Welcome!
“All glory, Jesus, be to Thee For this Thy glad epiphany;
Whom with the Father we adore And Holy Ghost forevermore.”
TLH 131:5
1ST SUNDAY after EPIPHANY DAY JANUARY 11, 2026
ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH HIDEWOOD TWP, SD
TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH WATERTOWN, SD
To prepare yourselves for worship you are welcome to meditate on:
Today’s Psalm 29
1 Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
2 Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name;
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders; The Lord is over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
Yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes them also skip like a calf,
Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth,
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood,
And the Lord sits as King forever.
11 The Lord will give strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace.
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ORDER for WORSHIP
The bell calls us for worship
Opening Prayer
P: Heavenly Father, we have come to worship You. Draw near to us in Your gracious Word, and assure us of Your loving kindness. Curb our wandering thoughts, that with undivided attention we may hear Your voice and sing Your praise. Amen.
Hymn on page 2 – stanzas 1-2
EPIPHANY SEASON – January 6 thru February 17
Invocation / Confession / Absolution
P: We gather to worship in the name of the Triune God –
C: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
P: One thing I ask from the Lord. This is what I seek:
C: that I live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
P: to gaze on the beauty of the Lord,
C: and to seek Him in His temple.
P: I rejoiced with those who said to me,
C: “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
P: Yes, one day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
C: I would rather wait at the doorway of the house of my God than
dwell in the tents of the wicked.
P: For the Lord is a sun and shield.
C: God gives grace and glory.
P: How blessed are those who live in Your house.
C: They are always praising You.
P: From the rising of the sun to its setting,
C: the name of the Lord is to be praised.
P: Glory be to God!
C: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it
was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
P: We come to this holy God with the confession of our sins and ready to receive His forgiveness in Christ Jesus.
ALL: Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
P: In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for His sake God forgives us all our sins. To those who believe in Jesus Christ He gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.
Hymn 127: 1-3
First Reading – Old Testament – Isaiah 42:1-7
God’s Servant who is come!
1 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
4 He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
5 Thus says God the Lord,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
8 I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Second Reading – New Testament Gospel – Matthew 2: 1-12
The coming of the Gentile wise men to worship the Christ Child
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
P: So far with today’s Scripture readings.
Hymn 127: 4
CONFESSION OF FAITH – THE APOSTLES’ CREED
ALL: I believe in God the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven And is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; From there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; The Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; The forgiveness of sins; The resurrection of the body; And the life everlasting. Amen.
Hymn 124: 1-2
SERMON TEXT – New Testament Gospel – Matthew 3: 13-17
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Hymn 301
The Offering is collected / brought forward
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Prayer led by the pastor
P: Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You that the greatness of Your love and the tenderness of Your mercy moved You to sacrifice Yourself on the cross for us that we, who are creatures of sin and death, might in You have righteousness and everlasting life.
During this Epiphany season we thank and praise You for the wondrous works You did before the people, for these works were God’s mighty signs which gave ample testimony that You were and are who You claimed to be: God’s own Son, fully qualified to save us from our sins.
Through the Holy Spirit working in us, keep us from rejecting You with our hearts and from denying You with our lips.
Open our minds to understand Your Word and through it comfort our hearts, strengthen our faith, and give us power to live godly lives as well as wisdom to solve life’s problems. Keep us from impenitence.
Lord, in Your mercy forgive us and shower us with Your grace through the Spirit, so that sins of unbelief, pride and self-righteousness, and lack of love do not cling to us any longer. Hear us in Your great mercy! Amen.
P: Any special requests will be made at this time.
P: And so we join to pray the words Jesus taught us:ALL: Our Father, who art in heaven; Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
The Benediction
P: The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you His peace.
C [spoken]: Amen.
Closing Hymn on page 2 – stanzas 3-4
STATISTICS - week of January 4
Zion: 21; Trinity: 41; Wed BC: 15
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Zion Lutheran Church Hidewood Township, SD – 8:30 a.m.
Trinity Lutheran Church Watertown, SD – 10:30 a.m.
trinitywatertownsd.com
Members: Church of the Lutheran Confession www.clclutheran.org
Pastor Paul Krause. . . parsonpaulkrause@gmail.com cell:920-238-5775
Teacher Mikkela Schmitt . . . . . . . .cell: 715-933-1502
Church and School: 605-886-2976
Organists: John Klatt, Rebecca Larson, Naomi Rehder
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CALENDAR and ANNOUNCEMENTS
THIS WEEK >> Lucas and Logan Bruna confirmation class
TODAY >> Zion – 8:30 a.m. service; Trinity – 10:30 a.m.
>> Sunday School - after church at Zion; 9:20 a.m. at Trinity
>> Zion “north” Bible class – Garry/Sherri Krause’s place, 2 p.m.
TUE >> 1 p.m. adult instruction – James DeBough
>> Trinity – School Board meeting – 7 p.m.
WED >> Louis Jenson confirmation class after school at church
>> 6:30 p.m. Trinity church choir informational meeting
>> 7 p.m. Trinity adult Bible class resumes
THU >> Trinity – Church council meeting – 7 p.m.
SAT Next worship service in Des Moines, IA, led by PK
NEXT SUNDAY >> Zion – 8:30 a.m. Trinity – 10:30 a.m.
>> Sunday School - after church at Zion; 9:20 a.m. at Trinity
>> Trinity – potluck meal after church
>> Trinity – Quarterly voters’ meeting – 1 p.m.
>> Trinity – Ladies’ Aid quarterly business meeting – 1 p.m.
>> Zion – Annual voters’ meeting – 4 p.m.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Jan 19 MON Pastors’ Study Conference – Bowdle, SD
Jan 31 SAT CLC online women’s conference
PLEASE NOTE! TRINITY CHURCH COUNCIL DATE in January is THURSDAY (1/15) at 7 p.m. instead of Friday (1/16).
MANY THANKS!
>> Do you have something you are thankful for at Zion/Trinity? Let Pastor Krause know, and he will be happy to include it in the bulletin!
CLC NEWS
Current pastoral/ILC faculty vacancies: ILC professor; Red Wing, MN; Appleton, WI; Eau Claire, WI; Spokane, WA; Phoenix, AZ
Undecided calls:
Retired Pastor John Schierenbeck as vacancy pastor, Spokane, WA
Mr. Peter Reim, Eau Claire, WI, to vacancy pastor in Red Wing, MN
Pastor Mike Wilke, Saginaw, MI, to part-time pastorate in Red Wing, MN
Pastor Joe Naumann, Mankato, MN to Phoenix, AZ
LAST CHANCE TO GO ON THE MISSION HELPER TRIP! Pastor Tom Naumann sends the following... The application deadline for the 2026 Mission Helper Trip to Africa is quickly approaching. Applications need to be submitted by Sunday, January 18, 2026. There are still spots remaining, so please apply soon. For more information and to apply, visit www.mht.lutheranmissions.org. The main focus of this trip will be presenting the Gospel, through a series of child evangelism lessons, to member and non-member children in village congregations. Possible areas of evangelism include the CLC−Tanzania, CLC−Kenya, CLC−Zambia, and CLC-Uganda.
SATURDAY IS THE DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS RE ILC PROFESSOR AND ILC PRESIDENT The Board of Regents announces the following nominations to fill the professorship vacated by the resignation of Professor David Schaller prior to the 2025-26 academic year: Paul Krause, David Reim, David Schaller, Dan Sullivan, and David Ude. In addition, the following and only person has been nominated for the office of President of Immanuel Lutheran College: Daniel Schierenbeck. The term of the ILC President’s call is for two years, extending to the end of Academic Year 2028. All comments from members of CLC congregations regarding these candidates are to be received by email or letter no later than midnight January 17, 2026 (letters postmarked January 7, 2025) to: Mr. James Burkhardt; 217 Windy Lane; Rockwall, TX 75087; email:jeb6217@yahoo.com. The Call Committee for Educational Institutions will then meet on Monday, February 16, 2026, to extend a call.
CORRECTION RE ILC BUILDING PROJECT $$ The announcement in last Sunday’s bulletin was incorrect. The 50% of the total $$ needed has not yet been secured/contributed. Approximately $2.5 million has been given/secured; about another $2.5 million is needed to begin construction. The total cost for the project is currently estimated at $10 million. Please keep this project in your prayers as you plan your giving for the Lord’s work!
NATIONAL WOMEN’S RETREAT IN JANUARY Before your 2026 calendar begins to fill up, we want you to mark your calendars and get ready to Press Pause with women across the country!
What: Press Pause for the National Women's (Virtual) Retreat 2026
When: Saturday, January 31, 2026 // 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (Pacific Time)
How: Join us virtually via Zoom Cost: Free event – all are welcome!
Register now: https://tinyurl.com/PressPause26
CLC UPDATES that can be found online –
>> for the latest report from Missionary Bruce Naumann, go to:
https://clc-tz.blogspot.com/2025/08/making-do.html (Also Paula N.)
>> for the latest update on Pastor John Hein’s cancer battle go to:
www.caringbridge.org/ and then look for John Hein
>> to keep up on our CLC missionaries, and to learn more of our overseas brethren, go to lutheranmissions.org. Scroll down and click on the photos of the missionaries to access their blog, photos, video, etc.
LATEST UPDATE ON JOHN HEIN
Sunday, January 4, 2026 (by Janelle Hein)
A blessed New Year to you all! I am always amazed at how quickly the year flies by and I'm even more amazed at the many blessings that the LORD continues to give to us.
One of the blessings that John and I have talked about recently is how his time of grace has been extended a little over three years since his diagnosis. We are thankful for every day.
John has become too weak to tolerate any more treatment, so on Christmas Eve day, we enrolled in hospice. Someone from St. Croix Hospice came out to talk about what it all entails and then a nurse came an hour later to do the admission papers. That night, all of John's meds were delivered to our front door. A nurse also came on Christmas Day to check in. Their focus will be on managing John's pain which will allow him to savor the days (weeks, months?) he has left.
At this point, the hospice nurse will come three days per week and a home health aid will come twice per week. Everyone we have met so far has been wonderful and the support that we will be getting will be a huge blessing.
We have had some other changes, as well. John resigned from the CLC Board of Regents as of January 1. He served in that position for sixteen years, eleven of which he was the chairman. He will miss it!
Today after church, John read a letter to Grace congregation announcing his retirement, effective January 31. He has been in the ministry for 30 years, 20 of which were here at Grace in Fridley. This will be a huge adjustment for all of us. Even though we knew this step was inevitable, it is still a difficult thing to face. Our church family has been so supportive throughout John's ministry here, and I don't doubt that it will continue to be that way.
John has good days and bad days. Some days he is able to work at his computer and other days, he is too fatigued and weak to get out of his chair. His weight is dropping almost daily. He does eat some, but so much doesn't taste good to him anymore that it is difficult. He doesn't even like coffee so much anymore!
Between John's siblings and our children, we have had the joy of having family here almost continuously since December 15. He does like to have visitors, so if you are in the area, please reach out and we can find a time to have you drop by! It's best to contact me as he doesn't always answer his phone or check texts/emails. (janellehein@gmail.com)