The View from the Middle

Friday, January 14, 2022

Service outline for Sunday, January 16, 2022

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

PRELUDE A Taste of Cana’s Wine Thomas

* 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, who sends the word with angels, who is made flesh among all peoples, and who breathes peace on all the earth.

Amen.

In Christ, we are bold to name our sin and cry out for peace.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy God,

we confess our sin before you.

We replace compassion with competition.

We seek what is mighty while ignoring the meek.

We are quick to anger but slow to forgive.

We have not put on love in harmony with you.

Wrap us in the grace of your powerful Word.

Swaddle our hearts with your peace,

that all we do, in word or deed,

may reflect your love born among us.

Amen.

I bring you good news of great joy for all people: God has come among us in the child born of Mary, Christ the Lord. + In Christ your sins are forgiven and you are clothed in peace.

Amen.

HYMN O Morning Star. How Fair and Bright #308 v. 1,5

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

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Children's message

FIRST READING: Isaiah 62:1-5

¹For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest,

until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.

²The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name

that the mouth of the LORD will give. ³You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. ⁴You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. ⁵For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

PSALM: Psalm 36:5-10

⁵Your love, O LORD, reaches ^| to the heavens,

and your faithfulness ^| to the clouds.

⁶Your righteousness is like the strong mountains, your justice like ^| the great deep;

you save humankind and ani- ^| mals, O LORD.

⁷How priceless is your ^| love, O God!

All people take refuge under the shadow ^| of your wings.

⁸They feast upon the abundance ^| of your house;

you give them drink from the river of ^| your delights.

⁹For with you is the ^| well of life,

and in your light ^| we see light.

¹⁰Continue your lovingkindness to ^| those who know you,

and your favor to those who are ^| true of heart.

SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

¹Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. ²You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. ³Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.⁴Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; ⁶and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. ⁷To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

GOSPEL: John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ²Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." ⁴And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." ⁵His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." ⁶Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. ⁷Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. ⁹When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom ¹⁰and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." ¹¹Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON

HYMN Jesus Come! For We Invite You #312 v. 1,4

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 AND PEACE

OFFERING

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

DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION

HYMN Due to the increase in Covid cases the communion hymn has been removed termporarily.

POST COMMUNION PROCLAMATION

POST COMMUNION PRAYER

BLESSING

HYMN We All Are One in Mission #576 1,3

DISMISSAL

POSTLUDE As With Gladness Men of Old Manz

Liturgy and hymns printed and streamed with permission through OneLicense. A-710659

Saturday, January 8, 2022

Service outline for Sunday, January 9, 2022

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

PRELUDE Children of the Heavenly Father Hayes

Baptized and Set Free (piano)

* CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God, who sends the word with angels, who is made flesh among all peoples, and who breathes peace on all the earth.

Amen.

In Christ, we are bold to name our sin and cry out for peace.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy God,

we confess our sin before you.

We replace compassion with competition.

We seek what is mighty while ignoring the meek.

We are quick to anger but slow to forgive.

We have not put on love in harmony with you.

Wrap us in the grace of your powerful Word.

Swaddle our hearts with your peace,

that all we do, in word or deed,

may reflect your love born among us.

Amen.

I bring you good news of great joy for all people: God has come among us in the child born of Mary, Christ the Lord. + In Christ your sins are forgiven and you are clothed in peace.

Amen.

HYMN Hail to the Lord’s Anointed #311 v. 1,4

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

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Children's message

FIRST READING: Isaiah 43:1-7

¹But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

³For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. ⁴Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you,

I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life.

⁵Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you;

⁶I will say to the north, "Give them up," and to the south, "Do not withhold;

bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth— ⁷everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

PSALM: Psalm 29

¹Ascribe to the ^| LORD, you gods,

ascribe to the LORD glo- ^| ry and strength.

²Ascribe to the LORD the glory ^| due God's name;

worship the LORD in the beau- ^| ty of holiness.

³The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of ^| glory thunders;

the LORD is upon the ^| mighty waters.

⁴The voice of the LORD is a pow- ^| erful voice;

the voice of the LORD is a ^| voice of splendor.

⁵The voice of the LORD breaks the ^| cedar trees;

the LORD breaks the ce- ^| dars of Lebanon;

⁶the LORD makes Lebanon skip ^| like a calf,

and Mount Hermon like a ^| young wild ox.

⁷The voice ^| of the LORD

bursts forth in ^| lightning flashes.

⁸The voice of the LORD ^| shakes the wilderness;

the LORD shakes the wilder- ^| ness of Kadesh.

⁹The voice of the LORD makes the oak trees writhe

and strips the ^| forests bare.

And in the temple of the LORD all are ^| crying, "Glory!"

¹⁰The LORD sits enthroned a- ^| bove the flood;

the LORD sits enthroned as king for- ^| evermore.

¹¹O LORD, give strength ^| to your people;

give them, O LORD, the bless- ^| ings of peace.

SECOND READING: Acts 8:14-17

¹⁴Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. ¹⁵The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit ¹⁶(for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). ¹⁷Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

GOSPEL: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

¹⁵As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, ¹⁶John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

²¹Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, ²²and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON

HYMN When Jesus Came to Jordan #305

APOSTLES CREED

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

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 AND PEACE

OFFERING

COMMUNION PRAYER

LORD'S PRAYER

DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION

HYMN What Feast of Love #487

POST COMMUNION PROCLAMATION

POST COMMUNION PRAYER

BLESSING

HYMN Songs of Thankfulness and Praise #310 1,2,4,

DISMISSAL

POSTLUDE Allemanda Corelli

Liturgy and hymns printed and streamed with permission through OneLicense. A-710659

Saturday, January 1, 2022

Service Outline for Sunday, January 2, 2022

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

PRELUDE Divinum Mysterium Burkhardt

* CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God, who sends the word with angels, who is made flesh among all peoples, and who breathes peace on all the earth.

Amen.

In Christ, we are bold to name our sin and cry out for peace.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy God,

we confess our sin before you.

We replace compassion with competition.

We seek what is mighty while ignoring the meek.

We are quick to anger but slow to forgive.

We have not put on love in harmony with you.

Wrap us in the grace of your powerful Word.

Swaddle our hearts with your peace,

that all we do, in word or deed,

may reflect your love born among us.

Amen.

I bring you good news of great joy for all people: God has come among us in the child born of Mary, Christ the Lord. + In Christ your sins are forgiven and you are clothed in peace.

Amen.

HYMN Hark! The Herald Angels Sing #270 v. 1,3

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 Angels We Have Heard on High #289

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Children's message

FIRST READING: Jeremiah 31:7-14

⁷For thus says the LORD: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, "Save, O LORD, your people, the remnant of Israel." ⁸See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. ⁹With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. ¹⁰Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock." ¹¹For the LORD has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. ¹²They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again. ¹³Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. ¹⁴I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the LORD.

PSALM: Psalm 147:12-20

¹²Worship the LORD, ^| O Jerusalem; praise your ^| God, O Zion,

¹³who has strengthened the bars ^| of your gates and has blessed your chil- ^| dren within you.

¹⁴God has established peace ^| on your borders and satisfies you with the ^| finest wheat.

¹⁵God sends out a command ^| to the earth, a word that runs ^| very swiftly.

¹⁶God gives ^| snow like wool, scattering ^| frost like ashes.

¹⁷God scatters ^| hail like bread crumbs. Who can stand a- ^| gainst God's cold?

¹⁸The LORD sends forth the ^| word and melts them; the wind blows, and the ^| waters flow.

¹⁹God declares the ^| word to Jacob, statutes and judg- ^| ments to Israel.

²⁰The LORD has not done so to any ^| other nation; they do not know God's judgments. ^| Hallelujah!

SECOND READING: Ephesians 1:3-14

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. ⁵He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace ⁸that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight ⁹he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, ¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. ¹¹In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, ¹²so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. ¹³In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; ¹⁴this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

GOSPEL: John 1:[1-9] 10-18

[¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. ⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.] ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. ¹¹He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. ¹²But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵(John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") ¹⁶From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON

HYMN Cold December Flies Away #299 v. 1,3

APOSTLES CREED

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

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 AND PEACE

OFFERING

COMMUNION PRAYER

LORD'S PRAYER

DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION

HYMN What Child is This #296