The Service in PDF format is at: January 28, 2024 Service
Video of service is at: YouTube
Peace Lutheran Church
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.
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, Rick Durling
Praise Team Rick Durling, Patrick Kamins, Karyn Stanley, Nora Stanley, Diane Crocker, Kaia Lucke, Sarah Grassel, Caleb Santora
Today, January 28, 2024
Musician Colleen Schulze
Reader Carole Gutbrod
Flowers Lucke
AS WE GATHER………… All throughout the Epiphany season is the shadow of the question: Who is Jesus? To better answer this question, Peace is considering some of the dramatic actions of Jesus. Luke 4:16-31 describes one of these exact moments. Jesus inaugurates his public ministry by reading a passage from Isaiah. Jesus concludes the reading by saying, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus came to change the fortunes of the poor, the captives, the blind and the oppressed. What good news are you hearing from Jesus today?
RINGING OF THE BELL
After the ringing of the bell, we prepare our hearts and minds in silence for today’s worship.
CHORAL ANTHEM “We Live By Faith”
Words & Music by Pepper Choplin. Copyright 2012 Lorenz Publishing Company. All Rights Reserved.
We see things that are not yet there,
But in our hope and dreams.
Then watch them come
through work and prayer into reality.
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We trust in power beyond this earth,
A power we cannot prove.
But still we stand amazed
at all the pow’r of God can do.
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We live by faith and not by sight,
Through brightest days,
Through darkest nights,
For in our hearts, there shines a light,
The glorious light of Christ.
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It was God Who said, “Let there be light,”
When the world was void and dark.
And so it is God’s own design
for light to fill our hearts.
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We live by faith and not by sight,
Through brightest days,
Through darkest nights,
For in our hearts, there shines a light,
The glorious light of Christ.
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One final day we’ll close our eyes
When our work on earth is done.
We’ll see the light beyond the skies
shining brighter than the sun.
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We’ll cast off faith,
no need for faith to trust beyond our sight.
For there in full totality, we’ll see the throne,
The glorious throne of Christ.
We live by faith and not by sight,
Through brightest days,
Through darkest nights,
For in our hearts, there shines a light, The glorious light of Christ.
Leader: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
TIME TO REFLECT ON OURSELVES……AND RECEIVE FORGIVENESS
Leader: Blessed is the one whose transgressions is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
People: Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Leader: I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
People: and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Leader: Almighty God, our Maker and Redeemer, we confess to You that we are by nature sinful and that we have sinned against You by thought, word, and deed. Today we seek Your mercy and grace for the sake of Jesus.
People: Lord, we confess our lack of faith. We see a glimpse of what we ought to be and we know we fall short of the goal. We desire faith that is solid and unchanging, yet we crumble under trials and temptations. We want to be strong, but we know our own weakness. Our sinful condition strips us of any spiritual gain that we humanly devise. Lord, forgive us. Accept us as we are. Give us Your gift of faith.
Leader: Our God is a great God and knows our needs for all areas of our life. God knows our weakness and our unbelieving hearts, yet loves us enough to die on a cross and provide forgiveness of our sin. Now the focus is not on the faith that we can muster, but on the great gifts that our Lord gives daily as we live in trust. God has given us the gift of faith, faith for the moment, faith for every trial, faith for every difficult situation.
SONG OF PRAISE “White as Snow”
White as snow, white as snow,
though my sins were as scarlet
Lord I know, Lord I know,
that I’m clean and forgiven.
Through the power of your blood,
through the wonder of your love,
Through faith in you I know that I can be
…..white as snow.
(Repeat)
Leader: We pray…..Almighty God, You know that as we face so many dangers, one person is strong and another is weak.
People: Grant us loving concern for our brothers and sisters as Your instruments to support one another in all dangers and carry us through all temptations.
Leader: We pray these things through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
HEARING FROM GOD’s word
New Testament Lesson: I Corinthians 8:1-13
A Challenge to support the weaker “brother.”
8 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.
3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. 4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”
5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—
6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols?
11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God!
Jesus begins his public ministry by reading from Isaiah
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘ “Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ ” 24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.
25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.
29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away. 31 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath,
Leader: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, O Christ!
SERMON SONG “Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us”
Text: Eliza S. Alderson, 1818-1889, alt.; Tune: Rowland H. Prichard, 1811-1887
Lord of glory, you have bought us
with your life-blood as the price,
never grudging for the lost ones
that tremendous sacrifice;
and with that have freely given
blessings countless as the sand
to th’unthankful and the evil
with your own unsparing hand.
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Grant us hearts, dear Lord, to give you
gladly, freely, of your own.
With the sunshine of your goodness
melt our thankless hearts of stone
till our cold and selfish natures,
warmed by you, at length believe
that more happy and more blessed
’tis to give than to receive.
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Wondrous honor you have given
to our humblest charity
in your own mysterious sentence,
“You have done it all for me.”
Can it be, O gracious Master,
that you need what we can do,
saying by your poor and needy,
“Give as I have giv’n to you”?
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Lord of glory, you have bought us
with your life-blood as the price,
never grudging for the lost ones
that tremendous sacrifice.
Give us faith to trust you boldly,
hope, to stay our souls on you;
but, oh, best of all your graces,
with your love our love renew.
SERMON
“Compassion is at the Center”
Pastor Jeremy Lucke
People: 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 into hell.
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 holy Christian Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
And the life everlasting. Amen.
OFFERING
We give our offerings as a sign of our lives offered to God.
Leader: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Leader: Father of love, You rescued Your fallen people with the sufferings and death of Christ. Guide us to know and rejoice in His salvation and to proclaim this Gospel with boldness to our brothers and sisters. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: Father of mercy, Your compassion has rescued us from the powers of evil and set us free. Help us to mirror Your compassion as we serve others. Guide us to use share Your compassion in ways that make a difference for others. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: Father of grace, You have provided us with new life through Baptism and granted us faith by the power of the Spirit. Keep us in this faith that we may be preserved from evil and delivered from all our enemies to everlasting life. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: Father of truth, You have given us Your Word that we might know the truth. Provide for us good and honest leaders who will need the voice of Your truth and protect us from violence so that we may lead peaceful and godly lives without fear. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: Father of comfort, You know our troubles and Your Son, Jesus, experienced great hardship. According to your will, deliver all who are sick, who suffer, who are troubled in mind, and those near death that they may be preserved in faith in the day of trouble. Today, we especially prayer for ___________. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: All these things for which we have prayed and all other things we need, we pray You to grant us in the name of Jesus, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
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
CLOSING SONG “All People That on Earth Do Dwell”
Roger Jones & William Kethe ; © Words: Public Domain Music: 1981 Christian Music Ministries (Admin. by Sovereign Music UK)
All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;
Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell;
Come ye before Him and rejoice.
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Know that the Lord is God indeed:
Without our aid He did us make;
We are His folk, He doth us feed,
And for His sheep He doth us take.
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Oh, enter then His gates with praise,
Approach with joy His courts unto;
Praise, laud, and bless His name always,
For it is seemly so to do.
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For why? The Lord our God is good;
His mercy is forever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
And shall from age to age endure.
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To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
The God whom heav’n and earth adore,
From us and from the angel host
Be praise and glory evermore.
Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ + and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
People: Amen.
DISMISSAL
Leader: Go in peace! Serve the Lord!
People: Thanks be to God!
Announcements
Annual Church Meeting. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The Annual Church Congregational Meeting will be held during Fellowship on Sunday, February 4th. This meeting will give you the opportunity to hear from your church council recapping what occurred in 2023 as well as a look forward to 2024. Please plan on attending! The 2023 Annual Report will be available in mid-January.
New member Class. Our last session of the new member class will be next Sunday, February 4 at 9:00am in the sanctuary. You are encouraged to RSVP to Pastor.
FLOWERS. The new flower chart for 2024 is up in the narthex on the bulletin board. Consider signing up and providing flowers for the altar. If you have any questions, see Carole Gutbrod.
Bible study starting back up. We will be resuming our adult Bible Study revolving around the “Chosen” movie production. We have been having some lively and interesting discussions. Please feel free to join us Sunday mornings at 9:00am.
ONLINE DIRECTORY FORMS. We are wanting to make Peace’s online directory a reality! This weekend’s bulletin will include a form for you to fill out. Fill out the form and return it to Dan. Dan will be inputting the forms into the online directory. The hope is to have most of the online directory completed by the start of February. See Dan if you have any questions.
Backpack WorkING Party: Friday, February 9 at 2pm. All are invited to help, and it should only take 1 hour of your time. If you have questions, please see Diane Crocker or email her at [email protected]
Book Swap/Author Talk: Mark your calendar – Saturday, April 13 at 11:00 am- 12:30pm. This is a free event for the ladies of Peace as well as any friends/community members or interested parties. See Diane for any questions.
