Preview of Ash Wednesday Services at 4:30 and 7:00 p.m.

ASH WEDNESDAY February 22, 2012

Taking On Something for Lent:

Luther’s Catechisms

The Greatest of These Is Love:

The Ten Commandments

As We Gather

Our Lenten midweek services this year are focusing on the Catechisms of Luther. His Small and Large Catechisms were published in 1529. The material in the Large Catechism originated as sermons by Martin Luther on the basic texts of Christian teaching. In his Preface to the Large Catechism Luther writes, “But for myself I say this: I am also a doctor and preacher…Yet I act as a child who is being taught the catechism. Every morning—and whenever I have time—I read and say, word for word, the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Psalms, and such. I must still read and study them daily. Yet I cannot master the catechism as I wish.”

Catechism comes from the Greek word katecho, which literally means to “sound back and forth” or “from above”. It was used already by St. Paul in Galatians 6:6 to denote Christian instruction. (The word echo also comes from this Greek word.) By the second century, it had come to designate the pre-baptismal instruction of catechumens. St. Augustine first used this word to designate basic Christian instruction. Luther used the word in this way throughout his life.

(McCain, Concordia, 309; Kolb, Wengert, The Book of Concord, 345)

Prelude (4:30) “On My Heart Imprint Your Image” 5th – 8th grade

Hymn 422

Hymn ~ “From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee” Page 607

Service of Corporate Confession and Absolution

Stand

The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.

Invocation Page 290

Psalm 51:1-13 and The Ten Commandments

P Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

C Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

P For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

C Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.

P Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

C Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

P You shall have no other gods. What does this mean?

C We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.

P You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. What does this mean?

C We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.

P Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. What does this mean?

C We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.

P Honor your father and your mother. What does this mean?

C We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.

P You shall not murder. What does this mean?

C We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.

P You shall not commit adultery. What does this mean?

C We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other.

P You shall not steal. What does this mean?

C We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income.

P You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. What does this mean?

C What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.

P You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. What does this mean?

C We should fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbor’s inheritance or house, or get it in a way which only appears right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it.

P You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. What does this mean?

C We should fear and love God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor’s wife, workers, or animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and do their duty. (The text of the commandments is from Ex. 20:3, 7, 8, 12–17.)

P What does God say about all these commandments? He says: “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (Ex. 20:5-6) What does this mean?

C What does this mean? God threatens to punish all who break these commandments. Therefore, we should fear His wrath and not do anything against them. But He promises grace and every blessing to all who keep these commandments. Therefore, we should also love and trust in Him and gladly do what He commands.

P Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

C Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

P Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

C Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

P Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

C Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

P Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.

C Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

P Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

C Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin!

P For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

C Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you may be justified in your words

and blameless in your judgment.

P Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

and in sin did my mother conceive me.

C Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,

and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

P Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

C Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

P Hide your face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities.

C Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me.

P Cast me not away from your presence,

and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

C Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Sit

Confessional Address Page 290

Stand

Confession and Absolution Page 291

Litany Page 249

(Note: “Thanks be to God.” Replaces the “alleluia” on page 250. It is sung following the word “Lord” rather than at the same time)

Ash Wednesday Collect

P Almighty and everlasting God, You despise nothing You have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and contrite hearts that lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen

Sit

HYMN ~ “These Are the Holy Ten Commands” Page 581

Stanzas 1-6

Note adapted from comments in Luther’s Works:

Luther considered it very important for the church to have hymns on the Ten Commandments. This attitude requires a word of explanation, for to the modern mind the whole idea of writing a hymn on the Ten Commandments seems preposterous. We have become so accustomed to think of poetry as an expression of the personal feelings and emotions of the writer that we cannot conceive of a merely “practical” use of poetry. Hymnody in our own age has been defined as “lyrical religion.” We find it difficult to think of a merely educational hymn without sentimental overtones.

But Luther proceeded from different premises. Very soberly he thought of the hymn as a means of instilling the Word of God in the people. While some of his hymns were born out of his most personal experience and reflected the struggles and victories of his own faith, others were simple versifications of the Catechism. And it is hardly surprising that the demands of the law in the Ten Commandments did not inspire him to such lofty joy as the message of the gospel and justification by faith. Nevertheless, he wanted both law and gospel to be expressed in verse to instruct the people and firmly ground them in the whole plan of salvation. As early as 1525 these hymns were sung in the weekday services during Lent when the sermons were on the Catechism. According to the Wittenberg church order of 1533, the choir boys were supposed to sing this hymn before catechism sermons and the other hymn on the Ten Commandments afterward (AE 53:277).

Old Testament Lesson Joel 2:12–19

¹²“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,

“return to me with all your heart,

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

¹³and rend your hearts and not your garments.”

Return to the Lord, your God,

for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;

and he relents over disaster.

¹⁴Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,

and leave a blessing behind him,

a grain offering and a drink offering

for the Lord your God?

¹⁵Blow the trumpet in Zion;

consecrate a fast;

call a solemn assembly;

¹⁶gather the people.

Consecrate the congregation;

assemble the elders;

gather the children,

even nursing infants.

Let the bridegroom leave his room,

and the bride her chamber.

¹⁷Between the vestibule and the altar

let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep

and say, “Spare your people, O Lord,

and make not your heritage a reproach,

a byword among the nations.

Why should they say among the peoples,

‘Where is their God?’”

¹⁸Then the Lord became jealous for his land

and had pity on his people.

¹⁹The Lord answered and said to his people,

“Behold, I am sending to you

grain, wine, and oil,

and you will be satisfied;

and I will no more make you

a reproach among the nations.”

P This is the Word of the Lord

C Thanks be to God.

Gradual

(4:30) “Savior When in Dust to Thee” Hymn 419 5^th – 8^th Grade

(7:00) “Have Mercy in Your Goodness, Lord” – Psalm 51 Christus

Epistle Reading 2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10

^20bWe implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

^6:1Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. ²For he says,

“In a favorable time I listened to you,

and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. ³We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, ⁴but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, ⁵beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; ⁶by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; ⁷by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; ⁸through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; ⁹as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; ¹⁰as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

P This is the Word of the Lord

C Thanks be to God.

Stand

Verse

(4:30) “Return to the Lord...” Page 157

(7:00) “Return to the Lord, Your God” Christus

Holy Gospel Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21

P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the 6^th chapter

C Glory to You, O Lord.

¹[Jesus said:] “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

²“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ³But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁵“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. . . .

¹⁶“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

¹⁹“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

C Praise to You, O Christ.

Sit

HYMN ~ “These Are the Holy Ten Commands” Page 581

Stanzas 7-12

Note adapted from comments in Luther’s Works:

Luther assured the immediate reception of this hymn by assigning to it the melody of the pre-Reformation pilgrims’ hymn “In Gottes Namen fahren wir” (“We Journey in the Name of God”), sung since the thirteenth century.

(AE 53:277)

Sermon

The Greatest of These Is Love:

The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:1–17

Stand

Nicene Creed Page 158

Sit

Gathering of Our Tithes and Sacrificial Offerings

(We request all who are present to legibly sign the attendance book that is at the end of your row. Please pass this on to the person next to you.)

Stand

Offertory (7:00) “Lord, You I Love with All my Heart” Christus

Celebration of Holy Communion

Preface Page 160

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, who overcame the assaults of the devil and gave His life as a ransom for many that with cleansed hearts we might be prepared joyfully to celebrate the paschal feast in sincerity and truth. 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, Holy, Holy Page 161

Prayer of Thanksgiving Page 161

Lord’s Prayer Page 162

Words Of Institution Page 162

Pax Domini ~ The Peace Of The Lord Page 163

Agnus Dei ~ Lamb Of God Page 163

Sit

Distribution Hymn:

“Draw Near and Take the Body of the Lord” Page 637

Post-Communion Canticle - Nunc Dimittis:

“Lord, Now Lettest Thou Thy servant” Page 199

Post-Communion Collect Page 166

Benediction Page 166

Closing Hymn ~ “Abide With Me” Page 878

(Stanzas 1 & 6)

+ Silent Prayer +

Acknowledgments

all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Printed liturgical portions from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. Reprinted with permission.

Using Luther’s Catechisms

for Lent

The concept for this midweek Lenten series was inspired by the Book of Concord:

Such matters also concern the laity and the salvation of their souls. Therefore we also confess Dr. Luther’s Small and Large Catechisms as they are included in Luther’s works. They are “the layman’s Bible” because everything necessary for a Christian to know for salvation is included in them, which is handled more extensively in the Holy Scriptures. (FC Ep I 5)

As part of your Lenten emphasis on Luther’s catechisms, you may wish to make the catechism a part of your daily Lenten routine. Each of the Six Chief Parts of Christian Doctrine could be read through each week in Lent, and the Large Catechism could be read once in its entirety during the Lenten season.

Spiritual Growth in Lent: Many people choose to give up something for Lent. Instead, you may want to take on something for your Lenten discipline. You may want to read the Six Chief Parts of Christian Doctrine from Luther’s Small Catechism each day according to the following schedule:

Monday—The Ten Commandments

Tuesday—The Apostles’ Creed

Wednesday—The Lord’s Prayer

Thursday—The Sacrament of Holy Baptism

Friday—Confession

Saturday—The Sacrament of the Altar

Sunday—Daily Prayers, Table of Duties, or

Christian Questions with Their Answers

The Small Catechism is found on page 321 in Lutheran Service Book. You may also choose to read Luther’s Large Catechism during Lent, focusing on one chief part each week. If you choose to read through the Large Catechism, there is an interesting note about the Exhortation to Confession. The Large Catechism, first published in 1529, did not originally contain this exhortation, but before 1529 ended, a revised edition came out that did include it. Nevertheless, the original 1580 German and 1584 Latin editions of the Book of Concord do not include the Exhortation to Confession. So if you have Concordia: Book of Concord, you will find the exhortation instead in Appendix B.

Propers Plus for The Baptism of our Lord (Regular Service)

The Baptism of our Lord

January 8, 10:45 a.m.

As We Gather

The theme for the Epiphany season is the showing forth of Jesus as God's Son, the Messiah, our Savior.  He was first known publicly at His baptism.

The Baptism of Jesus is the source of the power and application of Holy Baptism. As God the Holy Trinity was present there, so He is present in every Baptism in His holy Name. Since earliest times, Christians have shared the conviction that all which Jesus placed into the water of His Baptism is bestowed by His Word in the water of our own Baptism. Our Baptism in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is a “washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5) in which we receive Christ’s righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.

We are bold to confess that such water united with the Word of God is nothing less than a “gracious water of life and renewing in the Holy Spirit.” It is no mere initiation. Holy Baptism confers an entire lifetime of Christian vocation-that “the old Adam in us should, by daily contrition and repentance, be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires and, again, a new man daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” (Luther’s Small Catechism).

Hymn ~“From Wilderness to Jordan Came”                                        

(tune Puer nobis Page 344)

1.         From wilderness to Jordan came

The final Prophet to proclaim

That Judgment soon was to begin

To punish people for their sin.

2.         Although of Abraham's descent,

Since all have sinned, all must repent,

And, like the Gentiles, undergo

A Baptism, and its import show.

3.         But when Christ came, no judgment dire

Did He pronounce with venging fire;

Himself the Baptism underwent,

The sinless One subservient.

4.         On Him the Spirit as a dove

Descended, and the Father's love

Voiced His approval that the Son

Mankind's salvation had begun.

stand

5.         All glory, Lord, to You we pay

For Your Epiphany today;

And to the Father tribute bring,

            As by the Spirit here we sing.

Confession and Absolution

Stand

The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.

Invocation

All (sing):   Within the Jordan’s sacred flood

                    The heav’nly Lamb in meekness stood

                    That he, of whom no sin was known,

                    Might cleanse his people from their own.

                    For this His glad epiphany

All glory unto Jesus be,

Whom with the Father we adore,

And Holy Ghost forevermore.

Sts.3, 5, “When Christ's Appearing Was Made Known” LW #81

Confession of Sins

Service of the Word

Introit

    

Behold my servant, whom | I uphold,*

     my chosen, in whom my | soul delights.

I will tell of | the decree:*

     The Lord said to me, "You are my Son; today I have be- | gotten you.

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your | heritage,*

     and the ends of the earth your pos- | session.

You shall break them with a | rod of iron*

     and dash them in pieces like a potter_ s | vessel."

Now therefore, O | kings, be wise;*

     be warned, O rulers | of the earth.

Serve the | Lord with fear,*

     and rejoice with | trembling,

for his wrath is quickly | kindled.*

     Blessèd are all who take ref- | uge in him.

Glory be to the Father and | to the Son*

     and to the Holy | Spirit;

as it was in the be- | ginning,*

     is now, and will be forever. | Amen.

Behold my servant, whom | I uphold,*

     my chosen, in whom my | soul delights.

Ps. 2:7–11, 12c; antiphon: Is. 42:1a

Collect of the Day

P ... Father in heaven, at the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River You proclaimed Him Your beloved Son and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. Make all who are baptized in His name faithful in their calling as Your children and inheritors with Him of everlasting life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Reading from the Book of Concord -                                  

The Large Catechism

Part IV: Baptism 77-79; 84-86

Our Baptism abides forever.  Even though someone should fall from Baptism and sin, still we always have access to it.  So we may subdue the old man again. But we do not need to be sprinkled with water again [Ezekiel 36:25-26; Hebrews 10:22]. Even if we were put under the water a hundred times, it would still be only one Baptism, even though the work and sign continue and remain.  Repentance, therefore, is nothing other than a return and approach to Baptism…

For this reason let everyone value his Baptism as a daily dress [Galatians 3:27] in which he is to walk constantly.  Then he may ever be found in the faith and its fruit, so that he may suppress the old man and grow up in the new.  For if we would be Christians, we must do the work by which we are Christians.  But if anyone falls away from the Christian Life, let him again come into it.  For just as Christ, the Mercy Seat [Romans 3:25], does not draw back from us or forbid us to come to Him again, even though we sin, so all His treasure and gifts also remain. Therefore, if we have received forgiveness of sin once in Baptism, it will remain every day, as long as we live.  Baptism will remain as long as we carry the old man about our neck..

Readings from Holy Scripture

Old Testament Reading                                          Genesis 1:1–5

    

¹In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ²The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

      ³And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Gradual

Praise the Lord, all | nations!*

     Extol him, all | peoples!

For great is his steadfast | love toward us,*

     and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for- | ever.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory | due his name;*

     bring an offering, and come in- | to his courts!

Ps. 117:1–2a; 96:8

Epistle Reading                                                      Romans 6:1–11

¹What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? ²By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? ³Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

      ⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷For one who has died has been set free from sin. ⁸Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. ¹¹So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Verse

P     Alleluia. You are my beloved Son;

C   with you I am well pleased. Alleluia

Mark 1:11b

Holy Gospel                                                                  Mark 1:4–11

⁴John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁶Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

      ⁹In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Hymn ~ “All Who Believe and Are Baptized”.................... Page 601

Offertory ~ “O God of God, O Light of Light” ................. Page 810

Distribution Hymns

“What Is This Bread”........................................................................ Page 629

“O Lord, We Praise Thee”............................................................. Page 617

Hymn ~ “To Jordan’s River Came Our Lord”..................... Page 405

Thoughts on The Baptism of our Lord

From earliest times the birth of Jesus, Epiphany, and The Baptism of our Lord have been closely associated in the Church Year.  By 385 Epiphany and The Baptism of our Lord was a major eight day celebration in Jerusalem.

The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River is a much loved subject of Christian art.  It adorns stained glass windows, paintings and icons.

Although The Baptism of our Lord is often passed over in many non-liturgical churches, it affords us the opportunity direct our attention to Jesus’ message and ministry.  John the Baptist, Jesus, and His disciples all share a common message, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” From their time until now, baptism and repentance have been closely connected. 

As we celebrate the beginning of Jesus’ ministry at His baptism, let us see its fulfillment in the cross and resurrection. Jesus’ Baptism is the ideal time for us to remember that in baptism with have been truly connected to Jesus’ death and resurrection.  May we daily return to baptism in repentance and live the new life we have received by the working of the Holy Spirit through baptism.

Pastor Quardokus

Propers Plus for the Contemporary Service for The Baptism of Our Lord

The Baptism of our Lord

Contemporary

January 8, 8:00 a.m.

As We Gather

The theme for the Epiphany season is the showing forth of Jesus as God's Son, the Messiah, our Savior.  He was first known publicly at His baptism.

The Baptism of Jesus is the source of the power and application of Holy Baptism. As God the Holy Trinity was present there, so He is present in every Baptism in His holy Name. Since earliest times, Christians have shared the conviction that all which Jesus placed into the water of His Baptism is bestowed by His Word in the water of our own Baptism. Our Baptism in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is a “washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5) in which we receive Christ’s righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.

We are bold to confess that such water united with the Word of God is nothing less than a “gracious water of life and renewing in the Holy Spirit.” It is no mere initiation. Holy Baptism confers an entire lifetime of Christian vocation-that “the old Adam in us should, by daily contrition and repentance, be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires and, again, a new man daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.”

(Luther’s Small Catechism).

The Light of Christ

Arise Shine

Collect of the Day

P ... Father in heaven, at the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River You proclaimed Him Your beloved Son and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. Make all who are baptized in His name faithful in their calling as Your children and inheritors with Him of everlasting life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C   Amen.

Reading from the Book of Concord -                                  

The Large Catechism,

Part IV: Baptism 77-79; 84-86

Our Baptism abides forever.  Even though someone should fall from Baptism and sin, still we always have access to it.  So we may subdue the old man again. But we do not need to be sprinkled with water again [Ezekiel 36:25-26; Hebrews 10:22]. Even if we were put under the water a hundred times, it would still be only one Baptism, even though the work and sign continue and remain.  Repentance, therefore, is nothing other than a return and approach to Baptism…

For this reason let everyone value his Baptism as a daily dress [Galatians 3:27] in which he is to walk constantly.  Then he may ever be found in the faith and its fruit, so that he may suppress the old man and grow up in the new.  For if we would be Christians, we must do the work by which we are Christians.  But if anyone falls away from the Christian Life, let him again come into it.  For just as Christ, the Mercy Seat [Romans 3:25], does not draw back from us or forbid us to come to Him again, even though we sin, so all His treasure and gifts also remain. Therefore, if we have received forgiveness of sin once in Baptism, it will remain every day, as long as we live.  Baptism will remain as long as we carry the old man about our neck..

Readings from Holy Scripture

Old Testament Reading                                          Genesis 1:1–5

    

¹In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ²The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

      ³And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Epistle Reading                                                      Romans 6:1–11

¹What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? ²By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? ³Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

      ⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷For one who has died has been set free from sin. ⁸Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. ¹¹So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Verse

P     Alleluia. You are my beloved Son;

C   with you I am well pleased. Alleluia

Mark 1:11b

Holy Gospel                                                                  Mark 1:4–11

⁴John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁶Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

      ⁹In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Sermon Hymn

We Worship a Wonderful Savior

The Worship Team

You Bring Peace

Offertory

How Can We Thank You Lord

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord

Distribution Hymns

White As Snow

What Kind of Throne

You Are My All In All

Closing

Shine, Jesus Shine

A Quick Look at the History of Epiphany

Epiphany is an ancient celebration in the Church Year. The first certain reference to it was made by Clement of Alexandria in about the year 200.  He reports that it is already an established festival. (He also writes about Jesus’ birth, “there are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord's birth, but also the day; and they say that it took place in the twenty-eighth year of Augustus, and in the twenty-fifth day of Pachon..”)

By the year 385 Epiphany had become a major eight day festival in Jerusalem. On Epiphany Eve (January 5) a procession left Jerusalem for Bethlehem and returned the following morning for an elaborate service. A woman who attended the procession and service writes, “It would be superfluous to describe the adornment … of the church … on that day; you see nothing but gold and gems and silk. For if you look at the veils, they are made wholly of silk striped with gold, and if you look at the curtains, they too are made wholly of silk striped with gold. The church vessels too, of every kind, gold and jeweled, are brought out on that day, and indeed, who could either reckon or describe the number and weight of the candles or of the lamps or of the lanterns …”

The nightly procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and back continued for each of the eight days with the morning service taking place at a different location in Jerusalem each day.

Why would the early Church make Epiphany such an elaborate celebration? They were rejoicing in the wonderful message that Jesus is not only a man but God incarnate. The coming of the wise men, the words “This is my beloved Son” at Jesus’ baptism, and Jesus’ miracles such as turning water into wine all point to this awe inspiring truth. This is the truth that God’s only-begotten Son became flesh and dwelt among us.  This is the truth that God’s only-begotten Son died on the cross and rose again from the dead for our salvation. 

Pastor Quardokus

Epiphany Eve Preview

Epiphany Eve

As We Gather

Epiphany is a time for us to celebrate that Jesus is made known to us as Savior and Lord. He was revealed to the Wise Men as “King of the Jews.” We know Him as King of the Universe, Lord of the Church, and King of Heaven.  He is not only the babe born in Bethlehem but He is the only-begotten Son of God who was given so that believing in Him, you may have eternal life.

Hymn ~ “As with Gladness Men of Old”................................. Page 379

Entrance Hymn ~

     “Jesus Has Come and Brings Pleasure” .......................... Page 533

Hymn of Praise “The Star Proclaims the King Is Here” Page 399

(Service Note: This ancient hymn titled “Herodes hostis impie” was written by Coelius Sedulius in about A.D. 450.  Luther published the German translation “Was fuercht'st du, Feind Herodes, sehr?” in one of the first hymnals of the Reformation, Geistliche Lieder in the town of Wittenberg, in 1535.)

Collect of the Day

P ... O God, by the leading of a star You made known Your only-begotten Son to the Gentiles. Lead us, who know You by faith, to enjoy in heaven the fullness of Your divine presence; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C   Amen.

Reading from the Book of Concord -                                  

The Formula of Concord (SD), Article VIII, The Person of Christ, 6

We believe, teach, and confess that God’s Son from eternity has been a particular, distinct, entire, divine person.  Yet He is true, essential, perfect God with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  In the fullness of time He received also the human nature into the unity of His person.  He did not do this in such a way that there are now two persons or two Christs. Christ Jesus is now in one person at the same time true, eternal God, born of the Father from eternity, and a true man, born of the most blessed Virgin Mary.  This is written in Romans 9:5, “from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever.”

Readings from Holy Scripture

Old Testament Reading                                           Isaiah 60:1–6

    

  ¹Arise, shine, for your light has come,

 and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

 ²For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,

 and thick darkness the peoples;

 but the Lord will arise upon you,

 and his glory will be seen upon you.

 ³And nations shall come to your light,

 and kings to the brightness of your rising.

 ⁴Lift up your eyes all around, and see;

 they all gather together, they come to you;

 your sons shall come from afar,

 and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.

 ⁵Then you shall see and be radiant;

 your heart shall thrill and exult,

 because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,

 the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

 ⁶A multitude of camels shall cover you,

 the young camels of Midian and Ephah;

 all those from Sheba shall come.

 They shall bring gold and frankincense,

 and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.

Epistle Reading                                                  Ephesians 3:1–12

¹For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—²assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, ³how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. ⁴When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. ⁶This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

 ⁷Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. ⁸To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, ¹⁰so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹²in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

Verse

P     Alleluia. Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?

C   For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. Alleluia.

Holy Gospel                                                           Matthew 2:1–12

¹Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ²saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” ³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

 ⁶“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

 are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

 for from you shall come a ruler

 who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

 ⁷Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” ⁹After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹²And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

HYMN ~ “O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright”.............. Page 395

(Service Note: Philipp Nicolai (1556–1608) was a pastor in Germany during the Great Plague, which took the lives of 1,300 of his parishioners during a sixth-month period. In addition to his heroic pastoral ministry during that time of stress and sorrow, he wrote the texts for “Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying” and “O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright,” known, respectively, as the king and queen of the Lutheran chorales.)

Sermon

They Fell Down and Worshiped Him

Matthew 2:1–12

Offertory ~ “O God of God, O Light of Light” ................. Page 810

Distribution Hymns

“Arise and Shine in Splendor”..................................................... Page 396

“Hail to the Lord’s Anointed”....................................................... Page 398

Post-Communion Canticle

“Brightest and Best of the Stars of the Morning”................ Page 400

Post-Communion Collect.................................................................... Page 166

Benediction................................................................................................. Page 166

Hymn ~ “The People That in Darkness Sat”........................ Page 412