February 9, 2025 – Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Lectionary Readings

Isaiah 6:1–8 (9–13)
Isaiah sees the Lord in the temple and says, “Woe is me! I am lost.”

Psalm 138
I give you thanks, O Lord; I bow down toward your holy temple.

1 Corinthians 15:1–11
Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day.

Luke 5:1–11
A miraculous catch of fish; Peter says, “Lord, I am a sinful man!”

— Gathering —

Opening Sentences

You call us, O Christ, to live as your disciples,
with new life, by way of new paths,
seeking new ways.
In your call toward deep waters,
grant us faith.
In your command not to fear,
grant us courage.
In your invitation to follow,
grant us surrender.
Restore to us the joy of living as your disciples,
that we might travel with you
in the way of miracle. Amen.

Prayer of the Day

God who calls through the generations,
you have always been inviting your people
to join you in your holy work.
Thank you for calling us
to live as prophets and priests.
Thank you for calling us
to live as disciples and friends.
Grant us attention,
that we might hear your call this day,
and grant us courage, that we might answer yes,
bearing witness to resurrection power
in a world that so desperately needs it. Amen.

Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song

Thanksgiving for Baptism

At the baptismal font:
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
O Lord our God, we give you thanks
for the faith, hope, and love you give to us
through the blessing of our baptism—
claiming us as your beloved children,
calling us to the path of discipleship,
revealing to us the light of your glory.
By the power of your Holy Spirit,
poured out upon us in baptism,
help us to follow you with faith,
to trust in you with hope,
and to serve you with love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession and Pardon

At the baptismal font:
I am handing on to you as of first importance
what I in turn have received:
that Christ died for our sins.
Trusting in the promise of the gospel,
let us make our confession.

Merciful God,
you call, but we seldom hear.
You beckon, yet we turn away.
Sin keeps us from responding to you,
thwarting even our best efforts.
Forgive our lack of attention
to things that matter
and restore our sense of your priorities.
Focus us on your call to worship and service
as we seek to follow after Jesus Christ.

Lifting water from the font:
Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
Not even death can separate us from God’s love.
This is good news!
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven!

— Word —

Prayer for Illumination

At the lectern or pulpit:
Saving God, source of our calling,
your Word is full of power and glory.
Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
so that we may receive your grace
and live as your beloved children;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture

Before the readings: 
Listen for the Word of God, 
shaking the wilderness. 
Psalm 29:8

After the readings: 
Powerful and full of majesty 
is the voice of the Lord. 
Thanks be to God. 
Psalm 29:4

Sermon

Ascription of Praise

After the sermon:
And in the temple of the Lord, 
the people of God say: Glory! Amen.
Psalm 29:9

Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song

Affirmation of Faith

God’s sovereign love is a mystery
beyond the reach of the human mind.
Human thought ascribes to God
superlatives of power, wisdom, and goodness.
But God reveals divine love in Jesus Christ
by showing power in the form of a servant,
wisdom in the folly of the cross,
and goodness in receiving
sinful men and women.
The power of God’s love in Christ
to transform the world
discloses that the Redeemer
is the Lord and Creator
who made all things
to serve the purpose of God’s love.
Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.15