First Sunday after Christmas

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January 1, 2023

+ AS WE GATHER +

The Lord Jesus Undergoes a New Exodus in Order to Save His People from Their Sins

Herod’s efforts to destroy the little Lord Jesus anticipate the cross for which He was born. In response to Herod’s edict, Joseph must “take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt” (Matt. 2:13). But the Lord does not abandon the Holy Family there. He brings about salvation for all people, just as He “had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son’” (Matt. 2:15). With might and strength, God accompanies His people, causing “his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses” (Is. 63:12). Now through Jesus, even our afflictions are borne by Christ on the cross. “He redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them” (Is. 63:9). All of this is accomplished by God’s might so that we, too, are claimed as members of His family. For we “receive adoption as sons” in the only begotten Son, Christ Jesus, even as He became like us by His conception and birth of the woman. Thus redeemed by Christ, no longer slaves of sin and death but beloved children and heirs of God, we pray in Jesus’ name: “Abba! Father!” (Gal. 4:4–6).

+ Preparation +

OPENING HYMN: #386 – Now Sing We, Now Rejoice

INVOCATION

P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Psalm 3:4, 8

P If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

C But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Silence for meditation and reflection.

P Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.

C Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. 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. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. 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.

P Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

Service of the Word

PSALM Psalm 111; antiphon: v. 9a, b

(spoken responsively as marked)

¹Praise the Lord!

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,

in the company of the upright, in the congregation.

²Great are the works of the Lord,

studied by all who delight in them.

³Full of splendor and majesty is his work,

and his righteousness endures forever.

⁴He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;

the Lord is gracious and merciful.

⁵He provides food for those who fear him;

he remembers his covenant forever.

⁶He has shown his people the power of his works,

in giving them the inheritance of the nations.

⁷The works of his hands are faithful and just;

all his precepts are trustworthy;

⁸they are established forever and ever,

to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.

⁹He sent redemption to his people;

he has commanded his covenant forever.

Holy and awesome is his name!

¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

all those who practice it have a good understanding.

His praise endures forever!

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Kyrie LSB 152

P In peace let us pray to the Lord.

C Lord, have mercy.

P For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.

C Lord, have mercy.

P 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.

C Lord, have mercy.

P For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.

C Lord, have mercy.

P Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

C Amen.

SALUTATION and PRAYER OF THE DAY

P The Lord be with you.

C And also with you.

P Let us pray.

O God, our Maker and Redeemer, You wonderfully created us and in the incarnation of Your Son yet more wondrously restored our human nature. Grant that we may ever be alive in Him who made Himself to be like us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

OLD TESTAMENT READING Isaiah 63:7-14

⁷I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,
     the praises of the Lord,
according to all that the Lord has granted us,
     and the great goodness to the house of Israel
that he has granted them according to his compassion,
     according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
⁸For he said, “Surely they are my people,
     children who will not deal falsely.”
     And he became their Savior.
⁹In all their affliction he was afflicted,
     and the angel of his presence saved them;
in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
     he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
¹⁰But they rebelled
     and grieved his Holy Spirit;
therefore he turned to be their enemy,
     and himself fought against them.
¹¹Then he remembered the days of old,
     of Moses and his people.
Where is he who brought them up out of the sea
     with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is he who put in the midst of them
     his Holy Spirit,
¹²who caused his glorious arm
     to go at the right hand of Moses,
who divided the waters before them
     to make for himself an everlasting name,
     ¹³who led them through the depths?
Like a horse in the desert,
     they did not stumble.
¹⁴Like livestock that go down into the valley,
     the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.
So you led your people,
     to make for yourself a glorious name.

L This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

GRADUAL Isaiah 9:6; Psalm 98:1a (spoken together)

To us a child is born, to us a son is given;
                and the government shall be upon his shoulder.
And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
                Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Sing to the Lord a new song,
                for he has done marvelous things!

EPISTLE Acts 6:8-7:2a, 51-60

⁸And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. ¹⁰But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. ¹¹Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” ¹²And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, ¹³and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, ¹⁴for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” ¹⁵And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

¹And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” ²And Stephen said:

“Brothers and fathers, hear me. . . .

⁵¹You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. ⁵²Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, ⁵³you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

⁵⁴Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. ⁵⁵But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. ⁵⁸Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

L This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

ALLELUIA and VERSE Luke 2:30, 32

Alleluia. My eyes have seen your salvation; a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel. Alleluia.

HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 2:13-23

P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the second chapter.

C Glory to You, O Lord.

¹³When [the wise men] had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

¹⁶Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. ¹⁷Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

¹⁸“A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

¹⁹But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” ²¹And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. ²³And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

C Praise to You, O Christ.

HYMN OF THE DAY: #384 – Of the Father’s Love Begotten

SERMON: God Preserves His Promise

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell.

The third day He rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven

and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy Christian Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life T everlasting. Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

After each petition: P … Lord, in Your mercy:

C hear our prayer.

At conclusion: P … one God … now and forever.

C Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER Matthew 6:9–13

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.

CLOSING PRAYER

P O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

BENEDICTION

P The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look upon you with favor and T give you peace.

C Amen.

DISMISSAL

P Go in peace as you serve the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

First Sunday after Christmas – Online Church at Home Service Bulletin