Preparing for Worship: Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany - February 5

God Calls Us to Worship Him

Hymn of Epiphany: "Joy Has Dawned"

Joy has dawned upon the world

Promised from creation

God's salvation now unfurled

Hope for every nation

Not with fanfares from above

Not with scenes of glory

But a humble gift of love

Jesus born of Mary

Sounds of wonder fill the sky

With the songs of angels

As the mighty Prince of Life

Shelters in a stable

Hands that set each star in place

Shaped the earth in darkness

Cling now to a mother's breast

Vulnerable and helpless

Shepherds bow before the Lamb

Gazing at the glory

Gifts of men from distant lands

Prophesy the story

Gold a King is born today

Incense God is with us

Myrrh His death will make a way

And by His blood He'll win us

Son of Adam Son of heaven

Given as a ransom

Reconciling God and man

Christ our mighty Champion!

What a Saviour what a Friend

What a glorious mystery

Once a babe in Bethlehem

Now the Lord of history

God Graciously Renews Us in Christ

Confession of Sin

Silent Prayer of Confession

Forgiveness of Sins through Christ

“Father, I fly to your repenting arms; you will not cast me off, for Jesus brings me near, you will not condemn me, for he died in my stead, you will not mark my mountains of sin, for he leveled all, and his beauty covers my deformities. O my God, I bid farewell to sin by clinging to his cross, hiding in his wounds, and sheltering in his side.” (“Divine Mercies” from The Valley of Vision)

Hymn of Assurance: "Though Didst Leave Thy Throne"

Thou didst leave Thy throne And Thy kingly crown

When Thou camest to earth for me

But in Bethlehem's home There was found no room For Thy holy nativity O come to my heart Lord Jesus There is room in my heart for Thee Heaven's arches rang When the angels sang Proclaiming Thy royal degree But in lowly birth Didst Thou come to earth And in great humility O come to my heart Lord Jesus There is room in my heart for Thee When the heavens shall ring And the angels sing At Thy coming to victory Let Thy voice call me home Saying yet there is room There is room at My side for thee And my heart shall rejoice Lord Jesus When Thou comest and callest me

Thanking God for What He Has Done

Personal Testimony of Praise

Giving of Tithes and Offerings

Where your treasure is, there will your heart be. (Matthew 6:21)

Hymn of Affirmation: "Surely Goodness and Mercy"

A pilgrim was I and a-wand'ring In the cold night of sin I did roam When Jesus the kind Shepherd found me And now I am on my way home Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days all the days of my life Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days all the days of my life

He restoreth my soul when I'm weary

He giveth me strength day by day He leads me beside the still waters He guards me each step of the way When I walk thro' the dark lonesome valley My Savior will walk with me there And safely His great hand will lead me To the mansions He's gone to prepare And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever And I will feast at the table spread for me Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days all the days of my life All the days all the days of my life

God Instructs Us through His Word

Genesis 40:1-33 (HCSB)

After this, the Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard in the prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard assigned Joseph to them, and he became their personal attendant. And they were in custody for some time.

The Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker, who were confined in the prison, each had a dream. Both had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning. When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they looked distraught. So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” “We had dreams,” they said to him, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: “In my dream there was a vine in front of me. On the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms came out and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”

“This is its interpretation,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. In just three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand the way you used to when you were his cupbearer. But when all goes well for you, remember that I was with you. Please show kindness to me by mentioning me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this prison. For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should put me in the dungeon.”

When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was positive, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream. Three baskets of white bread were on my head. In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

“This is its interpretation,” Joseph replied. “The three baskets are three days. In just three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from off you—and hang you on a tree. Then the birds will eat the flesh from your body.”

On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he gave a feast for all his servants. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position as cupbearer, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had explained to them. Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

God Feeds and Nourishes Us through His Supper

1 Corinthians 11:23-29

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper He also took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant established by My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord. So a man should examine himself; in this way he should eat the bread and drink from the cup. For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.

God Blesses Us and Sends Us Out

From all that dwell below the skies, Let the Creator's praise arise; Let the Redeemer's name be sung Through ev'ry land by ev'ry tongue. Eternal are Thy mercies Lord; Eternal truth attends Thy Word; Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore Till suns shall rise and set no more. Your lofty themes, ye mortals, bring, in songs of praise divinely sing; the great salvation loud proclaim, and shout for joy the Savior's name.