The Celebration of the Gospel
February 10, 2019 — Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
“Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”.
—Luke 5.10
________ We Gather as the Body of Christ______
GREETING
PRELUDE Andante Cantabile P. I. Tchaikovsky, arr: Lee Evans
[As we listen to the music we quiet our minds and bodies,
listen for our hearts’ deepest desires,
and become present to the Holy One who is lovingly present for us.
You may light a votive candle in prayer
any time during the prelude, hymns, offering, Peace or postlude.]
* CALL TO WORSHIP ( Isaiah 6.1-8)
[We hear three stories today, about people’s feelings of unworthiness at being called into God’s service. Isaiah has a vision of God sitting on a throne, attended by angels. He cries: “I am sinful, yet I have seen God face to face!” Nevertheless, he is called and prepared for the prophetic ministry.]
Leader: I saw God sitting on a throne, high and lofty.
Seraphs were in attendance, and they called to one another:
All: “Holy, holy, holy is God Omnipotent;
the whole earth is full of God’s glory.”
I said, “Woe is me, for I am a person of unclean lips
and I live among people of unclean lips,
yet my eyes have seen the Holy One, Almighty God.”
One of the seraphs flew to me holding a live coal from the altar
in a pair of tongs, touched my mouth with it and said,
“Now that this has touched your lips,
your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.”
Then I heard the voice of the Holy One saying,
“Who shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said,
“Here am I; send me!”
* SONG Great Is Thy Faithfulness – Blue hymnal # 140
____________ We Attend to the Word__________
PRAYER
God of love, Jesus entered the lives of the fishers, spoke grace to them, and called them to follow him. Come into our lives now, speak your Word to us, and stir up your spirit in us to follow your call. Amen.
NEW TESTAMENT 1 Corinthians 1.26-31
[Paul observes that we are not especially powerful, wise or influential people, yet God has called us to an important mission.]
Dearly beloved, think about how God has called you. Not many of you were exceptionally wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born of aristocrats. But God chose what seems foolish to this world to expose the foolishness of what we call wisdom. God chose what is weak to outdo the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are nothing at all, to reduce to nothing things that seem like a big deal. So no one can boast in the presence of God.
God is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us the living wisdom of God. God makes us authentic to ourselves, makes us holy for God’s purposes, and makes our lives invaluable to God. So, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in God.”
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GOSPEL Luke 5.1-11
[Jesus calls the first disciples. Jesus helps them take such a miraculous catch of fish that Peter feels unworthy. Yet he too is called into service.]
Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God. He saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
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(10:30) CHILDREN’S TIME
(10:30) THE WORD IN SONG Trust and Obey Lloyd Larson
SERMON The call
SONG Lord, You have Come to the Lakeshore Blue hymnal # 344
* AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
We believe in God, the Holy of Holies, Creator of all things that are and that are to come, the source of our life and all love, who sets us free and births us into new lives.
We follow Jesus, the Christ of God, the embodiment of God’s love. He taught and healed the people, he loved them and called them and made of them a gifted community, including the outcast and empowering the lowly. He resisted injustice, and for his witness he was crucified. But he was raised from the dead, and lives among us, blessing us and leading us.
We live by the Holy Spirit, the power of God’s love in us. Jesus calls us to lives of love and service, of healing and forgiveness, of courage to do justice and to love tenderly, where we discover the deep blessings hidden in our callings. By the grace of the Spirit that sustains and empowers us we die to our fears and desires, and rise with Christ in abundant and beautiful love. Alleluia!
* SONG Jesus Calls Us Black hymnal #398, v. 1, 2, 5
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
THE PRAYER OF JESUS
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. Amen.
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST
______ We Are Sent in Ministry to the World_____
OFFERING OUR GIFTS Holy, Holy Jimmy Owens, arr: Fred Bock*
OFFERING SONG Doxology Blue hymnal #95
* PRAYER
Gracious God, we give you our lives, symbolized in these gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. You call us, and make our daily lives vessels for your grace. We surrender our plans and our possessions, to follow Christ in all we do. Send us out to follow Jesus, to spread the net of your love over all the earth, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.
THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD
* SONG I Have Decided to Follow Jesus lack hymnal #2129
* THE BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
RESPONSE We stand and sing to our neighbors:
May the grace and peace of Christ be with you my friends.
Go and share the love of God, love that never ends.
POSTLUDE Epilogue On “Lobe Den Herren” Lani Smith
[During the postlude there are people ready to pray with you at the candles in the corners.]