FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
February 7, 2021
The Lord alone “is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth” (Is. 40:28). He “sits above the circle of the earth” and “stretches out the heavens like a curtain” (Is. 40:22). Yet, His almighty power is demonstrated chiefly by His mercy and compassion. “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” (Is. 40:29). The only begotten Son of the Father, the very Word by whom all things were made, becomes flesh and takes all the poverty and weakness of our sin and death upon Himself, bearing it in His body to the cross. As He dies for us there, He also raises us up, a new creation, in His resurrection from the dead. Thus, by the preaching of this Word, He heals “many who were sick with various diseases,” and He casts out “many demons” (Mark 1:34, 39). And His preaching continues through those whom He has sent, who are “entrusted with a stewardship” to “preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16–17). Thus, we are set free by the Word of Christ, and we exercise our freedom in loving service to others.
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OPENING HYMN: From All That Dwell Below the Skies
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES Isaiah 40:21–22, 28; Psalm 147:3, 5
Pastor: Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
People: It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, . . . who stretches out the heavens like a curtain.
Pastor: Have you not known? Have you not heard?
People: The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
Pastor: He heals the brokenhearted
People: and binds up their wounds.
Pastor: Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
People: His understanding is beyond measure.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION 1 Corinthians 9:24–25
Pastor: O God, You have come to call us to repentance and faith, to salvation and life. We come before You to confess and repent of our sins.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For the times we have tried to keep our faith a private concern, failing to be all things to all people for the sake of Your kingdom, instead seeking Your blessings only for ourselves.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For the times we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves and have neglected prayer and concern for the community in need around us and for people throughout the world.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For the many faults and failings that are known only to You.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: We hear today in God’s Word, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” As we run to our Savior in repentance and rely on Him to receive the crown of life He alone has earned, and upon this your confession, I, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
PSALM Psalm 147:1–11; antiphon: v. 5
1Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
5Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
6The Lord lifts up the humble;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
7Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre!
8He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.
9He gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
10His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
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.
O Lord, keep Your family, the Church, continually in the true faith that, relying on the hope of Your heavenly grace, we may ever be defended by Your mighty power; 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 Isaiah 40:21–31
(The Lord’s understanding is unsearchable.)
21Do you not know? Do you not hear?
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 dwell in;
23who brings princes to nothing,
and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.
24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
25To whom then will you compare me,
that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
26Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might,
and because he is strong 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 to him who has no might he increases strength.
30Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31but they 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.
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 9:16–27
(Sharing the Gospel with all people)
16If I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. 18What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
19For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, 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 not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
24Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
VERSE Mark 1:39
People: Alleluia. Jesus went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. Alleluia.
HOLY GOSPEL Mark 1:29–39
(Jesus, who came for all people, heals many.)
Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the first chapter.
People: Glory to You, O Lord.
29Immediately [Jesus] left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34And he healed 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.
35And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, O Christ.
HYMN OF THE DAY: Hail to the Lord’s Anointed
SERMON
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: … let us pray to the Lord:
People: Lord, have mercy.
At conclusion:
Pastor: … through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
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.
O God, our loving Father, as we run and grow weary and walk and feel faint in this earthly life of trials, troubles, and temptations, raise us up by Your grace that we be invigorated by Your Word and the hope affirmed through Christ’s empty tomb; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You 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: Fight the Good Fight
Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series B, Quarter 1. Copyright © 2020 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
