JANUARY 17, 2021 THE SECOND WEEK OF EPIPHANY

MAY WE BEGIN TO OPEN OUR EARS TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT GOD NOT ONLY CAN - BUT WISHES TO SPEAK TO US,

... directly and through others, giving us visions of heaven opened which we can share with the doubting, dark world?

All the baptized have a calling in God’s world. God calls not just pastors and deacons but also the youngest child, like Samuel.

The story of the calling of Nathanael plays with the idea of place. Nathanael initially dismisses Jesus because he comes from Nazareth.

But where we come from isn’t important; it’s where—or rather whom-we come to.

Jesus refers to Jacob, who had a vision in a place he called “the house of God, and. . . The gate of heaven” (Gen. 28:17). Jesus says he himself is the place where Nathanael will meet God.

WELCOME TO WORSHIP

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.

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity, +one God, whose voice is upon the waters, whose mercy is poured out upon all people, whose goodness cascades over all creation. Amen.

Let us confess our sin, trusting in the abundant grace of God.

Silence is kept for reflection. Amen

HOLY GOD,

...You search us and know us. You are acquainted with all our ways. We confess that our hearts are burdened by sin – our own sins and the broken systems that bind us. We turn inward, failing to follow your outward way of love. We distrust those who are not like us. We exploit the earth and its resources and fail to consider generations to come. Forgive us, gracious God, for all we have done and left undone. Even before the words are on our tongues, you know them; receive them in your divine mercy. Amen.

How vast is God’s grace! Through the power and promise of +Christ Jesus, our sins are washed away and we are claimed as God’s own beloved. Indeed, we are forgiven. In the wake of God’s forgiveness, we are called to be the beloved community living out Christ’s justice and the Spirit’s reconciling peace. Amen.

PSALM 139: 1-6, 13-18

* O LORD, you have searched me and known me.

* You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.

* You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.

* Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely.

* You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.

* Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.

* For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

* I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.

* My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately

woven in the depths of the earth.

* Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that

were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.

* How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

* I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the end—I am still with you.

APOSTLES CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

Guided by Christ made known to the nations, let us offer our prayers for the church, the world, and all people in need.

A brief silence

For the body of Christ gathered throughout the world and for all servants of the gospel, that following Jesus, the church lives out its calling every day, let us pray. Have mercy, O God.

Your mercy is great.

For the well-being of creation, for plants and animals, and for all that God has marvelously made, that we serve as wise stewards of Earth, our home, let us pray. Have mercy, O God.

Your mercy is great.

For police officers and firefighters, for attorneys and paralegals, for peacekeepers and military personnel, and for the leaders of governments, that they provide

protection to all people, especially the most vulnerable, let us pray. Have mercy, O God.

Your mercy is great.

For those lacking food or shelter, for those who are sick or grieving, and for those who are imprisoned or homebound, that God console all who suffer, let us pray. Have mercy, O God.

Your mercy is great.

For our neighborhood, for visitors joining us for the first time or returning, and for those absent from our assembly, that all who seek to know God are nourished by word and sacrament, let us pray. Have mercy, O God.

Your mercy is great.

In thanksgiving for the saints who have gone before us, that their lives give us a vision of the gospel in action, let us pray. Have mercy, O God.

Your mercy is great.

Merciful God, hear the prayers of your people, spoken or silent, for the sake of the one who dwells among us, your Son, Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Bethel Lutheran Church