Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

Sunday, February 13th, 2022

PRELUDE “We Come To the Hungry Feast”   arr. David. Cherwien

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

* CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
In the name of the Father,
and of the ☩ Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

God of all mercy and consolation, come to the help of your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your Holy Spirit that we may confess our sin, receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

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

Gracious God, have mercy on us. We confess that we have turned from you and given ourselves into the power of sin. We are truly sorry and humbly repent. In your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things we have done and things we have failed to do. Turn us again to you, and uphold us by your Spirit, so that we may live and serve you in newness of life through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. In the name of ☩ Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts through faith. Amen.

Gathering Song  “Let Justice Flow Like Streams”  ELW 717

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.

Canticle of Praise Glory to God

Prayer of the Day
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. 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, preaching, and song.

CHILDREN’S TIME

First Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-10
A reading from Jeremiah.

5Thus says the Lord:
Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals 
and make mere flesh their strength,  
whose hearts turn away from the Lord.
6They shall be like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see when relief comes.  
They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, 
in an uninhabited salt land.  

7Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
8They shall be like a tree planted by water,
sending out its roots by the stream.  
It shall not fear when heat comes, 
and its leaves shall stay green;  
in the year of drought it is not anxious, 
and it does not cease to bear fruit.  

9The heart is devious above all else;
it is perverse—  
who can understand it?  
10I the Lord test the mind
and search the heart,  
to give to all according to their ways, 
according to the fruit of their doings.  

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Psalm: Psalm 1

Spoken in unison

1Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked,
nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful!
2Their delight is in the law of the Lord,
  and they meditate on God’s teaching day and night.
3They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither;
everything they do shall prosper.
4It is not so with the wicked;
  they are like chaff which the wind blows away.
5Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes,
nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.
6For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
  but the way of the wicked shall be destroyed.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20
A reading from 1 Corinthians.

2Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; 14and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. 15We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. 17If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. 19If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

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

*Gospel: Luke 6:17-26
The holy gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord.

17[Jesus] came down with [the twelve] and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.18They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
20Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, 
for yours is the kingdom of God.  
21“Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.  
“Blessed are you who weep now, 
for you will laugh.  
22“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
24“But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.  
25“Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.  
“Woe to you who are laughing now, 
for you will mourn and weep.  
26“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.”

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

Sermon

Hymn of the Day “We Come to the Hungry Feast” ELW 479

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 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
Response: Hear our prayer.

*Peace
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.

Moment for Mission
ELCA World Hunger Our offering is a form of worship, taking part in God’s transforming mission in this world. Each dollar we give contributes to changing lives. Each week we will take a moment to remember one way that our offerings do that.

This week, we remember ELCA World Hunger. Approximately 11% of the world’s population – more than 820 million people – live in hunger and extreme poverty. ELCA World Hunger not only provides immediate relief to those who are hungry, it also connects people with the resources they need to produce food and gain access to clean water, education, health care and sources of income, so that long-term, sustainable change can be accomplished.

Offering Prayer
Let us pray. God of mercy and grace, the eyes of all wait upon you, and you open your hand in blessing. Fill us with good things at your table, that we may come to the help of all in need, through Jesus Christ, our redeemer and Lord. Amen.

MEAL
God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ

GREAT THANKSGIVING
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;
who on this day overcame death and the grave,
and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.
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 

* THANKSGIVING AT THE TABLE
We give you thanks, Father,
through Jesus Christ, your beloved Son,
whom you sent in this end of the ages
to save and redeem us and to proclaim to us your will.

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.

In the same way 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.

Remembering, then, his death and resurrection,
we take this bread and cup,
giving you thanks that you have made us worthy
to stand before you and to serve you as your priestly people.
Amen.

Lord’s Prayer
Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.

Invitation to Communion
Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Communion Note: Holy Communion: Believing in the “real presence” of Christ, this church practices Eucharistic hospitality that is all baptized persons are welcome to Communion. Children or adults, who have not had Communion instruction are invited to receive a blessing. Grape juice is available in pre-filled cups. Gluten-free wafers are available by request.

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, grant us peace.

Communion Hymns
Communion 1: “O God of Mercy, God of Light”  ELW 714
Communion 2: “Jesus, the Very Thought of You”  ELW754

*Post-Communion Blessing
May the body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in God’s grace. Amen

*Prayer After Communion
Let us pray. O God, our life, our strength, our food, we give you thanks for sustaining us with the body and blood of your Son. By your Holy Spirit, enliven us to be his body in the world, that more and more we will give you praise and serve your earth and its many peoples, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

SENDING
God blesses us and sends us into the world to serve our neighbor.

Blessing
The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The God of all grace ☩ bless you now and forever.
Amen.

Sending Song Let Streams of Living Justice Flow”  ELW 710

Dismissal
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

POSTLUDE “O God Beyond all Praising”   arr. David Cherwien