ST. MARK’S LUTHERAN CHURCH 3rd SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

SANCTITY OF LIFE SUNDAY January 24

WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS

OPENING HYMN “The People That in Darkness Sat” LSB #412 The people that in darkness sat A glorious light have seen;The light has shined on them who long In shades of death have been,In shades of death have been.

To hail Thee, Sun of Righteousness, The gath’ring nations come;They joy as when the reapers bear Their harvest treasures home,Their harvest treasures home.

To us a Child of hope is born, To us a Son is giv’nAnd on His shoulder ever rests All pow’r in earth and heav’n,All pow’r in earth and heav’n.

His Name shall be the Prince of Peace, The Everlasting Lord,The Wonderful, the Counselor, The God by all adored,The God by all adored.

His righteous government and pow’r Shall over all extend;On judgment and on justice based, His reign shall have no end,His reign shall have no end.

(Please rise)

Lord Jesus, reign in us, we pray, And make us Thine alone,Who with the Father ever art And Holy Spirit, one,And Holy Spirit, one.

INVOCATIONP: In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.C: Amen.

OPENING SENTENCES

1

P: God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him;C: male and female He created them. ~ Gen. 1:27

(continued on next page)P: Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,  “Before I formed you in the

womb I knew you, C: and before you were born, I consecrated you...” ~ Jer. 1:4-5P: The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother He

named my name...  C: [and] formed me from the womb to be His servant. ~ Is. 49:1, 5P: He set me apart before I was born, C: and called me by His grace ~ Gal. 1:15P: On You [O Lord] was I cast from my birth, C: and from my mother’s womb You have been my God. ~ Ps. 22:10P: For You formed my inward parts; ~ Ps. 139-13-16C: You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.P: I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. C: Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well.P: My frame was not hidden from You, C: when I was being made in secret...P: Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me C: were written in Your book, before one of them came to be. All: 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.

CONFESSION & ABSOLUTIONP: The requirement for salvation is perfect righteousness. Yet, in His Word,

God declares that that is impossible for us to achieve: for we have continuously sinned against Him with our thoughts, words and deeds. Therefore, let us confess our sins to God, trusting His

2

promise to forgive us and seeking His help in repenting of our sins so that we may lead godly lives.

All: Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to Your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 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. ~ Ps. 51:1-5

P: “He [God] saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit...” (Titus 3:5) As the baptized children of God, you have been buried with Christ and have put on Christ; and now live forever in His grace. Therefore, by the authority and command of Christ, I forgive you all your sins: in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

C: Thanks be to God! Amen!(be seated)

OLD TESTAMENT READING from the prophet JonahNow the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before Me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord...Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.”  So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth.  Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them… When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God

3

relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.  And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.  Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live”... Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city... till he should see what would become of the city.  Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered.  When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”  And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left...?” P: This is the Word of the Lord.C: Thanks be to God!

EPISTLE READING: Col. 1:15-23 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whetherthrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him.   And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  And He is the head of the body, the Church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.  For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all

4

things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.  And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in the faith: stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the Gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.P: This is the Word of the Lord.C: Thanks be to God!(please rise)

GOSPEL READING: Mark 1:14-20Now after John [the Baptist] was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the Gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.” Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew (the brother of Simon) casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.  And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”  And immediately they left their nets and followed Him.  And going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed Him. P: This is the Gospel of our Lord.C: Praise be to Christ. Amen.

HYMN OF THE DAY “Hail, O Source of Every Blessing” LSB #409Hail, O Source of ev’ry blessing, Father of our human race!Gentiles now, Your grace possessing, In Your courts obtain a place.Grateful now, we fall before You, In Your Church rejoice to live,See Your glory and adore You, Thankful for the grace You give.

(continued on the next page)Once far off but now invited, We approach Your sacred throne,In Your covenant united, Reconciled, redeemed, made one.Now revealed to eastern sages, See the Star of Mercy shine,Myst’ry hid in former ages, Myst’ry great of love divine.

5

Hail, O all inviting Savor! Gentiles now their off’rings bring,In Your temples seek Your favor, Jesus Christ, our Lord and King.May we, body, soul, and spirit, Live devoted to Your praise,Glorious realms of bliss inherit, Grateful anthems ever raise.

CONFESSION OF FAITH The 5th Commandment (from the Sm. Catechism)P: What does the 5th Commandment say?C: You shall not murder.P: What does this mean?C: We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our

neighbor in his bod, but help and support him in every physical

need.P: What does God forbid in the Fifth Commandment?C: God forbids us to take the life of another person through

murder, abortion or euthanasia; or our own life by suicide.P: What else does God forbid?C: God forbids us to keep anger and hatred in our hearts against

our neighbor.P: What does God require of us in the Fifth Commandment?C: We should help and support our neighbor in every bodily need.

SERMON “All Things: Visible and Invisible” Pastor Wolter

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCHAt the end of every petition, the pastor will say, “Lord, in Your mercy” and the congregation will respond with, “Hear our prayer.”

LORD’S PRAYER (sung)Our Father, which 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 debts as we forgive our debtors;

6

and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

BENEDICTIONP: God has come and made His dwelling among us. As His adopted children,

Let us go forth in joy, knowing that He has put His Name on us and covered us with His righteousness. Go in peace; the Lord is with you: In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

CLOSING HYMN “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light” LSB #411I want to walk as a child of the light, I want to follow Jesus.God set the stars to give light to the world. The star of my life is Jesus.

Refrain: In Him there is no darkness at all. The night and the day are both alike. The Lamb is the light of the city of God. Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.

I want to see the brightness of God. I want to look at Jesus.Clear Sun of Righteousness, shine on my path, And show me the way to the Father. Refrain

I’m looking for the coming of Christ. I want to be with Jesus.When we have run with patience the race, We shall know the joy of Jesus. Refrain

LIFE THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Love doesn’t just “live and let live.” Being silent about sins (like abortion and assisted suicide) may avoid one kind of offense. But it perpetrates a greater one: by refraining from showing love. Real compassion acts with courage. It means words of warning, of winning over and of love.

7

IN OUR PRAYERS TODAY: We pray for Beth Fridgen, Elizabeth Broich, Ruth Cleary, Belwin Rode, Amy Schmidt-Glass, Michelle Goossen, Steven Morse, Trevor Sanders, Rebecca Burns, Melody Reuss, Rosemary Mills, Maddilynn Amundson, Heather Ollendick, Gisele Freitag, Linda Jansen, Jim (Rosemary Mills’ brother), Peggy Wold, Lydia Peterson, Roger Vergin, Paul Peterson, Sara Krupke; Kelyn Myer (step-grandson of Becky Halverson), Orlyn Hamborg, Darlene Tolin, Denny Rohloff, Donna Peickert, Jim Puchalski (Ruth Cleary’s brother), Tom Razink (Ruth Cleary’s brother-in-law; hospitalized), Jack Verch (Ruth Cleary’s brother-in-law; hospitalized).

PRAYING FOR OUR MEMBERS THIS WEEK: Alan and Jean Schlieman; Travis Schlieman; Myron Schliemann; Aaron, Shannon and Kellan Schmidt; Kaden Schmidt; Shaleah Schmidt; Joyce Schultz; Del and Pam Schulz; Jason, Lukas and Stella Schulz; Staci Schulz; Harold and Mary Schwendemann; Jason, Tami, Irelyn and Hudsyn Schwendemann.

BAPTISMAL BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK: January 25th: Randy Amundson and Danielle Moseng January 27th; Vincent Birch and Harliegh Schlief January 30th: Jen Hammerschmidt and Kelsey Hammerschmidt

SUNDAY ATTENDANCE: 87 OFFERINGS: $3,397.00

8

SUNDAY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE: 17 OFFERINGS: $6.00SPECIAL OFFERINGS: Poinsettias: $20.00; Building Rent: $35.00; Radio Broadcast: $80.00.

Operating Expenses of St. Mark’s 2021Needed each week beginning January 1, 2021: $3,690.00Offerings collected 01/17/21 $3,397.00Budgeted needs through 01/17/21: $11,070.00Offerings received (01/01/21 – 01/17/21): $9,509.00Thrivent Choice Dollars Received 01/06/21:

$0.00Total Thrivent Choice Dollars Received in 2021: $0.00Memorial & Special Offerings (so far this year):

$395.00

ANNOUNCEMENTS

RADIO BROADCAST If you would like to sponsor a radio broadcast for $35, there is a sign-up sheet by the office door.

2020 CONTRIBUTION REPORTS are in each family’s mailbox. You can pick them up today.

2021 OFFICERS please look at the list of officers on the back table to see if the phone number for you is correct. If not, please make corrections on that sheet.

ANNUAL REPORT The following committees still need to turn in their end of the year report: Elders, Trustees, Ushers, Prayer Chain, Altar Guild and Sunday School.

CHURCH KEYS If you are no longer serving on a church committee please turn your key into the church office.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

S erving our church today:

9

ORGANIST: Lois Mitteness

CAMERA: Gary Weckwerth

COUNTERS: Sandy Fossen and Yvonne Rajewsky

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Serving our church next week (Jan. 31):ORGANIST: Mary Weckwerth

CAMERA: Rob McGee

COUNTERS: Melissa Hampton and Susan Firchau

Sunday, January 24 Worship: Created Liturgy (online at 8am)...................................... 8 & 10:30am Bible Study & Sunday School.................................................................. 9:15 am

Tuesday, January 26Quilting Group…………………………….........................……………….... 1pm

Wednesday, January 27 Confirmation……………………….....................…...……………..... 5-6:30 pm Thursday, January 28 ~ Office Closed

Sunday, January 31 Worship: (online at 8am)…............................................................ 8 & 10:30am Bible Study & Sunday School.................................................................. 9:15 am

10

Readings for next week: Deut. 18:15-10; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28

A Message from Lutherans for Life on Life Sunday

Abortion acts like some persons are invisible. It says they don’t have enough size to matter. Assisted suicide treats some persons as invisible. It says they don’t have adequate skills to matter and tempts us to consider death as a solution.

If the unborn seem invisible... or the elderly... or persons with disabilities: doesn’t anyone wonder why? Their ages don’t make them invisible. Their inabilities don’t make them dispensable. Pretty and popular are just comparisons. Productive and profitable are only perceptions. None of these can impart humanity- and none of them are a reason to deprive someone of it.

Humanity comes from what we are and not from what we do. And just because it may go unnoticed doesn’t mean it’s not there. It isn’t that the worth and purpose of the least of these are so little that we cannot calculate them. It’s that human worth and purpose are too great for us to comprehend.

11

Your body belongs to the Almighty Father who made it... and to the Incarnate Son who redeemed it... and to the Holy Spirit who calls it His temple and treasure. Each life: embryo or aged... dying or disabled... is also your privilege and responsibility.

Humanity isn’t made up of individuals but of indispensables. We are connected. We are community. We are one body. None lives to himself alone, and none dies to himself alone. All are one- and indispensable- in Christ!

12