Created, saved and gifted by God, we seek, serve and share Jesus Christ.

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
January 30, 2022
10:30 a.m.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
901 East Stroop Road
Kettering, OH 45429-4688
(937) 298-0136

Introduction

The glory of God is often revealed when and where it is least expected. God uses our lips to declare that glory, inexperienced and hesitant though they may be. God uses our love to demonstrate that glory and so urges us to exercise it. God uses Jesus of Nazareth, water and the word, bread and wine, to reveal God’s glory where and when God chooses. Take heed, lest the glory of God slip through our midst unnoticed.
Hometown Surprise
In today’s gospel, Jesus has returned to his hometown, a community eager to welcome him back into their midst. Perhaps they assumed Jesus would meet their familiar welcome with special favor. But instead, Jesus shakes things up by pointing to God’s presence in the lives of outsiders. This is not exactly the message the hometown folks were expecting to hear!
Jesus recalls the widow at Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian, two outsiders in whom God chose to demonstrate divine healing power. This text is an invitation for people in every time and place to consider how whenever we think we have God figured out, God instead shows up in the lives of those we least expect. Every time we place God at the center of our own world, God’s Spirit nudges us to expand our horizons to notice the Holy at work in other communities too.
In homeless shelters and prisons, in immigration detention centers and tense board rooms, in ritzy hotels and dingy bars, in hospital rooms and messy kitchens—in every ordinary, imperfect, and painful place, God is here bringing about new life and freedom. In traditions we don’t un- derstand, in cultures unfamiliar to us, in people we would rather write off as “other,” God dwells, creating and loving and restoring.
Even within our own churches, God defies any logic about what is holy and what is not. God shows up in the ordinary objects of bread and wine and water, in the bodies of flawed and frag- ile people gathered for worship, in the sticky hands and juice-stained mouths of children waving their Sunday school crafts. In these imperfect and beautiful things Jesus declares the presence of the kingdom of God.
May our hearts be open to notice Christ in the places we least expect him to be.

GATHERING

The Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God.

WELCOME

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CONFESSION & FORGIVENESS

All may make the sign of the cross, the sign that is marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires 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.
Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.

Most merciful God,
we confess that we are captive 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.

In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

GATHERING SONG “Lord, Reign in Me”

Over all the earth,
You reign on high,
Every mountain stream,
every sunset sky,
But my one request,
Lord, my only aim
Is that You’d reign in me again.

Lord reign in me,
reign in Your pow’r,
Over all my dreams,
in my darkest hour.
You are the Lord of all I am,
So won’t You reign in me again?

Over every thought,
over every word,
May my life reflect
the beauty of my Lord,
‘Cause You mean more to me
Than any earthly thing.
So won’t You reign in me again?

Lord reign in me,
reign in Your pow’r,
Over all my dreams,
in my darkest hour.
You are the Lord of all I am,
So won’t You reign in me again?

Lord reign in me,
reign in Your pow’r,
Over all my dreams,
in my darkest hour.
You are the Lord of all I am,
So won’t You reign in me again?
Won’t you reign in me again?
Won’t you reign in me again?

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.

KYRIE

In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
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.
Lord, have mercy.
for this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Amen.

CANTICLE OF PRAISE

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Almighty and ever-living God,
increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and love; and that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

WORD

God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching, and song.

FIRST READING Jeremiah 1:4-10

God calls Jeremiah to be a prophet and consecrates him in the womb. Jeremiah’s task is to preach God’s word in the midst of the difficult political realities of his time, before the Babylo- nian exile. He is to make God known not only to Judah, but also to the nations.

A reading from the book of Jeremiah.
Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.”
But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.”
Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.

SECOND READING 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Christians in Corinth prided themselves on their spiritual gifts. Paul reminds them that God gives us many gifts through the Holy Spirit, but the purpose behind all of them is love, the kind of love that God showed us in Jesus Christ.

A reading from the book of 1 Corinthians.
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL READING Luke 4:21-30

People in Jesus’ hometown are initially pleased when he says that God will free the oppressed. Their pleasure turns to rage when he reminds them that God’s prophetic mission typically pushes beyond human boundaries so that mercy and healing are extended to those regarded as outsiders.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.
Glory to you, O Lord.

Then [Jesus] began to say to [all in the synagogue in Nazareth,] “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’ ” And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

MESSAGE

HYMN OF THE DAY “The Gift of Love”

Though I may speak
with bravest fire,
and have the gift
to all inspire,

and have not love,
my words are vain,
as sounding brass
and hopeless gain.

Though I may give
all I possess,
and striving so
my love profess,

but not be giv’n
by love within,
the profit soon
turns strangely thin.

Come, Spirit, come,
our hearts control,
our spirits long
to be made whole,

let inward love
guide ev’ry deed;
by this we worship,
and are freed.

APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
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,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

The Spirit of the Lord is poured out upon us in abundance; so we are bold to pray for the church, the world, and all that God has made.

A brief silence.

Each intercession concludes:
God of Grace.
Hear our prayer.

Since we have such great hope in your promises, O God, we lift these and all of our prayers to you in confidence and faith; through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.

MEAL

God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ.

DIALOGUE

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ. You comforted your people with the promise of the Redeemer, through whom you will also make all things new in the day when he comes to judge the world in righteousness. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven 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. Hosanna in the highest.

WORDS OF INSTITUTION

In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

With this bread and cup we remember your Word dwelling among us, full of grace and truth. We remember our new birth in his death and resurrection. We look with hope for his coming.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Holy God, we long for your Spirit. Come among us. Bless this meal. May your Word take flesh in us. Awaken your people. Fill us with your light. Bring the gift of peace on earth.
Come, Holy Spirit.

All praise and glory are yours, Holy One of Israel, Word of God incarnate, Power of the Most High, one God, now and forever.

Amen, amen. Amen, amen.

LORD’S PRAYER

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.
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 tempta- tion, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

INVITATION TO COMMUNION

Come to God’s table. There is a place for you and enough for all.
Amen.

LAMB OF GOD

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; grant us peace.

TABLE BLESSING

The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bless you and always keep you in God’s grace.
Amen.

SONG AFTER COMMUNION: The Canticle of Simeon

Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace: your word has been fulfilled. My own own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of ev’ry people: a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

We give you thanks, gracious God, for we have feasted on the abundance of your house. Send us to bring good news and to proclaim your favor to all, strengthened with the richness of your grace in your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

SENDING

God blesses us and sends us in mission to the world.

BLESSING

God, who leads you in pathways of righteousness, who rejoices over you, and who calls you by name, bless your going out and your coming in, today and forever.
Amen.

SENDING “Go, My Children, with My Blessing”

“Go, my children,
with my blessing, never alone.
Waking, sleeping, I am with you,
you are my own.

In my love’s baptismal river
I have made you mine forever.
Go, my children, with my blessing,
you are my own.”

“Go, my children,
sins forgiven, at peace and pure.
Here you learned how much I love you,
what I can cure.

Here you heard
my dear Son’s story,
here you touched him, saw his glory.
Go, my children, sins forgiven,
at peace and pure.”

“Go, my children,
fed and nourished, closer to me.
Grow in love and love by serving,
joyful and free.

Here my Spirit’s power filled you,
here my tender comfort stilled you.
Go, my children, fed and nourished,
joyful and free.”

DISMISSAL

Go with Christ into a weary world.
Share the good news.
Thanks be to God.
Created, saved and gifted by God; we seek, serve and share Jesus Christ.

“W + 2” = Worship Plus Two
Make a commitment to not only worship each week but also try to find a way to serve in the congregation and seek out a way to serve our community.

YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE MISSION FIELD

Upcoming Commemorations

Presentation of Our Lord
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
Forty days after the birth of Jesus we mark the day Mary and Joseph presented him in the temple in accordance with Jewish law. There they were greeted by Simeon, an aged priest who offered the song “Lord, now you let your servant depart in peace,” as well as by the prophet Anna, who spoke of the redemption of Israel.

Ansgar, Bishop of Hamburg, missionary to Denmark and Sweden, died 865
Thursday, February 3, 2022
A monk who helped bring Christianity to Scandinavia, Ansgar returned to Germany where he was
named bishop of Hamburg. He is remembered for his love for poor people.

The Martyrs of Japan, died 1597
Saturday, February 5, 2022
Christianity was brought to Japan in the sixteenth century by Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries. The religion was suppressed, however, and in 1597 twenty-six missionaries and converts were crucified. Nevertheless, Christianity survived and later prospered.

From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2014 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #22920.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.