Worship for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
January 31, 2021
Prepare for worship with a bowl of water, candles, bread, and wine. Join us on Zoom at 9 am on Sundays for worship.
Gathering
Thanksgiving for Baptism[1]
Joined to Christ in the waters of baptism,
clothed with God’s mercy and forgiveness,
let us give thanks for the gift of baptism.
Holy God, fountain of living water,
source of mercy, tender and mighty,
you are clothed with majesty and splendor.
Your steadfast love fills the earth.
Your steadfast love fills the earth.
Your love flows through water,
satisfying the thirst of all living things,
sustaining life in this community,
nourishing and delighting us.
We bless you for these gifts of water:
Penn’s Creek and the Susquehanna River.
Your steadfast love fills the earth.
Your steadfast love fills the earth.
Your love flows through water,
a sign of your saving power:
Noah and the animals survive the flood,
Hagar discovers your well.
The Israelites escape through the sea,
and they drink from your gushing rock.
Naaman washes his leprosy away,
and the Samaritan woman will never be thirsty again.
Your steadfast love fills the earth.
Your steadfast love fills the earth.
Your love flows through the water of baptism
joined to your life-giving Word:
your well of mercy and cleansing flood,
your sea of deliverance from death into life,
your healing river washing sin away,
your living water springing up to eternal life.
Your steadfast love fills the earth.
Your steadfast love fills the earth.
Shower us with your Holy Spirit.
Fill us with your love.
Clothe us and all your people with grace.
Embolden us to do justice.
Bless us to love mercy.
Guide us to walk humbly with you,
whom we thank and praise, through Jesus Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Amen
Gathering Song – ACS 978 – “God Welcomes All”
Tom and Miriam
Greeting
Lowell
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
Prayer of the Day
Let us pray,
A period of silence for reflection.
Compassionate God, you gather the whole universe into your radiant presence and continually reveal your Son as our Savior. Bring wholeness to all that is broken and speak truth to us in our confusion, that all creation will see and know your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen
Word
First Reading – Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Tom
A reading from Deuteronomy.
[Moses said] 15The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. 16This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.” 17Then the Lord replied to me: “They are right in what they have said. 18I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. 19Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. 20But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak—that prophet shall die.”
Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm – Psalm 65:5-12
Frances and Ronald
Refrain – Sing twice at the beginning and once at the ℟
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
1Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the Lord with | my whole heart,
in the assembly of the upright, in the | congregation.
2Great are your | works, O Lord,
pondered by all who de- | light in them.
3Majesty and splendor | mark your deeds,
and your righteousness en- | dures forever.
4You cause your wonders to | be remembered;
you are gracious and full | of compassion. ℟
5You give food to | those who fear you,
remembering forev- | er your covenant.
6You have shown your people the power | of your works
in giving them the lands | of the nations.
7The works of your hands are faithful- | ness and justice;
all of your pre- | cepts are sure.
8They stand fast forev- | er and ever,
because they are done in | truth and equity. ℟
9You sent redemption to your people
and commanded your cove- | nant forever;
holy and awesome | is your name.
10The fear of the Lord is the begin- | ning of wisdom;
all who practice this have a good understanding.
God’s praise en- | dures forever. ℟
Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Tom
A reading from 1 Corinthians:
1Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; 3but anyone who loves God is known by God.
4Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “no idol in the world really exists,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5Indeed, even though there may be so-called deities in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many deities and many lords—6yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
7It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8“Food will not bring us close to God.” We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? 11So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. 12But when you thus sin against brothers and sisters in your community, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.
Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel – Mark 1:21-28
Lowell
The holy gospel according to St. Mark.
Glory to you, O Lord.
21Jesus and his disciples went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25But Jesus rebuked the spirit, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of the man. 27They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’ 28At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Homily
Hymn of the Day –ELW 518 – “We Eat the Bread of Teaching”
Nate and Kate
Prayers of Intercession
Lowell
All are invited to unmute on Zoom and join in the prayers, responding to each petition with “Have mercy, O God.”
Peace
Lowell
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
All share the peace of Christ with one another.
Meal
Announcements
Lowell
Offertory – ELW 593, Refrain – “Drawn to the Light”
Frances and Ronald
Offering Prayer
Miriam
O God,
receive these gifts as you receive us:
like a mother receives her child, with arms open wide.
Nourish us anew in your tender care,
and empower us in faithful service
to tend to others with this same love,
through Jesus Christ, our saving grace.
Amen.
Great Thanksgiving
Lowell
All are encouraged to unmute and join in the responses in bold.
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 our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God,
through our Savior Jesus Christ;
who on this day overcame death and the grave,
and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.
And so, with all the choirs of angels,
with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven,
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed are you, O holy God:
you are the Life and Light of all.
By your powerful word you created all things.
Through the prophets you called your people to be a light to the nations.
Blessed are you for Jesus, your Son.
He is your Light, shining in our darkness
and revealing to us your mercy and might.
In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Remembering, therefore,
his preaching and healing,
his dying and rising,
and his promise to come again,
we await that day when all the universe
will rejoice in your holy and life-giving light
as we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
By your Spirit bless us and this meal,
that, refreshed with this heavenly food,
we may be light for the world,
revealing the brilliance of your Son.
Through him all glory and honor is yours,
Almighty Father, with the Holy Spirit,
in your holy Church,
both now and forever.
Amen
Lord’s Prayer
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.
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.
Invitation to the Table
These are indeed the gifts of God for you, the very much beloved people of God. Taste and see that God is good.
Communion
All distribute to one another saying:
The body of Christ, given for you.
The blood of Christ, shed for you.
After communing Miriam distributes to Lowell
Blessing at the Table
Lowell
May the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in eternal life.
Prayer after communion
Miriam
Christ Jesus,
at this table we have feasted on your very life
and are strengthened for our journey.
Send us forth from this banquet
nourished in body and in spirit
to proclaim your good news
and serve others in your name.
Amen
Sending
Sending of Communion
Lowell
Gracious God, as we gather as one body this day and feast at your table, our assembly is incomplete for there are many unable to join us today. We long for the day when we are reunited as one body around a common table and we pray that you extend our gathering into homes and campsites, yards and porches, and strengthen all who hear your Word and feast at your table with the abiding presence of your son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen
Blessing
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord’s face shine on you with grace and mercy.
The Lord look upon you with favor and ☩ give you peace.
Amen.
Sending Song – ELW 655 – “Son of God, Eternal Savior”
Nate and Kate
Dismissal
Miriam
Go in peace. Be the light of Christ.
Thanks be to God.
Join us on Zoom for Coffee Hour.
Liturgy from Evangelical Lutheran Worship and Sundays and Seasons © Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission under Augsburg Fortress Annual Liturgies License SBT002156. Music is used by permission under OneLicense.net # A-715196.
[1] All Creation Sings – Form E © 2020 Augsburg Fortress.