SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
“Hearing Is Believing”
January 17, 2021
The Lord God Is with You and Reveals Himself to You by the Preaching of His Word
The Lord persists. He speaks, we listen; by faith, we are able to respond. Samuel is roused from his sleep repeatedly and is finally encouraged to respond, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.” Jesus bids Philip to follow, and he does. Jesus claims to have known Nathanael, and in turn Nathanael confesses that Jesus is the Son of God. We, too, can only be responsive to God’s will once we have heard His Word and believe.
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OPENING HYMN: Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES Based on Psalm 139:1–2, 7–8; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20
Pastor: O Lord, You have searched and known us.
People: You discern our thoughts from afar.
Pastor: Where shall we go from Your Spirit?
People: Or where shall we flee from Your presence?
Pastor: If we ascend to heaven, You are there!
People: If we make our bed in Sheol, You are there!
Pastor: Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.
People: We were bought with a price, the blood of Christ.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Pastor: Indeed, we were bought with the precious blood of Christ, and God calls on us to glorify God with our bodies, but we have failed to do this. We have lived as if our bodies and lives were our own, as if Your Son had not bought them with His blood. Such sins cause deep shame, yet even now, our heavenly Father invites us to come to Him and ask for forgiveness.
Silence for reflection.
Pastor: Heavenly Father,
People: we have sinned by the things we have done and by the things we have left undone. Forgive us, remove the shame that clings to us, and make us new creations for the sake of Jesus. Amen.
Pastor: Almighty God, in His infinite mercy and grace, sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. In His resurrection, He removes our shame and makes us more than conquerors. 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 X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen. We are forgiven in Christ. Our shame is removed.
PSALM Psalm 139:1–10
1O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
2You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
5You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
7Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
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.
SALUTATION and PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Let us pray.
Almighty and everlasting God, who governs all things in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the prayers of Your people and grant us Your peace through all our days; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING 1 Samuel 3:1–10
(The Lord calls Samuel.)
1The young man Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.
2At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 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, 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.
6And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose 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.
8And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the young man. 9Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”
Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
GRADUAL Psalm 117:1–2a; 96:8
Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol Him, all peoples!
For great is His steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
bring an offering, and come into His courts!
EPISTLE 1 Corinthians 6:12–20
(To whom does your body belong?)
12“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved 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 not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
VERSE (Isaiah 49:3)
Alleluia. You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Alleluia.
HOLY GOSPEL John 1:43–51
(Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael.)
Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the first chapter.
People: Glory to You, O Lord.
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 of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, O Christ.
HYMN OF THE DAY: Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling
SERMON: Some Things You Have to Hear to Believe
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 + everlasting. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
After each petition:
Pastor: … Lord, in Your mercy:
People: hear our prayer.
At conclusion:
Pastor: … with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever.
People: 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
Pastor: Let us pray.
Lord Jesus Christ, You paid for our lives with the price of Your blood on the cross. Strengthen us to serve You with pure hearts and minds, that we may be witnesses to the word of Your forgiveness; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
BENEDICTION
Pastor: 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 + give you peace.
People: Amen.
CLOSING HYMN: Brightest and Best of the Stars of the Morning
