First Lutheran Church

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6th Sunday after Epiphany

Kurt Christenson

Sunday, February 16, 2025

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SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY

Black History Month

February 16, 2025

10:00 a.m.

PRELUDE

A Pleasant Thought Florence B. Price

Florence Beatrice Price (née Smith; April 9, 1887 – June 3, 1953) was an American classical composer, pianist, organist and music teacher. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Price was educated at the New England Conservatory of Music, and was active in Chicago from 1927 until her death in 1953. Price is noted as the first African-American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer, and the first to have a composition played by a major orchestra. Price composed over 300 works: four symphonies, four concertos, as well as choral works, art songs, chamber music and music for solo instruments. In 2009, a substantial collection of her works and papers was found in her abandoned summer home.

Price was well received during her time, and she was particularly celebrated in Chicago. However, even her positive reviews were influenced by the common belief of the time that many women were performers, and a woman composer was a novelty. As a result, several of Price's reviews focused more on her performing abilities than her compositional skills.

WELCOME

SOLA GRATIA +

THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM

Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, the fountain of living water, the rock who gave us birth, our light and our salvation. Amen.

Joined to Christ in the waters of baptism, we are clothed with God's mercy and forgiveness.

Let us give thanks for the gift of baptism.

We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters and by your Word you created the world, calling forth life in which you took delight.

Through the waters of the flood you delivered Noah and his family. Through the sea you led your people Israel from slavery into freedom. At the river your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Holy Spirit.

By water and your Word you claim us as daughters and sons,

making us heirs of your promise and servants of all.

We praise you for the gift of water that sustains life, and above all we praise you for the gift of new life in Jesus Christ.

Shower us with your Spirit, and renew our lives with your forgiveness, grace, and love.

To you be given honor and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

KYRIE AND HYMN OF PRAISE

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray together: Living God, in Christ you make all things new. Transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your glory, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

SOLA SCRIPTURA +

READING FROM THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES: Jeremiah 17:5-10

These verses compose a poem that is part of a larger collection of wisdom sayings that contrast two ways of life. Life with God brings blessing; the power and vitality of God is active in our life. Life without God brings a curse, the power of death.

5 Thus says the Lord: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh

their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord.

6 They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes.

They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.

7 Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.

8 They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.

It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green;

in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.

9 The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse—who can understand it?

10 I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways,

according to the fruit of their doings.

Word of God, Word of Life. Thanks be to God.

PSALM: Psalm 1

1 Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel | of the wicked,

nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats | of the scornful!

2 Their delight is in the law | of the Lord,

and they meditate on God’s teaching | day and night. / R

3 They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season,

with leaves that | do not wither;

everything they | do shall prosper.

4 It is not so | with the wicked;

they are like chaff which the wind | blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when | judgment comes,

nor the sinner in the council | of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knows the way | of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked shall | be destroyed. / R

EPISTLE LESSON: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20

For Paul, the resurrection of Christ is the basis for Christian hope. Because Christ has been raised, those who are in Christ know that they too will be raised to a new life beyond death.

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. 17 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. 19 If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.

Word of God, Word of Life. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

GOSPEL: Luke 6:17-26 Glory to you, O Lord.

After choosing his twelve apostles, Jesus teaches a crowd of followers about the nature and demands of discipleship. He begins his great sermon with surprising statements about who is truly blessed in the eyes of God.

17 Jesus came down with the twelve and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now,

for you will be filled.

“Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

22 “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

24 “But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

25 “Woe to you who are full now,

for you will be hungry.

“Woe to you who are laughing now,

for you will mourn and weep.

26 “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.”

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON Pastor Kurt

SOLA FIDE +

HYMN OF THE DAY O God, My Faithful God

Mission Moment Magnifying Christ’s Light

OFFERING

Give online using the button above

or Text “Give” to (866) 870-5222

Music

Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us Bradbury arr. Marianne Kim

Hymn is attributed to Dorothy Ann Thrupp from London although many conclude the

authorship is unknown.

Savior, like a shepherd lead us, | much we need thy tender care;

in thy pleasant pastures feed us, | for our use thy folds prepare.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Thou hast bought us, thine we are

OFFERING PRAYER

God of mercy and grace, the eyes of all wait upon you; you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Fill us with all the good at your table that we may, in turn, come to the help of all in need through Jesus Christ, our redeemer, and Lord.

Amen.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

*each petition will end with the phrase “God of grace,” your response is “hear our prayer.”

APOSTLES CREED We share together in the ancient story of faith.

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.

EXCHANGE OF PEACE

The Peace of Christ be with you always. And also with you.

COMMUNION LITURGY FOR EPIPHANY

Come and see! …. Come, let us gather around the table and prepare to meet him.

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, … with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, …

… Send now, we pray, your Holy Spirit, that we who share in Christ’s body and blood may live to the praise of your glory and receive our inheritance with all your saints in light.

OUR LORD'S PRAYER

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

INVITATION TO COMMUNION

The joy of the Lord is our strength. Come, let us share this meal of gladness.

COMMUNION DISTRIBUTION

First Lutheran invites all who trust that God is somehow present in the bread and wine, however full of mystery that might be for you, to join us at the Table of Grace and Thanksgiving. In the center of each tray there is white grape juice for those who prefer. We also have gluten free wafers. If you wish for those please indicate when you reach Pastor.

AGNUS DEI

COMMUNION HYMN Has Jesus Stood In Front of Me? Choir

Has Jesus stood in front of me, unseen before my eyes?

He comes, a weary refugee, and calls through strangers cries.

Has Jesus met me in the street and someone I found strange

in one who seeks a bite to eat, or asks for extra change?

H as Jesus knocked upon my door and saw a place to stay?

If I refuse to bless the poor, will God turn me away?

Will Jesus find us puffed with pride, or with the last and least?

He calls all hungry souls inside to share in God's great feast.

Has Jesus stood in front of me, unseen before my eyes?

He comes, a weary refugee, and calls through stranger’s cries.

Adam Tice, b.1979 GIA Pub. Inc. 2018

Music: House of the Rising Sun; American folk melody. arr. Sally Ann Morris

COMMUNION BLESSING & PRAYER

Now may the body and blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ strengthen and keep you in his grace. Amen.

NUNC DIMITTIS The Nunc Dimittis (“now you let depart” in Latin) are the first two words that Simeon speaks upon seeing the salvation of God, the infant Jesus. Luke 2:29-32. It is an ancient component of the liturgy that, in recent times, has been neglected. We bring it back because we need the assurance that God’s light is for all people, that it is secure, and that it is for all time. Having attended worship and received the body of Christ in the Eucharist, we boldly sing. We, too, are prepared to depart, to go into the world secure and in peace.

Nourishing God, at this table you have refreshed us with holy gifts of food and drink.

Strengthen us for service, and send us out to embody your good news of liberation and healing for the sake of the world. In the name of Christ we pray, Amen.

SENDING SONG Lift Every Voice and Sing

BLESSING & BENEDICTION

The Spirit of the triune God bless you with joy, anoint you with compassion,

and send you in love. Amen.

Go in peace. Live in Hope. Thanks be to God.

POSTLUDE

Reprise Lift Every Voice and Sing

The Rev. Kurt Christenson, Pastor

Bill Engel, Music Director

Earl Vaults, Tenor Sax

Paul Engel, Cantor

Martha Radatz, Lector

Richard Phillips, Assisting Minister

David Pohl, Joann Masters, Randy Sensmeier, Joyce Sensmeier, Paul Engel, Ellen Beck

Jan Neuhaus, Billie Thompson, Elizabeth Connolly, Victoria Pearson, Singers

Brian Jensen, Rebecca Kjonegaard, Melodie Baker, Sound, Video, & Computer

Ruth Clayton, Melinda Person, Dan Kjonegaard, Ushers

Melinda Person, Fellowship snacks

Hymns, Prayers, Liturgy

from Sundays and Seasons 2020, Year C

reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies annual license #SB137579

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Keeping it out Front…Our Strategic Ministry At Work

First Lutheran Church Congregational Priorities:

Connecting with each other
Fostering leadership
Attending to our Virtual Community
Incorporating Children, Youth, & Families into the Life of the Congregation.
Justice focus of Anti-Racism, Diversity and Racial Justice

Lent Schedule

Ash Wednesday: March 5 at 7:00am, 12:00 (live-streamed), and 5:30pm

Wednesday evenings in Lent: March 12-April 9

4:30 City Walk

5:45 Soup & Salad Dinner

6:30 Holden Evening Prayer

7:00 Classes

Lenten Class Offering #1

One of the class offerings this year following our midweek worship at 7:00 will be taught by Pastor Kurt using the book Ordinary Mysteries: Faith, Doubt and Meaning by James Hazelwood. You can find it online in digital, paperback or hardcover form. If you are committed to the class but cannot afford a copy please contact Pastor Kurt. There will be five classes on the Wednesdays between Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday. The class will also be streamed on Zoom.

TODAY after worship: Lenten Devotionals Workshop

Frank DeLouise will lead a session in the library for anyone participating in the Lenten devotional project. Whether you are new to this project or just need some new inspiration, come join us to hear about the process and next steps.

Thanks to those that have gotten me your devotions, once again the booklet will be a remarkable work. We will need everyone’s work handed in by next Wednesday, February 19. This will give me time to format the booklet and make ready for printing, Pastor Kurts review, and give Erin time for printing. There will be time set aside after service this Sunday to answer any questions you might have about your works. If someone you know is interested in finding out more about our Lenten Devotional Booklet please invite them to the Sunday workshop.

Next Sunday after worship: So You Want to Talk About Race? Chapter 5

Our discussion of the book So You Want to Talk About Race? by Ijeoma Oluo will continue on February 23 after worship. For a summary of our last discussion, check the blog post on our website and add a comment to keep the conversation going! If you need a copy of the book, please let Erin know. Homework to prepare for this session:

Complete the activity "Check your privilege" from the end of chapter four.

Choose two to find more resources about, and read those resources. For those who were in the forum, choose one from your own list and one that you added from the chart.

Read Chapter 5 of the book and consider the different aspects of your identity that bring privilege or discrimination.

CONFIRMED! Music&Arts Performance: February 21 at 7:00pm

Music&Arts @ 3rd&Ash presents August Wilson's "How I Learned What I Learned," a staged reading with Rhys Green, Portia Gregory, Anthony Hamm, and Bil Wright. Originally written and performed by August Wilson himself in 2003, How I Learned What I Learned is the autobiographical story of a young black artist's journey through the hardships of growing up in the Hill District, ultimately leading to his success as a writer. The show paints a vivid portrait of Pittsburgh and its characters, defining an era through Wilson's distinctive poetic lens. Reception to follow. Admission is free, but a $20+ freewill donation is highly encouraged to support the programming, artists, and refreshments.

March 2: Mardi Gras Brunch

As we prepare for the season of Lent, you are invited to a Mardi Gras Brunch. We will feast like it’s Shrove Tuesday! At the brunch, we will be kicking off our Magnifying Christ's Light Capital Appeal. You will hear about the appeal, the plan for the funds, have the opportunity to ask questions, and receive your Appeal Packet all while enjoying delicious New Orleans Mardi Gras cuisine. Come for the food, come for the fellowship, come to hear how we are Magnifying Christ's Light here at the corner of Third and Ash! Sign up using the RSVP link in Heartbeat.

Zydeco Mass on Fat Tuesday (March 4) at St. Paul’s

Each year, St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral holds the Zydeco Mass on Fat Tuesday. The service includes the historical liturgy for "Shrove Tuesday" (the day before Lent begins). Since this service is held on Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras, the Cathedral brings in The Zydeco Patrol (San Diego's favorite Zydeco band) to provide the worship music. Attendees are encouraged to wear their beads and feathers, and hats and costumes as they celebrate mass, and "Dance their offering" up to the plate in front. It is a church service you will never forget! Please join Beth and Joe Slevcove, and Pastor Kurt and Colleen at 5:45 pm on March 4 when the music begins. The actual service runs from 6:00 to 7:00 pm.

St. Paul's Cathedral is located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Nutmeg Street in Hillcrest. For more information, or if you plan to go, call Beth Slevcove at 619-990-7538 to let her know, and to learn about an impromptu pre-dinner picnic across the street before the service begins.

NEW Lobby & Sanctuary Art Installation by Dr. Ellen Beck

"I Lift My Eyes to the Mountains": The Hebrew words on the large screen/room

divider are the first words of Psalm 121--I lift my eyes to the mountains. All of the

works represent sky and sea and lifting our eyes to the wonders around us. They are

done with oil on canvas, painted with my hands. (See the full artist’s statement in the Heartbeat.)

Thursday: February Book Group

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this months selection, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, is the story of a boy born to a teen-aged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead fathers good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. This Pulitzer Prize winning novel was inspired by Charles Dickens David Copperfield, which explored Dickens’s experience as a survivor of institutional poverty many generations ago, and its damages to children in his society. These problems have yet to be solved in ours. One reviewer notes, “Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, this is the story of an irrepressible boy nobody wants, but readers will love.” Please join us to discuss this book on Thursday, February 20, 4:00PM in the church library. Erin Pfaff and Jeannie Roehrs will host. New participants warmly welcomed at any time!

Save the date: April 4th Shabbat Dinner at FLC

The Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center in La Jolla hosts Shine A Light Shabbat Dinners in churches across the county as part of a powerful effort to stand against anti-semitism and build one-on-one relationships. The JCC and our Jewish communal partners will handle all the logistics: food, staffing, and preparation. This initiative is a wonderful opportunity to share experiences, break bread together, and nurture fellowship between our communities. In times when division can feel overwhelming, moments of connection like these are more important than ever. Please join us! More details to come.

Bible Study

Join Pastor Kurt and Jim Boyd for a weekly dive into the Bible. We meet every Sunday at 9:00 in the Church Library for study, coffee, donuts, and discussion. We will continue looking at the weekly lessons appointed for each Sunday. Join us, everyone is welcome at the table.

TACO Bites

Can you help store the shower trailer for a week at your home? If so, please let Pastor Kurt know.

This week at FLC

Monday	12:00 AA in the lounge 3:00 FLC night at TACO
Tuesday	6:30 FLC Council Meeting
Wednesday	10:00 TACO Starbucks and snacks; Clothing closet
Thursday	12:00 Al Anon in the library 4:30 Book Club in the library
Friday	9:00 TACO meal 12:00 AA in the lobby 7:00 How I Learned What I Learned (Sanctuary)
Sunday	9:00 Bible Study 10:00 Worship 3:00 Chinese Bible Church Worship