The Third  Sunday of the Epiphany Season    January 24,  2021

Can I Talk with You About My Savior?

 

            Helen stared out the window of the jumbo jet as it glided over the clouds.   She was on the first leg of the trip she and her husband, Herb, had planned for his retirement celebration.   Two months before he retired, however, the Lord had called Herb home.  A year later Helen was taking the trip for both of them.  Examining the clouds her thoughts turned, as they often did, to Herb.

            With tears in her eyes, she looked away from the window and toward the sleeping businessman and the young college girl who were sitting on each side of her.  Not an experienced flyer by any means, Helen tried to steady herself in her seat as the aircraft shook from some sudden turbulence;   the shaking continued.  Her eye caught the stewardess rushing past them and into the cockpit.   A few moments later she reappeared and huddled tensely with the other stewardesses.   Just then  the captain’s deep voice came over the speaker, “We’re having some engine trouble, but there is no need to panic.  Please buckle your seatbelts and listen carefully to the flight attendants.   They’ll give you any needed instructions.” 

            A hundred gasps and murmurs echoed throughout the cabin.   The businessman, now very alert, muttered something under his breath.  His face was drained of its color.  The college girl, stunned, began to sob.    Helen, filled with a surprising sense of strength and confidence, reached out and grabbed their hands.  “We’re not going to panic,” she said reassuringly, “because the Lord is with us.  Now, don’t be afraid.”   

      The plane lurched suddenly and sank down into the clouds.    The flight attendants began announcing the emergency procedures.   Helen, looking out the window, could see the ocean below and knew the plane was rapidly approaching it.    She began to pray.    The college girl stammered, “I don’t want to die.”   The businessman was stone-faced, gripping the armrests with white-knuckled hands.   Helen smiled and calmly responded, “Dear, none of us wants to die, but whether I’m alive or even when this body of mine is dead, I know that Jesus will always be with me.   He came down from heaven to die for our sins, and He rose from the grave so that we could go to heaven with Him instead of to hell.   I don’t know what His plans are for this plane, but I do know that He is here – right now – with us, because He’s promised us so in His Word.   So don’t be afraid.   Just believe in Him and you’ll be fine.”  Helen began to pray again.   This time her companions, watching her, bowed their heads and prayed too.    

            A few moments later the plane began to level out of its fall, and  the captain’s calm voice came over the speaker.   “We’ve regained the full use of our engines, and we’re heading to the nearest airport as a precaution, but we’re going to be fine.   And to those of you who were praying for us, ‘Thank you.’ and Thank God!”    Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and then cheers filled the cabin.   Helen’s new friends, beaming with joy, thanked her for her comforting words.    Humbled, she quietly replied, “Knowing Jesus loves me and is always with me not only helped me to stay calm, it also gave me the strength to tell you about Him, and to share my hope of heaven through Him with you.   I hope you’ll believe in Jesus as your Savior from sin too, and I also hope that – whenever your time comes – you’ll be ready to die in faith and to live forever in heaven with Him.”

            While staring death in the face, Helen was able to share her faith in Christ.   And God blessed those efforts.    In all likelihood, you and I will never be called upon to witness to someone else as Helen did, in airplane that seemed about to crash into the ocean.  But each week God gives us plenty of opportunities – albeit, and thankfully, less dramatic – through which we can share our faith in Christ with the people whose paths we cross on a daily basis.  Some of those people might spend eternity in hell unless they hear about and come to faith in Christ.   They may be Family….Relatives….Acquaintances….Neighbors….even Strangers.   Whoever they are, Christ has called us to be His witnesses to them (Acts 1:8).   And we can witness to them about Christ where we work….while shopping….over the phone….through a letter or an email….in school….during some social situation….making an evangelism call as part of our outreach ministry….on the golf course or at a basketball game….from a hospital bed….even standing in a cemetery beside a loved one’s grave.    Everyday we come in contact with people who lack the hope of heaven through faith in Christ that we possess and cherish.   That gift which Christ has given to us, He wants us to share (and will help us to share) with others for Whom He also died and rose.  And so, as we meditate upon the Word of our Lord today, it’s my prayer that you will find encouragement and also better learn how (it’s easier than you think) to bring the Good News of salvation to others as we study the examples of people like Paul, and Andrew, and even our Lord Jesus Himself as they brought the Gospel to those who needed it.

            In today’s Children’s Lesson / Sermon Text as we look at Jesus calling His first disciples to follow Him, particularly at their job-description to be “Fishers of Men,” we’ll talk about our calling to be Christ’s faithful followers, about the “bait” of the Gospel that He’s given us, and about the importance and the joy of catching/fishing for souls for our Savior’s Kingdom. 

            In our Epistle Lesson Paul informs us of his attitude toward soul-winning.   He let nothing, including his personal rights and preferences, get in the way of bringing the Good News to others.   He selflessly became all things to all people so that by all means possible he might win some to Christ.   God-enabling, you and I will want to follow his example. 

            Our First Gospel Lesson is the story of how Jesus effectively witnessed to a Samaritan women, bringing her to faith through the use of the Law and Gospel, and how she — in turn — eagerly, joyously, and “successfully” became a witness to others about Him. 

             Our Second Gospel Lesson“ties” the truths of these readings together around the accounts of Andrew and Phillip, who – upon had the opportunity to meet the Christ  – immediately went to a brother and a friend with the Good News that they had met the Messiah.  As Andrew and Phillip did, let us also go out, eagerly, actively, intentionally, collectively as this congregation, as well as individually, to bring to others the Good News of forgiveness and eternal life through faith in Christ….as our Lord gives us those opportunities….and He will.   

 

A Word Of Welcome To Our Guests . . . Good morning and welcome to Grace Lutheran Church.  We’re pleased that you’ve chosen to be a part of our worshiping assembly this morning.  Whether you are a guest today or a member of this Christian family, your presence at this service is sincerely appreciated.  It is our wish that the time you spend here will be enjoyable and spiritually edifying, and so it is our desire to serve you in the best way we can.  If there is anything that we might do to assist you in your worship today, please speak with one of our ushers or our Pastor.  They will be pleased to serve you in any way they can.   Following the worship service this morning, we invite you to join those around you for some coffee, refreshments, and good conversation during our fellowship period.  If you are able, we would also be honored to have you remain after today’s fellowship time in order that you might further hear and study the Scriptures with us in one of our Bible Classes or Sunday School classes.  And, we hope that you will come back soon to again praise the Lord with us.  May God bless you and your worship of Him today.

 

About Our Worship Service . . . . . The order for our worship service is printed in this service bulletin.   You will find that our worship is made up of three essential ingredients:  praise, instruction from God’s Word, and prayer.   We sing our praises to God for all of His gracious blessings.   We receive instruction from His Word in our various Scripture Lessons and through the Sermon.  Our prayers consist of expressions of our repentance for our sins, plus requests for God’s forgiveness, guidance, and continued blessings.  A few additional brief explanations of how we worship might be helpful.   The congregation in worship (we are not part of an audience, but participants in the action of worshiping) generally are seated to listen to God’s Word and sing the regular hymns.   The pastor faces the congregation when he is serving as God’s spokesman.  He faces the altar both when he is serving in the capacity of the congregation’s spokesman, and when he joins the congregation as a fellow worshiper.   One final note:  Because Jesus is our Lord and King as well as our Savior and Redeemer, we customarily stand out of respect for the words of Jesus during the reading of the Gospel Lesson.

 

About Our Congregation . . . . . . . Grace Lutheran Church is a fellowship of families and individuals who have found the Lord Jesus Christ to be the only safe and reliable answer to all of life’s problems and critical questions.   We are members of the WELS, or the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.  Wisconsin indicates the geographical origin of a group of Christians (organized in Milwaukee, WI in 1850) who believe, teach, and confess that the Bible is the inspired and error-free Word of God, and who are united in their efforts to proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins.   Evangelical declares that we believe and proclaim the great Gospel principles of the Bible that sinners are saved by Grace alone,  through Faith alone,  in Christ Jesus alone,  on the basis of Scripture alone.     Lutheran indicates that we hold to the historic Christian faith of Jesus Christ and the Apostles, almost lost to the Church at one time before God restored it through the Lutheran Reformation.  Synod states that we are part of a gathering of 1200 Christian congregations throughout the United States plus congregations in 24 other nations, all of which “walk together” for the express purpose of serving and sharing the Good News about our gracious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

The portions of God’s Word used in this worship flyer have been taken from

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version    Copyright 2019,  

The Wartburg Project, Inc.   All rights reserved.   Used with permission.

 

Pre-Service Prayer   Almighty God, my Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, please bless this time that I spend in Your house today.  Enable my faith in You to increase as I meditate upon Your Word.  Prepare me for greater works of service to You in Your Kingdom.   And motivate me to give myself, out of love for You, more willingly and generously to Your work.   Bless the Pastor and he brings Your Word to me today.  Bless also my fellow worshipers that their souls might be enriched this morning through the ministry of the Word.   And finally, please allow all of us, assembled here, to rejoice in and enjoy the Christian fellowship that we are a part of today.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

 

Grace Lutheran Church of Northwest Arkansas

is affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, a church body which spans the United States and Canada, and which also operates a number of foreign missions.

Our Vision:      Extend God’s Kingdom through His Word,

serving each Soul.

Our Mission:  Share the Gospel, Encourage Faith, and Prepare Souls

through Worship, Education and Fellowship.

 

Silent Prayer upon entering the sanctuary

Pre-service music                                                                                                                                              

 

 

We Praise Our God

 

The Welcoming and Introduction to Worship

 

the Congregation will rise for the invocation

 

The Invocation

 

Pastor                    We begin this service in the name of the Father

            Congregation        Who gave us our lives through His almighty power.

 

            P:         And of the Son

            C:         Who redeemed our lives with His precious blood.

            P:         And of the Holy Spirit

            C:         Who gave us eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus.

            P:         Amen.

 

 

The Preparatory Psalm                                                                                           Psalm 145, selected verses

 

P:         I will exalt You, my God the King;   I will praise Your name for ever and ever.  Every day I will

                  praise You and extol Your name for ever and ever.

      C:         Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;   +   His greatness no one can fathom.  + One

                   generation will commend Your works to another; + they will tell of Your mighty acts.

 

      P:         They will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and I will meditate on Your wonderful

                  works.   They will tell of the power of Your awesome works, and I will proclaim Your great deeds.

      C:         They will celebrate Your abundant goodness   + and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.  

 

      P:         All You have made will praise You, O LORD;   Your saints will extol You.

      C:         They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom + and speak of Your might, + so that all men may know

                  of Your mighty acts   + and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.   +   My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.   + Let every creature praise His holy name for ever and ever.

 

After which the Congregation will be seated for

 

The Opening Hymn                                                                       Hymn 566    “We All Are One In Mission”

 

We all are one in mission,  We all are one in call,

Our varied gifts united   By Christ, the Lord of all.

A single, great commission  Compels us from above

To plan and work together   That all may know Christ’s love.

 

We all are called for service  To witness in God’s name.

Our ministries are diff’rent,  Our purpose is the same:

To touch the lives of others   By God’s surprising grace

So ev’ry folk and nation  May feel God’s warm embrace.

 

Now let us be united  And let our song be heard.

Now let us be a vessel  For God’s redeeming Word.

We all are one in mission,   We all are one in call,

Our varied gifts united   By Christ, the Lord of all.

 

 

After which the Congregation will rise as

 

 

We Make Confession Of Our Sins To God

 

Pastor        God, our Heavenly Father, invites us to come into His presence and to worship Him with humble and penitent hearts.  Therefore, let us now turn to Him, acknowledging our sinfulness and seeking His forgiveness for all our sins.

Congregation  Holy and merciful Father,   I confess that I am by nature sinful   and that I have disobeyed You in my thoughts, words, and actions;    I have done what is evil in Your sight   and have failed to do what is good.    For this I know that I deserve Your punishment, both now and for eternity.     But I am truly sorry for all my sins,   and trusting in the perfect life   and innocent death of my Savior,   Jesus Christ, I plead:   God have mercy on me, a sinner.

 

Pastor        Our gracious Lord and Master has shown us His mercy:   He has given His one and only Son to save us from all our sins.     And now, carrying out my office as a called servant of Christ,  and according to His command and authority,   I forgive you all your sins   in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  May the peace of God rest upon all of you.    Amen.

 

 

The Order of Matins                                                                                                                            

 

      Pastor –      O Lord, open my lips.

 

                  CongregationAnd my mouth shall show forth Thy praise

 

 

      Pastor –      Hasten, O God, to deliver me.

 

                  Congregation        Make haste, O God, to deliver me.

 

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost

As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be

World without end.   Amen.   Hallleljuah.

 

 The Prayer For This Morning

 

O God our Father,   +   We praise You for setting forth in Your Word +  the way of life for us in Your Beloved Son.   +   And we thank You for bringing us into saving faith in Him   + through the efforts of those who brought the Gospel to us.    +   As we reflect upon Your Word this morning   + through the Spirit’s working in our hearts, +   fill each one of us   +   with a growing desire to commit ourselves + and the resources You have entrusted to our care +   to that work of proclaiming near and far   +    and to as many as we can +  the Gospel of forgiveness and salvation +  through faith in Christ Jesus.   +   Out of gratitude for Your many mercies to me, +  move me to be more eager, active, and faithful   +  in my life of Christian witness  + both as an individual believer in my every-day life + and as a part of this Christian congregation and its evangelism ministry.   +   Finally, bless all our witnessing efforts + that many others might trust in You as we do + and join us in praising You now and forever +  as the God of our salvation.    +   All this we pray  in Jesus’ name.    +   Amen.

 

after which the Congregation may be seated

 

Feed Us, Lord

 

The Children’s Lesson                                                                                                           Matthew 4:18-22

 

18 As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. 19 He said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  

20 They immediately left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

 

Going Fishing For People

 

 

The Epistle Lesson                                                               I Corinthians 9:19-23

 

19 In fact, although I am free from all, I enslaved myself to all so that I might gain many more. 20 To the Jews, I became like a Jew so that I might gain Jews. To those who are under the law, I became like a person under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might gain those who are under the law. 21 To those who are without the law, I became like a person without the law (though I am not without God’s law but am within the law of Christ) so that I might gain those who are without the law. 22 To the weak, I became weak so that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all people so that I may save at least some. 23 And I do everything for the sake of the gospel so that I may share in it along with others.

 

 

The First Gospel Lesson                                                            John 4:4-42

 

4 He had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the piece of land Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there. Then Jesus, being tired from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.   A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (His disciples had gone into town to buy food.)   9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

 

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”    11 “Sir,” she said, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do you get this living water? 12 You are not greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his animals.”  13 Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I will give him will never be thirsty ever again. Rather, the water I will give him will become in him a spring of water, bubbling up to eternal life.”   15 “Sir, give me this water,” the woman said to him, “so I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”   16 Jesus told her, “Go, call your husband, and come back here.”   17 “I have no husband,” the woman answered.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say, ‘I have no husband.’ 18 In fact, you have had five husbands, and the man you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

 

19 “Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews insist that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”   21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will not worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But a time is coming and now is here when the real worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for those are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”    25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (the one called Christ). “When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”     26 Jesus said to her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”

 

27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised that he was talking to a woman. Yet no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking to her?”   28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back into town. She said to the people, 29 “Come, see the man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 They left the town and came to him.    31 Meanwhile, the disciples kept urging him, “Rabbi, eat.”    32 But Jesus said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”    33 Then the disciples said to each other, “Did anyone bring him something to eat?”    34 Jesus told them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘Four more months and the harvest will be here’? Pay attention to what I am telling you. Open your eyes and look at the fields, because they are already  ripe for harvest. 36 The reaper is getting paid and is gathering grain for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together. 37 Indeed in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap a harvest for which you did no hard work. Others have done the hard work, and you have benefitted from their labor.”

 

39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony: “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them. And he stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed because of his message. 42 They told the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said. Now we have heard for ourselves. And we know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

 

 

 

The Response  Hymn                                                                                    “Let Us Talk About The Savior”

                                                                                           (Sung to the tune “What A Friend We Have In Jesus”)

 

Let us talk about the Savior     Jesus Christ, our Lord and King.

With our tongues and whole behavior

Let us each His praises sing.

With our unchurched friends and neighbors

With the strangers that we meet

Let us share our priceless Treasure,

Jesus, Savior, oh, so sweet!

 

Let us tell man how He suffered    Died, and rose to set us free

From the power of sin and Satan,

Life to give to you and me.

When we see man lost and stumbling

In the wilderness of sin

Let us tell how God gave Jesus

Everlasting life to win.

 

Let us talk about the Savior,    Let us speak of sin and grace,

For there’s nothing but the Gospel

Which can save our fallen race.

“Go and tell to all who’ll listen,

Jesus is the only way.”

He alone has died to save us,

This is what the Scriptures say.

 

Let us talk about the Savior,      Christian members go and tell

For this place where God has placed us

Needs that message just as well.

Every single congregation,

Faithful witnesses must be,

When it comes to Gospel preaching,

Now and ’till eternity.   Amen.

 

 

The Congregation will then rise, to hear

 

The Second Gospel Lesson                                                                                                           John 1:35-51

 

35 The next day, John was standing there again with two of his disciples. 36 When John saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.    38 When Jesus turned around and saw them following him, he asked, “What are you looking for?”    They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”    39 He told them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying. They stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour.

 

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his own brother Simon and say to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is translated “the Christ”). 42 He brought him to Jesus.     Looking at him, Jesus said, “You are Simon, son of Jonah.  You will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).

 

43 The next day, Jesus wanted to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.   45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”   46 Nathanael said to him, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”    “Come and see!” Philip told him.    47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Truly, here is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”    48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?”

Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, while you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

50 Jesus replied, “You believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that!” 51 Then he added, “Amen, Amen,  I tell you:  You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

 

The Apostles’ Creed

 

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 Ghost;   Born of the Virgin Mary;  Suffered under Pontius Pilate;   Was crucified, dead and buried;   He descended into hell;   The third day He rose again from the dead;   He ascended into heaven And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;   From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Ghost;   The Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints;  The forgiveness of sins;   The resurrection of the body;    And the life everlasting.  Amen.

 

after which the Congregation will be seated for

 

 

The Sermon  Hymn                                                                           Hymn 560   “I Hear the Savior Calling”

 

I hear the Savior calling!  The Gospel comes to me.

My eyes once closed in blindness    Are opened now to see

That I myself was helpless    To live eternally,

But dying, Christ did save me, And now He calls to me.

 

I hear the Savior calling!    He leads a soul to me,

A soul in bitter anguish, One needing to be free.

The gift I have to offer    Is Christ, my Lord’s decree

That all have been forgiven — My Savior calls for me!

 

I hear the Savior calling!   He gives this charge to me:

To serve the best I’m able,   Whate’er the call may be.

Thus hand in hand with others   Who share the Gospel key

We spread the Gospel tidings — My Savior calls for me!

 

I hear the Savior calling!   He changes hearts for me.

From door to door I witness   To share my Savior’s plea;

Yet nothing can be added,   No word on bended knee,

Beyond the simple Gospel — My Savior calls for me!

 

I hear the Savior calling!    His call has urgency!

Each moment souls are dying;   Soon comes eternity.

And so, my precious Savior,    This is my humble plea:

Prepare me for my mission    For You are calling me!

 

Following the Sermon Hymn the Congregation will remain seated for

 

The Greeting

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ, our Lord.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer!   Amen.

 

 

The Reading of the Sermon Text                                                                                          Matthew 4:18-22

 

18 As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. 19 He said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”   20 They immediately left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

 

Do You Hear The Savior Calling You?

 

after which the Congregation will rise for

 

 

The Post-Sermon Blessing

 

May the God of peace, Who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, now equip you with everything good for doing His will!   Amen.

 

 

 

We Respond To God’s Word through our Offering and Prayers

 

Our Offerings of Love to our Lord

 

Because we aren’t able to pass an offering plate today during this morning’s worship service, those in attendance may leave their offerings in the offering plates by the exit at the close of our service.    For those watching this worship service, we offer you the following suggestions for providing God with Your thank-offerings through our ministry:     

1) You can mail a check (no cash) to the church address (415 N. 6th Place, Lowell, AR 72745)

2) You can go to our website (www.gracelutherannwa.com) and use the giving option.

 

After which the Congregation rises

 

The Prayers of the Church

 

Included in our prayers this morning are:

 

A Prayer of Intercession for Bev and Darrell Anderson as they look forward to

completing their rehabilitation therapy at the Highlands in Bella Vista and returning to their home

 

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.

 

 

We Leave With The Lord’s Blessing

 

The Benediction

 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  Amen.

 

The Closing Hymn                                                                               Hymn 562  “I Love To Tell The Story”

 

 

1 I love to tell the story    Of unseen things above,

Of Jesus and his glory,   Of Jesus and his love.

I love to tell the story  Because I know it’s true;

It satisfies my longings  As nothing else can do.

 

Refrain:

I love to tell the story;   ‘Twill be my theme in glory

To tell the old, old story   Of Jesus and his love.

 

2 I love to tell the story,   For those who know it best

Seem hungering and thirsting   To hear it like the rest.

And when in scenes of glory   I sing the new, new song,

‘Twill be the old, old story   That I have loved so long. [Refrain]

                                                                                                                                                                           

Silent Prayer , Announcements , Post-Worship Music                                                                                     

 

Announcements

 

This Past Week At Grace Lutheran      Worship Attendance: 51      Online views:   29

Bible Class: 16   Online views : 10    Sunday School: 2        

Budgetary Offerings: $4320       Online Offerings: $443.46

School Fund: $62        Capital Improvement: $61      Benevolence: $26

Tuesday Bible Class: 13         Wednesday Bible Studies: 6 men, 5 women

 

Birthdays This Week              Jan 26   Craig Laine;     Jan 26 – Kiele Leigh Laine;

Jan 27 – Tony Hoyord;        Jan 29 – Rebecca Johannes:

 

Serving Us Next Week (1-31)                                                                 Ushers – Kent Mayer,   Tim Huebner

Altar Guild – Tina Wambold, Harriet Johnson                                        Elders – Tim Pfortmiller, Vic Walker 

This Coming Week at Grace Lutheran Church

Today      Morning Worship Service, 9:30 a.m.   Bible Class/Sunday School, 11:05 a.m.

                        Youth Confirmation Class, noon to 1:15 p.m.

Tuesday          Morning Bible Study, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Wednesday    Women’s and Men’s Bible Studies, 6 p.m.

Sunday                                                                                                                          Morning Worship, 9:30 a.m. a.m.                                                                                             Bible Class / Sunday School – 11:05 a.m.

                        Youth Confirmation Class, noon to 1:15 p.m.

 

Bible Classes This Week      Our Sunda Bible Class will be studying 1 John…..starting at 2:18 with John’s warnings about the danger of a variety of  antichrists and about The Antichrist.

Tuesday’s Bible Class (10:30-11:30) is studying I Kings, chapter 2….the death of David, the threat to Solomon’s rule from Adonijah and Shimei.     In our Wednesday Bible Classes (6-7 p.m.),our women are studying Philippians,while the men’s Class is studying Selected Psalms…..This week Psalms 46 and 51.