St. Johns - Last Week's Bulletin

Third Sunday after Epiphany
January 26, 2025

Divine Service Setting 1 – LSB 151
 

Hymn: Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now                               LSB 902

 
Confession and Absolution
 

Stand
Exhortation (p.151)
Corporate Confession (p.151)

 
Service of the Word
 

Introit (responsively by whole verse)   Psalm 102:18–22; antiphon: v. 13
P   You will arise and have pity on | Zion;*
             it is the time to favor her; the appointed | time has come.
C   Let this be recorded for a genera- | tion to come,*
             so that a people yet to be created may | praise the Lord:
P    that he looked down from his | holy height;*
             from heaven the Lord looked | at the earth,
C   to hear the groans of the | prisoners,*
             to set free those who were | doomed to die,
P   that they may declare in Zion the name | of the Lord,*
             and in Jerusa- | lem his praise,
C   when peoples gather to- | gether,*
             and kingdoms, to wor- | ship the Lord.
C    Glory be to the Father and | to the Son*
             and to the Holy | Spirit;
        as it was in the be- | ginning,*
             is now, and will be forever. | Amen.
P    You will arise and have pity on | Zion;*
             it is the time to favor her; the appointed | time has come.

Kyrie (p.152)
Hymn of Praise: Gloria in Excelsis (p.154)

Collect of the Day
P  Let us pray.
Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities and stretch forth the hand of Your majesty to heal and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C  Amen.
 
Sit
Old Testament Reading: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
             ¹ All the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. ²So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. ³And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. . . .
             ⁵And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. ⁶And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. . . .
             ⁸They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
             ⁹And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. ¹⁰Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

L  This is the Word of the Lord.
C  Thanks be to God.

Gradual                                                                     Psalm 117:1–2a; 96:8
Praise the Lord, all | nations!*
    Extol him, all | peoples!
For great is his steadfast | love toward us,*
    and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for- | ever.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory | due his name;*
    bring an offering, and come in- | to his courts!

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
             ¹²For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
             ¹⁴For the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? ¹⁸But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. ¹⁹If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
             ²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²²On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, ²⁴which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, ²⁵that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
             ²⁷Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. ²⁸And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. ²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

L  This is the Word of the Lord.
C  Thanks be to God.

Stand
Alleluia (p.156)

Holy Gospel: Luke 4:16-30
             ¹⁶[Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. ¹⁷And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
      because he has anointed me
          to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
      and recovering of sight to the blind,
          to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
²⁰And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” ²²And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” ²³And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.” ²⁴And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. ²⁵But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, ²⁶and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ²⁷And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” ²⁸When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. ²⁹And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. ³⁰But passing through their midst, he went away.

L  This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C  Praise be to Thee, O Christ.

Nicene Creed (p.158)  

Sit
Hymn of the Day: God Has Spoken by His Prophets            LSB 583

Sermon

Stand
Prayer of the Church
Offering
Offertory (p. 159)

 
Service of the Sacrament
 

Preface (p.160)
Sanctus (p.161)
Prayer of Thanksgiving
The Lord’s Prayer (spoken)
The Words of Institution (p.162)
Pax Domini (p.163)
Agnus Dei

Sit
Distribution of the Sacrament                                

Distribution hymns
Where Charity and Love Prevail                                              LSB 845
O Living Bread from Heaven                                                  LSB 642
Fight the Good Fight                                                              LSB 664

Stand
Canticle: Thank the Lord (p.164)
Post Communion Collect (p.166)
Benediction   

Sit
Announcements
Hymn: Jesus, Priceless Treasure                                              LSB 743
 
Acknowledgments
Divine Service, Setting One from Lutheran Service Book
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.

Prayers – For the home-bound: St. John’s – Alfred Larson;
Our Savior – Charlotte Scepaniak, Doris Vilhauer, Betty Zundel, Ken & Dorothy Maas, Loretta Podoll, Betty Meints, Verdena Dabbert, Lorraine Krage, Lloyd Jerde, Phyllis Lassanske, and Wally & Fran Rutschke.
For the children we sponsor through Mission Haiti: Michelet Voltaire, Michel Djoury, and Orgea Djouna;
For those sick/injured or recovering: Nathaniel Wendt, Michael Wendt, Lloyd Dennert, Phyllis Yeske, Butch Podoll, Kevin Fehn, and Larry Vietmeier.

 

St. John’s
Organist: SOS
Last Week: Attendance – 17; Offering – $1,175

Our Savior
Organist: SOS
Elders: Russell Brandt & Brandon Christianson
Ushers: David Johnson & Bob Rausch
Altar Guild: Sarah Rausch & Rebecca McHenry
Acolytes: Teigan McKown & Caleb Siebert
Last Week: Attendance – 97; Sunday School – 20;
Offering: General Fund $2,448; Sunday School $26;
From St. John’s $3,171.43;  Total $5,645.43

Schedule for the Week
Sunday                St. John’s Divine Service – 8:15 am
                           Sunday School – 9:30 am
                           Our Savior Bible Study – 9:45 am
                           Our Savior Divine Service – 10:45 am
Monday               Mat Ladies – 1:00 pm
                           Deacons – 3:30 pm
Tuesday              Coffee & Confessions – 6:30 am
Wednesday          Catechism Class – 5:00 pm
                           Vespers – 6:00 pm
                           Bible Study – 6:30 pm
Next Sunday        St. John’s Service of the Word – 8:15 am
                           St. John’s Bible Study – 9:30 am
                           Sunday School – 9:30 am                          
                           Our Savior Divine Service – 10:45 am  

 
Announcements
 

Our Savior –
2025 Offering Envelopes – Please pick up your offering envelopes in the fellowship hall. Your number may have changed in order to keep the list in alphabetical order. Therefore, throw out any old envelopes you may have, to assist us with accurate record-keeping. Thank you!

2024 Offering Statements – Please pick up the record of your offerings in 2024 from the table in the narthex.
Superbowl Subs – The youth group will be selling Superbowl subs again this year as a fundraiser. They will be 6-inch meat and cheese subs, with veggies on the side, for free-will donation. If you would like one (or more!) please sign up in the fellowship hall by Wednesday, February 5^th. The subs can be picked up after the service on Sunday, February 9^th. If you have any questions, call Eric Johnson at 605-216-6701.

The Mat Ladies will not be needing any plastic bags for a while. They are overflowing and don’t have any more storage space.

For All –
Installation / Ordination of Vicar Tom Penrod – Gettysburg & Lebanon, serving Cresbard & Wecota vacancy: You are invited to attend the Installation today, January 26, 2025 at 4pm at Immanuel Lutheran in Wecota.

Bible Bowl – The youth in grades 6-12 have begun practicing for the Bible Bowl on Sundays at 12:00 pm in the fellowship hall of Our Savior. The competition will take place in Pierre on March 29^th, with the main topic being the Gospel of John. There is a sign-up sheet on the kitchen counter for anyone who would like to provide a lunch for the youth in the coming weeks.

Annual Reports – A reminder to the chair persons of all boards and circles: please turn in your group’s annual report for 2024 to the office or email it to oursaviorlutheran@nvc.net as soon as possible.  Thank you!

RGI – We are blessed! Consider the Rural Gospel Initiative (LCMS) when…allocating Thrivent Choice Dollars in 2025; Estate Planning; deciding on tax-free Qualified Charitable Contributions; or planning a tax-deductible donation. Go to www.RuralGospel.org for more information on the RGI. Thank you.

Lutherans for Life 2025 South Dakota Essay Contest – For students in Grades 6-12. This year’s theme will be “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made” using Psalm 139:13-14. If you are interested, please pick up the contest guidelines and information in the narthex. The deadline for submission is February 15, 2025.
  
***Lighthouse Preschool/Jr. Kindergarten***
Registration for our NEW full-day Jr. Kindergarten program is now open!  This new Jr. Kindergarten program is designed to help students transition for the needs and demands of a full-day Kindergarten lifestyle.  We have purchased a new, faith-based, Jr. Kindergarten Classical Education curriculum, that will help students grow academically, physically, socially, and spiritually. Please note that our new program will be limited to 12 students, ages 4-5.  Turning in your application and deposit in a timely manner is essential to guarantee your child a spot! Applications and information can be picked up in the narthex.  Please reach out to the preschool or Jenelle Siebert if you have any questions about our new program! (215 7^th Ave SW, across the street from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Phone 605-725-1855)

Christian Foundations Class starts in February – Pastor Schopp will be teaching adult education classes twice a year starting this spring.  The name of this class is “Christian Foundations” and it is a ten-week class that he has developed over years teaching new and current members in multiple congregations.  Although it is labeled an “adult education class”, high school aged youth are welcome as well.  Members who want a refresher are also encouraged to attend. 
The class begins on Tuesday, February 4 and runs through April 8, from 6:00-7:30pm.
PLEASE REGISTER IN ADVANCE!  We need to place an order for materials in mid-January and want to make sure we have enough.  Contact the church secretary, Cherise Johnson, at oursaviorlutheran@nvc.net or call 605-225-7106 with your name and contact information.

LCMS Stewardship Ministry – Third Sunday after Epiphany
1 Cor. 12:16 – “And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body.” The Lord has called each of us individually and given each of us unique gifts. He has made our whole lives holy in our Baptism and has called us to a life together in the church, His body. You are a part of that body, and that body needs you and the gifts the Lord has given you. This is your holy calling from the Lord.

Building Healthy Families: Have you experienced the grief and loss of infertility? Or maybe you have parenting experience and room in your heart and home for one more child? Prayerfully consider adopting a child, possibly one who exists today as a waiting frozen embryo, or one who is waiting in foster care, in need of a forever family. Christian adoption builds a family through love that transcends genetics, biology, and culture. Visit https://lutheranfamilyservice.org/adoption-services/.
Lutheran Family Service  www.LutheranFamilyService.org
 
Main Street Living – 10:00 AM- This Is the Life – “If God Be for Us” – A couple struggles with life after the death of their son.  10:30 AM- Rev. Gary Schulte, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Rapid City, presents the message “Life for a Pooped Party”. Watch Main Street Living on Sunday mornings on KDLT NBC TV. The worship segment also airs on Saturdays at 5:00 pm. Past shows are archived at www.mainstreetliving.com.   

The Lutheran Hour – Like an overture that introduces a great musical work, John the Baptizer is the living voice sent by God to bear witness to Jesus' lordship and salvation. Guest Speaker Rev. Dr. Leopoldo Sanchez delivers the message "An Overture to the Greatest Story Ever Told,” based on John 3:26-36. Listen to The Lutheran Hour on Sunday mornings at 9:00 on KAWZ 88.1 FM, or on Sirius-XM Family Talk 131 at 9:00 am. Sermons are also archived on the website www.lutheranhour.org.
THE BIBLE & OTHER RELIGIOUS WRITINGS… The Koran, The Book of Mormon, The New World Translation, The Analects of Confucius, The Gospel of Thomas.  Issues, Etc., a radio talk show and podcast produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL, is doing a series on the origins of religious writings with Dr. Adam Francisco of Concordia University Chicago.  You can listen to this multi-part series at issuesetc.org/religiouswritings.
 
The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod’s Statement on Close Communion:
The Lord’s Supper is celebrated at this congregation in the confession and glad confidence that, as He says, Our Lord gives into our mouths not only bread and wine but His very body and blood to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins and to strengthen our union with Him and with one another. Our Lord invites to His table those who trust in His words, repent of all sin, and set aside any refusal to forgive and love as He forgives and loves us, that they may show forth His death until He comes.
Because those who eat and drink our Lord’s body and blood unworthily do so to their great harm and because Holy Communion is a confession of the faith which is confessed at this altar, any who are not yet instructed, in doubt, or who hold a confession differing from that of this congregation and the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and yet desire to receive the Sacrament, are asked to first speak with the Pastor.
                                  (CTCR, Admission to the Lord’s Supper, Nov 1999)