Cycle B Epiphany 5 Lectionary 5

2/08/2015 Confession

Sunday Title: Identity Sunday

Sermon Title: Let’s go on….

Previously:  

Sunday Title: Proclaim Sunday

Sermon Title: The Master’s Master Work

Sunday Title: Authority Sunday

Sermon Title: Who’s in charge here?

Sunday Title: Authority Sunday

Sermon Title: Yielding?

Scripture Cuttings:

Isaiah 40:21-31 Have you not known? Have you not heard? …but those 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.

Psalm 147:1-11, 20c His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner; but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

1 Corinthians 9:16-23 If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel!

Mark 1:29-39 "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

All may make the sign of the cross in remembrance of baptism

as the presiding minister begins:

P:  In the Name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen

P:  Have we forgotten that our creator is still God,

creating God even for the living of our lives? (silence is kept to listen)

  Lord,

C: we are so influenced by the world we make,

  that your ways have become a mystery to us.

We think because we have heard of your love,

  we are entitled to your protection in all our schemes.

We do not seek you in what you come to do,

  rather what you would do for me.

We want cures for our smallest ills,

  but when are we caught listening in the act of prayer?

Save us Lord from the sins we know,

save us Lord from the sins we hide.

 (pause for reflection and self-examination)

P:  The gospel, the good news, to be proclaimed for all is this:

God’s creating love for us is fulfilled in God’s own Son Jesus Christ. For Christ’s sake our sins are forgiven. We are freed from the burden of our sin and our broken faith with God. Through the power of the Holy Spirit our response to this grace and freedom may be service in the name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen -wjw

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always!

C: And also with you!

Cycle B Epiphany 4 Lectionary 4

2/1/2015 Confession

Sunday Title: Authority Sunday

Sermon Title: Who’s in charge here?

Previously:  

Sunday Title: Authority Sunday

Sermon Title: Yielding?

Scripture Cuttings:

Deuteronomy 18:15-20 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command.

Psalm 111 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. He sent redemption to his people.

1 Corinthians 8:1-13 Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

Mark 1:21-28 What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.

All may make the sign of the cross in remembrance of baptism

as the presiding minister begins:

P:  In the Name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen

P:  We are accountable to the Lord, let us not evade our sinfulness. (pause to cease evasion)

  O God,

C: we puff ourselves up with accumulated knowledge,

  but without love for you we have no wisdom.

We take advantage of the liberty you give us through grace,

  and become bad examples to our sisters and brothers.

We alternate between fear of your authority

  and denial of your authority.

We dread to face our demons,

  and we are faithless in the presence of your power over them.

Forgive us Lord for the sins we name,

save us Lord from the sins we hide.

   (pause for reflection and self-examination)

P:  Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has come into our world with authority. The authority to destroy the demons that haunt us: our past, or weakness, our sin, our grief, our loss, our frailty, our mortal nature. Through Christ’s faithfulness our loving God grants us the forgiveness of all our sins and the promise of eternal life. Through faith offered by the Holy Spirit we may count on God’s intervening power, and live redeemed lives in the name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen. -wjw

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always!

C: And also with you!

Cycle B Epiphany 3 Lectionary 3

1/25/2015 Confession 

Sunday Title: Kingdom Sunday

Sermon Title: When Is the Kingdom?

Previously:  

Sunday Title: Beach Sunday

Sermon Title: Lakeshore Drive

Sunday Title: Good News Sunday 

Sermon Title: “Who get to hear the Good News?”

Sunday Title: Repent Sunday  

Sermon Title: "Repent- an Instant Thing?"

Scripture Cuttings:

Jonah 3:1-5, 10 The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you."

Psalm 62:5-12 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short….

Mark 1:14-20 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

All may make the sign of the cross in remembrance of baptism

as the presiding minister begins:

P:  In the Name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen

P:  Let us put our trust in God and open our hearts to the Lord (pause- consider the great difference between God's call and our response)

  O God,

C: how often have we heard your call to repent,

  from prophets and your Son,

    only to evade your demand for holiness?

Your call is urgent

  but we struggle to keep our will intact.

You look to change the world,

  to change the way we think and act,

    still we want to keep things the way we like it.

Forgive us Lord for the sins we know,

save us from the sins we hide. (pause for time to turn our hearts around)

P:  The time is ripe, the kingdom of God is at hand. There is good news in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Though we deserve punishment and the full weight of our sin, our sins are forgiven by the atoning sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. In this good news we may live again in the power of the Holy Spirit in the new world of God’s royal rule. To the glory of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen. -wjw

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always!

C: And also with you!

Cycle B Epiphany 2 Lectionary 2

1/18/2015 Confession

Sunday Title: Listening Sunday

Sermon Title: “Hide & Seek” “Come & See”

Previously:  

Sunday Title: Call Sunday

Sermon Title: Hearing

Sunday Title: Leading and Following Sunday 

Sermon Title: “What do you follow”

Sunday Title: Call Sunday

Sermon Title: "Welcome Pastor George Gaiser"

Scripture Cuttings:

1 Samuel 3:1-20 Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.

Psalm 139:1-6,13-18 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! I try to count them - they are more than the sand; I come to the end - I am still with you.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

John 1:43-51 Nathanael said to [Philip], “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”

All may make the sign of the cross in remembrance of baptism

as the presiding minister begins:

P:  In the Name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen

P:  Let us listen for the Lord (pause without distraction to listen)

                                                              or (sometimes God speaks softly)

  O God search us for our sin,

C: we clutter our lives

  with more and more choices and preferences,

    yet we can’t find time to listen for you.

We take ownership of the gift of our very bodies

  and do not use them for your glory.

We learn from you,

  and praise your work,

    but when you call, do we follow?

Forgive us Lord from the sins we know,

save us from the sins we hide. (pause for reflection and self-examination)

P:  We deserve it, but God does not condemn us. Instead we have been bought, at the price of God’s own Son: Jesus of Nazareth, who is given as a sacrifice for our sin. For his sake our sins are forgiven. We may now recognize our own bodies as a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. With purified hearts we can hear our Lord calling. And our response:

C: Speak, for your servant is listening.

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

C: Amen. -wjw

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always!

C: And also with you!

Cycle B Baptism of Our Lord

1/11/2015 Confession

Sunday Title: Baptism of Our Lord

Sermon Title: A “brief” history of the Spirit of God

Previously:  

Sunday Title: Baptism of Our Lord

Sermon Title: What is God doing?

Sunday Title: Baptism of Our Lord 

Sermon Title: “Repentance vs. Holy Spirit”

Sunday Title: Baptism of Our Lord 

Sermon Title: "Counting on Our Baptism"

Scripture Cuttings:

Genesis 1:1-5 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while the Spirit of God swept over the face of the waters.

Psalm 29 The Lord will give power to his people. The Lord will bless his people with peace.

Acts 19:1-7 Paul... found some disciples. He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?"

Mark 1:4-11 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

All may make the sign of the cross in remembrance of baptism

as the presiding minister begins:

P:  As it was said at our baptism:

In the Name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen

P:  Did you know that: we receive the Holy Spirit when we are baptized?

       (or does it takes a lifetime of living to remember clearly)

  O Great God,

C: your promise to us is always great

  even from the beginning of creation,

    still we do not recognize your authority or guardianship.

You make us pure in your promise of grace,

  and we defile your forgiveness by reneging on our repentance.

In our baptism you give us the potency

  and great power of your Holy Spirit,

    but our self-centeredness overshadows this gift

      and we live in our weakness.

We are your people.

Save us Lord from the sins we know,

save us from the sins we hide. (pause for reflection and self-examination)

P:  Our God sends God’s own Son, the Beloved, and upon him the Spirit of God descends. Jesus of Nazareth anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, suffered death and was raised on the third day. Through the power of his faithfulness our sins are forgiven. In the power of this grace we now live, and by our words and actions we are to testify and prophesy to God’s fulfilling promises. As it was said at our baptism: in the name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen. -wjw

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always!

C: And also with you!

-or-

All may make the sign of the cross in remembrance of baptism

as the presiding minister begins:

P:  In the Name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen

P:  Now, here, in God’s presence, let our pride be absent. (pause)

  Lord….

C: you are the God that is,

your word creates,

  your voice thunders,

    your Spirit rolls.

yet we abuse your gift of creation,

  we do not obey your instructions,

    we do not faithfully follow.

In our repentance forgive us the sins we name.

Save us from the sins we hide.

Come to us,

  show us what you are doing now.

 (pause for reflection and self-examination)

P:  The God that is, is tearing open the heavens and reveling the Beloved: the Son of God. It is for the sake of Jesus the Christ that our sins are forgiven. God the creator continues to redeem in Christ and sanctify in the Holy Spirit, so that all peoples may hear the glory revealed in the name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen. -wjw

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always!

C: And also with you!

-or-

consider using Remembrance of Baptism

Cycle ABC Epiphany

1/6/2015 Confession

Sunday Title:  Worship Sunday  

Sermon Title: “The Partial Buy In”

Previously:

Sunday Title:  Homage Sunday  

Sermon Title: “Gifts for a King”

Sunday Title:  Heaven and Earth Sunday  

Sermon Title: “When Worlds Collide”

Sunday Title:  Light Sunday  

Sermon Title: “What are we going to do with all this light?”

Scripture Cuttings:

Isaiah 60:1-6 Arise, shine; for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you…. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service. For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper.

Ephesians 3:1-12 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose

that [God] has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

Matthew 2:1-12 "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage."

Confession:

All may make the sign of the cross in remembrance of baptism

as the presiding minister begins:

P:  In the Name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen

P:  Tis’ the season of light,

let us step out of the darkness, repenting our sins. (pause)

  Turn us Lord, back to you…

C: We are your children.

  Baptized into the light of the world

    Yet we do not let our light so shine before others….

      We choose darkness over faithfulness.

We do not offer you our best: gifts fit for a king,

  but present our leftovers,

    and consider that, paying homage.

We speak of your royal rule and the kingdom of heaven

  and then do not hold our rulers to your standards,

    lest we ourselves be held to your standards.

We claim you as our king: a light for all nations.

  And then become exclusive in our claims of salvation.

    Attempting to possess truth in smaller corners,

      seeking differences instead of community.

Forgive us Lord, the sins we know in our heart.

Save us Lord from the sins we hide.

    (pause for reflection and self-examination)

P:  Arise and shine for our light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon us. God carries out God’s own eternal purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is through Christ’s faithfulness that we may have access to God. For Christ’s sake our sins are forgiven. Let us seek again to shine brightly to the glory of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen. -wjw

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always!

C: And also with you!

Cycle ABC Christmas 2

1/4/2015 Confession

Sunday Title: Beginning Sunday

Sermon Title: Grace from the beginning.

Previously:  

Sunday Title: Cosmos Sunday

Sermon Title: From all that is to now.

Sunday Title: The Plan Sunday

Sunday Title: Redemption Sunday 

Sermon Title: "Twelve Days?"

Sunday Title: Again Still Christmas Sunday

Sermon Title: “live for the praise of Christ’s glory”

Scripture Cuttings:

Jeremiah 31:7-14 “He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.” For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.

Psalm 147:12-20 Praise your God, O Zion!  For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you. He grants peace within your borders; he fills you with the finest of wheat.

Ephesians 1:3-14 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,

John 1:1-18 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

All may make the sign of the cross in remembrance of baptism

as the presiding minister begins:

P:  In the Name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen

P:  Knowing there are no places to hide from God, let us be honest in our confession. (pause)

  Lord you come into the world

C: and still the world does not know you.

  You are the true light and you enlighten our path,

    but we stumble.

You desire to make know to us the mystery of your will,

  yet we do our will

    and keep you a mystery.

Save, O Lord, your people.

Save us from the sins we know in our heart.

Save us from the sins we hide.

(pause for reflection and self-examination)

P:  God of salvation...

C: lead us back home. Amen.

P:  Our God freely bestows on us a glorious grace, in the Son: Jesus Christ our Lord. In Christ we have redemption through his blood. Our sins are forgiven. We also obtain an inheritance, that setting our hope on Christ we might live, live for the praise of Christ’s glory. To this purpose we are marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. In the name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen. -wjw

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always!

C: And also with you!