The Service in PDF format is at: February 19, 2023 Service
Video of service is at: YouTube
We welcome you in the name of the Lord Jesus. We are honored with your presence. If you do not have a church home, you are invited to join us regularly. Please introduce yourself to Pastor Jeremy Lucke or one of the Ushers as you leave today and sign the guest book in the entryway. We continue to observe the guidelines for health safety. If you have any questions, please see an usher. Everyone is welcome.
The ringing of the bell and the lighting of the Christ candle mark the beginning of our service and a time for quiet meditation, prayer and inward reflection as we begin our worship.
Children are welcome at our worship services. If you prefer, Peace Lutheran has a playroom equipped for children three years old and younger. The room is unstaffed and can be accessed in the fellowship hall where the service is also being live streamed for your convenience and enjoyment.
Holy Communion is celebrated every first and third Sunday and will follow the order of service in the bulletin. If you are a baptized Christian and share our faith in Jesus as Savior and have been instructed in the meaning and use of the Lord’s Supper, you are invited to partake. We have pre-wrapped communion wine or juice and wafers. We also have gluten-free wafers available. If you desire a gluten-free wafer, ask the server. May the body and blood of Jesus, present in the bread and wine, be a blessing to you.
There are times during the service when you will be asked to stand if you are able. Please feel free to remain seated if standing is difficult.
Offering. Peace Lutheran Church understands and teaches that Offerings are voluntary and to be from the heart. Whether we give or do not give does not determine our salvation. Whether we give much or little does not determine our standing before God. Sharing an Offering is an opportunity to quietly practice generosity with our neighbors. Offerings may be placed in the plates by the doors as we exit the sanctuary.
Serving You
Pastor Pastor Jeremy Lucke
Music Director Colleen Schulze
Choir Director Diane Crocker
Supt. Of Sunday School Brandy Stokes & Karyn Stanley
Admin Assistant Daniel Dusek
Parish Nurse Kathy Durling
Webmaster Jim Holroyd
Audio-Visual Johnathon Holroyd, George Abele, Nicholas Abele, Merv Munster, Callie Santora, Caleb Santora, Joyce Long, Oscar Gutbrod, Sam Worth, Rick Durling, Jim Holroyd, Nora Stanley, Debbi Weiler, Daniel Dusek
Today, February 19, 2023
Musician Colleen Schulze
Reader Debbi Weiler
THEME: Today is a special opportunity to consider the brightness of Jesus. As Jesus went up on the Mount of Transfiguration, his brightness shined upon the disciples. Jesus’ transfiguration reminds us of the blessing we hear every week at the end of worship in the Benediction for the Lord’s face to shine upon us. God’s face certainly shines on us today and we look forward to the day when Jesus comes again in glory to permanently shine His face upon us.
Choral Opening “I Surrender All To You”
Words by john e. bode, 1816-1874; Written and arranged by Mary McDonald incorporating Salley Gardens traditional Irish melody.
O Jesus, I have promised
to serve Thee to the end;
be Thou forever near me,
my Master and my friend.
.
I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art by my side,
Wander from the pathway
If Thou will be my guide.
.
I surrender, Lord, to You;
all I am, I owe to You.
O Jesus, I promise to
Surrender all to You!
.
O Jesus, Thou has promised
To all who follow Thee,
That were Thou are in glory,
There shall Thy servant be.
.
And, Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end, the end;
O give me grace to follow,
My Master and my friend!
.
I surrender, Lord, to You;
All I am, I owe to You.
O Jesus, I promise to surrender all, surrender all.
.
O Jesus, I promise to surrender all to You,
Surrender all to You,
Surrender all to You,
Surrender all to You.
Leader: In the name of the Father and of the XSon and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
CONFESSION & forgiveness
Leader: Today we celebrate the transfiguration of Jesus. We hear the voice of our heavenly Father saying, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” Yet, as we follow Jesus, we have often failed to listen to His words. We have chosen to listen to the voice of the world rather than the voice of our transfigured Lord. So now, we come before our heavenly Father to ask for His forgiveness.
~~~~~ Silence for reflection ~~~~~
Leader: Most merciful God,
People: We confess that we have not listened to You or Your Son. We have ignored His voice and plugged our ears to His words of mercy. Forgive our sins and open our ears to Your voice once again.
Leader: Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen. God’s face has shined upon us.
OPENING SONG “Crown Him with Many Crowns”
Matthew Bridges; Godfrey Thring
Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne;
Hark, how the heav’nly anthem drowns
All music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity.
.
Crown him the virgin’s Son,
The God incarnate born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won
Which now his brow adorn;
Fruit of the mystic rose,
Yet of that rose the stem,
The root whence mercy ever flows,
The babe of Bethlehem.
.
Crown him the Lord of love –
Behold his hands and side,
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angels in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bend their burning eyes
At mysteries so bright.
.
Crown Him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed o’er the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing,
Who died and rose on high,
Who died, eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.
Leader: Let us pray.
Leader: Heavenly Father, in the transfiguration of Your Son You have shined grace and glory upon the world, and by Your own testimony we hear that Jesus is indeed Your beloved Son. Help us to heed Your voice and bask in the light of Your grace; through Jesus Christ, our transfigured Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
SCRIPTURE LESSONS
The Old Testament: Exodus 24:8-18
Moses goes up to Mount Sinai.
8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up,
10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.
11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.”
13 So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God.
14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.”
15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.
16 The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
17 Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.
18 Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Leader: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
Epistle Lesson 2 Peter 1:16-21
Peter recounts seeing Jesus’ transfiguration and hearing God’s voice.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,”
18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,
20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.
21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Leader: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James and John.
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.”
8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
Leader: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON HYMN: “Immortal Invisible God only Wise”
Carl Gotthelf Glaser; Charles Wesley; Words: Public Domain ; Music: Public Domain
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious,
the Ancient of Days, Almighty,
victorious, thy great name we praise!
.
Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above
Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.
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To all, life thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish like leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish, but naught changeth thee.
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Thou reignest in glory; thou dwellest in light;
Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
All laud we would render; oh, help us to see
‘Tis only the splendor of light hideth thee!
SERMON
Pastor Jeremy Lucke
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
And born of the virgin Mary.
He 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,
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The Christian Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body
And the life everlasting. Amen.
Leader: Let us pray together in Christ Jesus for all people according to their needs.
Leader: God of love, living on our own terms, our lives have become unmanageable. Grant that by Your Word and Spirit we continually be transformed, trusting in Jesus who was transfigured in the sight of Peter, James, and John. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: God of love, the people, systems, and institutions of this world are crying out under the weight of feeling unloved. Jesus has come that all people come to know and believe how much You love all of us—from the least to the greatest. Grant that our elected and appointed officials be persuaded by Your love to govern wisely that all people on earth dwell in peace. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: God of love, Your people are torn to pieces by many dangers, toils, and snares. Our attentions are divided and our words and actions are motivated by the cares, griefs, and pains of our lives. We cause one another much pain and so get in the way of Your love for all people in Christ Jesus flowing through us to all people in our communities and societies. Grant that we turn to You embracing our identity as vessels of Your mercy in a way that overflows to the people around us. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: God of love, there are many who are weak and sick among us and in our circles of family and friends. Remember for good all people who are suffering in body, mind, or spirit, [especially . . .]. Grant them both inward and outward healing according to Your will, helping them to trust Your goodness in all things. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: Into Your hands we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
People: Amen.
THE 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
DISTRIBUTION HYMN “Let us Break Bread Together”
Text: Negro spiritual; Tune: Negro spiritual
Let us break bread together
on our knees;
Let us break bread together
on our knees;
When I fall on my knees
With my face to the rising sun,
Oh Lord, have mercy on me.
.
Let us drink wine together
on our knees;
Let us drink wine together
on our knees;
When I fall on my knees
With my face to the rising sun,
Oh Lord, have mercy on me.
.
Let us praise God together
on our knees;
Let us praise God together
on our knees;
When I fall on my knees
With my face to the rising sun,
Oh Lord, have mercy on me.
Leader: Today marks the end of the Epiphany season, and in a few days we begin Lent on Ash Wednesday. It is traditional to mute our joy during Lent by not singing Alleluias. We say our “farewell to Alleluia” as we sing the final hymn.
Deborah D. Smith, Michael W. Smith; © 1996 Deer Valley Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
Lord, let Your light,
Light of Your face
Shine on us.
Lord, let Your light,
Light of Your face
Shine on us.
.
That we may be saved
That we may have life
To find our way in the darkest night
Let Your light shine on us
Lord, let Your grace
Grace from Your hand
Fall on us
Lord, let Your grace
Grace from Your hand
Fall on us
.
That we may be saved
That we may have life
To find our way in the darkest night
Let Your grace fall on us
Lord, let Your love
Love with no end
Come over us
Lord, let Your love
Love with no end
Come over us
.
That we may be saved
That we may have life
To find our way in the darkest night
Let Your love come over us
Let Your light shine on us
Leader: Go in Peace! Serve the Lord!
People: Thanks be to God!
Announcements
LENTEN SOUP SUPPERS. We will be starting Soup Suppers this week on Ash Wednesday, February 22nd. The supper will start at 5:00pm and service at 6:00pm. However, we need people to sign up to bring soup, bread, and cookies. The sign-up sheets are in the hallway between the Narthex and Fellowship Hall.
New Lenten Devotion Book. We have some new devotional books for the season of Lent. They are available on the table in the Narthex.
Speaking the Truth in Love… Come and join a new Bible Study opportunity continuing next Sunday, February 26 at 9:00am in the Sanctuary. There has been a lot of conversation around the issue of race within society and within the church. The Northwest District of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod has produced a collection of materials to assist in discussions on race for our churches. Pastor Lucke will guide us through the materials over 5 weeks. Consider attending. Here is what we’ll be discussing.
February 26 “Love is Respect”
March 5 “Love Actively Crosses Barriers”
March 12 “Love is Active”
