The livestream may be found here.
February
13, 2022
The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
Blessed Are Those…
THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
The color green, used for the paraments and
vestments on the Sundays after the Epiphany, symbolizes growth and life in the
Holy Spirit.
FIRST READING: The contrast between the blessed life and the
cursed life is found throughout the Old Testament. In juxtaposing the two ways,
Jeremiah uses remarkably similar language to Psalm 1. One doubts he has a copy
of the Psalms on hand – scrolls were not easy to come by – but it is probable
that he is quoting from memory. He concludes his warning by reminding his
hearers that God is not impressed with appearances, but knows the truth about
each person’s mind and heart.
SECOND READING: Conditioned
by Greek philosophy and several centuries of Christian thought, we are used to
conceiving ‘the afterlife’ as a given, that which succeeds death as naturally
as day succeeds night. But this is not the view of Paul. Rather, eternal life
is only won through Christ’s resurrection. If Christ
has not been raised from the dead, death is victorious over him and the rest of
humanity. This is what makes the denial of the Resurrection so futile and fatal
to faith. But because Christ is raised from the dead, death has no more
dominion over him or humanity. Faith rejoices in the resurrection as the surety
of death’s defeat.
GOSPEL: Luke’s version
of Matthew’s ‘Sermon on the Mount’ happens on a ‘level place.’ Perhaps Luke is
speaking of another preaching of the same sermon? Or perhaps Matthew and Luke
simply remember the ‘one’ preaching event slightly differently? Luke omits the
words ‘in spirit’ from the first Beatitude, and adds the ‘woes’ to counterpoint
the ‘blessings.’ Both Matthew and Luke, however, speak of true blessing. And
those blessings are only seen in light of the resurrection of the dead in
justice and mercy. When the resurrection occurs, the words of Jesus will be fulfilled
by sight and not by faith.
OPENING MUSIC
Your
Word, O Lord, Is Gentle Dew — David Cherwien
Open
Now Your Gates of Beauty — Paul Manz
Stand
BRIEF
ORDER FOR CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
In the name of the Father,
and of the X Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Almighty God, to whom all hearts
are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the
thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may
perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ
our Lord.
Amen
If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God
who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Silence for reflection and
self-examination.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we are in
bondage to sin
and cannot free ourselves.
We have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what
we have done
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have
mercy on us. Forgive us,
renew us, and lead us,
so that
we may delight in your will and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your holy name. Amen
Almighty God, in his mercy, has
given his Son to die for us and, for his
sake, forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained
minister of the
Church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare
to you the
entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the
Father,
and of the X Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
XHYMN Open Now Thy Gates
of Beauty
Green LBW 250
APOSTOLIC GREETING
The grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
HYMN OF
PRAISE Gloria in excelsis Deo
PRAYER OF
THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also
with you.
O God, you alone can satisfy our deepest hungers.
Protect us from the lure of wealth and power;
move our hearts to seek first your kingdom,
that ours may be the security and joy
of those who place their trust in you;
through your Son, Jesus
Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen
CALL TO THE WORD
The people came to Jesus to hear
him
and to be healed of their diseases.
Luke 6:18
Let us hear the Word of the Lord.
FIRST READING Jeremiah
17:5-10
5Thus says the Lord:
Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals
and make mere flesh their strength,
whose hearts turn away from the Lord.
6They shall be like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see when relief comes.
They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
7Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
8They shall be like a tree planted by water,
sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes,
and its leaves shall stay green;
in the year of drought it is not anxious,
and it does not cease to bear fruit.
9The heart is devious above all else;
it is perverse—
who can understand it?
10I the Lord test the
mind
and search the heart,
to give to all according to their ways,
according to the fruit of their doings.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to
God.
PSALM 1 Setting by Peter R. Hallock
Refrain: Choir sings
first, then all.
The choir sings the verses, and all sing the refrain
where indicated:
1Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of
the wicked,
nor lingered
in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful.
2Their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and they
meditate on his law day and night. Refrain
3They are like trees planted by streams of water,
bearing fruit
in due season, with leaves that do not wither;
everything
they do shall prosper.
4It is not so with the wicked;
they are like
chaff which the wind blows away. Refrain
5Therefore
the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes;
nor the sinner
in the council of the righteous.
6For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of
the wicked is doomed. Refrain
SECOND READING 1
Corinthians 15:12-20
12Now if Christ is proclaimed as
raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the
dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not
been raised; 14and if Christ has not been raised, then our
proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. 15We
are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he
raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.
16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. 17If
Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your
sins. 18Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. 19If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied.
20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first
fruits of those who have died.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Stand
VERSE Sung by the choir
John 6:68 Setting by David Schack
Alleluia.
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia.
Gospel Luke 6:17-26
The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke.
Glory to you, O
Lord.
17[Jesus] came down with [the twelve] and stood on a level
place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from
all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.18They had come
to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled
with unclean spirits were cured. 19And all in the crowd were trying
to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
20Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21“Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22“Blessed are you
when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on
account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy,
for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did
to the prophets.
24“But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
25“Woe to you who are
full now,
for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their
ancestors did to the false prophets.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sit
Choir
Anthem Praise the Lord of Heaven — Text/ based on
Psalm 148
Godfrey Thring, paraphrased, K. Lee
Scott
Music/ K. Lee Scott
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord of heaven’s height;
Angels,
join the soaring praises; sing with moon and stars of light. Hallelujah! Praise
the Lord. Hallelujah, praise the Lord.
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! All was made by God’s command.
Hallelujah!
Earth and heav’n forever stand.
Praise
the name of God forever, ever mighty ever blest,
ever
mighty ever blest.
Praise the Lord, all earthly creatures moving through the ocean deep.
Lightning, hail,
and storm winds blowing,
meadows,
hills, and mountains steep;
forest
trees alive with creatures, sound God’s praises through the earth, sound God’s
praises through the earth.
Rulers
of all earthly nations, men and women, old and young,
Israel,
join in exultation by God’s own let praise be sung:
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord.
Hallelujah!
SERMON Pastor Frontz
Stand
X Hymn of the DaY
Your Word, O God, Is Gentle Dew Green LBW 232
CONFESSION OF
FAITH Apostles’
Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He
was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified, died, and was buried.
He
descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again.
He
ascended into heaven,
and
is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He
will come again 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
Gracious and loving Father, creator of all, hear
the prayers we offer in the power of the Spirit, that your Church may be strengthened,
your world healed, and the poor and needy be lifted up.
A brief silence
hear our prayer.
Strengthen this congregation to proclaim your
victory over death in the resurrection of Christ Jesus. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our
prayer.
Support and guide all who hold authority in
our land, especially our President, Joseph; our Governor, Tom, and all who
make, administer, and judge our laws. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Heal our communities; look with favor upon families;
strengthen those who heal, protect, and serve others; enrich our education with
wise teachers and eager students. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Guide the nations of the world into your peace, and
be with all who are violated in body or in conscience. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let those who have resources use them to benefit
others. Keep us from selfishness, that we may receive your blessing. Lord, in
your mercy,
hear our
prayer.
In your tender mercy, bless the sick, the dying,
the grieving, and these for whom we pray:
The pastor reads the names and
situations submitted for prayer.
The people may offer spoken or
silent intercessions.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
hear our prayer.
The pastor concludes the prayers:
Into your
hands, Father, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your steadfast love,
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
The peace of the Lord be with you
always.
And also with
you.
The people exchange a sign of peace
with the simple words, Peace be with you.
Sit
The Lord’s Table is prepared.
Stand
OFFERTORY Sung by the choir
Psalm 54:4, 6-7 Setting
by Barry L. Bobb
Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my
life. With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to
your name, O Lord, for it is good. For you have delivered me from every
trouble.
Open the
heavens, Lord our God,
and send your transforming Spirit upon us and upon these gifts.
May we, who
are baptized into Christ,
be ready to share
his cup of suffering
and strengthened
to serve him forever.
GREAT THANKSGIVING
It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places offer thanks and praise to you, O Lord, holy Father, through Christ our Lord. He died for our sins and was raised for our justification, and he reigns in glory at your right hand. In his Word he teaches us the way of righteousness, calling us to live in the Spirit in which we were baptized. And so, with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
The pastor leads the people in praying the Eucharistic
canon:
You are indeed holy, almighty and merciful God;
you are most holy, and
great is the majesty of your glory.
You so loved the world that you gave your only Son,
that whoever
believes in him
may not perish but have
eternal life.
Having come into the world, he fulfilled for us your holy will
and accomplished
our salvation.
In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord
Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it,
and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and
eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it
for all to drink, saying:
This cup is
the new covenant in my blood,
shed for
you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Remembering, therefore, his salutary command,
his life-giving
Passion and death,
his glorious
resurrection and ascension,
and his promise to come again,
we give thanks to
you, Lord God Almighty,
not as we ought,
but as we are able;
and we implore you
mercifully
to accept our praise and
thanksgiving,
and, with your Word
and Holy Spirit,
to bless us, your servants,
and these your own
gifts of bread and wine;
that we and all who
share
in the body and blood of
your Son
may be filled with
heavenly peace and joy,
and, receiving the
forgiveness of sin,
may be sanctified in soul
and body,
and have our
portion with all your saints.
All honor and glory are yours, O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
in your holy Church,
now and forever.
Amen
In the presence of Christ, we pray to his Father using
the words he gave us.
Christ is in our midst.
By the power of the Spirit,
we pray to his Father, saying:
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 Matthew 6:9-15
Blessed are you who are hungry now; for you will be
filled.
Thanks be to
God. Luke 6:21a
We adore Christ, present in bread and
wine.
Sit
DISTRIBUTION
Admission to the Sacrament is by
invitation of the Lord, presented through the Church to those who are baptized.
They may receive the
Lord’s Body and Blood who are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, who commune in their home churches, and who believe
that Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, is truly present in, with, and under the
forms of bread and wine for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
The
communicants will be invited forward one family unit at a time. Please do not
come forward until the pastor directs you to come forward, do not approach all
the way to the table until the pastor has retreated.
When the pastor says ‘The body of Christ,
given for you,’ eat the bread. When the pastor says, ‘The blood of Christ, shed
for you,’ drink the wine. Please take
the plate and the glass(es) and place them on the table that is indicated.
XDISTRIBUTION HYMN
Jesus,
the Very Thought of You Green
LBW 316
St.
1, 3 / Choir
When all have received, the congregation stands at
the direction of the pastor.
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
Amen
We give you thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us
Amen
BENEDICTION
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor + and give you peace.
Amen
XCLOSING
HYMN
Sent Forth by
God’s Blessing Green
LBW 221
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
THIS WEEK FOR THE FAITH FAMILY
Sun/
Feb 13 Choir rehearsal 9:30 AM
WORSHIP
10:30 AM
Prayer
at the Close of the Day (livestream) 9:30 PM
Mon/ Feb 14 Morning Prayer (livestream) 8:30 AM
Wed/ Feb 16 Evening Prayer (livestream) 7:00 PM
Bible
Study (ZOOM) 7:30 PM
Fri/ Feb 18 Morning Prayer (livestream) 8:30 AM
Sat/ Feb 19 NA Meeting 11 AM
WORSHIP
6:30 PM
Sun/ Feb 20 Choir rehearsal 9:30 AM
WORSHIP
10:30 AM
Prayer
at the Close of the Day (livestream) 9:30 PM
From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright
2022 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Reprinted by permission under Augsburg
Fortress Liturgies Annual License #20540.
New Revised Standard Version Bible,
copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All
rights reserved.
Additional liturgical material from Common
Worship: Times and Seasons, copyright the Church of England.
Hochhalter, Cara B.. Blessed are
Those, from Art
in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt
Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=59299 [retrieved
February 8, 2022]. Original source: Cara B. Hochhalter, A Challenging
Peace in the Life and Stories of Jesus, 2019.
Agnus Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org
St Stephen Lutheran Church
55 Forsythe Road
Pittsburgh PA 15220
(412) 279-5868
office@ststephenpittsburgh.org
Saturday
Evening Worship – 6:30 pm
Sunday Morning
Worship – 10:30 am
