SUNDAY BULLETIN

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2025                 4th SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
CHRIST THE KING LUTHERAN CHURCH
PASTOR: Rev. Harry M. Krolus
CHURCH: 410-356-3400                                         CELL:  410-707-7663
Church email:  ctklclcms@yahoo.com
Church Web Site:  ctklchurch.org
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WELCOME to everyone who is worshiping with us today. We are glad that you are here!  We pray that your worship experience here at Christ The King is spiritually uplifting and rewarding.  If you are visiting, please sign our guest book and introduce yourself to Pastor Harry.
(Please turn off all electronic devices before worship begins; or, if you are using a Bible app to enhance your worship experience or to use PayPal, please enable the do not disturb function on your phone.)
WORDS OF WELCOME

THE HANDSHAKE OF CHRISTIAN PEACE

THE INVOCATION
P. We begin our worship this day in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

C. Amen.

THE CALL TO WORSHIP
P.  We celebrate your world, Divine Creator.        

C. The sun and moon, the live oak and the bird of paradise, the drops of water, the clear sky and the cleansing wind.        

P. We celebrate your order, Divine Planner.                    
C. Summer, winter, spring and fall, night and day, month and year-- a time for everything.                    

P. We celebrate your truth, Divine Wisdom.                    
C. Carried by sages, prophets, martyrs and poets, and fully revealed in Jesus of Nazareth.
                    
P. We celebrate your kindness, Divine Friend.            

C. Lifting up the fallen, embracing us in our weakness, surrounding us with beauty.
   
P. We celebrate your presence, Divine Companion.        

C. A song in our hearts and hope in our steps, joy in our soul, and peace in our words.                

OPENING HYMN:  916 “Only Begotten, Word Of God Eternal”

THE CONFESSION OF SINS
P. Rejoicing in the knowledge that God seeks to save and not punish, we confess our sins together before God our merciful Father.

ALL: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful, and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and actions.  I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good.  For this I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity.  But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ, I pray:  Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

P. God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

C. Amen.
    
THE PSALM FOR THE DAY: Psalm 84
P. How lovely is your dwelling place,  O Lord of hosts!

C. My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

P. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

C. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!

P. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

C.  As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place o
      springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.

P. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.

C. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob!

P.  Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed!

C. For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

P.  For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

C.  O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!

OUR CONFESSION OF FAITH
I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell, the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.  Amen.

THE LESSONS FOR THE DAY
 
THE FIRST LESSON: Jeremiah 1:4-10
  The word of the LORD came to me, saying,  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
  “Ah, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”
  But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.
  Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth.  See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”  

THE SECOND LESSON: 1 Corinthians 12:31 - 13:13
 And now I will show you the most excellent way.
  If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
  Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.  Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.  

VOLUNTEER TIME

THE GOSPEL LESSON: Luke 4:31-44
  Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people.  They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority.
  In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice,  “Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!”
  “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.
 
 All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!”  And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.
  Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.  So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.
  When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.  Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.
  At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to
keep him from leaving them.  But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”  And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.  

SERMON HYMN: 685 “Let Us Ever Walk With Jesus”

THE SERMON:  “Our Calling”
text:  Jeremiah 1:7-8

THE OFFERING

AN OFFERING SONG (783)
Take my life, that I may be consecrated, Lord, to thee;
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use every pow’r as thou shalt choose.

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYERS

CELEBRATING THE LORD’S SUPPER
We invite to the Lord’s Table all who have been baptized, accept the Bible as God’s authoritative Word, and believe that the body and blood of the risen Christ are really present in the bread and wine; given for the forgiveness of our sins.  If you prefer the individual cup, please extend one index finger as your hands are folded on the altar railing.  This will alert the communion assistants of your preference. Also, if for some medical reason you are not able to consume alcohol, grape juice is available in the individual cups. The grape juice is “red” while the wine is “white”.
 

P. Our Lord Jesus has given us a holy supper in which we receive his true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of our faith.  In this supper we celebrate the gift of his redemption, we bear witness to the fellowship we share as confessors of the truth, and we proclaim his death until he returns.

C. Praise to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In love, he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.

THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION

THE WORDS OF INVITATION
P. The gifts of God for the people of God.

C. Amen.

THE DISTRIBUTION
Hymns:  628 “Your Table I Approach”
              563 “Jesus, Thy Blood And Righteousness”
              524 “How Sweet The Name Of Jesus Sounds”

A CLOSING PRAYER
We give thanks, Almighty God, that you have refreshed us with this holy supper.  We pray that through it you will strengthen our faith in you and increase our love for one another.  We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

THE BLESSING
P. May our gracious God who has given us rebirth in holy baptism bless you in all that you do, and may he guide you in all of his ways.

C. Amen.

CLOSING HYMN: 744 “Amazing Grace”