Sunday, February 8, 2015

Worship Archive: February 8, 2015, Epiphany 5b, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, San Francisco



Epiphany 5B
February 8, 2015
10:30 am Holy Communion Service
Grace Evangelical Lutheran

Pastor: Rev. Megan Rohrer
Guest Musician: Katie Gerber




Welcome to worship at Grace!
Welcome to long-time Lutherans, Christians from every tradition, and people new to faith. Welcome to all who have no church home, want to follow Christ, have doubts, or do not believe. Welcome to new visitors and old friends. Welcome to people of every age and size, color and culture, every sexual orientation and gender identity, socio-economic status, marital status, ability and challenge. Welcome to believers and questioners, and to questioning believers. This is a place where you are welcome to celebrate and sorrow, rejoice and recover.  This is a place where lives are made new.

Special Welcome to Newcomers
Welcome to our small community of faith.  While we are small in numbers, we have big hearts and a desire to grow.  In order to help you follow along, we have included all the materials you need for worship in this bulletin.

Please join us for worship any Sunday at 10:30am that you are able.  If you cannot join us in person, you can also join us online via live stream or by watching the archives of our worship and Bible Study that Doesn’t Suck anytime during the week at our website (www.gracesf.com), or on our mobile phone app, Bible Study that Doesn’t Suck, is available on Google Play and ITunes. 

If you have any questions about the service or about Grace, you can fill out the form in pew to let our pastor know you’d like to chat.  Or you can contact Pastor Megan Rohrer at pastor@gracesf.com.


Prelude:                                                                                                             

Greeting:  
Water is poured into the baptismal font. 
P   The Grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.                         
C   And also with you.

Gathering Hymn:




Prayer of the Day:
Loving God, help us discover your call for our lives.  Keep us ever listening and looking for what you are up to in the world.  Amen.

Welcome           

First Reading: Isaiah 40:21-31
21Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in; 23who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. 24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. 25To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. 26Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing.
27Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 28Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. 30Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; 31but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
L   Word of hope, word of life.                        Thanks be to God


Psalm  147   (read responsively)
1Praise the God most high! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for God is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. 2The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3God heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.
4God determines the number of the stars; God gives to all of them their names.
5Great is our most high, and abundant in power; God’s understanding is beyond measure.
6The most high lifts up the downtrodden; God casts the wicked to the ground. 7Sing to the most high with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre.
8God covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills.
9God gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry. 10God’s delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner; 11but the most high takes pleasure in those who fear God, in those who hope in God’s steadfast love.



Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23
16If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! 17For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. 18What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
19For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. 20To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. 21To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. 22To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. 23I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
L   Word of hope, word of life.                        Thanks be to God

Anthem:              WOV #776          Be Thou My Vision                Grace Choir

Gospel Reading:  Mark 1:29-39
29As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34And 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. 35In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” 38He 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.” 39And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
 P   The gospel of the Lord.                         Praise to you, O Christ.


Sermon              
Silence for reflection follows the sermon.  The assembly stands to proclaim the word of God in song.
Hymn of the Day:


Prayers of Intercession
A    During this season of Epiphany, we pray for teachers, the wise ones who have mentored us, and for the church, the world and all people in their need.  A brief silence.

Creating God, help us repair broken relationships, to clean up our messes and debts and to ask for help when we need it. God in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Parent God, bless all who are parents, the family and staff of the Grace Infant Care Center and all who have created families.  Help us to become better at loving and receiving love from others.  God in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God, you are the highest authority.  Help our civic leaders to bring peace to a war torn world and to care for those who are vulnerable.  Be with our bishops Elizabeth and Mark, our pastor Megan and all the staff and leaders of our congregation.  Help us to support the work and hobbies of all who worship with us, so that we may draw closer to God in all that we do at work and at home.  God in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Loving God, help us to have patience, compassion and listening ears for those who differ from us.  Provide healing and hope for those whose minds, bodies or spirits are in need of care.  We pray especially for those who care for the sick and support those who are aging.  Help us to live and experience as much as we can while we await the day we will be reunited with those we have lost.   God in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For whom and what else do the people of Grace pray?
(Please offer - silently or aloud- petitions to God.  End spoken petitions with “God in your mercy.”)

P Our prayers rise like incense and are held by a loving God who yearns for us to be our best.  May we sleep well, worry less, and live convinced that God is on our side.    Amen.


Peace
The presiding minister and the assembly greet each other in the peace of the risen Christ.

P   The peace of Christ be with you always.                C   And also with you.

The people may greet one another with the sign of Christ’s peace, and may say, “Peace be with you” or similar words.    Then, the assembly is seated.


Offering
An offering is gathered for the mission of the church, including the care of those in need.  After the offering is gathered, the assembly stands.

Offertory
         

Offering Prayer
A    Let us pray.   God, bless all that we have to offer.  May our financial support match the generosity of our lives.  Help us to be good stewards of our financial and emotional investments.  Amen.

Communion: 


P  It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise . . . we praise your name and join their unending hymn:



P   On 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.



The Lord’s Prayer
C  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

Blessing

Announcements

Sending Hymn: 


Dismissal
A:  Go in peace and serve our God.
C: Thanks be to God.

Postlude:               

Please join us for coffee and refreshments downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. 
To get to the Fellowship Hall, exit to the right of the communion railing at the front of the church.


Scripture in this service is adapted from The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation, by Priests for Equality.  2009, Sheed & Ward. Kindle Edition.

The traditional Lutheran liturgy is from Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2014 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #28429.

Hymns used with permission for worship and podcast under OneLicense.net  #A-723548.  



Announcements
You can find more information and find archived sermons and worship live streams at our website: www.gracesf.com  or on our blog: www.sfgrace.blogspot.com

·        Grace is now able to have virtual members who fulfill their worship attendance with us via live stream.  If you’re interested in becoming more connected to Grace and learning about becoming a member email Pastor Megan at pastor@gracesf.com
·        Our Congregational meeting will be on Sunday, February 22nd.  Join us after worship to approve the budget and elect the new members of the council. 

Upcoming Special Worship Dates
·        Ash Wednesday: February 18th, 12pm
·        Maundy Thursday: April 2nd, 12pm
·        Saddar with St. Paulus Lutheran (@ Grace): the Evening of April 2nd

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