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good morning christ lutheran church this is doug dowd your council president i'm talking this morning because i want to invite you i want to encourage you to come to our annual congregational meeting on the 31st of january at 10 30 in the morning it's going to be a virtual congregational meeting so we'll provide a link for everyone it's part of what we're required to do for our church's constitution we have a couple things to do we need to go ahead and make sure we put in our new council members we'll set up our nominating committee we'll review some of the things we've accomplished this year take a snapshot of where we stand financially and we'll have pastor her pastor eichmann and vicar jackson to answer any questions that you might have the bottom line is we want to see you on the 31st we work better as a church when you contribute moreover our church is a better place when you're present so please join us on the 31st at 10 30 in the morning for our annual congregational meeting and until then stay safe be well and all the best hi i'm colin smith from boy scout troop 73 and i'm here at spirit trust lutheran in gettysburg to talk about my eagle scout project my project is to build four portable raised garden beds these beds will be built out of steel and preserved lumber so that the residents here at spirit trust will have a fun and life enriching activity for many years to come i have developed a budget for this project while myself and many others will be volunteering time to help build these beds the cost of the supplies and materials will be two thousand dollars i welcome you to support my project if you would like to you can send a check to 24 fox trail gettysburg pa 17325 made out to bsa troop 73 or you can visit my gofundme if you would like to make a donation thank you for your consideration i will continue to share updates as we move forward through the project good morning and welcome to worship at christ lutheran church in gettysburg pennsylvania we're gathering for worship this morning on the fourth sunday after epiphany we're delighted that you're joining us for worship today as president dowds mentioned we do hope that you can join us for the annual meeting which will take place sunday morning january 31st at 10 30 a.m on zoom please visit our worship bulletin and our website at christgettysburg.org to learn more about how you can get involved in the many ministries here at christ lutheran we have christian education classes for learners of all ages opportunities to serve our community and we hope that you can get involved and become part of our ministry together here in gettysburg next sunday as we celebrate the fifth sunday after epiphany members of troop 73 boy scout troop 73 will be helping us lead worship on scout sunday so we hope you can join us again next sunday for worship and we do remind you that our youth are currently gathering non-perishable food items for the super bowl of caring information is in the bulletin on our website and we hope that you can help them fight food insecurity here in our community thank you again for joining us for worship and now prepare your hearts and minds to worship in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen god of all mercy and consolation come to the help of your people turning us from our sin to live for you alone give us the power of your holy spirit that we may confess our sin receive your forgiveness and grow into the fullness of jesus christ our savior and lord amen let us confess our sin in the presence of god and one another gracious god have mercy on us we confess that we have turned from you and given ourselves into the power of sin we are truly sorry and humbly repent in your compassion forgive us our sins known and unknown things we have done and things we have failed to do turn us again to you and uphold us by your spirit so that we may live and serve you in newness of life through jesus christ our savior and lord amen god who is rich in mercy loved us even when we were dead in sin and made us alive together with christ by grace you have been saved in the name of jesus christ your sins are forgiven almighty god strengthen you with power through the holy spirit that christ may live in your hearts through faith amen oh steps to the perfect days again and spoke through saints your justice and your grace peace through the earth land and race the grace of our lord jesus christ the love of god and the communion of the holy spirit be with you all glory to god glory to god glory to god in the highest glory to god glory to god and peace to god's people on earth king almighty god and father we worship you we give you thanks we praise you for your glory glory to god glory to god glory to god in the highest glory to god glory to god and peace to god's people on earth lord jesus christ have mercy on us glory to god glory to god glory to god in the highest glory to god glory to god and peace people on earth jesus christ with the holy spirit in the glory of the father glory to god glory to god glory to god in the highest glory to god glory to god and peace to god's people on earth the lord be with you let us pray compassionate god you gather the whole universe into your radiant presence and continually reveal your son as our savior bring wholeness to all that is broken and speak truth to us in our confusion that all creation will see and know your son jesus christ our savior and lord amen psalm 111 hallelujah i will give thanks to the lord with my whole heart in the assembly of the upright in the congregation great are your works o lord pondered by all who delight in them majesty and splendor mark your deeds and your righteousness endures forever you cause your wonders to be remembered you are gracious and full of compassion you give food to those who fear you remembering forever your covenant you have shown your people the power of your works in giving them the lands of the nations the works of your hands are faithfulness and justice all of your precepts are sure they stand fast forever and ever because they are done in truth and equity you send redemption to your people and commanded your covenant forever holy and awesome is your name the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom all who practice this have a good understanding god's praise endures forever the word of the lord hallelujah we oh the holy gospel according to saint mark the first chapter glory to you o lord jesus and his disciples went to capernaum and when the sabbath came he entered the synagogue and taught they were astounded at his teaching for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit and he cried out what have you to do with us jesus of nazareth have you come to destroy us i know who you are the holy one of god but jesus rebuked him saying be silent and come out of him and the unclean spirit convulsing him and crying with a loud voice came out of him they were all amazed and they kept on asking one another what is this a new teaching with authority he commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him at once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of galilee the gospel of the lord good morning boys and girls and welcome to the time with children we are in the season of epiphany and epiphany is a term that we used used to reflect how jesus becomes known to the people of the world the star guided the wise men to the place where jesus was and and they got to meet him and his parents and the wise men represented represented jesus being made known to the wider world because they came from far away places also in epiphany we recall how jesus was baptized and how he became known to many when the dove came down from heaven the holy spirit and landed on him and in the words of john the baptist and in the words of god the father who said that this is my son the beloved with whom i am well pleased we became we we get to know jesus in the bible story of him calling his disciples and how they got to know him when he said come follow me and so epiphany is about god making god's self known to the world and and inviting us to be a part of god's work in the world and this sunday i want to focus on on how we can help make god known in the world we can certainly share the good news of jesus by telling others about jesus and we also make god's work known in the world by caring for others and by doing the things that god calls us to do jesus took care of feeding the hungry and caring for those who were in need in his communities that he went to during his life one of those communities was in capernaum where we hear today how he healed a man and made him well and one of the ways we're currently helping those in need in our community is through our super bowl of caring and i've brought along a non-perishable food item which means it's not like a fruit or a vegetable that this is a food that you can put on a shelf and it'll stay okay sometimes if you you can't put some foods on the shelf you can't put like fresh chicken or a fresh steak on on the shelf and let it sit there for days or go it'll go bad that's called a perishable food item but we're collecting non-perishable food items items that we can put on the shelf and to give to help others who are in need of food and who are hungry and i brought right next to me as our our grocery cart and normally this is always filled because you're coming to worship and so many others are coming here and they're bringing food into it but we're not doing that right now because we're trying to stay safe because of the pandemic so there are other ways for you to be able to help donate food you could drop off of food at the church or you can call the church and we'll have one of our youth members or members of the congregation come out and pick up food so that we can get it to those who are hungry so i hope that you'll find ways in your family to think about how you can donate some food for our super bowl of caring and help those who are hungry and to help make christ known here in our community of gettysburg have a great day and we'll look forward to seeing you next week grace mercy and peace to you in the name of god the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen this is a weary time an exhausting time a frustrating time a time of concern for the health and well-being of all humanity and certainly especially for our own families our friends our congregation our community and ourselves each day we are faced with so many challenging news increasing cases and hospitalizations and deaths as a result of the coven 19 virus families gather to celebrate the life of a deceased loved one need to do so often alone unable to have the wider support from family and friends in their community that often brings such peace and comfort and hope couples that delayed weddings in 2020 to the spring of 2021 are now rescheduling again education teaching and learning has been changed and with it has come real struggles both for teachers and for students grandparents sit isolated in their homes misspending time with their grandkids families mark milestones often remotely or alone and in the midst of this pandemic our nation deals every day with division disagreement over the truth and with the need for greater racial justice our own community became keenly aware this last week of that final need of racial justice when students and alumni at one of our local high schools expressed anger hurt and fear over the racism that they have experienced as the coven 19 pandemic and its impact on our daily lives approaches the one-year mark and with political strife and racial injustice it is a weary time it can be a depressing time a time of pain and sorrow and it can leave us asking the same question posed to jesus in today's gospel reading what have you to do with us jesus of nazareth what have you to do with us in this pandemic in this time of racial injustice in this time of so much division and hurt and anger what have you to do with us the answer to that question lies in the overarching theme of epiphany epiphany is a time in the church liturgical cycle where we concentrate on god revealing god's self to the world through jesus christ god becoming manifest god revealing god's self what have you to do with us jesus of nazareth god's answer to that question is quite a lot christ comes christ enters into human history christ is born full of grace and truth to bring god's refreshing god's renewing love into the world how does christ do that how does christ reveal christ self into this world in which we live well we get a glimpse of that certainly in today's gospel reading as jesus enters capernaum he's confronted with a man with an unclean spirit he heals that man rebukes that spirit tosses that spirit aside and liberates the man giving him new life new hope and new possibilities christ entered into capernaum and taught as one with authority whose words ring true whose words are full of grace and truth god's truth and hope christ enters in to our world and makes manifest god's will and purposes for the world that is what jesus christ of nazareth has to do with us and when christ enters into our lives as christ does day by day christ brings that rebuking of the forces of evil and darkness in our world casting them out christ enters into the world bringing light in the midst of darkness and the darkness does not overcome it jesus rebukes the sin of racism jesus cares for the sick bringing healing and wholeness new life and new possibilities and through his death on the cross and through his resurrection those who die die in the promises of life everlasting in the hope of god's salvation this is what jesus of nazareth has to do with us not sitting on the sidelines not sitting in a far away place or at a distance but in the midst of this messy complicated challenging sinful world bringing light bringing healing and bringing hope yes the world is full of weariness yes it can be depressing painful and challenging yes the ravages of sin so often affect the world in such negative ways but christ is beside us christ is revealed to us and christ comes and walks beside us in the midst of this world bringing hope bringing peace offering forgiveness and reconciliation challenging us to strive for excellence in our work for racial justice in our work to feed the hungry to care for the sick to offer good news and hope to all the psalmist in psalm 111 offers a blueprint as well for our response to christ this epiphany in our world and in our lives the psalm begins with a word of thanks an acknowledgement of god's wonder and power i will give thanks to the lord with my whole heart in the assembly of the upright in the congregation for great are your works o lord pondered by all who delight in them majesty and splendor mark your deeds and your righteousness endures forever as we live in these times as we are reminded of christ's presence in our world that christ has chosen to come and to have a lot to do with us bringing reconciliation and hope bringing forgiveness a new life bringing the refreshing love of god into our lives the psalmist invites us into a life a faithful life of response of discipleship of service and that begins with thanksgiving to thank god for the gift of jesus of nazareth to acknowledge god's majesty and power to be reminded of god's righteousness that endures forever we begin our life of discipleship of faithful stewardship of response to god's gifts by saying thanks and that we live out that thankfulness in responding to god's call of action the psalmist goes on the works of your hands are faithfulness and justice and all your precepts are sure they stand fast forever and ever because they are done in truth and equity just like those who heard jesus in the synagogue in capernaum teach with authority the psalmist reminds us that god's word embodied in jesus comes to us with authority with truth and with equity with faithfulness and with justice and so we are called to respond to that so that we too might work for justice in the world that we might demonstrate our faithfulness in what we do in response to god's grace it's never too late to give up your prejudices said henry david thoreau and martin luther king jr said let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty these words remind us of the call we have to action to live into god's justice and faithfulness by exhibiting that justice and working for that justice in our world whether that is racial justice or economic justice or social justice we're called to work for justice the psalmist goes on outlining for us how we can respond to god's grace and mercy reminding us again that we are recipients the psalmist writes you sent redemption to your people you commanded your covenant forever holy and awesome is your name it's a reminder to us of how awesome our god is how gracious our god is and that god has given us this tremendous gift of redemption through jesus christ born full of grace and truth who died on the cross and was raised to new life that we too might have new life new possibilities and hope the psalmist concludes with these words the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom all who practice this have a good understanding we are reminded by these words of the psalmist that our fear our awe and our respect of the lord whose works are majestic whose grace to us is tremendous whose faithfulness endures and whose steadfast love continues to abide with us that our response to these gifts is to have a healthy respect and awe and fear of the lord and that such a fear is the beginning of wisdom and understanding the beginning not the end but the beginning so let us continue to begin this journey a journey of faithful response to god's love to god's hope to god's gifts may we respond with calls for justice may we respond with calls for care and acts of love and compassion for those who are hurting in need of our care in this world and may we respond with faithfulness by giving thanks to god for god's tremendous gift of jesus of nazareth who walks with us and who is with us in the midst of this truly challenging time thanks be to god amen songs and praise jesus lord to thee we raised branch of royal david's fast supreme changing water into fight from grace m together let us confess our faith using the words of the apostles creed 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 with the whole people of god in christ jesus let us pray for the church those in need and all of god's creation for all who share the gospel and proclaim freedom in christ throughout the world prophets teachers pastors deacons and lay leaders for the church and its ministries we pray lord in your mercy for all god's works in creation plants and animals water and soil forests and farms and for those tasked with protecting our natural resources and all that exists we pray lord in your mercy for government and leaders cities and nations rescue professionals and legal aid attorneys elected officials and grassroots organizers for all responsible for the well-being of civil society we pray lord in your mercy for those who suffer in mind body or spirit those who are sick and hospitalized those struggling with mental illness those who are hungry or homeless and all in any need especially jim badger marty and janet schroeder walter nyblade anna jane moyer betty johnson susan schoengrab harold kent easter dorsey kathleen parrish john key favor gloria howe carol kuroff jim miller alan lewis anthony leach mark link norma wood phillip roth sam francis for those living in personal care facilities phyllis hale pearl hoffman for caregivers hospice workers and home health aides we pray lord in your mercy for those celebrating their baptismal anniversaries that they may grow in faith and love especially gabriel remington and vicar archulis we pray lord in your mercy for the covenant god made with us in the waters of baptism in thanksgiving for the baptized who have died in the lord eunice bowden orville nyblade david sayer kay gray helen bream susan posey don matka alan kohler carl ludman j zimmerman buddy zack hans engren and susan and stephanie casey we pray lord in your mercy into your hands gracious god we commend all for whom we pray trusting in your mercy through jesus christ our savior amen today we are taking the opportunity to hold our annual meeting first for the first time ever that annual meeting will take place virtually on zoom but each year as we gather to review our ministry from the past year we are reminded of the many ways in which members and visitors and friends of christ lutheran contribute so much of their time their talent and their treasure so that we might be able to share the gospel of god's forgiveness and love and grace with our community here in gettysburg and with the wider world we are grateful for your contributions of your time talent and your financial offerings and support throughout 2020 as i looked through the annual report even though we were in the midst of a pandemic our congregation stepped up and did so many wonderful things to help ease the burdens and cares and concerns and needs in our community and we continued our primary mission to share god's gospel god's good news of love and forgiveness with the world thank you and i do invite you to visit our website and to take a look at the many ministries and opportunities there are for you to get involved and consider how you might give of your time and your talent and again your financial gifts in twenty twenty one we continue to look for new and exciting ways to be able to meet the needs of our community here in gettysburg and the wider world and we're also continue to be dedicated deeply to the important work of sharing the good news of jesus christ the good news of god's love that refreshes and renews our hearts and minds with our one another with our community and with the world please join us and give generously of your time of your talent and of your treasure thanks be to god let us pray blessed are you o god maker of all things through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts ourselves our time and our possessions use us and what we have gathered in feeding the world with your love to the one who gave himself for us jesus christ our savior and lord amen salvation belongs to our god and to cross the land by forever deeds glory of you forever is the one whose name is the word of god salvation belongs to our god and to cross let us pray o god of justice and love we give thanks to you that you illumine our way through life with the words of your son give us the light we need awaken us to the needs of others and at the end bring all the world to your feast through jesus christ our savior and lord to whom you to whom with you and the holy spirit be honor and glory forever amen and let us pray together the prayer our lord has taught us 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 in temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever amen may the lord bless you and keep you may the lord's face shine on you with grace and mercy and the lord look upon you with favor and give you peace christ the lord has entered with grace he brings us and women your songs and prayers against the darkness of jesus freedom gave us go in peace serve the lord thanks be to god you