Worship Resources for January 31st
4rd Sunday after Epiphany
Gathering
Call to Worship
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Our help is in the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 13:14
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen.
Song
I rejoiced when I heard them say:
“Let us go to the house of God.”
And now our feet are standing
in your gates, O Jerusalem!
Refrain
Shalom, shalom, the peace of God be here.
Shalom, shalom, God’s justice be ever near.
Like a temple of unity
is the city, Jerusalem.
It is there all tribes will gather,
all the tribes of the house of God. Refrain
It is faithful to Israel’s law,
there to praise the name of God.
All the judgment seats of David
were set down in Jerusalem. Refrain
For the peace of all nations, pray:
for God’s peace within your homes.
May God’s lasting peace surround us;
may it dwell in Jerusalem. Refrain
For the love of my friends and kin
I will bless you with signs of peace.
For the love of God’s own people
I will labor and pray for you. Refrain
Text: Bernadette Farrell © 1993 Bernadette Farrell, admin. OCP Publications.
All rights reserved, OneLicense.net 734287-A
Prayer of Invocation
Spirit divine, inspire our prayer
and make our hearts your home.
Descend with all your gracious power;
come, Holy Spirit, come!
Come as the light, reveal our need,
and lead us on paths of life.
Come as the fire, cleanse our hearts with purifying flame;
let our whole life be an offering to our Redeemer’s name.
Come as the dove, spread your wings of peaceful love;
and let your church on earth become as your church above.
Spirit divine, make this lost world your home.
Come, Holy Spirit, come! Amen.
—based on a hymn by Andrew Reed (1829)
Psalm 111
Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
Full of honor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he is ever mindful of his covenant.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the heritage of the nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
They are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever.
Song
Service of Confession & Assurance
We are made to rejoice in all the works of God, and to see in all things evidence of the goodness and faithfulness of God. Too often, though, we turn created things into idols, loving them for their own sake, rather than as means of grace that draw us into deeper worship of God.
Call to Confession Exodus 20:1-2, 4-6
Then God spoke all these words:
I am the Lord your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of slavery.
You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Prayer of Confession
Those worshiping in-person today will be singing “Cast Down, O God, the Idols” as a song of confession. We invite you to join them by using the words below as a prayer, and pausing at the end for a time of silent confession.
Cast down, O God, the idols
that hold us in their power,
the empty gods we worship
when darkness has its hour.
We bow to other masters
and by their promise live.
Redeem our wayward passions;
our rebel wills forgive.
In vain we search for meaning
where transient joys abound,
and seek the soul’s contentment
where peace cannot be found.
We wander, lost and homeless,
in endless, aimless quest,
our hearts forever restless,
until in you they rest.
O God, we have our being
in you and you alone.
Recall us from our wanderings;
reclaim us as your own.
Restore in us the image
revealed in Christ, your Word,
till heart and will pay homage
to him, our God and Lord.
Text: Herman G. Stuempfle (1923-2007) © 1997 GIA Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved, OneLicense.net 734287-A
Assurance of Pardon Romans 8:1, 34
In the midst of our idols, hear the word of the gospel:
Who is in a position to condemn?
Only Christ, and Christ died for us,
Christ rose for us,
Christ reigns in power for us,
Christ prays for us.
Believe the good news:
In Christ, there is no condemnation.
The Peace
The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
And also with you.
Song
Call to Holy Living
Colossians 3:12-15
Rooted in the gospel, chosen by God the Father, forgiven in Christ the Son, empowered by God the Holy Spirit, here is the call God has placed on your life:
You are to be clothed in heartfelt compassion,
in generosity and humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with one another; forgive each other
if one of you has a complaint against another.
The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same.
Over all these clothes, put on love, the perfect bond.
And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts,
because it is for this that you were called together in one body.
Affirmation of Faith: Apostles’ Creed
With that one body across time and space we confess our common faith.
Sisters and brothers, what do you believe?
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come 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.
Word
Prayer of Illumination
Heavenly Father, as we humbly come to you today,
we desire to be clean, to be healed, to be made whole.
Draw us close, Holy Spirit,
as the Scriptures are read and the Word is proclaimed.
Let the word of faith be on our lips and in our hearts,
and let all other words slip away.
May there be one voice we hear today —
the voice of truth and grace—
the voice of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Scripture Reading
Matthew 8:1-4
8 When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; 2 and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” 3 He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do choose. Be made clean!” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Sermon
Dermatology and the Gospel
Response
Song
Prayers of the People
Offering
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Song
Sending
Blessing
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
May God himself,
the God who makes everything holy and whole,
make you holy and whole,
put you together—spirit, soul, and body—
and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ.
The one who called you is completely dependable.
If he said it, he’ll do it!