SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
God Loves You Dearly!
January 2, 2022

God loves you! He chose you before the foundation of the world and knew that you would be part of His family through faith in Jesus Christ. Whom do you know who needs to experience God’s unconditional, all-accepting, no-strings-attached love? As we are reminded throughout the Scriptures, God’s love is for all people. Who is near to you who may still be far from God? How can you connect with them this year so that they might come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved?

HYMN “Let All Together Praise Our God” [LSB 389]
1. Let all together praise our God Before His glorious throne
Today He opens heav’n again, To give us His own Son, To give us His own Son.

2. The Father sends Him from His throne To be an infant small
And lie here, poorly manger’d now In this cold dismal stall, In this cold dismal stall.

3. Within an earthborn form He hides His all creating light
To serve us all He humbly cloaks The splendor of His might, The splendor of His might.

4. He undertakes a great exchange, puts on our mortal frame
And in return gives us His realm, His glory and His name, His glory and His name.

5. He is a servant, I a lord How great a mystery
How strong the tender Christ-child’s love, No truer friend than He, No truer friend than He.
6. He is the key and He the door To blessed paradise
The angel bars the way no more To God our praises rise, To God our praises rise.

7. Your grace and lowliness revealed, Lord Jesus we adore
And praise to God the Father yield And Spirit evermore. We praise You evermore

PRAYER
Gracious heavenly Father, You have shown repeatedly throughout history how much You love Your chosen people. Fill our lives with Your love so we may share it with all whom we interact through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

EPISTLE Ephesians 1:3–14
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

HOLY GOSPEL Luke 2:40–52 40
And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents[a] saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

“God is love” writes John in 1 John 4:8. These are not just words because God demonstrates His love. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” How long has God been planning for our salvation? From eternity God planned to send Jesus to die for the sins of everyone. “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2) God desires the salvation of all people even though He knows many will reject Him. The depth of God’s love is such that we can be certain of the faith we have been given through the Holy Spirit’s creative work in us. “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance.” So be assured of how much God loves you. He gives you forgiveness of all your sins and the promise of eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ.

LORD’S PRAYER Matthew 6:9–13
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.

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.