The Service in PDF format is at: January 5, 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 Anne Schroeder & 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, Joyce Long, Oscar Gutbrod, Sam Worth, Rick Durling, Jim Holroyd, Debbi Weiler, Dan Dusek
Praise Team Rick Durling, Patrick Kamins, Ginny Tonelli, Karyn Stanley, Nora Stanley, Diane Crocker, Kaia Lucke, Anne Schroeder, John Mergl
Today, January 5, 2025
Musician Colleen Schulze
Reader Margaret Phillpott
AS WE GATHER……….. We begin the new year with a new series on the book of James called “A Manual for Maturity.” Get ready to move out of spiritual infancy and childhood, and into a life that displays Christian maturity!
Leader: In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
CONFESSION & FORGIVENESS
Leader: Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires are known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
People: Amen.
Leader: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
~~~~~ Silence for reflection ~~~~~
Leader: Most merciful God,
People: We confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
Leader: God, our heavenly Creator, hears the prayers of all people and answers those prayers. Our prayer for forgiveness is answered in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who died for our sin that we might have new life. By the command of Jesus, I forgive you all of your sins—in the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
Kyrie
Leader: In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, Have mercy.
Leader: For peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, Have mercy.
Leader: For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God. And for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, Have mercy.
Leader: For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, Have mercy.
Leader: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
People: Amen
HYMN OF PRAISE
Leader: This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia.
People:
Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain,
whose blood set us free to be people of God.
Power and riches and wisdom and strength,
and honor and blessing and glory are his.
This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia.
Sing with all the people of God and join in the hymn of all creation:
Blessing and honor and glory and might be to God and the Lamb forever, Amen.
This is the feast of victory for our God, for the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign.
Alleluia. Alleluia.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Leader: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Leader: Let us Pray.
Leader: Loving God, You give to all freely and generously. Open Your Word, and give us wisdom from above so that we profit from our problems; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
SCRIPTURE LESSONS
Reader: I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word.
People: I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees.
Reader: Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders.
People: My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.
Reader: Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law.
People: I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.
Reader: I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord; do not let me be put to shame.
People: I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”
9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Leader: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, O Christ.
John Henry Hopkins Jr.; Words: Public Domain Music: Public Domain
We three kings of Orient are:
Bearing gifts we traverse afar.
Field and fountain moor and mountain
Following yonder star.
.
Chorus: O star of wonder star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading still proceeding,
Guide us to Thy perfect light.
.
Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain:
Gold I bring to crown Him again.
King forever ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.
Chorus
Frankincense to offer have I:
Incense owns a Deity nigh.
Prayer and praising all men raising,
Worship Him God on high.
Chorus
Myrrh is mine its bitter perfume:
Breathes a life of gathering gloom.
Sorrowing sighing bleeding dying,
Sealed in the stone cold tomb.
Chorus
Glorious now behold Him arise:
King and God and sacrifice.
Alleluia alleluia,
Earth to heav’n replies.
Chorus
Sermon
“Profiting from Your Problems”
Pastor Jeremy Lucke
People: I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
And sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come 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 offer our thanksgiving for what God has first given us—ourselves, our time, our possessions.
SONG OF PRAYER “How Firm A Foundation”
How firm a foundation, O saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!
What more can he say than to you he has said
Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?
.
When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be your supply.
The flames shall not hurt you; I only design
Your dross to consume and your gold to refine.
Leader: Let us pray for our fellow saints of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Leader: How firm a foundation, O saints of the Lord;
People: Is laid for our faith in his excellent Word.
Leader: What more can he say than to us he has said.
People: Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled.
Leader: Guide and bless Your church, making Your people perfect in love and in all good works. Give us Your wisdom to all of us, that many others may to come to the knowledge of Your love for all people. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: By Your Holy Spirit, comfort all who are in sorrow or need, sickness or adversity. Defend all who suffer persecution for the faith, and have mercy on those to whom death draws near. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: As we remember those who have loved and served You in this life, who now rest from their labors, keep us in that larger fellowship with all Your saints, and bring us to the joys of Your heavenly kingdom. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Leader: When through fiery trials our pathway will lie.
People: God’s grace, all sufficient will be our supply.
Leader: The flames will not hurt us, God’s only design.
People: Our dross to consume and our gold to refine.
Leader: In Jesus’ name.
People: Amen.
Leader: The Lord Be with you.
People: And also with you.
Leader: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them to the Lord.
Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give him thanks and praise.
PROPER PREFACE
Leader: It is indeed right and salutary …. We praise your name and join their unending hymn:
SANCTUS
People:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, Lord God of pow’r and might: Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
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 HYMN Children of the Heavenly Father
Text: Caroline V. Sandell Berg, 1832-1903; tr. Ernst W. Olson, 1870-1958
Children of the heav’nly Father
Safely in his bosom gather,
Nestling bird or star in heaven
Such a refuge ne’er was given.
.
God his own doth tend and nourish,
In his holy courts they flourish,
From all evil things he spares them,
In his mighty arms he bears them.
.
Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord his children sever;
From all evil things he spares them,
In his mighty arms he bears them.
.
Though he giveth or he taketh,
God his children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.
“Thank the Lord”
People: Thank the Lord and sing his praise; tell ev’ry-one what he has done.
Let ev’ry-one who seeks the Lord rejoice and proudly bear his name.
He recalls his promises and leads his people forth in joy with sounds of thanksgiving.
Alleluia. Alleluia.
BENEDICTION (Based on James 4:13-15)
Leader: James commands us not to say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”
People: For we do not know what will happen tomorrow.
Leader: Instead we are called to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
People: Because our lives are in your hands, O Lord.
Leader: May the hands of our loving God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—guide you and show you his way, each and every day.
People: Amen.
CLOSING HYMN: “Let All Things Now Living”
Katherine Kennicott Davis; 1939. Renewed 1966 E.C. Schirmer Music Company (Admin. by ECS Publishing Corporation)
Let all things now living
A song of thanksgiving
To God the Creator triumphantly raise,
Who fashioned and made us,
Protected and stayed us,
Who still guides us on to the end of our days.
.
God’s banners are o’er us,
His light goes before us,
A pillar of fire shining forth in the night,
Till shadows have vanished
And darkness is banished,
As forward we travel from light into light
.
His law He enforces,
The stars in their courses
And sun in its orbit obediently shine;
The hills and the mountains,
The rivers and fountains,
The deeps of the ocean proclaim Him divine.
.
We too should be voicing
Our love and rejoicing;
With glad adoration a song let us raise
Till all things now living
Unite in thanksgiving:
“To God in the highest Hosanna and praise!”
Silent Prayer: Jesus, empower me to trust you so that my problems make me much better and not simply more bitter. Amen.
Leader: Go in peace! Serve the Lord!
People: Thanks be to God!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEW YEAR DEVOTIONS AVAILABLE………… Portals of Prayer devotions are available in the entrance way to the church. These are short insights based on Scripture to help guide you each day. We have plenty available. Start the New Year in a positive way!
JANUARY NEWSLETTERS ARE AVAILABLE………… The January newsletter is available. Most people receive these newsletters digitally via email or on our website. Let Dan know if you’d like to be on our distribution list. Some people receive hard copies of the newsletters via snail mail. Let us know if you’d like a hard copy sent to you. Copies are also available in the entrance way to the church.
ALL AGE BIBLE STUDY NEXT WEEK……………..Elder Dave Leding is leading a new study on prayer. How can prayer assist us this year and draw us closer to God and what He is up to? How can prayer become not merely an intellectual concern, but a matter of the heart. All are welcome to attend Dave’s class. We’ll meet in the sanctuary at 9:00 am.
ONLINE BIBLE STUDY…………….. Are you desiring a closer walk with Jesus in 2025? Pastor is holding online zoom sessions in the New Year to share how someone can walk with Jesus in everyday life. Let him know if you’d like to be a part of the study. The six sessions will be on Wednesdays at 10 am and last 45 minutes. We’ll be covering a changed life, prayer, mentoring, spiritual gifts and more over six weeks using Scripture and shapes. Our first session begins on Wednesday, January 15.
