The Baptism of Our Lord - 1st Sunday after the Epiphany

 

Today's Service Leader and Speaker - Rev. Jesse Kueker, Admissions Officer, STL Seminary

 

 

Today's liturgy is the Divine Service, Setting Three, LSB pages 184ff.

 

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Text and tune: Thomas A. Dorsey, 1899–1993
Text and tune: © 1938 (renewed) Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., admin. Alfred Music. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518

 

Stand

 

The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.

 

Invocation

P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

 

Exhortation LSB 184

P Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.

P Our help is in the name of the Lord,

C who made heaven and earth.

P I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord,

C and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

 

 

Confession of Sins LSB 184

P O almighty God, merciful Father,

C I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.

 

Absolution LSB 185

P Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, 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 my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

 

 

Introit Psalm 89:1, 26–28; antiphon: Liturgical Text; Psalm 89:20

Behold the Lord, the ruler, has come,
and the kingdom and the power and the glory are in his hand.
I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him.
I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;
with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
He shall cry to me, “You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation.”
And I will make him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.
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.
Behold the Lord, the ruler, has come,
and the kingdom and the power and the glory are in his hand.
I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him.

 

Gloria Patri LSB 186

 

 

Kyrie LSB 186

 

Gloria in Excelsis LSB 187

 

Salutation and Collect of the Day

P The Lord be with you.

P Let us pray.

Father in heaven, at the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River You proclaimed Him Your beloved Son and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. Make all who are baptized in His name faithful in their calling as Your children and inheritors with Him of everlasting life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

Sit

 

Catechesis - Second Petition

P Today's catechetical reading is the Second Petition of the Lord's Prayer. What is the Second Petition?

C Thy kingdom come. (K)

P What does this mean?

C The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also. (1)

P How does God’s kingdom come?

C God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity. (3)

P What passages of Holy Scripture inform us and convince us of this truth?

C For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. –Romans 14:17 (2)

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ… –Philippians 3:20 (4)

Your faith has saved you; go in peace. –Luke 7:50b (4)

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. –1 Peter 2:12 (5)

[S]o shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. –Isaiah 55:11 (5)

 

 

Old Testament Reading Joshua 3:1–3, 7–8, 13–17

¹Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. ²At the end of three days the officers went through the camp ³and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. . . .

⁷The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. ⁸And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” . . .

¹³“And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”

¹⁴So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, ¹⁵and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), ¹⁶the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. ¹⁷Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

 

 

Gradual Psalm 72:18–19

Blessèd be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
Blessèd be his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!

 

Epistle 1 Corinthians 1:26–31

²⁶For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. ²⁷But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; ²⁸God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, ²⁹so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. ³⁰He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. ³¹Therefore, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

 

Stand

 

 

Alleluia and Verse

 

LSB 190

Psalm 143:10

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!

LSB 190

 

Holy Gospel Matthew 3:13–17

P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the third chapter.

¹³Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. ¹⁶And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; ¹⁷and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

 

Nicene Creed

C I believe in one God,

     the Father Almighty,

     maker of heaven and earth

          and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,

     the only-begotten Son of God,

     begotten of His Father before all worlds,

     God of God, Light of Light,

     very God of very God,

     begotten, not made,

     being of one substance with the Father,

     by whom all things were made;

     who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven

     and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary

     and was made man;

     and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.

     He suffered and was buried.

     And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures

          and ascended into heaven

     and sits at the right hand of the Father.

     And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,

     whose kingdom will have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit,

     the Lord and giver of life,

     who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

     who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,

     who spoke by the prophets.

     And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,

     I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,

     and I look for the resurrection of the dead

     and the life T of the world to come. Amen.

 

Sit

 

 

405 To Jordan’s River Came Our Lord

 

5 The Father’s word, the Spirit’s flight
Anointed Christ in glorious sight
As God’s own choice, from Adam’s fall
To save the world and free us all.

 

6 Now rise, faint hearts, be resolute;
This man is Christ, our substitute!
He was baptized in Jordan’s stream,
Proclaimed Redeemer, Lord supreme.

Text: James P. Tiefel, 1949, alt.
Tune: Musicalisch Hand-Buch der Geistlichen Melodien, 1690, Hamburg, alt.
Text: © 1993 James P. Tiefel. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518
Tune: Public domain

 

 

Sermon

 

 

Stand

 

Offertory LSB 192

 

Prayer of the Church

P Heavenly Father, Your Son fulfilled all righteousness and submitted to Baptism with sinners in the Jordan. Well-pleased, You opened the heavens for us and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. As You have joined us to Christ’s death and resurrection by Holy Baptism and given us Your Spirit, strengthen our hearts and open our ears to hear Your Holy Word and rejoice that You have made us Your beloved children in Him. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

P Lord God, as You have opened heaven to Your Church through Holy Baptism, give her faithful teachers to proclaim Your Son, Jesus Christ, and all that accords with godliness, that many would repent of their sins and join Him in His kingdom. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

P We give You thanks for the gift of family. Bless all parents, especially mothers, that they would joyfully acknowledge Your gifts of spouse, children and home. Be near to the elderly, the widowed and the orphaned. Show forth Your grace to them, that they would not feel alone. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

P Lord God, Your Son, Jesus, is the Christ and the true King of this world. Grant great humility to the rulers of the nations, [especially _____________,] that they would submit to the preaching of His Holy Word for the sake of their own souls and for the good of Your holy people. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

P O God who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, have compassion on Your creation. Deliver from danger all who are threatened by natural disaster, dangerous weather, pestilence, flood or famine. Provide all that is needed for this body and life. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

P Holy God, You sent Your Son as the Servant who would preserve the bruised reed and the faintly burning wick. Hear us on behalf of those in need of healing and deliverance [including _____________]. Provide healing, restoration and justice according to Your good and gracious will, and grant that we would always rejoice in Your Son’s everlasting faithfulness toward us. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

P O God, in Baptism we were buried with Christ into death and raised with Him to walk in newness of life. As we partake of Holy Communion today, give us repentant hearts to receive Jesus’ body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

P Lord God, heavenly Father, You have called Your Church from every tribe and nation. Grant that Your people throughout the world would rejoice in the death and resurrection of Christ and live as those who have died and risen with Him in Holy Baptism; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

 

Sit

 

The offering is gathered.

 

Stand

 

Preface LSB 194

P The Lord be with you.

P Lift up your hearts.

P Let us give thanks unto the Lord, our God.

 

Proper Preface

P It is truly meet, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord; for at His Baptism Your voice from heaven revealed Him as Your beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him, confirming Him to be the Christ. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:

 

Sanctus LSB 195

 

 

Lord's Prayer

C 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 Words of Our Lord LSB 197

P Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My T body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My T blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

 

Pax Domini LSB 197

P The peace of the Lord be with you always.

 

Agnus Dei LSB 198

 

Sit

 

 

Distribution

 

427 In the Cross of Christ I Glory

Text: John Bowring, 1792–1872
Tune: Ithamar Conkey, 1815–67
Text and tune: Public domain

 

578 Thy Strong Word

 

5 Give us lips to sing Thy glory,
    Tongues Thy mercy to proclaim,
Throats that shout the hope that fills us,
    Mouths to speak Thy holy name.
Alleluia, alleluia!
    May the light which Thou dost send
Fill our songs with alleluias,
    Alleluias without end!

 

D 6 God the Father, light-creator,
    To Thee laud and honor be.
To Thee, Light of Light begotten,
    Praise be sung eternally.
Holy Spirit, light-revealer,
    Glory, glory be to Thee.
Mortals, angels, now and ever
    Praise the holy Trinity!

Text: Martin H. Franzmann, 1907–76
Tune: Thomas J. Williams, 1869–1944
Text: © 1969 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518
Tune: Public domain

 

425 When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Text: Isaac Watts, 1674–1748
Tune: Lowell Mason, 1792–1872
Text and tune: Public domain

 

Stand

 

Nunc Dimittis LSB 199

 

Thanksgiving LSB 200

A O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good,

 

Post-Communion Collect

A Let us pray.

We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we implore You that of Your mercy You would strengthen us through the same in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one another; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

Salutation 201

P The Lord be with you.

 

Benedicamus LSB 202

A Bless we the Lord.

 

Benediction LSB 202

P 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 T give you peace.

 

 

837 Lift High the Cross

 

5 Let ev’ry race and ev’ry language tell
Of Him who saves our lives from death and hell. Refrain

 

6 So shall our song of triumph ever be:
Praise to the Crucified for victory! Refrain

Text: George W. Kitchin, 1827–1912; rev. Michael R. Newbolt, 1874–1956, alt.
Tune: Sydney H. Nicholson, 1875–1947
Text and tune: © 1974 Hope Publishing Co. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518

 

 

Acknowledgments

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV^® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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