stjohnluthchurchmineola.orgstjohnluthchurchmineola.org/uploads/3/4/5/3/... · web view1/17/2021...

St. John Lutheran Church (ELCA)Mineola, IA

Pastor Luke Kuenzli

Order of Service and Worship TextsFor Virtual and In-person Worship

Adapted from Evangelical Lutheran WorshipSetting 2 and from Sundays & Seasons

January 2021 during COVID-19 pandemic

THIS SUNDAY: January 17, 2021 – Second Sunday of Epiphany10:30 – In-person Worship with YouTube Live stream11:30 – Annual Meeting, in-person and online (see below)

Tues – Quilting. All are welcome!Mon – No Preschool Wed/Fri – Preschool 9:00-11:30Wed/Thurs – Virtual Communion (times below)

NEXT SUNDAY: January 24, 2021 10:30 – In-person Worship with YouTube Live stream

ACCOMPANIST: Barb Mass

Annual Congregational Meeting after Sunday Worship. We meet both in-person and online with the following link: meet.google.com/pwo-bcny-rip

Virtual Communion:During Sunday worship (when worship is virtual-only) ORWhen Sunday worship is in-person: (meeting address is the same each week) Wednesdays at 11am: meet.google.com/ixe-mnpg-eej AND Thursdays at 6:30pm: meet.google.com/uwh-pewk-hms ORby other arrangement with Pastor Luke.

If worshipping from home, pick up a prepackaged communion cup/wafer at church at any of the following times at the North entrance, near the Church office. (or use your own bread and wine/grape juice):

Communion Pick-Up Times: Sunday – 9:15-11:30amMonday/Wednesday/Thursday – 9:30am-Noon, or 1:30pm-5:00pm, or evening as arranged. Tuesday – 2:00-5:00pm, or evening as arranged. Friday/Saturday – by arrangement with Pastor Luke.

1

St. John Lutheran ChurchMineola, Iowa Phone (712) 526-2268Website: stjohnluthchurchmineola.orgPastor Luke Kuenzli

January 17, 2021 10:30amSecond Sunday of Epiphany

We are called to glorify God, grow in faith,

and build community.Mission Statement

SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION – COVID-19 Virtual and In-Person

Covid-19 Precautions for in-person worship We will require masks be worn while you are in the building (Ages 2 and

up). Refusal to wear a mask will result in your being asked to leave. We will be practicing social distancing of 6 feet. Closed pews are cordoned

off and labelled. Please don’t gather in the hallway or enter any closed spaces. Restrooms will

be limited to single-person/family use at any given time. Those who do not comply with social distancing policies will be asked to leave.

There will not be singing, prolonged unison speaking, communion, or fellowship time. Virtual communion begins December 6.

We continue to advise (not require) that persons in the vulnerable population groups of 65+ years of age and anyone with underlying medical conditions remain home.

We ask that anyone with any respiratory symptoms (cough, sniffles, sneezing, sore throat) or fever please remain home. You will be asked to leave if you are displaying such symptoms.

We ask that if you are traveling to areas of high virus activity, you remain home for the Sunday following your travels.

Hand sanitizers are located throughout the open areas. Feel free to use them!

Food DriveThe Women of St. John are having a food drive and collecting

for Mills County Store House all through the month of January.

Kid-friendly cereals, canned tuna, chicken, pears, peaches and mixed fruits, dry pastas, toilet paper and feminine hygiene products ALWAYS welcome and needed.

Items will be collected in the shopping cart. Only food items

2

Evangelical Lutheran Worship (Setting 2) (*Stand)

Prelude Welcome/Announcements

GATHERING

*Confession and Forgiveness (from sundaysandseasons.com)Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, whose voice is upon the waters,whose mercy is poured out upon all people, whose goodness cascades over all creation. Amen.

Let us confess our sin, trusting in the abundant grace of God. Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy God, (spoken quietly) you search us and know us. You are acquainted with all our ways.We confess that our hearts are burdened by sin—our own sins and the broken systems that bind us.We turn inward, failing to follow your outward way of love.We distrust those who are not like us.We exploit the earth and its resources and fail to consider generations to come.Forgive us, gracious God, for all we have done and left undone.Even before the words are on our tongues, you know them;receive them in your divine mercy. Amen.

3


Gathering Hymn “Here I Am, Lord” #574Those at home may sing along.

Those in-person, please listen and meditate on the words as one person sings.

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.

4

Kyrie (sung or hummed quietly) p. 120

5


*This is the Feast (sung or hummed quietly) p.122

Salutation The Lord be with you. And also with you.

6

Prayer of the Day (spoken quietly)Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus Christ, most merciful redeemer, for the countless blessings and benefits you give. May we know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day praising you, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

WORDFirst Reading: A reading from 1 Samuel 3:1-20.

1Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. 2At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 3the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4Then the LORD called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” 5and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6The LORD called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 8The LORD called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. 9Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11Then the LORD said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. 12On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.” 15Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.” 17Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, “It is the LORD; let him do what seems good to him.”

7


19As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the LORD.

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

Psalm 139:1-6,13-18 Two lectors read responsively by whole verse.1 LORD, you have searched me out; O LORD, you have known me.2You know my sitting down and my rising up;

you discern my thoughts from afar. 3You trace my journeys and my resting-places

and are acquainted with all my ways.4Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, but you, O LORD , know it altogether. 5You encompass me, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is so high that I cannot attain to it.13For you yourself created my inmost parts;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.14I will thank you because I am marvelously made;

your works are wonderful, and I know it well. 15My body was not hidden from you,

while I was being made in secret and woven in the depths of the earth.16Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb;

all of them were written in your book; my days were fashioned before they came to be.

17How deep I find your thoughts, O God! How great is the sum of them!18If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.

Second Reading: A reading from 1 Corinthians 6:12-2012“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things

are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,” and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. 15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall be one flesh.” 17But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the

8

body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. 19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. …Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God!

*Gospel Acclamation (sung or hummed quietly)

We have found the Mess-iah: | Jesus Christ, who brings us grace and truth.

*Announcement of the Gospel The holy gospel according to John 1:43-51. Glory to you, O Lord.

*The Gospel is proclaimed 43The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him,

“Follow me.” 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” 51And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

…the gospel of the Lord. Praise to You, O Christ!

Sermon Pastor Luke Kuenzli

9


“Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Jesus’ first words to

Nathanael. Would that Jesus’ first words to us, when he sees us coming toward

him, were an echo of the same. “Here is truly a believer, a disciple, a faithful one in

whom there is no deceit!” We are not told by any other source whether this an

accurate assessment of Nathanael’s character – unless you count Nathanael’s own

self-assessment “Where did you get to know me?” And self-assessment is

frequently… biased. No deceit? None at all? No hidden motivations? No buried

thoughts, suppressed for the sake of avoiding conflict? No deceit?

It may be that for Nathanael, it is true. After all, he did not hesitate to voice

his disdain for people from that remote village called Nazareth. Bethsaida, his own

village, had (according to the historian Josephus) recently become a popular

destination, as it had been renamed “Julias” after Caesar Augustus’ wife Julia Livia

by the tetrarch King Herod Philip (son of Herod the Great and half-brother of

Herod Antipas and Herod Archelaus) and granted municipal rights under Roman

law. What had been a fishing village not much larger than Nazareth was now a

burgeoning center of trade, with an influx of taxes, visitors seeking to honor

Caesar’s wife by visiting the city named for her, and a new sense of self-

importance for the residents who plied their trades there. It was a common case of

small-town rivalry turned into down-the-nose sneers because of the new bragging

rights. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael voiced his derision

openly, without deceit.

Deceit, or deception, has always been a problem for humankind. It was the

subterfuge of the serpent that ensnared the first people and lured them away from

trust in God’s word, after all. The counterpart to deceit is, of course, truth; the

counterpart to deception, honesty. It seems that in our current culture, we are

having a particularly hard time distinguishing between truth and lie, between

10

reality and falsehood. We, like Nathanael, have our preconceived notions about

reputable and reliable sources of information, of authority, perhaps even of identity.

Who we are, how we see ourselves and others, seems to be increasingly

dependent upon such preconceptions. We’ve all heard it over the past week and a

half – much longer, honestly… We’ve all seen the posts on facebook from friends

and family members, or the headlines on news channels. Here’s just a sampling

from recent days, of things I’ve heard or seen, and I’m sure you have, too…

“Trump supporters are terrorists.” Stated as truth, when we all know that it

isn’t. “Democrats are godless and unpatriotic.” Again, stated as fact, when we all

know it is far from true. These kinds of blanket statements don’t do anyone any

good, but they do reveal a kind of truth, even through their clear inaccuracy – that

we human beings find it far easier to generalize and to presume than we do to

consider nuanced and complex issues.

Another phrase I heard, and uttered, myself. “This is not who we are as a

nation.” Clearly, it is, or the events of last Wednesday and threats of continued

unrest this week would not be happening. And this is without even getting into the

blame game of who started it, who incited, whose fault, who infiltrated, who

allowed, who planned… was it foreign anarchists, was it antifa, was it neo-Nazis

and white supremacists, was it demonic influence, was it God’s wrath? I’ve heard

all of that! And the truth is far scarier than any of those. The truth, in which there is

no deceit, is that we do not know who we are, because we cannot agree on who we

are.

That is who we are as a nation, at this moment in time. We are divided. We

are frustrated. We are confused and baffled. We are in denial, or we are becoming

numb. We are distraught and don’t know how we got here or how to change things.

11


It is far easier to cast blame on others through preconceived blanket generalizations

than it is to listen, to hear, to understand why someone, anyone, might disagree

with your well-intentioned, well-ingrained, well-rehearsed logic.

“Can anything good come out of [insert political party name here]…” The

presumed answer is “no.” And if we’re not careful, the answer we want to hear is

the only answer we will hear, because we are all too willing to deceive ourselves,

to be deceived by those who share our perspectives, and to distrust those who hold

differing opinions.

To Nathanael’s derisive and disdainful question, to his preconceived notions

and his condescending attitude toward Nazareth, Philip did not even attempt to

give an answer – it probably wouldn’t have gotten him anywhere, anyway. He

simply said “come and see,” and shared with his friend what he had discovered for

himself, what his friends Andrew and Simon had discovered before him on the

banks of the Jordan (in John’s Gospel) or the shore of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew

and Mark) or the lakeshore (Luke). There’s another question about truth… where

exactly were the first disciples when Jesus called them? The answer is that Jesus

called them from wherever he found them – lakeshore or seashore or riverbank

doesn’t actually matter! Jesus found them, just as he found Philip and just as

Philip, in turn, found Nathanael!

In John’s Gospel, Simon and Andrew were looking for him, were following

John the Baptizer because of his promise that one was coming after him. Philip

wasn’t looking for the Messiah, as far as we know, but Jesus found him anyway.

Nathanael was lounging about under a fig tree – for shade, for a snack? Out of

laziness, out of a need for quiet? Who knows! – not looking for Jesus, not looking

for anything worthwhile from Nazareth… but when Jesus described his honesty of

12

character, when Jesus said “I saw you under the fig tree…” Nathanael followed

Jesus without hesitation.

“I saw you…” Was that why Nathanael proclaimed Jesus the Son of God

and followed him? “I see you, I get where you’re coming from, I understand your

concerns and want to address them…” Is that why we choose to trust, to follow,

certain ideologies, certain political parties, certain leaders? Because we felt seen,

heard, and understood, instead of forgotten, neglected, and overlooked?

What is it about a person that draws us in? Why do we follow them? Is it

trust, a sense of truth? Is it a shared perspective, even if we know it isn’t entirely

accurate? In any case, they’re right here, in front of us. It’s easier to follow

someone whose voice we can hear and whose face we can see than it is to follow a

God whose presence is masked in the ordinary, a Savior whose presence is

mystical. Samuel, hearing God’s voice calling him, immediately got up and ran to

the one he could see and hear in everyday life, Eli, lying down in his room. Why

assume it was God, who so rarely spoke in those days… who so rarely seems to

speak in our day?

Perhaps that need to be seen and understood is part of why Psalm 139 has

always been so well loved. God searches us out, finds us, knows our thoughts and

words, our inmost being! God gets us! And isn’t that, too, the good news of Jesus?

That in him, our creator took on our human form, lived a human life, died a human

death… and all for the sake of salvation, for the cause of community, for the reality

of relationship. Not because we are like God, not because we are searching for God

particularly hard, not because we love God, but because God loves us and will

always come searching for us.

13


We owe it to ourselves, to our neighbors, to our Savior to invite others, as

Philip did, to “come and see” the places and persons in whom we have discovered

Christ. And we owe it to ourselves, our neighbors, and our Savior to “go and see,”

as Nathanael did, where they have found their truth. Because when we see, we can

better understand; and when we understand, we can better love. When we love, we

can better follow Jesus Christ, who has already come and seen, come and been,

come and known, come to love us. In that love, in our Christ, is truly one in whom

there is no deceit. How refreshing to dwell in that truth. Amen.

*Apostles’ CreedI 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 Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead. 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 Guided by Christ made known to the nations, let us offer our prayers for the

church, the world, and all people in need. A brief silence.

For the body of Christ gathered throughout the world and for all servants of the gospel, that following Jesus, the church lives out its calling every day… For First Lutheran Church in Sioux Rapids and Pastor Tonna Parsons; for Silver City and Hillsdale United Methodist Churches and Pastor Ken Demlow; and for the work of Lutheran Services in Iowa to provide care to children and families, seniors, and adults with disabilities, let us pray. Have mercy, O God.

For the well-being of creation, for plants and animals, and for all that God has marvelously made, that we serve as wise stewards of Earth, our home… For all creatures and people endangered by winter weather, that safe and warm shelter would be provided, let us pray. Have mercy, O God.

14

For police officers and firefighters, for attorneys and paralegals, for peacekeepers and military personnel, and for the leaders of governments, that they provide protection to all people, especially the most vulnerable. For our nation and our President Donald Trump as his term comes to a close and for President-Elect Joe Biden as he is inaugurated, for all our legislators, and for a peaceful transition, let us pray. Have mercy, O God.

For those lacking food or shelter, for those who are sick or grieving, and for those who are imprisoned or homebound especially, Harper Griffin, Mike, Jillian and baby Dean Kahl, Chris Dierking, Raymond Rodgers, Randy Williams, that God console all who suffer, let us pray. Have mercy, O God.

For our neighborhood, for visitors joining us for the first time, for members and friends returning, and for those absent from our assembly, that all who seek to know God are nourished by word and sacrament, let us pray. Have mercy, O God.

In thanksgiving for the saints who have gone before us, that their lives give us a vision of the gospel in action, let us pray. Have mercy, O God.

Merciful God, hear the prayers of your people, spoken or silent, for the sake of the one who dwells among us, your Son, Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Peace The peace of the Lord be with you always. And also with you.Share a word or a sign of peace with those around you, or send a virtual greeting of peace to someone you’re thinking of.

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving for the WordPraise and thanks to you, holy God, for by your Word you made all things: you spoke light into darkness, called forth beauty from chaos, and brought life into being. For your Word of life, O God, we give you thanks and praise.

By your Word you called your people Israel to tell of your wonderful gifts: freedom from captivity, water on the desert journey, a pathway home from exile, wisdom for life with you. For your Word of life, O God, we give you thanks and praise.

15


Through Jesus, your Word made flesh, you speak to us and call us to witness: forgiveness through the cross, life to those entombed by death, the way of your self-giving love. For your Word of life, O God, we give you thanks and praise.

Send your Spirit of truth, O God; rekindle your gifts within us: renew our faith, increase our hope, and deepen our love, for the sake of a world in need. Faithful to your Word, O God, draw near to all who call on you; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever. Amen.

Lord’s PrayerGathered together by the Holy Spirit, we pray as Jesus taught us: (spoken quietly)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.

SendingBLESSING

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

16

Sending Song “Will You Come and Follow Me” #798Those at home may sing along.

Those in-person, please listen and meditate on the words as one person sings.

Dismissal Go in peace. Be the light of Christ! Thanks be to God!

17


Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Service adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship © 2006. All rights reserved.And/or from Sundays and Seasons.com. © 2020 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.

Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #46263.

“Here I Am, Lord” Text and Music © 1981 OCP Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission through from ONE LICENSE, License #731513-A.

“Will You Come and Follow Me” Text © 1987 Iona Community, admin. GIA Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission through from ONE LICENSE, License #731513-A.

Permission to stream music in this service obtainedfrom ONE LICENSE, License #731513-A. All rights reserved.

18

stjohnluthchurchmineola.orgstjohnluthchurchmineola.org/uploads/3/4/5/3/... · web view1/17/2021...

Documents