ARISE! YOUR LIGHT HAS COME

Epiphany (shining forth, appearing) observes the manifestation of Christ to all the nations of the world.  In the Sundays of the Epiphany season we see Christ as our light, our revealer.  What these epiphanies have to say to us is that looking with discerning eye and listening with discriminating ear, we can perceive God behind, above, within, around, and below the world all about us.  In Epiphany we begin to see more and more of Jesus, from his baptism in the Jordan River to his transfiguration on the mountain.  Christ is the coming of the light and the power of the light to draw us to God.  This light will unveil evil even as it reveals the goodness and glory of God; God’s unstoppable love for us.

THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM

WE REMEMBER OUR BAPTISMS, CONFESS OUR FAITHLESSNESS, 

AND HEAR GOD’S FAITHFUL PROMISE OF FORGIVENESS

Pastor: Trusting in the word of life given in baptism,

we are gathered in the name

of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

the holy Trinity, one God,

the fountain of living water,

the rock who gave us birth,

our light and our salvation.

People: Amen.

Pastor: Joined to Christ in the waters of baptism,

we are clothed with God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Let us  give thanks for the gift of baptism.

Pastor: We give you thanks, O God,

for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters

and by your Word you created the world,

calling forth life in which you took delight.

Through the waters of the flood you delivered Noah and his family.

You led Israel safely through the Sea from slavery into freedom and the land of promise.

In the waters of the Jordan, your Son was baptized by John, anointed with the Holy Spirit, and proclaimed your beloved one.

By water, your Word, and the Spirit you claim us as your daughters and sons,

making us heirs of your promise and servants of all.

Through this water remind us of our baptism.

We praise you for the gift of water that sustains life,

and above all we praise you for the gift of new life in Jesus Christ.

Shower us with your Spirit,

and renew our lives with your forgiveness, grace, and love.

To you be given honor and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord

in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever.

People: Blessed be God,

who gives us life with all creation,

joins us to the saving death of Christ,

and raises us to new life by the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

HYMN FOR THE SEASON OF EPIPHANY

 “Songs of Thankfulness and Praise”

[click on the link below]

Songs of thankfulness and praise,

Jesus, Lord to thee we raise;

manifested by the star

to the sages from afar,

branch of royal David’s stem

in thy birth at Bethlehem:

anthems be to thee addressed,

God in flesh made manifest.

Manifest at Jordan’s stream,

prophet, priest, and king supreme;

and at Cana wedding guest 

in thy Godhead manifest;

manifest in power divine,

changing water into wine;

anthems be to thee addressed,

God in flesh made manifest.

Manifest in making whole

weakened body, fainting soul;

manifest in valiant fight,

quelling all the devil’s might;

manifest in gracious will,

ever bringing good from ill;

anthems be to thee addressed:

God in flesh made manifest.

Grant us grace to see thee, Lord,

present in thy holy word;

grace to imitate thee now

and be pure, as pure art thou;

that we might become like thee

at thy great epiphany,

and may praise thee, ever blest,

God in flesh made manifest.

GATHERING

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S CALL WITH PRAISE AND PRAYER,
AND PREPARE TO HEAR GOD’S WORD OF LIFE

GREETING

Pastor: The light and love of God,

who wonderfully made you,

who graciously redeemed you,

who calls you each by name,

be with you all.

People: And also with you

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Pastor:  The Lord be with you. 

People: And also with you. 

Pastor:  Let us pray

People: Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus Christ, most merciful redeemer, for the countless blessings and benefits you give.  May we know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day praising you, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

WORD

THE CHURCH HEARS THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD ACTING
IN THIS AND EVERY TIME AND PLACE

FIRST READING: 1 Samuel 3:1-20

Samuel’s Calling and Prophetic Activity

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. 

At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ and he said, ‘Here I am!’ and ran to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call; lie down again.’ So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, ‘Samuel!’ Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call, my son; lie down again.’ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” ’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 

Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’ Then the Lord said to Samuel, ‘See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I am about to punish his house for ever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering for ever.’ 

Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli called Samuel and said, ‘Samuel, my son.’ He said, ‘Here I am.’ Eli said, ‘What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.’ So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, ‘It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.’ 

As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord. 

SECOND READING: 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. ‘Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food’, and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, ‘The two shall be one flesh.’ But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. 

THE GOSPEL

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

People: Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael  John 1:43-51

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’ And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’ 

Pastor: The Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON

[click on the link below]

HYMN OF THE DAY

“Will You Come and Follow Me”

[click on the link below]

“Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?

Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?

Will you let my life be shown,

will you let my name be known,

will you let my life be grown 

in you and you in me?”

“Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?

Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?

Will you risk the hostile stare,

should your life attract or scare?

Will you let me answer prayer

in you and you in me?”

“Will you let the blinded see if I but call your name?

Will you set the prisoners free and never be the same?

Will you kiss the leper clean, and do such as this unseen,

and admit to what I mean

in you and you in me?”

“Will you love the love you hid if I but call your name?

Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?

Will you use the faith you’ve found

to reshape the world around,

through my sight and touch and sound

in you and you in me?”

Lord, your summons echoes true when you but call my name.

Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.

In your company I’ll go

where your love and footsteps show.

Thus I’ll move and live and grow

in you and you in me.

APOSTLES’ CREED

Pastor: Let us confess our faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed.

All:       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.

TODAY IN OUR PRAYERS

Bill, Carol, Curtis, and Christine Buchkowsky, Teri Peterson, Wayne Turner, Janet Gregory, Jody Giesbrecht, Marge McMillan, Kyrie Parimi, John Beaven, Doris Turner, Hilda Anderson, Linda Wolfe, Naomi, Mary Anderson, Joan Schock, Bev Gregory, Dale Robinson, Bryan Matschke, AnnE and Joel Zimmerman, Ursula Coakwell, Evelyn Robson, Audrey Hedlin, the residents, staff, and families at LutherCare dealing with an outbreak of coronavirus, the family of Lyle Sand, the family of Marguerite Sanders (Don Sander’s sister), the family of Pastor Anne Knudsen, the family of Norm Gregory, and the family of Sophie Kobrynsky (Paul Slusar’s sister).

We remember the missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada, the people of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Ukraine, Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Yemen, Venezuela, Somalia, Libya, Hong Kong, Belarus, the Palestinians and Israelis,  Armenia and Azerbaijan, Thailand, Nigeria, Ethiopia, the Rohingya Muslim refugees, all at the Mexico/United States border seeking refuge, the people of Haiti suffering from natural and political disasters, the people of the Bahamas suffering from hurricanes and those in Central America hit by hurricanes Eta and Iota, the people of Indonesia in recovery from an earthquake, the people and government of the United States caught up in post-election violence and insurrection, those in the United States, Canada, and throughout the world caught up in racism and injustice and the resulting violence and destruction of lives and property, and those throughout the world, in Canada, in our province, and in our community threatened by the coronavirus.

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE OF FAITH

 [The congregational response after each petition is:  “HEAR OUR PRAYER.”]

Pastor:  As we see and hear the promises of God revealed in Jesus, the Word made flesh, let us pray for all people and the whole creation that the light of Christ’s grace and mercy shine upon all , saying, “O Christ, our light and life,” and responding, “Hear our prayer.”

Petitioner:  Inviting God, you call to people of all ages and places.  Open our ears to your voice, speak, make us attentive to your call.  Give us the will and wisdom that with alertness and joy we will follow where you lead, then send us to point eagerly to the many ways in which you reveal your life-giving presence.  O Christ, our light and life …

Petitioner:   Sustaining God, all your works are wonderful and marvelously made, and you desire abundant life for all your creatures.  With tar sands, pipelines, mining, soil depletion, and so many of our practices, help us to mend all that is broken, heal the wounds our carelessness inflicts on creation, and restore the balance of life on earth.  O Christ, our light and life …

Petitioner:  Almighty God, you raise up workers for peace and justice.  Guard those who are called to work for justice among nations, ethnic groups, families, and individuals.  We remember Martin Luther King, Jr. and all who make tolerance, understanding and human rights prevail for all who caught up in injustice.  Make us your prophetic voice to speak for all who are oppressed because of color, class, religion, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. May all be led by your righteous hand so that your peace might prevail.  O Christ, our light and life … 

Pastor:   Compassionate God, you know that which troubles all people.  Stay near those who face trials in life, refresh the depressed and despairing, heal the sick, restore to wholeness those suffering loss or brokenness, comfort those who mourn.  We remember especially before you …  Bring them relief from their struggles.  O Christ, our light and life… 

Petitioner:  God of wandering and exile, bless the commitments and promises we have made to you and to one another to be a people of the Gospel in this place.  Calm our fears, assure us in the midst of uncertainty, give us strength, and keep us celebrating the joy that is ours  centred in the cross and resurrection of Jesus.  O Christ, our light and life … 

Petitioner:  God of wholeness, you grant unity by your Spirit.  As we look forward to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity inspire the many traditions in the Christian Church to find ways for us all to bear witness to Christ together, that all people may see visible signs of unity within your Church.   O Christ, our light and life … 

Petitioner:   We give thanks to you, O God, for the greatest of epiphanies in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord.  May it be the source of our hope, a guide for our lives, and the power that enables us to sing, to pray, to hear the Gospel, and to love our neighbour.  O Christ, our  light and life …  

Pastor:  Receive our prayers, gracious God, and fill us with hope as we behold your presence among us in Jesus Christ our Lord.

People:  Amen.

THANKSGIVING

THE COMMUNITY PRAISES GOD FOR THE GRACIOUS GIFTS OF
 CREATION AND THE SAVING DEEDS OF JESUS CHRIST

THE GREETING AND SHARING OF PEACE

Pastor: Since we are forgiven and renewed by God’s Spirit, let us also be reconciled with one another and share the Peace of the Lord.  

The peace of Christ be with you always.

People: And also with you.

(The congregation greets one another with a gesture of peace, using these or similar words:
“Christ’s peace be with you.”)

THE OFFERING

(We worship God with the offering of our selves, our time, our talents, and our possessions.)

OFFERTORY PRAYER

Leader: Let us pray.
God of all creation,

People: with great joy we worship you and lay before you these gifts.

Use what we have gathered here

in feeding the hungry world with your love.

Let our lives serve you only,

and lead us always to our dearest treasure,

Jesus Christ, the light of the world and the life of all. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Pastor: Let us pray with confidence in the words our Saviour gave us:

People: Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

  on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those

  who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours,

now and forever. Amen.

SENDING

ALL RECEIVE THE BLESSING OF GOD, LEAVE IN PEACE,
AND ARE SENT OUT TO SERVE

BENEDICTION

Pastor:  May Christ, whose epiphany revealed God’s glory to the world,

deepen your faith and make your hearts glad.

God’s blessing be with you,

Christ’s peace be with you,

the Spirit’s outpouring of love be with you, now and always.

People: Amen

CLOSING HYMN

“Take My Life, That I May Be ”

[click on the link below]

Take my life that I may be

consecrated Lord to thee;

take my moments and my days;

let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands and let them move

at the impulse of thy love;

take my feet and let them be

swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my voice and let me sing

always, only for my King;

take my lips and let them be

filled with messages from thee.

Take my silver and my gold,

not a mite would I withhold;

take my intellect, and use

every power as thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it thine;

it shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart, it is thine own;

it shall by thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour

at thy feet its treasure store;

take myself, and I will be

ever, only all for thee.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

DISMISSAL

Pastor: Go forth as light into the world.  The joy of the Lord is your strength.

People: Thanks be to God.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Because of the rapid rise in COVID cases throughout Saskatoon and the province at an online consultation involving all the church leaders and clergy in the Synod it was strongly recommended that congregations suspend all in person worship services through the end of January 2021.  King of Glory’s Church Council met to consider this recommendation and unanimously passed a motion that we suspend in person worship services and post online worship services on our website through January 2021.  Of course, should there be any significant changes with regard to the pandemic situation the Church Council will revisit the issue.

COMING UP AT KOG 

– Sunday, January 17, King of Glory online Worship service. 

– Sunday, January 24, King of Glory online Worship service. 

– Sunday, January 31, King of Glory online Worship service.

– Sunday, February 7, King of Glory online Worship service.

November, December, and Year-to-Date Budget and Contribution Report for KOG

2020 Budget:  $49,536       Monthly Budget:  $4,128     Weekly Budget:  $952.62

2020 income/expenses: $302.15

November income/expenses: -$.2,758.74

Contributions from December 31 through January 10: $1,135

Offerings.  

Even though we are not meeting together we still have expenses and need your offerings so that we can pay them.  Church Council has decided that the best way to receive your offerings is that you mail a cheque (Please no cash for mail security reasons) to the church and we can process them from there.  

Send your contributions to:  King of Glory Lutheran Church

    3318 Merritt Street

    Saskatoon, SK  S7M 3P6

Thank you for your generosity.

Thank you to Karen McKenzie for preparing the charitable contribution receipts.

Pastor Michael and Renita thank all at King of Glory who remembered them this Christmas season with cards, gifts, many kindnesses, and prayers.  Christmas peace and joy and the blessing of Christ be with everyone in the New Year.

The website for all seven ELCIC congregations in Saskatoon is now up and the address is https://saskatoonelcic.com/   It will be used now mainly for sharing information during the pandemic and has the online worship services from our seven congregations. 

Co-Treasurer position for King of Glory 

King of Glory is looking for a co-treasurer primarily responsible for documenting and filling out the forms for the province, the Canada Revenue Agency and the ELCiC.  They will work Pat Sarich whose primary responsibility is oversight of the budget and the bookkeeping with respect of receipts and expenditures.  Please contact Pastor Michael about this position.

Additional Prayers

Petitioner:  Generous God, fill us with compassion and concern for others, young and old, that we may look after one another in these challenging days. Bring healing to those who are sick with the virus and be with their families. Comfort the family and friends of those who have died. Strengthen and protect all medical professionals caring for the sick and all who work in our medical and health care facilities. Give wisdom to leaders in healthcare and governance that they may make the right decisions for the well-being of people.  We pray in gratitude for all those in our country who will continue to work in the days ahead in so many fields of life for the sake of us all. Bless them and keep them safe.  O God of creation and life, we place ourselves in your protection.  May the mantle of your peace enfold us this day and tomorrow.  Hear us, O God of life …