Virtual Worship | Fifth Sunday after Epiphany (Feb. 7, 2021: Communion)

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WORSHIP BULLETIN

PRELUDE & WELCOME

HYMN:  We Have Come into His House TFF 136

APOSTOLIC GREETING: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you.

PRAYER OF THE DAY
We pray: Everlasting God, you give strength to the weak and power to the faint. Make us agents of your healing and wholeness, that your good news may be made known to the ends of your creation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

THE WORD

FIRST READING: Isaiah 40:21-31 (KJV)
21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

PSALM 147:1-11, 20c (KJV)
1 Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
2 The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
6 The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:
8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.
10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
20c Hallelujah!

SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 (KJV)
16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
18 What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.
19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
23 And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
The Word of God, Word of Life Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION: Jesus, the Light of the World

The Holy Gospel According to Mark 1:29-39
29 As soon as Jesus and the disciple left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
  32 That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34 And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
  3 5In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37 When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” 38 He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” 39 And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
P: The Gospel of the Lord C: Thanks be to God

SERMON: The Rev. Babette Chatman, Campus Pastor, Augsburg University.

HYMN: Hallelujah! We Sing Your Praises TFF 158

RESPONSIVE PRAYER 
Gracious God, by day and night we pour out our prayer to you.
We are crying out for justice, yearning for what is right, longing for your peace.
Come quickly to help us, O God; save those who call upon your name.
We hear of hateful violence and senseless killings . . .
We feel the suffering, sorrow, and shame of the oppressed . . .
We fear that justice will again be delayed or denied . . .
We recognize patterns of privilege and systems of discrimination . . .
We see your creation destroyed by carelessness and greed . . .
We weep for the victims ...
We grieve in the aftermath...
We pray for an end ...
We long for a day...
We remember ...
Gracious God, keep us working and praying for the day when your justice will roll down like waters, and your righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Replenish our strength and stir up our hope as we look for signs of your coming reign. And fill us with the peace that passes understanding—the deep peace of Jesus Christ our Savior, in whose holy name we pray. Amen.

SHARING of the PEACE! 
The Peace of Christ be with you always! And also with you.

OFFERING PRAYER: 
We pray:  O God, receive these gifts as you receive us: like a mother receives her child, with arms open wide. Nourish us anew in your tender care, and empower us in faithful service to tend to others with this same love, through Jesus Christ, our saving grace. Amen.

THE MEAL

VIRTUAL SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION
**Please gather elements of bread and wine/grape juice to partake in this sacrament. For those without elements, know that we are united in Christ's love made known to us.**

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.

Partake of the elements

SENDING

BLESSING: God the creator strengthen you; Jesus the beloved fill you;
and the Holy Spirit the comforter ☩ keep you in peace. Amen.

DISMISSAL:
May God’s peace be with you ‘til we meet again (2x)  
‘Til we reach that distant shore, and we shed a tear no more,
May God give you strength to endure 
‘Til we meet again (2x)

L: Go in peace... C: Thanks be to God