THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD

JANUARY 5 AND 6, 2013

The Savior’s Message: The word epiphany means “a showing, or revealing.” During the season of Epiphany we

see Jesus revealed as the Christ, the Son of God, who came to be our Savior. The Light of

the World has called us to be lights in this world as we share the light of the gospel with

all people!

PRE-SERVICE MUSIC

PERSONAL PRAYER UPON ENTERING GOD’S HOUSE

Give me a caring heart, O lord, to love and seek the lost. Overcome my fear,

and grant me courage to share my hope of salvation with those who have no

hope. Make me faithful in my daily life so that all I say and do may glorify you.

Amen

SERVING AT WORSHIP

PRESIDING PASTOR Pastor Keith Free

Our guest preacher today is Pastor Keith Free. He serves as the Administrator

for the WELS Board for Home Missions. His son Joshua serves as pastor at

Abiding Peace in Elgin. We thank Pastor Free for sharing God’s Word with us

today. Pastor Rutschow is attending the Conference of Presidents winter

meetings in Flordia. Pastor Schwartz is conducting a wedding in Wisconsin this

weekend.

ORGANIST Joan Richmond

OPENING HYMN 80 Angels from the Realms of Glory

ORDER OF WORSHIP Service of the Word and Sacrament on Page 26

STAND

M: The grace of our Lord (+) Jesus Christ and the love of God and

the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.

C: And also with you.

CONFESSION OF SINS

M: God invites us to come into his presence and worship him with

humble and penitent hearts. Therefore, let us acknowledge our

sinfulness and ask him to forgive us.

C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature

sinful, and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words,

and actions. I have done what is evil and failed to do what is

good. For this I deserve your punishment both now and in

eternity. But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my

Savior Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a

sinner.

M: God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given

his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as

a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all

your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the

Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

PRAYER AND PRAISE

LORD, HAVE MERCY

M: For all that we need in life and for the wisdom to use all your

gifts with gratitude and joy, hear our prayer, O Lord.

M: For the steadfast assurance that nothing can separate us from

your love and for the courage to stand firm against the assaults of

Satan and every evil, hear our prayer, O Christ.

M: For the well-being of your holy Church in all the world and for

those who offer here their worship and praise, hear our prayer,

O Lord.

M: Merciful God, maker and preserver of life, uphold us by your

power and keep us in your tender care:

M: The works of the Lord are great and glorious; his name is worthy

of praise.

O LORD, OUR LORD

PRAYER OF THE DAY

M: Let us pray.

BE SEATED

THE WORD

FIRST LESSON Isaiah 60:1-6

The glory of the Lord is revealed in Jesus, the Light of the World.

PSALM OF THE DAY Psalm 72, p. 93

SECOND LESSON Ephesians 3:2-12

As lights in this world, may we continue to share the Light of Jesus with all

people!

VERSE OF THE DAY

P: Alleluia. We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.

Alleluia.

STAND

GOSPEL Matthew 2:1-12

The wise men visit the Light of the World and bring him the finest of offerings.

After the Gospel, the congregation sings:

BE SEATED

HYMN OF THE DAY 84 Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun

SERMON “A Mission Heart Has Christ-like Compassion” - Matthew 9:35-38

I. Christ shows us what compassion is

II. Christ shows us who needs compassion

STAND

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 through 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. BE SEATED

OFFERING

STAND

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

LORD’S PRAYER

C: 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.

THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

This congregation practices close Communion.

We ask that only members and those who have registered with our pastors before the service partake

of the Sacrament.

M: The Lord be with you.

M: Lift up your hearts.

M: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

M: Praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In love he has

blessed us with every spiritual blessing.

M: In the past he spoke to us through the prophets, but in these last days he

has spoken to us by his Son, who is the radiance of his glory.

M: Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God

and the authority of his Christ. To him who sits on the throne and to the

Lamb be praise and thanks and honor and glory for ever and ever:

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY

WORDS OF INSTITUTION

M: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread; and

when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying,

“Take and eat; this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in

remembrance of me.”

Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink

from it, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured

out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in

remembrance of me.”

M: The peace of the Lord be with you always.

O CHRIST, LAMB OF GOD

BE SEATED

PRAYER BEFORE COMMUNION

Lord, I am not worthy to be a guest at your holy table. But you are the

friend of sinners, and you will not cast me out. This bread is your body,

which bore my sins upon the tree. This wine is your blood, which purifies

me from all guilt. At your invitation, I come rejoicing. Receive me, my

Savior. Amen.

DISTRIBUTION HYMNS (SUNDAY)

313 Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior

560 I Hear the Savior Calling

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for nourishing me in this sacrament with

your body and blood. You have given me forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Let me always remain in you as a branch remains in the vine. Send me

out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory.

Amen.

THANKSGIVING

STAND

THANK THE LORD

M: Hear the prayer of your people, O Lord, that the lips which have

praised you here may glorify you in the world, that the eyes

which have seen the coming of your Son may long for his

coming again, and that all who have received in his true body and

blood the pledge of your forgiveness may be restored to live a

new and holy life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and

reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

M: Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one

another. Serve the Lord with gladness.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look on you with favor and (+) give you peace.

BE SEATED

CLOSING HYMN (SATURDAY) 560, VSS. 1, 5

PERSONAL PRAYER AS THE CANDLES ARE EXTINGUISED

Hymn 79, v. 1

How lovely shines the Morning Star! The nations see and hail afar

The light in Judah shining. O David’s Son of Jacob’s race,

My Bridegroom and my King of grace, For you my heart is pining.

Lowly, Holy, Great and Glorious, O victorious Prince of graces, Filling all the

heav’n’ly places. Amen.

Ever found yourself wondering:

Why am I here? Where am I going? What is the meaning of life?

Who is responsible for all the bad things going on in this world?

Why can’t I “decide” to believe in Jesus as my Savior?

What is “Close Communion” and why do we practice it?

What’s the difference between all the churches around us today?

What’s going to happen to me when I die?

If you’re not quite sure about the answers to these questions, then we have just the class for you!

Join us as we “go back to the basics” as to what we believe

and teach as WELS Lutherans. It’s a great review for those

who are already members here at Good Shepherd. For those

who wish to join us in membership and become part of the

Good Shepherd family, this would be the class by which you

would be able to do so.

Our next round of Bible Information Classes will begin on Sunday mornings, starting January 13th, from

9:30–10:20 AM.

Classes will continue to meet at the same time each week until the 14 lesson course is completed. We will meet in the school computer room.

All you need to do is bring yourself and your desire to grow in the knowledge of God and His Word! We’ll provide everything else that you’ll need for the course. Any questions? Talk to Pastor Schwartz!

Invite a Friend!

Although work had ceased, dust continued to rise, stirred by the evening breeze. The dust caked a workman’s sweaty brow. As he surveyed the destruction of the walls and the amount of work left to complete them, tears welled in his eyes and rolled down his dusty cheeks, creating glistening streams of sorrow. He faced the setting sun imagining that Jerusalem would never be rebuilt, wondering whether this was the sunset for his people or the darkness before the dawn. Around the dark hilltop of Jerusalem walked Nehemiah, a Judean who had risen to authority in the Persian Empire. His energy, sincerity and leadership were literally a Godsend to the Judeans trying to recover and restore their once great capital, Jerusalem. Nehemiah illustrates the need for godly leadership and how the Lord constantly hears and answers the cries of His people. Nehemiah’s story will inspire you to pray, organize, and overcome.

Nehemiah was a person of exalted rank at the court of the Persian king Artaxerxes. Though highly honored and enjoying the confidence of the great ruler, Nehemiah was seized with a desire to return to Jerusalem, the city of his fathers, because he was deeply moved by reports of the conditions existing there. His humble request, laid before Artaxerxes at a favorable moment, was willingly granted. Clothed with high authority, he proceeded to Jerusalem and soon succeeded in stopping the intrigues of the Samaritans. But the most important result of his labors was the complete restoration of the appointed worship, in which he was supported by Ezra.

(Excepts above taken from “The People’s Bible” and “The Lutheran Study Bible”)

As a continuation of our Fall Study of the Book of Daniel, we hope you can join us for our Winter / Spring Study of the Book of Nehemiah.

Winter Session: Wednesday, January 9th – Wednesday, February 6th

Lenten and Easter Break: Ash Wednesday, February 13th – Wednesday, April 3rd

Spring Session: Wednesday, April 10th – Wednesday, May 8th

We’ll begin at 7 pm in the Fellowship Hall at church. Please consider joining us for this opportunity to grow in the knowledge of God and His Word!