The View from the Middle: Service Outline for Sunday, Janaury 18, 2026

Welcome to worship at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church!

PRELUDE “Jesus Calls Us” Ken Medema

Confession and Forgiveness

All may make the sign of the cross, the sign that is marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.

Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,

the Creator of heaven and earth,

the Word who spoke life into being,

the Wind stirring the waters.

Amen.

Let us turn in confession to the one who knows us completely.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Mighty God, lover of justice,

you call us to life in community,

but we have served our own interests

at the expense of our neighbors.

We have sown deceit where honesty was needed.

We say the right words,

but our hearts are far from you.

Turn us to seek your face.

Knit us together and give us the mind of Christ,

that we may do justice, love mercy,

and walk humbly with you, our God.

Amen.

The former things have passed away,

and new things God now declares:

Like a spring of water that never fails,

God covers you in the righteousness of Christ,

and forgives your sin in ☩ Jesus’ name.

May the Spirit give you strength to live for others,

and bless you with the gift of peace.

Amen.

HYMN Arise, Your Light Has Come #314

GREETING

The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

KYRIE

HYMN OF PRAISE “Rise, Shine, You People” #665 v. 1-2

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Children's message

First Reading: Isaiah 49:1-7

¹ Listen to me, O coastlands;
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born;
while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.
² He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
in his quiver he hid me away.
³ And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
⁴ But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord
and my reward with my God.”

⁵ And now the Lord says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—
⁶ he says,
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

⁷ Thus says the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
the slave of rulers,
“Kings shall see and stand up;
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Psalm: Psalm 40:1-11

¹ I waited patiently up- ^| on the Lord,
who stooped to me and ^| heard my cry.
² The Lord lifted me out of the desolate pit, out of the ^| miry clay,
and set my feet upon a high cliff, making my ^| footing sure.
³ The Lord put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise ^| to our God;
many shall see, and stand in awe, and put their trust ^| in the Lord.
⁴ Happy are they who trust ^| in the Lord!
They do not turn to enemies or to those who ^| follow lies. R
⁵ Great are the wonders you have done, O Lord my God! In your plans for us, none can be com- ^| pared withy ou! Oh, that I could make them known and tell them! But they are more than I can count.

⁶ Sacrifice and offering you do ^| not desire;
you have opened my ears: burnt-offering and sin-offering you have ^| not required. R
⁷ And so I said, “Here I ^| am; I come.
In the scroll of the book it is writ- ^| ten of me:
⁸ ‘I love to do your will, ^| O my God;
your law is ^| deep within me.’ ”
⁹ I proclaimed righteousness in the ^| great assembly;
I have not restrained my lips, O ^| Lord, you know.
¹⁰ I have not hidden your righteousness in my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and ^| your deliverance;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and truth from the ^| great assembly.
¹¹ You are the Lord; do not withhold your compas- ^| sion from me;
may your steadfast love and your truth continually ^| keep me safe. R

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

¹ Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
² To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
⁴ I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, ⁵ for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind ⁶ just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you ⁷ so that you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸ He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, by whom you were called into the partnership of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Gospel: John 1:29-42

²⁹ [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!³⁰ This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³² And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ³³ I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Chosen One.”
³⁵ The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶ and as he watched Jesus walk by he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸ When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ³⁹ He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. ⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹ He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). ⁴² He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

SERMON

HYMN He Comes to Us as One Unknown #737

APOSTLES CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and 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

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE, PEACE, OFFERING

GREAT THANKSGIVING

SANCTUS

COMMUNION PRAYER

LORD'S PRAYER

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