Worship Helps for Epiphany 2

Nathanael under the fig tree

James Tissot

1886-1894

Worship Theme: It is in the Word that we hear the call of God that has in it the secret power of God to give what he commands. He commands: Believe! and the Word creates faith. He says, Follow me! and the Word creates the desire and the ability to follow him. That he should consider it glorious to call sinners, is that not an amazing thing? That he should attach such power to his Word that we answer the call, is that not a wonder that lasts an eternity for each of us?

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 3:1-10

The boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days. Prophetic vision was not common.

²Now it happened that Eli’s eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see. Once when Eli was lying down in his place ³and God’s lamp had not yet gone out, Samuel was lying down in the Lord’s temple, where God’s ark was. ⁴The Lord called Samuel, and Samuel said, “I am here.” ⁵He ran to Eli, and said, “I am here, since you called me.”

Eli said, “I did not call. Lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

⁶Then the Lord called once more, “Samuel!”

So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “I am here, since you called me.”

He answered, “I did not call, my son. Lie down again.”

⁷Now Samuel had not yet experienced the Lord’s presence, that is, the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

⁸The Lord called Samuel for the third time. So he got up and went to Eli and said, “I am here, since you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the young man. ⁹So Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’”

So Samuel went and once again lay down in his place. ¹⁰The Lord came and stood there and called as he had the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

1. Whom did Samuel think was calling him?

2. Who was really calling Samuel?

3. What model attitude does Samuel display for Christians?

Epistle: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

¹³But we are always obligated to thank God for you, brothers, loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation by the sanctifying work of the Spirit and faith in the truth. ¹⁴For this reason he also called you through our gospel so that you would obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵So then, brothers, stand firm and hold on to the teachings that were passed along to you, either by word of mouth or by a letter from us. ¹⁶May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and in his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷encourage your hearts and establish you in every good work and word.

4. Why does Paul think of the Thessalonians with a spirit of thanksgiving? What does it mean that God chose us?

5. What blessings do we have because God chose us?

6. Why did God call us to belief in the truth?

7. True or false? As long as we trust that Jesus died for us, it doesn’t matter if we believe a few lies.

Gospel: John 1:43-51

⁴³The next day, Jesus wanted to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.

⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

⁴⁶Nathanael said to him, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”

“Come and see!” Philip told him.

⁴⁷Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Truly, here is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

⁴⁸Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?”

Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, while you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

⁴⁹Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

⁵⁰Jesus replied, “You believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that!” ⁵¹Then he added, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

8. What did Philip do when Jesus commanded: “Follow me”?

9. How did Nathanael react to Philip’s news?

10. When Nathanael met Jesus, how did he react?

11. What now unites heaven and earth, like a stairway?

Answers:

1. Eli.

2. The Lord.

3. Samuel displays a wonderful willingness to hear the Word of the Lord. Only through the gospel does the Holy Spirit awaken and strengthen faith.

4. The Thessalonians became Christians by God’s grace and power alone. Before the creation of the world, God determined who would belong to him. He elected (or chose) us to come to faith. At the right moment in history, he worked through the gospel to make that happen.

5. Focus on the following words and phrases: “sanctifying work of the Spirit,” “belief in the truth,” “gospel,” “glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,” “who loved us,” “grace,” “eternal encouragement and good hope.” Each of these words and phrases contains a piece of the gospel picture.

6. God called us to belief in the truth so that we would share forever in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7. False: Paul urged the Thessalonians to stand firm and hold onto the teachings he had given them face to face and had written to them. We must hold onto all the teachings of the Word of God. We must hold onto what we have learned from the Bible via trustworthy parents, pastors, and teachers. The result? We will get eternal encouragement, good hope, and strength to serve God and our neighbor in whatever callings God has placed us.

8. Not only did he follow Jesus, but he went and told his friend Nathanael.

9. He couldn’t believe that the Savior would come from such an insignificant place as Nazareth.

10. He believed wholeheartedly that Jesus was the Messiah, the Chosen One.

11. Something more amazing than the stairway Jacob once saw in a dream (Genesis 28) now unites heaven and earth. Jesus is the mediator between God and all sinners. He opens heaven to all believers. Trust only in him.

Putting your faith into action

Samuel’s mother was a dedicated believer who sent her son off to attend a worker training program under the high priest, Eli. God called Samuel to be his prophet in order to fill a spiritual void in Israel. Samuel followed that call and served faithfully for many years. Today, we also need dedicated parents who encourage full-time service to the Savior. We need faithful young people who will follow God’s call into the ministry. We need worker training schools to prepare these young people for a lifetime of preaching and teaching the good news of Jesus Christ. We also need all of us to support those schools with our prayers and offerings. 

A reading from the Book of Concord for the Second Sunday after Epiphany

When someone asks you, “What is meant by the commandment: You shall sanctify the holy day?”  Answer like this, “To sanctify the holy day is the same as to keep it holy.”  “But what is meant by keeping it holy?”  “Nothing else than to be occupied with holy words, works, and life.”  For the day needs no sanctification for itself. It has been created holy in itself.  But God desires the day to be holy to you.  It becomes holy or unholy because of you, whether you are occupied with things that are holy or unholy.

How, then, does such sanctification take place?  Not like this: sitting behind the stove and doing no rough work, or adorning ourselves with a wreath and putting on our best clothes.  But as said above, we occupy ourselves with God’s Word and exercise ourselves in the Word.

God’s Word is the treasure that sanctifies everything.  By the Word even all the saints themselves were sanctified.  Whenever God’s Word is taught, preached, heard, read, or meditated upon, then the person, day, and work are sanctified.  This is not because of the outward work, but because of the Word, which makes saints of us all.  Therefore, all our life and work must be guided by God’s Word, if it is to be God-pleasing or holy.  Where this is done, this commandment is in force and being fulfilled. – Large Catechism, Part 1, The Ten Commandments (paragraphs 87-88, 91-92)

Speak,O Lord

1  Speak, O Lord, as we come to you

To receive the food of your Holy Word.

Take your truth, plant it deep in us;

Shape and fashion us in your likeness

That the light of Christ might be seen today

In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.

Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us

All your purposes for your glory.

2  Teach us, Lord, full obedience,

Holy reverence, true humility.

Test our thoughts and our attitudes

In the radiance of your purity.

Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to see

Your majestic love and authority.

Words of pow’r that can never fail,

Let their truth prevail over unbelief.

3  Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;

Help us grasp the heights of your plans for us.

Truths unchanged from the dawn of time,

That will echo down through eternity.

And by grace we’ll stand on your promises,

And by faith we’ll walk as you walk with us.

Speak, O Lord, as your Church is built

And you fill the earth with your glory.