Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

February 7, 2010

1. Drawn to the light of Christ, made bold in the waters of our baptism, and touched by the spirit of God, we lift up our prayers in confidence that God listens to our prayers.

"Lord, in your love," you are invited to respond, "HEAR OUR

PRAYER."

(Congregation may be invited to be seated for prayer.)

A brief silence

2. Lord, you made the church to be a net, gathering people together. Help us to rejoice with everyone you have chosen to bring into our gathering, and help us always to be welcoming to all who enter our midst. Lord, fulfill your purpose in and through us.

Lord, in your love: HEAR OUR PRAYER.

3. Lord, you have assembled us in this community. Help each of us to adorn our gathering with love, compassion, wisdom, understanding, invitation and welcome. We pray also for all of our neighboring congregations, and for our sister congregations in this BC Synod. In particular this morning we pray for Hope Lutheran Shared Ministry in Mackenzie and their Anglican pastor, Henry Dunbar; and for Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Langley; and their pastors Bradford Senften and Kristen Steele. Fill all faith communities and all ministries with your spirit of openness and caring.

Lord, fulfill your purpose in and through us.

Lord, in your love: HEAR OUR PRAYER.

4. You filled this world with good things and with an abundance of riches for us to share. Now give us generous hearts and caring hands as we seek to meet the needs of those in distant lands and those who are close at hand. Lord, fulfill your purpose in and through us.

Lord, in your love: HEAR OUR PRAYER.

5. Lord you proclaimed your kingdom through words and through deeds of healing. We pray at this time for all who are suffering in pain or through breakdown of relationships, we pray for those who are anxious, lonely or grieving and those we name aloud or quietly in our heart at this time…

May all know the power of your caring presence and may they know it through our caring words and our caring deeds in this coming week.

Lord, fulfill your purpose in and through us.

Lord, in your love

HEAR OUR PRAYER.

6. We give you thanks for how you have blessed us in the past and in the present:

- We thank you for all who have the gift of another birthday or another anniversary, and for those who have known the gift of new life;

- we thank you that you have chosen to call us into your kingdom;

- we thank you that you continue to surprise us by entrusting us with your Gospel of good news;

- we name our special, personal reasons for thankfulness aloud or quietly in our heart at this time…

Lord, fulfill your purpose in and through us.

Lord, in your love:

HEAR OUR PRAYER.

7. In the past you have raised up leaders through the world who have shown radical care for all people. Raise up leaders in our time who have that same spirit. Help us to encourage our leaders to have your spirit of justice for all. Lord, fulfill your purpose in and through us.

Lord, in your love

HEAR OUR PRAYER.

8. You send your Son to save us from death and the forces of evil. Now save us from all that which draws us away from your love; and give us an ever renewed confidence in the promise of the resurrection. Lord, fulfill your purpose in and through us.

Lord, in your love

HEAR OUR PRAYER.

9. Good and gracious God, we ask all these things and whatever else you see that we need with a sure and certain hope in your goodness and your love. AMEN.

The Resurrection of Christ

15Now I should remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you-unless you have come to believe in vain. 3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 8Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them-though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

5Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, 2he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.' 5Simon answered, 'Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.' 6When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. 7So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, 'Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!' 9For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 10and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.' 11When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.