Greetings!
A new year has begun. And God has made us new again through the celebration again of his coming into this world. Now we are called by Him to go out into that world and help Him to make it new again as well. Here are some ways that you can begin to do that!
Sunday, January 12
9:30 – 10:30am Adult Bible Study & Sunday School
10:45 – 11:45am Livestream Worship in-person
12 – 1pm Education Committee
3 – 4:30pm Zoom Bible Study
Tuesday, January 14
9 – 11am Streams Food Pantry
10:30am – 12pm Bible Study, Office Conference Rm
7 – 9pm Native American Flute Circle
7 – 8pm Stewardship Committee
Wednesday, January 15
8:30 – 11:30am Workday
9 – 11:30am Quilters – Large Fellowship Hall
5:15 – 7:30pm Friends & Family Dinner & a Movie
Thursday, January 16
9 – 11am VdC Grouping, Office Conference Rm
6 – 7pm Bell’s Angels practice
7:15 – 8:30pm Joy Choir
Saturday, January 18
9 – 10am Take down Sanctuary decor
Sunday, January 19
9:30 – 10:30am Adult Bible Study & Sunday School
10:45 – 11:45am Livestream Worship in-person
12:20 – 1:20pm Worship & Music Com. – Office Conference Rm
3 – 4:30pm NO Zoom Bible Study
Please remember: the Congregational Annual Meeting is coming up on Sunday, January 26, immediately after the worship service.
You can check out the calendar and watch any of our worship services or read our newsletter on our Website: www.streamstuc.org
Know that you are called, loved, and sent!
Pr Tom
Welcome
GATHERING SONGS AWESOME GOD
Verse 1
When He rolls up His sleeves He ain’t just puttin’ on the ritz
Our God is an awesome God There is thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fists Our God is an awesome God
And the Lord wasn’t joking When He kicked ’em out of Eden
It wasn’t for no reason That He shed His blood
His return is very close And so you’d better be believin’
That our God is an awesome God
Chorus
Our God is an awesome God He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom pow’r and love Our God is an awesome God (repeat)
Verse 2
When the sky was starless In the void of the night
Our God is an awesome God He spoke into the darkness
And created the light Our God is an awesome God
Judgment and wrath He poured out on Sodom
Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross
I hope that we have not Too quickly forgotten
That our God is an awesome God
Chorus
Our God is an awesome God He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom pow’r and love Our God is an awesome God (repeat)
Our God is an awesome God, Our God is an awesome God.
CCLI Song # 41099
Precious Lord, Take My Hand ELW #773
1. Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.
Through the storm, through the night,
lead me on to the light.
Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.
2. When my way grows drear, precious Lord, linger near,
when my life is almost gone,
hear my cry, hear my call, hold my hand lest I fall.
Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.
3. When the darkness appears and the night draws near,
and the day is past and gone,
at the river I stand, guide my feet, hold my hand.
Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.
Come, Now Is the Time to Worship
Verse Come, now is the time to worship;
Come, now is the time to give your heart;
Come, just as you are to worship;
Come, just as you are before your God. Come
Chorus
One day every tongue will confess You are God;
One day every knee will bow;
Still the greatest treasure remains;
For those who gladly choose You now
Repeat verse and chorus
Come, now is the time, Come, now is the time, Come.
CCLI-License# 1366369
THE CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: Let us all give praise before the Lord with gladness and joy.
People: This is our God, on whom we have waited for our salvation.
Leader: For the Lord is near to all who call out to God in love and truth.
People: The Lord is indeed our Help and the Holy One who delivers us.
Leader: Let us shout the message for all to hear of God’s mercy and grace.
People: Blessed be the name of the Lord!
WELCOME TO WORSHIP
Equip
PRAYER OF CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Leader: Gracious God,
People: in so many ways You have sent us the message of Your salvation, yet we have been too busy to hear. In so many ways, even through the Christ, You have tried to show us Your Love, but we would not see. And so often You would have us share Your Love with others that You might bless the world through us, but we would not share it. Forgive us, Lord. In Christ we pray. Amen.
(Silence for reflection and personal confession)
Leader:Do not fear, for Christ has redeemed you. Baptized in the deep waters of death he has washed away your sins in the depths of God’s mercy. Sisters and Brothers, your sins are forgiven; be at peace.
People: Thanks be to God!
PASSING OF THE PEACE
SONG OF PRAISE Fill My Cup, Lord
1. Like the woman at the well I was seeking
For things that could not satisfy:
And then I heard my Savior speaking:
“Draw from my well that never shall run dry”.
Chorus
Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up, Lord!
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul;
Bread of heaven, Feed me till I want no more
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!
2. There are millions in this world who are craving
The pleasures earthly things afford;
But none can match the wondrous treasure
That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord. Chorus
3. So my brother, if the things this world gave you
Leaves hungers that won’t pass away.
My blessed Lord will come and save you
If you kneel to Him and humbly pray. Chorus
TODAY’S BIBLE READINGS
Psalm 29:1-2, 10-11
1 Ascribe to the Lord, you gods,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due God’s name;
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
10 The Lord sits enthroned above the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forevermore.
11 O Lord, give strength to your people;
give them, O Lord, the blessings of peace.
Acts 8:14-17
Peter and John are sent to support the new Christians in Samaria, a group that was recently baptized after hearing the good news of Christ through the preaching of Philip. Here the Samaritans receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in the laying on of hands.
14Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit 16(for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). 17Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION THY WORD
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
And a light unto my path; you’re the light unto my path
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
The reading opens with questions about the identity of the Messiah. John the Baptist insists that he is not the Messiah; instead he points ahead to one who is coming. And whether the voice of God was heard by all or only by Jesus, God settles the matter: Jesus is God’s beloved Son.
15As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
21Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
SPECIAL MUSIC Bell’s Angels:
Young people’s message
Adult message 1 EPIPHANY – 1.12.25 – MARK 8:1-20
Three pastors got together for coffee one morning. Much to their surprise they discovered that all their churches had problems with bats infesting their belfries. The bats were making a terrible mess. “I got so mad,” said one pastor, “I took a shotgun and fired at them. It made holes in the ceiling, but did nothing to the bats.”
“I tried trapping them alive,” said the second. “Then I drove 50 miles before releasing them, but they beat me back to the church.”
“I haven’t had any more problems,” said the third.
“What did you do?” asked the others, amazed.
“I simply baptized and confirmed them,” he replied. “I haven’t seen them since.”
If that story doesn’t make you laugh, it will make you cry. It is such a common occurrence. People come to the church desiring Christian baptism and church membership. We welcome them into our fellowship, and then for six weeks or so after we welcome them into our fellowship, we don’t hear anything of them. What does it mean? Or parents stand at the altar to present a child to God. They make promises to bring up that child in the household of faith and then they disappear. We rarely see them again. What did those promises mean?
On this second Sunday of the New Year our lesson from the Gospels focuses our attention on the place of baptism in our lives.
Jesus came to be baptized by John. It was an interesting act of contrition. John the Baptist admitted that he wasn’t worthy to lace up Jesus’ sneakers, and yet Jesus joins the crowd that is being baptized by John. It was a dramatic moment for John and even for Jesus. For there came a voice from heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.”
Baptism has always been at the heart of the Christian faith. It is sign and symbol that a person belongs to Christ. It is a requirement for membership in the church. It is a sacrament—a means of grace. Why, then, do so many Christians take baptism so lightly? Perhaps we need to consider what baptism says to us.
FIRST OF ALL, BAPTISM SAYS THAT IT IS GOD WHO HAS SAVED US. Certainly it is not the water. Water is but a symbol.
The story is told of an old mountain preacher who was baptizing converts at a revival meeting. Up stepped a wiry, sharp-eyed old man who said he wanted to be baptized too. The preacher led the man into the water. He asked the usual question: Was there any reason why the ordinance of baptism should not be administered.
After a pause a tall, powerful-looking man, who was watching quietly, remarked: “Preacher, I don’t want to interfere in your business, but I want to say that this is an old sinner you have got hold of, and that one dip won’t do him any good; you’ll have to anchor him out in deep water overnight.”
The objector was right. If the hope for cleansing was based on the efforts of the water, there was going to have to be a whole lot more water used! It is not water that saves us. Water is but a symbol. Water itself has no saving power. And to be frank about it, neither does the strength of our belief.
The focus in baptism is not on the believer, but on God. Grace is not something we earn, but something we receive as a free gift. Baptism symbolizes a turning from sin, but it is God who delivers us from the power of the Tempter. It is not a victory of our will but of God’s. That is why we always come to Christian baptism in an act of total humility. Baptism is a symbol of God’s grace freely given.
In Vienna, Austria, you will find a church in which the Hapsburgs, the former ruling family of Austria, are buried. It is said that when royal funerals finally arrive at the church for the burial rites, the mourners leading the funeral procession knock at the door to gain entrance.
“Who is it that desires admission here?” a priest asks through the locked door.
“His apostolic majesty, the emperor!” calls the guard.
“I don’t know him,” answers the priest.
A second knock follows and a similar question is asked. This time, the funeral guard announces the deceased as, “The highest emperor.”
Again, “I don’t know him,” echoes throughout the vaulted burial chamber.
Finally, a third knock is heard. “Who is it?”
“A poor sinner, your brother,” comes the final answer. Then the door is opened and the royal burial completed.(2)
That is the proper attitude for baptism—total and complete humility. It is not the water that saves us. It is not our own noble intentions that save us. It is God acting out of total and complete self-giving love that accepts us just as we are. That is the first thing we need to see. It is God who saves us.
Here is the second. IT IS GOD WHO CALLS US. Baptism is a free gift from God, but the purpose of baptism is to give us a new identity.
The word baptizo was a term that was used in the first century for dipping a light-colored garment into a dye. Once the fabric was dipped into the dye, it would be changed in its identity from its original color to a new color. The act of dipping it, resulting in changing its identity, was called baptizo. It is the Greek term from which we get our English word baptism. “Once we were no people,” says the holy scriptures, “but now we are God’s people.” Baptism is a sign of God’s call to us to be new people.
Sue Monk Kidd, in her book, All Things Are Possible, says that so often when she opens a newspaper she finds herself reading a depressing headline—words in big letters shouting about a world threat, a crisis, another crime. There is surely a lot of bad news to read about these days. One day she opened her town’s paper, however, and read a remarkable headline printed in half-inch letters. The headline read like this: “I Asked Jesus Into My Heart.” This story followed:
“During the night dogs had begun to bark furiously around the home of a local couple. Usually the dogs’ barking signaled something amiss, that perhaps prowlers lurked nearby. But the next morning, the couple discovered that nothing had been taken. Instead, something had been returned. Outside the front door were two car speakers that had been stolen six weeks earlier. A note attached to them read like this: `I’m sorry that I took your speakers, but now I have repented my sins and asked Jesus to forgive me. I hope you will forgive me too. I no longer take other people’s belongings…God has changed me. I’m a new creature since I asked Jesus into my heart.’ It was signed simply, `Saved.'”
It could have been signed, “Baptized.” In fact, I like “baptized” better. “Saved” connotes that we have been delivered from the power of sin, but baptism is more than that. Baptism means that we have put on new life in Christ. It means that we have not only given up old, unsavory behavior, but that we now walk in the footsteps of the One who gave his life for us. How, then, can we come for baptism or confirmation and then disappear from the life of the Christian community?
The WALL STREET JOURNAL once carried an article about the dramatic increase of fundamentalist Islam in Turkey—a country that has been relatively secular. They quoted a young Muslim Turk:
“Our view of religion is different from yours,” he said to a western visitor. “According to your rules,” he continued, “religion counts only in the place where you pray. Our religion is a way of life. I have no time at all, not one minute, without Islam.”
Is that how the world views the Christian faith…its rules apply to its adherents only while they are in church? Where have we missed it? Why do we not understand that baptism means the beginning of new life? To paraphrase that young Muslim: “I have no time at all, not one minute, without Christ.”
Pastor Martin B. Hellriegel once returned to Hepperheim in Germany where he was born. It was also the place he had been baptized. He went to the parish church and put his hands reverently on the baptismal font and thought deep thoughts. They were thoughts of gratitude for all that he had received, from parents, from his church—and from God. They were thoughts of renewal, and rededication to his calling as a disciple, a follower of Jesus Christ. It began with his baptism, right there, at that font. The church was ancient; generations before him had received the gift. How could he be faithless to this calling? Baptism signifies that it is God who has saved us. It is God who has called us.
FINALLY, IT IS GOD WHO GOES WITH US. Just as we do not come to baptism trusting in our own merits but in God’s gracious love for us, neither do we live the Christian life trusting in our own strength.
It is said that Martin Luther had his hours of doubt and despair. In such hours he would face himself and the tempter with these words, “Baptizatus sum, baptizatus sum”–“I have been baptized, I have been baptized.” Baptism is a reminder to us that we are not alone in the world. Just as Jesus heard those words at his baptism, “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased,” so we too hear God’s voice: “You are my own child. I am with you. You are not alone.”
Everyone in the small town called her Grandma Richardson. One late afternoon Grandma Richardson looked out of her window to see a group of men on her porch. It was a familiar sight in a coal town. She knew what had happened before the men told her. Her husband had been killed in a mining accident.
Years passed slowly and with great difficulty. Grandma Richardson was admired by everyone in town for her courage and unwavering faith. She and her children attended church almost every week. Then there was another knock on her door. Her older son had been killed in another mine accident.
Grandma grew older and weaker. In the spring and summer, when the weather was warm, she would sit on her front porch, rocking in her rocking chair, softly singing hymns of faith that she had learned by heart. Children would gather and listen to her tell Bible stories. Then it happened again. Another son was killed in the mine. After the funeral Grandma Richardson was again sitting on her porch rocking in her favorite chair, softly singing hymns of faith. One of the children who saw her sitting there asked her, “Grandma Richardson, aren’t you sad today?”
“Yes,” she replied, “I am sad, very sad. It’s hard to say good-bye to someone you love, and I have had to do it three times. But,” she told the children, “I have something more than sadness inside of me.” She then spoke of her faith.
“Can you give us some,” one of the children asked.
“Why children,” Grandma Richardson answered, “I have been giving it to you for years now. It is knowing that God loves you and that He has made one promise that is a gift, the most valuable gift in the world. God promised that no matter what happens, no matter how good or bad things may be, regardless of your joy or sorrow, God will not leave you alone.”
That is God’s promise to each of us. It goes part and parcel with our baptism. To understand that baptism is to become a new person. It is God who has saved us. It is God who calls us into a new life of service. It is God who goes with us. What good news! “Baptizatus sum”–“I have been baptized.” AMEN.
Illustrations and ideas of King Duncan used by permission from
Sermon and Worship Resources @ sermons.com
SERMON SONG BORNING CRY ELW #732
1 “I was there to hear your borning cry,
I’ll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized
to see your life unfold.
I was there when you were but a child,
with a faith to suit you well;
in a blaze of light you wandered off
to find where demons dwell.”
2 “When you heard the wonder of the Word
I was there to cheer you on;
you were raised to praise the living Lord,
to whom you now belong.
If you find someone to share your time
and you join your hearts as one,
I’ll be there to make your verses rhyme
from dusk till rising sun.”
3 “In the middle ages of your life,
not too old, no longer young,
I’ll be there to guide you through the night,
complete what I’ve begun.
When the evening gently closes in
and you shut your weary eyes,
I’ll be there as I have always been,
with just one more surprise.”
4 “I was there to hear your borning cry,
I’ll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized
to see your life unfold.”
Text: John C. Ylvisaker, b. 1937
Text © 1985 John C. Ylvisaker
Respond
AFFIRMING OUR FAITH 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, and 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.
Prayers of the Church
P: United as one body in Christ, let us pray for the church, the world, and all those in need.
A brief silence.
P: We pray for the church. Pour out your Spirit upon us and enliven us for mission. Draw us together in love that we may be one. Lead us in the way of your beloved Son. Lord, in your mercy,
C: hear our prayer.
P: For those in need. Protect children and vulnerable adults who depend on others to provide for their daily care. Uphold those who struggle with depression. Console the grieving and heal the sick (especially). Lord, in your mercy,
C: hear our prayer.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
P: Receive our prayers and fill us with the radiance of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
C: Amen.
WE WORSHIP GOD THROUGH OUR GIVING Next, we will receive the gifts of forgiveness of sin, life, and salvation from our Lord Jesus, and respond gratefully with our offerings. Offering plates are next to the communion stations for your gifts. You may also donate online on the website, by text (the phone number is on the website), by mail, or personally deliver it to the office. Lives are changed through the ministry enabled by your gifts. Thank you for your continued support and partnership in the Gospel. Let us pray:
PRAYER OF BLESSING
L: O God, you overwhelm us with the blessings of creation and the blessings of your love. Love revealed in Jesus and experienced by us through the power of your Spirit. We respond with these gifts and pray that through them – and our Spirit-filled witness – others may come to recognize and experience your presence in the world. In Jesus’ name, we pray.
C: Amen.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
THE LORD’S PRAYER
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.
COMMUNION SONG Sing Alleluia
1. Sing alleluia to the Lord, sing alleluia to the Lord
Sing alleluia, sing alleluia, sing alleluia to the Lord
2. Jesus is risen from the dead
3. Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth
4. He’s coming back to take us home
5. We give thanks to God our King
6. He died for us, we’ll live for Him
CCLI-License# 1366369
Send
Benediction Song As You Go on your way
As you go on your way may Christ go with you.
May he go before you to show you the way;
May he go behind you to encourage you;
Beside you to befriend you;
Above you to watch over;
Within you to give you peace.
In the name of the Father, Son and Spirit. Amen.
Announcements
Streams Theme song
See the streams of living waters,
springing from eternal love,
well supply your sons and daughters,
and all fear of want remove.
Who can faint while such a river
ever will their thirst assuage?
Grace which, like the Lord, the giver,
never fails from age to age.
SENDING BLESSING
Leader: Greet your worshiping neighbor. Go in peace and
Serve One Another!
People: Thanks be to God!!!