Author: Julie Raffa

Introit Psalm 102:18–22; antiphon: v. 13
You will arise and have pity on | Zion;* it is the time to favor her; the appointed | time has come. Let this be recorded for a genera- | tion to come,* so that a people yet to be created may | praise the Lord: that he looked down from his | holy height;* from heaven the Lord looked | at the earth, to hear the groans of the | prisoners,* to set free those who were | doomed to die, that they may declare in Zion the name | of the Lord,* and in Jerusa- | lem his praise, when peoples gather to- | gether,* and kingdoms, to wor- | ship the Lord. Glory be to the Father and | to the Son* and to the Holy | Spirit; as it was in the be- | ginning,* is now, and will be forever. | Amen. You will arise and have pity on | Zion;* it is the time to favor her; the appointed | time has come.
Collect of the Day
Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities and stretch forth the hand of Your majesty to heal and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Old Testament Reading Nehemiah 8:1–3, 5–6, 8–10
1 All the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. 2So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. 3And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. . . .
5And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. 6And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. . . .
8They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
9And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. 10Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Gradual Psalm 117:1–2a; 96:8
Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Epistle 1 Corinthians 12:12–31a
12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
27Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
Holy Gospel Luke 4:16–30
16[Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.” 24And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30But passing through their midst, he went away.
Announcements
Voter’s Meeting is scheduled for today, January 26 at 12:00 p.m. All confirmed members 18 and up are encouraged to attend.
Lutheran Classical Academy Port Washington will be having an Open House on Saturday Feb. 1 2025. Please see bulletin board for more information.
2024 Contribution Statements are in your mailbox. Please pick them up. If you have any questions on your statement, please contact Nancy Rosenthal at
262–689-8860.
January 30 & February 2, Pilgrim will be having a Free Will Offering, to help with those in need from the California Wild Fires.
Please check the Bulletin Board in the Narthex for Announcements that may not be in the Bulletin. There are many announcements on there that may be of interest to you.

Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Divine Service
Lutheran Service Book: Page:
Liturgy: Setting 1 Apostles Creed 151
Hymn of Praise: This is the Feast 155
Verba: Left Column: Post Comm. Collect 2
Hymns:
O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth 834
O Christ, Our True and Only Light 839
Communion Hymns:
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty 790
Praise the One Who Breaks the 849
Sing Praise to God, the Highest 819
Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voice 811
O God of God, O Light of Light 810
Scripture Readings:
Old Testament: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Gospel: Luke 4:16-30
In our prayers, we remember:
X all who live under the flag of our nation,
X our government and judicial officials,
X law enforcement officers, military personnel, and their families,
X those struggling with health issues:
Carolyn McAfee, Richard Brathovde, Ethan Tinlin, Bill Schepp, Janet Meisenheimer, Nancy Rosenthal, Elaine Kuenzel, Jayne Gohr, Sheryl Pajewski, Margie & Allen Latall, Wade Muth, Jessie and Gracie Sutton, Joan Prine, Rev. Dan McMiller, Elsie Meyle, Eunice Dissen, Ken Frank, Betty Voelzke, Betty Schneeweis, Eric Johanen, Rev. Clark Davis, Stephen Del Cuze, Lynn Lutz, Mary Margaret Hatfield, Diane Behrens
X pastors, missionaries, and those who serve God’s people with the gifts of Christ,
X Christians persecuted for the confession of the faith, and especially we remember
X all who have forsaken the faith, that they may be restored to gladness of heart and be made wise to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Preacher: Rev. Joseph Fisher
Liturgist: Rev. Christopher Raffa
Elder: Kent V., Ron K., Dan S.
Cantor: Tanner S., Kurt M., Samuel B.
Organist: Ben Grosskreuz

Coming Up at Pilgrim
Sunday, January 26:
8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Divine Service
9:15 a.m. Sunday School: Bible Studies
9:30 a.m. Adult Class: Augsburg Confession
12:30 p.m. Voter’s Meeting
Monday, January 27:
9:00 a.m. Matins
Tuesday, January 28:
12:00 p.m. Ladies Guild/LWML
2:00 p.m. Chapel @ Auxiliary Court
Wednesday, January 29:
9:00 a.m. Matins
9:00 a.m. Quilters
4:00 p.m. Youth Catechesis
5:30 p.m. Evening Prayer
6:30 p.m. Adult Class: 1 & 2 Chronicles
Thursday, January 30:
10:00 a.m. Adult Class: Romans
7:00 p.m. Divine Service
Friday, January 31: Office Closed
9:00 a.m. Matins
Saturday, February 1:
7:00 a.m. Men’s Breakfast & Bible Study
5:30 p.m. Basketball Game @ Living Word

Cable Worship Schedule Pilgrim’s Sunday 8:00 a.m. Divine Service is broadcast on WB 987 and AT&T Uverse 99 multiple times during the week: Sundays: 6:00 a.m. Mondays: 4:00 p.m. Tuesdays: 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays: 9:00 a.m. Wednesdays: 4:00 p.m. Bible Study, Thursdays: 4:00 p.m. This service is also live streamed and archived on the church’s YouTube channel:
Pilgrim Lutheran Church- West Bend, WI

Third Sunday after the Epiphany
January 23 - 26, 2025
18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
Luke 4:18
Welcome and blessings to you through our Lord Jesus Christ!
We welcome all who gather with us around the Altar and Pulpit to hear the Word of God. If you are visiting, we are happy that you could join us today. Please sign the guest book in the narthex and fill out one of the pew cards and place it in the offering plate to leave a record of your visit.
Communion Statement: By the design and specific warning of our Lord Jesus Christ in His Word, the precious gift of the Lord’s Body and Blood is to be shared with His blessing only with those prepared to take it rightly. (1 Cor 11:23-32) At the first communion our Lord did not commune all believers, but only those who had been instructed by Him daily for three years. The custom of our church is to offer the Sacrament only to confirmed members of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. So that our pastors would faithfully fulfill their obligations, (1 Cor 4:1; Heb 13:17; 1 Cor 11:27), all first-time visitors should speak to one of the pastors prior to communing. Our pastors are eager and available to provide instruction leading to a right and salutary reception of our Lord’s holy Body and Blood, so that in the future you may join us in the blessing of this sacrament.

Pilgrim Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession
The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod
462 Meadowbrook Drive, West Bend, WI 53090
(262) 334-0375 www.pilgrimlutheran-westbend.org