Online Bulletin: Trust in God Alone! 3rd SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

Trust in God Alone

January 24, 2021

When “the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time,” sending him to preach judgment against the great city of Nineveh, “Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord” (Jonah 3:1, 3). By this preaching, the people were brought to repentance. Because they “believed God,” as He spoke to them through His prophet, “they turned from their evil way” and were spared “the disaster that he had said he would do to them” (Jonah 3:5, 10). St. Paul also warns that “the appointed time has grown very short” (1 Cor. 7:29). Therefore, while we live in this world and deal with it, we are not to cling to it, nor put our trust in it, for “the present form of this world is passing away” (1 Cor. 7:31). Rather, give “your undivided devotion to the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:35). When our Lord Jesus Christ comes and is proclaimed in the Gospel, “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:14–15). Therefore, He still calls men and sends them to become “fishers of men” with the net of that Gospel (Mark 1:17).

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OPENING HYMN: We Praise Thee O God Our Redeemer

INVOCATION

Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

People: Amen.

OPENING SENTENCES Psalm 113:1–3

Pastor: Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord,

People: praise the name of the Lord!

Pastor: Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore!

People: From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Mark 1:15; Psalm 113:1–3

Pastor: Gracious Lord, by Your name You have called us Your own, and we are to pray, praise, and give thanks to You.

People: Yet we often do not live as You have called us to live as Your own. We do not always honor Your name nor Your calling with our praise.

Pastor: We confess our sins to God in repentance, turning from those things that lead us away, turning back to You as we follow in faith.

Silence for reflection

Pastor: Almighty and ever-compassionate Lord,

People: we are by nature sinful and unclean. We confess our many failures as we have not followed You joyfully and trustingly. We have not loved others as ourselves, and our thoughts, words, and deeds have not been pleasing to You. We have not always welcomed Your call for us to follow You and You alone.

Pastor: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel. Hear and rejoice in the Good News. Jesus Christ died for you, and for His sake, God has compassion. As a called and ordained servant of the Word, and in His stead, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.

People: Amen. Thanks be to God!

Pastor: Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord,

People: praise the name of the Lord!

Pastor: Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore!

People: From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!

PSALM Psalm 62

¹For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
²He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress;

I shall not be greatly shaken.

³How long will all of you attack a man to batter him,
like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
⁴They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.
They take pleasure in falsehood.

They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse.

⁵For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
⁶He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress;

I shall not be shaken.

⁷On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

⁸Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us.

⁹Those of low estate are but a breath;
those of high estate are a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
they are together lighter than a breath.
¹⁰Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery;

if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

¹¹Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this:

that power belongs to God,
¹²and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.

For you will render to a man according to his work.

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, mercifully look upon our infirmities and stretch forth the hand of Your majesty to heal and defend us; 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 Jonah 3:1–5, 10

(The Lord causes repentance of the Ninevites through Jonah’s preaching.)

¹Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ²“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” ³So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. ⁴Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” ⁵And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. . . .

¹⁰When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

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 7:29–35

(As time grows short, Paul encourages faithful use of time.)

²⁹This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, ³⁰and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, ³¹and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

³²I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. ³³But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, ³⁴and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. ³⁵I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

VERSE Mark 1:15

Alleluia. The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. Alleluia.

HOLY GOSPEL Mark 1:14–20

(Jesus calls the first disciples to follow Him.)

Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the first chapter.

People: Glory to You, O Lord.

¹⁴After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, ¹⁵and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

¹⁶Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” ¹⁸And immediately they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. ²⁰And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to You, O Christ.

HYMN of the Day: A Mighty Fortress is Our God

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: … Lord, in Your mercy:
People: hear our prayer.

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.
Almighty and everlasting God, as the call to follow You comes to us through Your Word, grant us Your Holy Spirit that we trust and serve You in repentance and faith; 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 Psalm 113:2–3

Pastor: Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore!
People: From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!

Pastor: As the Lord sent His life-renewing Word through Jonah and the prophets, be assured of His forgiveness and love. As the Lord called and sent His apostles to be fishers of men, hear His voice and follow Him. As we have received God’s grace this day for the sake of Christ our Lord, heed His call to repentance, rejoice in His forgiving grace, and give Him thanks and praise.
People: Amen.

Pastor: The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and + give you peace.
People: Amen.