Epiphany - Bitly

The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; He has anointed Me to preach good news. Luke 4:18

29th January Anno Domini 2017 F OURTH S UNDAY AFTER THE

Epiphany GOOD SHEPHERD Evangelical Lutheran Church and School 10611 Hwy 13 South Wisconsin Rapids, WI, USA 54494-9574 Pastor: Educator/Principal email:

Paul A.Tullberg 715-325-6812 Donna Tullberg [email protected]

WWW.1GOODSHEPHERD.ORG

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We welcome you to

Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church and School Welcoming Song: O G O D

FROM

GOD

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L E AD E R : We worship as we live: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. P EOPLE : Amen. God has gathered us to hear His Word. L EADER : Let us confess our sins to Him. Heavenly Father, we have disobeyed and dishonored Your holy name. Our thoughts, words and activities display our inborn rebellion. We beg You for the sake of Jesus Christ to have mercy on us.

P EOPLE :

L E A D E R : In the name of Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins. Be at peace in Him. Go and sin no more. G O O D S H E P H E R D Evangelical Lutheran Church and School, Wisconsin Rapids, WI , U S A


P EOPLE :

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Spirit of the Lord is onwe Me; are He has anointed Meby to many preach dangers; good news.You Lukeknow 4:18 we 4 L EADER : The Lord God, You know surrounded

often stumble and fall. Strengthen us in body and mind. Bring us safely through all temptations; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Th e Lo rd G i ves H i s W ord Taken from The Ev angeli ca l Her i tage V er si on T M (EHV T M ) © 2016 The Wartburg Project.

We hear the Lord’s word recorded in Daniel 3:13-27 In a furious rage Nebuchadnezzar said to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then these men were brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and that you do not worship the golden statue that I set up? Now, if you are ready, at the time when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, harp, triangular harp, drum, and all kinds of musical instruments, you must fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be thrown into the blazing fiery furnace. What god will be able to save you from my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “We have no need to answer you about this matter, Since our God whom we serve exists, he is able to save us from the blazing fiery furnace. So he may save us from your hand, Your Majesty. But if he does not, you should know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods, and we will not worship the statue of gold that you set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression on his face changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He said to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was usually heated. And he ordered some men, soldiers from his army, to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in order to throw them into the blazing fiery furnace. 13

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Then these men were bound in their robes, their pants, their turbans, and their clothes, and they were thrown into the middle of the blazing fiery furnace. Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace was extremely hot, those men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—the intense heat of the fire killed them. But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who had been bound, fell into the blazing fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was startled and immediately stood up. He said to his counselors, “Didn’t we throw three men who had been bound into the middle of the fire. They answered the king, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He said, “Look! I see four men unbound and walking around in the middle of the fire unharmed. What is more, the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the blazing fiery furnace. He said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the middle of the furnace. The satraps, the prefects, and the governors, and the royal counselors gathered and looked at these men. The fire had no power over their bodies. The hair on their head was not singed, their robes were not damaged, and the smell of fire had not stuck to them. 21

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R ESPONSE:

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WH O REIGN S ABOVE # 2 3 6 CW STANZAS 1, 2, 4

We hear the Lord’s word recorded in Matthew 5:1-12

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Jesus saw the crowds, he went up onto a mountain. When he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2He opened his mouth and began to teach them. He said these things: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted. 5Blessed are the gentle, because they will inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful, because they will receive mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God. 10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven. In fact, that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

We hear the Lord’s word recorded in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 26For

example, consider your call, brothers. Not many of you were wise from a human point of view, not many were powerful, and not many were born with high status.

The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; He has anointed Me to preach good news. Luke 4:18 27But

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God chose the foolish things of the world to put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world to put to shame the things that are strong, 28and God chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things, and the things that are not, to do away with the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before God. 30But because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us the wisdom from God, namely, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 31God did this so that, just as it is written, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

R E S P O N S E : J ESUS

AND SHALL IT EVER BE

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We Confess the Christian Faith with the Apostles’ Creed S ONG

OF THE

D AY :

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WALK IN DANGER ALL THE WAY

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I n s t ru c t i o n in G o d ’ s W o rd G a th e r in g o f o ffe r in gs, Pra y e rs Believers generously return to the Savior a portion of what God has generously given to them. These are not dues; they are not forced or billed church payments. God doesn’tt want gifts to be strong-armed. God blesses us with life-long opportunities to show our thanks to Jesus for His awesome salvation. Thank you for your generous gifts supporting our ministries.

Th e Lord A n swers ou r P ra y ers a n d Blesses U s A ga i n P a r t i n g S o n g : O G OD ,

OUR

H ELP

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A GES P AST

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Christianity was facing a dark future in England. The government had severely restricted religious freedom. But Isaac’s dad stayed faithful to the Savior. He kept on believing and teaching what the Bible says. Isaac’s father was in prison for his beliefs when Isaac was born. Young Isaac grew up in these troubling times. Isaac didn’t leave worship behind as he grew up. But he did do quite a bit of grumbling and complaining about worship. He really disliked the slow, weak singing on Sundays. The singing at best was limp, at worst it was mumbling. One particular Sunday, after returning from a worship service, teenaged Isaac was taken aback in his walk home. His dad stopped and looked right at him. "Why don't you give us something better to sing?" Isaac had never thought of that. So 18 year old Isaac said, “challenge accepted.” The next Sunday Isaac Watts penned his first hymn. His fellow members joyfully responded to these new words. So Isaac Watts wrote another text….and then another… and so on. In fact, the truth is: I SAAC W ATTS WROTE A BRAND NEW HYMN TEXT. ...EVERY SUNDAY. ... FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS IN A ROW! In the gloom of cloudy spiritual life and threatening political life, Isaac had been moved by the Spirit to help people focus on God and His Word. His hymns led people back again and again to the Bible. " W HEN I S URVEY THE W ONDROUS CROSS ," " I S ING THE M IGHTY P OWER OF G OD ", " JOY TO THE W ORLD ” and “O G OD O UR H ELP I N A GES P AST ” are all famous songs of the 600 plus hymns written by him. The hymn, O G OD O UR H ELP I N A GES P AST , is startling in a number of ways. To begin, in spite of terrifying days for Christians in England, this song does not call for any violence. There’s no call to overthrow the political rulers of the day. Another startling truth is how Isaac’s words so well reflect Psalm 90! This brought renewed courage and comfort to worshippers. Isaac Watts was helping believers sing the truth deep down into their hearts, past the tears and bruises that were happening to God’s family of faith on the outside. God is a “Shelter from the stormy blast." God’s name is Refuge. But the question is: can I be certain that God is there for me in the storm, my Shelter? The answer is a bold Y ES ! Sometimes God doesn’t still the storm. Sometimes God lets the storm rage on while He stills His child. The Bible reveals the L O R D doesn’t change. The L O R D guided the Israelites safely to the Promised Land. The L ORD Jesus rose from the dead. From past to future, the L O R D is my Help. Let’s sing this song of praise to Him now. “O G OD O UR H ELP I N A GES PAST ”. GOOD SHEPHERD Evangel ical Luthe ran Church and School - WELS 10611 Hwy 13 South,

W i s c o n s i n R a p i d s , WI , U S A

54494 -9574