The First Sunday after Christmas, December 28, 2025

ZION EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH – LCMS

700 Main St.  P.O. Box 220   Clyman, WI  53016  

Rev. Daniel L. Bohn & Church 1(920) 341-2025 – shepherdatzion@gmail.com

Worship Times: Sundays – 8:30am & Wednesdays – 7:00pm

To View Past Services & Other Information: Website – zionclyman.org or Facebook – zionclyman

Watch Live on Sunday @ 8:30am: YouTube – zionclyman

Music – Dee Dee Wille       Elder – Dave Stuebe

Bulletin Announcements: Email: zionclyman@gmail.com

Congregation Information: Neal Kohlhoff Email: neal.kohlhoff50@gmail.com

Altar Guild for December: Nancy Basol                                                             Thank you.

Guests.  Welcome to Zion.  We are happy to have you worship with us.  Please sign our guestbook located in the Narthex.  About Holy Communion:  We welcome to the Lord’s Table all who have repented of their sins and seek to amend their sinful life; all who believe that Jesus is truly present in, with, and under the bread and the wine; and all who believe that through the words “given and shed for you” forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given.  If this is your confession and you are a member of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, then come with a thankful heart and join us.   If you are a visitor and would like to commune, please talk with Pastor Dan before the service.  To help in preparing to receive Holy Communion open the front cover of the Burgundy hymnal or turn to pages 329 & 330.  Gluten free wafers are available, please talk with an Elder or Pastor before the service if you would appreciate them.

As We Gather There are many people heading to stores to return their gifts received on Christmas, but we as God’s children dare not return our greatest Christmas gift—our Lord Jesus!  God’s gift which reminds us that He is gracious and forgiving, and remembers His promises.  He leads us, as He did His children in the Old Testament Reading.  Paul reminds us that as God’s children we need no one else as we can call Him “Abba Father.”  We will deal with those who hate us and want to take our spiritual life away from us as Joseph had to deal with those who wanted to take the life of his child.  We have nothing to fear as that child, Jesus, God’s gift to us, the Son of God is with us always.

Ringing of the Bell and Welcome

Hymn  “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come”   LSB 358

Invocation – In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.      Amen.

Confession and Absolution    Psalm 32:1–2 – Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.  I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”  and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.   All:  Almighty God, our Maker and Redeemer, we poor sinners confess unto You that we are by nature sinful and unclean and that we have sinned against You by thought, word, and deed.  Wherefore we flee for refuge to Your infinite mercy, seeking and imploring Your grace for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.     O most merciful God who has given Your only-begotten Son to die for us, have mercy upon us and for His sake grant us remission of all our sins; and by Your Holy Spirit increase in us true knowledge of You and of Your will and true obedience to Your Word, to the end that by Your grace we may come to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.   Forgiveness has been won for you!  The babe born in Bethlehem is the only-begotten Son of God and your Brother in flesh and blood.  The Holy Spirit urges you to cry, “Abba! Father!”  Upon this your confession, as a called and ordained servant of Christ, announce His grace unto you.  I forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Our Response to God forgiveness Psalm 32 – I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.  You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.

Hymn of Praise – Gloria in Excelsis         LSB 204

Psalm 111 – Praise the Lord!  I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.  Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.  Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.  He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful.  He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.  He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations.  The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.  He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever.  Holy and awesome is his name!  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.            His praise endures forever!

Prayer of the Day – O God, our Maker and Redeemer, You wonderfully created us and in the incarnation of Your Son, You restored our human nature.  Grant that we may ever be alive in Him who made Himself to be like us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.     Amen.

Old Testament Reading – Isaiah 63:7-14 – I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.  For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.”  And he became their Savior.  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.  But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.  Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people.  Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock?  Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit, who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name, who led them through the depths?  Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble.  Like livestock that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.  So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name.

Epistle or New Testament Reading – Galatians 4:4-7 – When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”  So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Verse – Alleluia.  To us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder.  And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!  Alleluia.

Holy Gospel – Matthew 2:13-23 – The Holy Gospel according St. Matthew the second chapter.  Glory to You, O Lord.       When [the wise men] had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”  And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod.  This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”  Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”  But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”  And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.  But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee.  And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”  This is the Gospel of the Lord.   Praise to You, O Christ.

Hymn  “Joy to the World”   LSB 387

Sermon

Apostles’ Creed – I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.  And 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 sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence 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.

Prayers of the Church

The Lord’s Prayer – 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.

We gather our Tithes and Offerings

*Service of the Sacrament*

Preface and Proper Preface   2 Timothy 4:22 – 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 Him thanks and praise.  It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord; for in the mystery of the Word made flesh You have given us a new revelation of Your glory that, seeing You in the person of Your Son, we may know and love those things which are not seen.  Therefore, with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and singing:

Sanctus     LSB 208

Prayer of Thanksgiving – Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, with repentant joy we receive the salvation accomplished for us by the all-availing sacrifice of His body and His blood on the cross.   Gathered in the name and the remembrance of Jesus, O Lord, grant us faithfully to eat His body and drink His blood as He bids us do in His own testament.  Gather us together, we pray, from the ends of the earth to celebrate with all the faithful the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end.  Graciously receive our prayers; deliver and preserve us.  To You alone, O Father, be all glory, honor, and worship, with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.    Amen.

The Words of Our Lord – Consecration of the Elements

Proclamation of Christ  1 Corinthians 11:26; Revelation 22:20 – As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.      Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Pax Domini –    The peace of the Lord be with you always.    Amen.

Agnus Dei LSB 210

Distribution Hymns:

“Gentle Mary Laid Her Child”                     LSB 374

“Children of the Heavenly Father”             LSB 725

“Let All Together Praise Our God ”           LSB 389

Nunc Dimittis  LSB 211

Post-Communion Thanksgiving – Rejoicing in Your mercy, we pray You to guard and guide us by Your Spirit, that we who have known with joy the blessings of Your mercy in Christ, may be kept from all evil and preserved in the righteousness that is ours by faith, until that Day when we no longer must wrestle against satan, nor powers of this world.  Grant us to live holy, upright, and godly lives in response to all that Your love has accomplished in us and for us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.     Amen.

Benediction      Numbers 6:24–26 – The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and X give you peace.   Amen.

Dismissal – Go in peace! Serve the Lord!      Thanks be to God.

Hymn “What Child is This”    LSB 370

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 Attendance/Communed:      12/21/2025 = 62 / 52              12/24/2025 = 91            12/25/2025 = 29 / 23

Please keep the following in your Special Prayers:

The family of Theodore (Ted) Olson who was given his crown of life on December 11^th.

Prayers for Ralph Kohlhoff as he heals from cataract surgery.

We keep in our prayers all in our congregation who recently had surgery, waiting for test results, and are in need of healing and comfort.

FELLOWSHIP SUNDAY will be held on January 18^th after the service. If you would like to contribute a snack or beverage, please look for a signup sheet on the table behind the pews.

Quilters will meet on Thursday January 8th from 11am to 2pm. Please check with Caroline Jeffers as they do not meet every week. Donations of fabric, sheets (flat or fitted), and yarn are always appreciated. You do not have to know how to sew as there are many non-sewing tasks to be completed. All are welcome to join us for the quilting fun!

Wish these members a Happy Birthday and a Blessed Anniversary! 

Doug Schlender 12/28      Carl Foege 12/30     Felix & Janet Ortega 12/29       Kevin & Sandra Schultz 12/29

A Glorious Christmas and New Year to all!  God’s richest blessings to you!

Thank you for your Christmas well wishes, cards, and gifts. 

Theresa and Pastor Dan.

The flowers on the altar were given by Ralph Kohlhoff  in memory of his beloved wife Nancy.