spirit, you use the Word about Jesus to lead people to faith. Our synod’s Forward in Christ magazine has been the source of many inspirational, uplifting, and Christ-centered articles. You have used those words about Jesus to lead people to saving faith and to nurture the saved in their Christian faith. We thank you for the service Pastor John Braun provided over the many years he served as editor and pray for Pastor Jim Pope as he takes over the role.

Lead him, Lord, to be a blessing for readers in the years ahead.

O Lord, heavenly Father, we gratefully remember the sufferings and death of Your dear Son, Jesus Christ, for our salvation. Rejoicing in His victorious resurrection, let us pray as he taught…

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.

O Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to this new day.  Defend us with your mighty power, and grant that this day we neither fall into sin nor run into any kind of danger; and in all we do, direct us to what is right in your sight, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.  Amen.

Let us praise the Lord.  Thanks be to God.

THE LORD’S BLESSING

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  Amen.

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