We are worshiping at 11 am.

January 18, 2026

Introduction & Welcome

Pastor -SHARING OF THE PEACE

The presiding minister and the assembly greet each other in the peace of the risen Christ.

The peace of Christ be with you today and always.

And also with you.

Congregation members greet each other by saying:

Peace be with you.

Confession and Forgiveness

All may make the sign of the cross, the sign that is marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.

Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,

the Creator of heaven and earth,

the Word who spoke life into being,

the Wind stirring the waters.

Amen.

Let us turn in confession to the one who knows us completely.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Mighty God, lover of justice,

you call us to life in community,

but we have served our own interests

at the expense of our neighbors.

We have sown deceit where honesty was needed.

We say the right words,

but our hearts are far from you.

Turn us to seek your face.

Knit us together and give us the mind of Christ,

that we may do justice, love mercy,

and walk humbly with you, our God.

Amen.

The former things have passed away,

and new things God now declares:

Like a spring of water that never fails,

God covers you in the righteousness of Christ,

and forgives your sin in ☩ Jesus’ name.

May the Spirit give you strength to live for others,

and bless you with the gift of peace.

Amen.

HYMN “Spirit of Gentleness”

Refrain

Spirit, Spirit of gentleness,

blow through the wilderness calling and free;

Spirit, Spirit of restlessness,

stir me from placidness, wind, wind on the sea.

1 You moved on the waters, you called to the deep,

then you coaxed up the mountains from the valleys of sleep;

and over the eons you called to each thing:

"Awake from your slumbers and rise on your wings." Refrain

2 You swept through the desert, you stung with the sand,

and you goaded your people with a law and a land;

and when they were blinded with idols and lies,

then you spoke through your prophets to open their eyes. Refrain

3 You sang in a stable, you cried from a hill,

then you whispered in silence when the whole world was still;

and down in the city you called once again,

when you blew through your people on the rush of the wind. Refrain

4 You call from tomorrow, you break ancient schemes.

From the bondage of sorrow all the captives dream dreams;

our women see visions, our men clear their eyes.

With bold new decisions your people arise. Refrain

Text: James K. Manley, b. 1940

Text © 1978 James K. Manley, admin. Augsburg Fortress.

Duplication in any form prohibited without permission or valid license from copyright administrator.

Pastor - Greeting

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

Canticle of Praise

Glory to God in the highest,

and peace to God’s people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King,

almighty God and Father,

we worship you,

we give you thanks,

we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ,

only Son of the Father,

Lord God, Lamb of God,

you take away the sin of the world:

have mercy on us;

you are seated at the right hand of the Father:

receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,

you alone are the Lord,

you alone are the Most High,

Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,

in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Pastor - Prayer of the Day

Holy God, our strength and our redeemer, by your Spirit hold us forever, that through your grace we may worship you and faithfully serve you, follow you and joyfully find you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

Congregation is seated

Assistant-First Reading Isaiah 49:1-7

A reading from the 49th chapter of Isaiah.

1 Listen to me, O coastlands;
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born;
while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
in his quiver he hid me away.
3 And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord
and my reward with my God.”

5 And now the Lord says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—
6 he says,
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

7 Thus says the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
the slave of rulers,
“Kings shall see and stand up;
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 40:1-11 Read Responsively

1 I waited patiently upon the Lord, who stooped to me and heard my cry.

2 The Lord lifted me out of the desolate pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a high cliff, making my footing sure.
3 The Lord put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many shall see, and stand in awe, and put their trust in the Lord.

4 Happy are they who trust in the Lord! They do not turn to enemies or to those who follow lies.

5 Great are the wonders you have done, O Lord my God! In your plans for us, none can be compared with you! Oh, that I could make them known and tell them! But they are more than I can count.

6 Sacrifice and offering you do not desire; you have opened my ears: burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required.

7 And so I said, “Here I am; I come. In the scroll of the book it is written of me:

8 ‘I love to do your will, O my God; your law is deep within me.’ ”

9 I proclaimed righteousness in the great assembly; I have not restrained my lips, O Lord, you know.

10 I have not hidden your righteousness in my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your deliverance; I have not concealed your steadfast love and truth from the great assembly.

11 You are the Lord; do not withhold your compassion from me; may your steadfast love and your truth continually keep me safe.

Assistant-2nd Reading 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

A reading from 1 Corinthians beginning with chapter 1

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5 for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind 6 just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the partnership of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. Lord, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life.

Alleluia.

Pastor - Gospel John 1:29-42

The holy gospel according to John the 1st chapter.

Glory to you, O Lord.

29 [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Chosen One.”

35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). 42 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

Congregation is seated

Sermon

Congregation stands for Hymn of the Day

Hymn of the Day “The Spirit Sends Us Forth to Serve”

1 The Spirit sends us forth to serve;

we go in Jesus' name

to bring glad tidings to the poor,

God's favor to proclaim.

2 We go to comfort those who mourn

and set the burdened free;

where hope is dim, to share a dream

and help the blind to see.

3 We go to be the hands of Christ,

to scatter joy like seed

and, all our days, to cherish life,

to do the loving deed.

4 Then let us go to serve in peace,

the gospel to proclaim.

God's Spirit has empowered us;

we go in Jesus' name.

Text: Delores Dufner, OSB, b. 1939

Text © 1993 Delores Dufner, OSB. Published by OCP Publications, 5536 NE Hassalo, Portland OR 97213. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Duplication in any form prohibited without permission or valid license from copyright administrator.

Apostles’ Creed

With the whole church, let us confess our faith using the words of the Apostles’ Creed.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the dead.*

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Assistant-Prayers of Intercession

As God’s beloved children united in Christ, let us pray for the church, the whole human community, and the well-being of the earth, our home.

A brief silence.

Gracious God, gather the church into one great fellowship. Equip your people to work together for justice and peace, following the example of Martin Luther King Jr., renewer of society, whose birth we remember this week. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

Creating God, sustain the web of life on this planet. Protect wild places, endangered species, and vulnerable habitats. Come to the aid of those affected by natural disasters. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

Just God, you desire respect and equality for everyone. Raise up prophets who speak truth to the nations. Embolden leaders and those in authority to advocate for people in need. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

Healing God, you lift up those who are bowed down by trouble, oppression, or illness especially Lucas, Sue, Ed, Candy, Lynne, Margaret, Cheryl, Rillys, Mike, Michael and for those who we name aloud or silently in our hearts (pause for people in the congregation to add their prayers here). Bring an end to social injustice and inequities of every kind, so that all people may have abundant life. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

Abiding God, you are present with this congregation. Keep us mindful of our mission and guide our ministries in this community. Kindle in us a desire to help one another. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

Faithful God, you promise to be with us always. We remember with gratitude the faithful departed who now rest in you especially Cork Kirkpatrick. Strengthen us to the end, that we may see you face to face. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

Confident that the Holy Spirit receives our prayers and answers us, we commend all for whom we pray to God’s loving-kindness made known to us in Christ Jesus our Savior.

Amen.

Offertory

One Bread, One Body

Refrain

One bread, one body, one Lord of all;

one cup of blessing which we bless,

and we, though many throughout the earth,

we are one body in this one Lord.

1 Gentile or Jew, servant or free,

woman or man, no more. Refrain

2 Many the gifts, many the works,

one in the Lord of all. Refrain

3 Grain for the fields, scattered and grown,

gathered to one for all. Refrain

Text: John Foley, SJ, b. 1939

Text © 1978 John B. Foley, SJ and OCP Publications, 5536 NE Hassalo, Portland, OR 97213. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Duplication in any form prohibited without permission or valid license from copyright administrator.

Offertory Prayer

Together we pray.

God of majesty,

no eye has seen, no ear has heard

what you have prepared for those who love you,

yet in this meal you reveal the wideness of your mercy.

Use what we have gathered

to feed us with the reign of God come near,

Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

Holy Communion

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,

that we should at all times and in all places

give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God,

through our Savior Jesus Christ;

who on this day overcame death and the grave,

and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.

And so, with all the choirs of angels,

with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven,

we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, holy, holy Lord,

Lord God of pow’r and might:

Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

Eucharistic Prayer

In the night in which he was betrayed,

our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;

broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:

Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,

and gave it for all to drink, saying:

This cup is the new covenant in my blood,

shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

Remembering, therefore, his death, resurrection, and ascension,

we await his coming in glory.

Pour out upon us the Spirit of your love, O Lord,

and unite the wills of all who share this heavenly food,

the body and blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord;

to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,

be all honor and glory, now and forever.

Amen.

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us. (Sung)

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 debts,

as we forgive our debtors;

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.

Invitation to Communion

Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Come to the table; taste and see.

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;

have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;

have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;

grant us peace, grant us peace.

Communion

The Body of Christ, given for you. Amen

The Blood of Christ, shed for you. Amen

Post Communion Blessing

The Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, strengthen you and forever keep you in his grace. Amen.

Prayer after Communion

Radiant God,

we have seen your glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

In the sacrament of his body and blood

you have drawn us to your heart.

Send us from this table with delight,

that our lives may reflect the beauty of your love,

and bear witness to all we have seen and heard,

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

Benediction

May the triune God,

who has put a new song in your mouth

and tuned your heart for praise

☩ bless you now and forever.

Amen.

HYMN “We Are Marching in the Light”

Siyahamba

ENGLISH

We are marching in the light of God,

we are marching in the light of God.

We are marching in the light of God,

we are marching in the light of God.

We are marching, (marching, we are marching, marching,)

we are marching in the light of God.

We are marching, (marching, we are marching, marching,)

we are marching in the light of God.

Additional stanzas ad lib:

We are dancing . . .

We are praying . . .

We are singing . . .

ORIGINAL

Siyahamb’ ekukhanyen’ kwenkhos’,

siyahamb’ ekukhanyen’ kwenkhos’.

Siyahamb’ ekukhanyen’ kwenkhos’,

siyahamb’ ekukhanyen’ kwenkhos’.

Siyahamba, (hamba, siyahamba, hamba,)

siyahamb’ ekukhanyen’ kwenkhos’.

Siyahamba, (hamba, siyahamba, hamba,)

siyahamb’ ekukhanyen’ kwenkhos’.

Text: South African traditional; tr. Freedom Is Coming, 1984

Duplication in any form prohibited without permission or valid license from copyright administrator.

Dismissal

Go in peace. Do justice. Love mercy.

Thanks be to God.

Permission for liturgies by Augsburg Fortress Liturgies License #SAS004206

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