January 31 online worship

Preparations for Worship:

• Do your best to eliminate distractions like the phone, TV, etc.
• Worship actively! Whether you are by yourself or with others, try reading the parts of the service aloud (responses, lessons, and prayers).
• This service is for children too. Help them participate. Ask those who have that ability to read a prayer or lesson aloud. Take a moment to describe what’s happening. Ask questions. Encourage little ones to draw what they are hearing while you all listen. Unlike our more typical Sunday worship at church, you can pause at any time for questions and discussion.
• Before you begin, load each of the videos below. (You might first have to get past a distracting ad.)
• Pause for a moment of quiet meditation. Then pray:
  “Heavenly Father, I have come to worship you. Draw near to me in your gracious Word, and assure me of your loving kindness. Curb my wandering thoughts, that with undivided attention I may hear your voice and speak your praise. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.”

GATHERING RITE ON THE WORD OF GOD

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.

Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever with me.

I have more insight than all my teachers. For I meditate on your statutes.

How sweet are your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness,

So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Yet so often we have despised God’s Word and failed to gladly hear and learn it.  For this and all our sins, we bow before God and humbly ask his forgiveness.

Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and actions.  I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good.  For this I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity.  But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

God gave his Word so, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”  The Scriptures testify about Jesus, who lived a perfect life for you, died on the cross to pay for all your sins, and rose again to assure you of your salvation.  Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority , I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

LESSON – DEUTERONOMY 18:15-20

¹⁵The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brother Israelites. Listen to him.   ¹⁶That is exactly what you asked from the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly. You said, “Do not let me hear the voice of the Lord my God anymore, and do not let me see this great fire again, or I will die.”  ¹⁷Then the Lord said to me, “They have done well by saying what they said. ¹⁸I will raise up a prophet for them from among their brothers, like you, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he will speak to them everything that I command him. ¹⁹Anyone who will not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account. ²⁰Any prophet who presumes to speak something in my name that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks something in the name of other gods—that prophet shall die.”

LESSON – 1 CORINTHIANS 8:1-13

Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. ² If anyone supposes that he knows something, he does not yet know the way he ought to know. ³ But if anyone loves God, this person has been knownby him.  ⁴ So, concerning the eating of food from idol sacrifices, we know that an idol is not anything real in the world and that there is no God but one. ⁵ Indeed, even if there are so-called “gods,” whether in the heavens or on earth (as in fact there are many “gods” and many “lords”), ⁶ nevertheless for us there is one God—the Father, from whom all things exist and we exist for him—and one Lord—Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist and we exist through him.  ⁷ However, that knowledge is not in everyone. Instead some, who are still affected by their former habit with the idol, eat the food as something sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.  ⁸ Food will not bring us closer to God. We do not lack anything if we do not eat, nor are we better off if we do. ⁹ And be careful that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰ For if someone sees you, a person who has knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of this man, weak as he is, be emboldened to eat food from an idol sacrifice? ¹¹ You see, the weak person is being destroyed by your knowledge—the brother for whose sake Christ died! ¹² And when you sin in this way against your brothers and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I do not cause my brother to sin.

DEVOTION – MARK 1:21-28

CONFESSION – APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

I believe 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 is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.  From there 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.

OFFERING

Offerings may be given on-line at tithe.ly/risensavior, mailed to the church, or dropped off at the church.

Our members have joined together in faith and love to do the Lord’s work in this community and around the world.  Guests need not feel obligated to participate in this offering which supports our ministry.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

O Holy Trinity, You are God of gods and Lord of lords. Truly, there is no God but You alone. From You and from Your Son, Jesus Christ, are all things.

Reveal the saving knowledge of Christ’s truth to us and all the world, that loving You and one another, together we may be known by God.

O Lord, our God, whose voice was heard at Sinai and whose authority was made manifest in Christ, the Prophet greater than Moses. Send faithful preachers into Your harvest who will be diligent to listen to Your Word and speak it faithfully in Your name. Preserve us from false prophets who would lead us away from Your truth.

Give us ears to hear gladly the saving words of Christ.

Please bless our families and homes, Lord.. Protect them from the devil’s attacks and grant our families time in your Word every day.. Use the family devotions created by our WELS Discipleship team as an instrument of daily healing, hope, and health, for the people of our synod.. 

Equip them with your spiritual weapons and let your Word bring each family closer to you and to each other.

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son cast out unclean spirits and taught with authority. He is the Great Physician of body and soul. Have mercy on those who are sick, distressed, in danger or facing any need.

Sustain them with patience, trusting in Your merciful care, and graciously relieve them.

All these things and whatever else You know that we need, grant us, Father, for the sake of Him who died and rose again and now lives and reigns with You , who taught us to pray…

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.

THE LORD’S BLESSING

Brothers and sisters, go in peace.  Live in harmony with one another.  Serve the Lord with gladness. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace. Amen.

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