February 5, 2012  -  5^th Sunday after Epiphany

 

 

     Welcome to St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church.  We are a CHRIST-PREACHING church.  We believe and teach that Jesus is God's Son who came into the world to be the Savior of all people.  Through His sufferings, death, and resurrection we are offered forgiveness of sins and eternal life  We are a PEOPLE-CARING church.  We want to share with all the message of God's love and forgiveness in Jesus.  We would be happy to tell you more about our Savior.  We also invite you to worship with us again.

 

Jesus Heals the Hopeless

           

OPENING HYMN:  82 v. 1-4  “Songs of Thankfulness and Praise”

 

THE CONFESSION OF SINS:  page 15 in front of hymnal

 

PRAYER OF THE DAY:

P:    Almighty God, you sent your one and only Son as the Word of life for our eyes to see and our ears to hear.  Help us believe what the Scriptures proclaim about him and do the things that are pleasing in your sight; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C:   (sung)  Amen.

 

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON:                                                     Job 7:1-7

      “Does not man have hard service on earth?  Are not his days like those of a hired man?  Like a slave longing for the evening shadows, or a hired man waiting eagerly for his wages, so I have been allotted months of futility, and nights of misery have been assigned to me.  When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’  The night drags on, and I toss till dawn.   My body is clothed with worms and scabs, my skin is broken and festering.

      “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and they come to an end without hope.  Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath; my eyes will never see happiness again.”

 

THE PSALM:  from Psalm 103

 

P:    Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

C:   He forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,  he redeems your life from the grave and crowns you with love and compassion.

 

P:    The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

C:   He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

 

P:    For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;

C:   As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

 

P:    As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

C:   For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

 

P:    Our days are like grass, like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone.

C:   But the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, from everlasting to everlasting.

THE EPISTLE LESSON:                                          I Corinthians 9:16-23

      Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach.  Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!  If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.  What then is my reward?  Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.

      Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.  To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.  To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.  To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.  To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.  I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.  I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

                                   

VERSE OF THE DAY:                                                                                                                John 8:12

P:    Alleluia.  Jesus said, “I am the light of the world,  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  Alleluia.                                      

 

C:   (sung)   Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!                                                           

 

THE GOSPEL LESSON:                                                   Mark 1:29-39

(Congregation sings:  "Glory be to you, O Lord!" )

 

      As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew.  Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her.  So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up.  The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

      That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.  The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases.  He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

     Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.  Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

      Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also.  That is why I have come.”  So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. 

 

(Congregation sings:  "Praise be to you, O Christ!" )

 

THE NICENE CREED

     We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

 

     We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,

eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,

begotten, not made, of one being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

     For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven,

was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became fully human.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.

He suffered death and was buried.

On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

     He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,

and His kingdom will have no end.

 

     We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,

who has spoken by the prophets.

 

     We believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,           

and the life of the world to come.  Amen.

 

WE SING:  Hymn 368  "O Savior, Precious Savior”

 

THE SERMON:           Mark 1:29-39

                Theme:            Look to Jesus

                           1.  For blessings

                           2.  For an example

 

SERMON RESPONSE:  page 20  "Create In Me a Clean Heart"

 

THE OFFERING

       

PRAYERS

    Lord’s Prayer

 

THE LORD'S SUPPER:   

    Communion Liturgy    page 21

 

      Distribution Hymns:    136 “Twas on that Dark, that Doleful Night”

                                      135 “The Death of Jesus Christ, Our Lord”

 

    The Song of Simeon:  page 24

 

THE BENEDICTION

 

CLOSING HYMN:   82 v. 5 “Songs of Thankfulness and Praise”

 

 

 

Organist:  Mrs. Malon