Pastor Q's Blog

Propers Plus for The Baptism of our Lord (Regular Service)

2012-01-04T09:33:00.000-05:00

The Baptism of our Lord

January 8, 10:45 a.m.

As We Gather

The theme for the Epiphany seasonis the showing forth of Jesus as God's Son, the Messiah, our Savior. He was first known publicly at His baptism.

TheBaptism of Jesus is the source of the power and application of Holy Baptism. AsGod the Holy Trinity was present there, so He is present in every Baptism inHis holy Name. Since earliest times, Christians have shared the conviction thatall which Jesus placed into the water of His Baptism is bestowed by His Word inthe water of our own Baptism. Our Baptism in the name of the Father, and of theSon, and of the Holy Spirit is a “washing of regeneration and renewal in theHoly Spirit” (Titus 3:5) in which we receive Christ’s righteousness, innocence,and blessedness.

Weare bold to confess that such water united with the Word of God is nothing lessthan a “gracious water of life and renewing in the Holy Spirit.” It is no mereinitiation. Holy Baptism confers an entire lifetime of Christian vocation-that “theold Adam in us should, by daily contrition and repentance, be drowned and diewith all sins and evil desires and, again, a new man daily emerge and arise tolive before God in righteousness and purity forever.” (Luther’s Small Catechism).

Hymn ~“FromWilderness to Jordan Came”

(tune Puer nobis Page 344)

1. Fromwilderness to Jordancame

Thefinal Prophet to proclaim

ThatJudgment soon was to begin

Topunish people for their sin.

2. Althoughof Abraham's descent,

Sinceall have sinned, all must repent,

And,like the Gentiles, undergo

ABaptism, and its import show.

3. Butwhen Christ came, no judgment dire

Did Hepronounce with venging fire;

Himselfthe Baptism underwent,

Thesinless One subservient.

4. OnHim the Spirit as a dove

Descended,and the Father's love

VoicedHis approval that the Son

Mankind'ssalvation had begun.

stand

5. Allglory, Lord, to You we pay

ForYour Epiphany today;

And tothe Father tribute bring,

As by the Spirit here we sing.

Confession and Absolution

Stand

The sign of the cross may be made by all inremembrance of their Baptism.

Invocation

All(sing): Within the Jordan’s sacredflood

The heav’nly Lamb inmeekness stood

That he, of whom no sin wasknown,

Might cleanse his peoplefrom their own.

For this His glad epiphany

All glory untoJesus be,

Whom with theFather we adore,

And Holy Ghostforevermore.

Sts.3, 5,“When Christ's Appearing Was Made Known” LW #81

Confession ofSins

Service of the Word

Introit

Behold myservant, whom | I uphold,*

my chosen, in whom my | soul delights.

I will tell of | the decree:*

The Lordsaid to me, "You are my Son; today I have be- | gotten you.

Ask of me, andI will make the nations your | heritage,*

and the ends of the earth your pos- |session.

You shall break them with a | rodof iron*

and dash them in pieces like a potter_ s |vessel."

Now therefore,O | kings, be wise;*

be warned, O rulers | of the earth.

Serve the | Lord with fear,*

and rejoice with | trembling,

for his wrathis quickly | kindled.*

Blessèd are all who take ref- | uge inhim.

Glorybe to the Father and | to the Son*

andto the Holy | Spirit;

asit was in the be- | ginning,*

isnow, and will be forever. | Amen.

Behold myservant, whom | I uphold,*

my chosen, in whom my | soul delights.

Ps. 2:7–11, 12c;antiphon: Is. 42:1a

Collectof the Day

P ... Fatherin heaven, at the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River You proclaimed Him Yourbeloved Son and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. Make all who are baptized inHis name faithful in their calling as Your children and inheritors with Him ofeverlasting life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reignswith You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Readingfrom the Book of Concord -

TheLarge Catechism

PartIV: Baptism 77-79; 84-86

Our Baptism abides forever. Even though someone should fall from Baptismand sin, still we always have access to it. So we may subdue the old man again. But we do not need to be sprinkledwith water again [Ezekiel 36:25-26; Hebrews 10:22]. Even if we were put under the water a hundredtimes, it would still be only one Baptism, even though the work and signcontinue and remain. Repentance,therefore, is nothing other than a return and approach to Baptism…

For this reason let everyone value hisBaptism as a daily dress [Galatians 3:27]in which he is to walk constantly. Thenhe may ever be found in the faith and its fruit, so that he may suppress theold man and grow up in the new. For ifwe would be Christians, we must do the work by which we are Christians. But if anyone falls away from the ChristianLife, let him again come into it. Forjust as Christ, the Mercy Seat [Romans 3:25], does not draw back from us orforbid us to come to Him again, even though we sin, so all His treasure andgifts also remain. Therefore, if we have received forgiveness of sin once inBaptism, it will remain every day, as long as we live. Baptism will remain as long as we carry theold man about our neck..

Readingsfrom Holy Scripture

OldTestament Reading Genesis1:1–5

¹In the beginning, God created the heavens and theearth. ²The earth was without form and void, and darkness was overthe face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of thewaters.

³And God said, “Let there belight,” and there was light. ⁴And God saw that the light was good.And God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵God called the lightDay, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there wasmorning, the first day.

Gradual

Praise the Lord, all | nations!*

Extol him, all | peoples!

For great is his steadfast |love toward us,*

and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for- | ever.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory | due his name;*

bring an offering, and come in- | to hiscourts!

Ps. 117:1–2a; 96:8

EpistleReading Romans6:1–11

¹What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin thatgrace may abound? ²By no means! How can we who died to sin stilllive in it? ³Do you not know that all of us who have been baptizedinto Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were buriedtherefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ wasraised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newnessof life.

⁵For if we have been unitedwith him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in aresurrection like his. ⁶We know that our old self was crucified withhim in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we wouldno longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷For one who has died has been setfree from sin. ⁸Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that wewill also live with him. ⁹We know that Christ being raised from thedead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰Forthe death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he livesto God. ¹¹So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and aliveto God in Christ Jesus.

Verse

P Alleluia.You are my beloved Son;

C with you I am well pleased. Alleluia

Mark 1:11b

HolyGospel Mark1:4–11

⁴John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness andproclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵Andall the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were beingbaptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁶NowJohn was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist andate locusts and wild honey. ⁷And he preached, saying, “After mecomes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy tostoop down and untie. ⁸I have baptized you with water, but he willbaptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

⁹In those days Jesus came fromNazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰Andwhen he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening andthe Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came fromheaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Hymn~ “All Who Believe and Are Baptized”.................... Page601

Offertory~ “O God of God, O Light of Light” ................. Page 810

Distribution Hymns

“What Is This Bread”........................................................................ Page629

“O Lord, We Praise Thee”............................................................. Page617

Hymn ~ “To Jordan’sRiver Came Our Lord”..................... Page 405

Thoughts on The Baptism of our Lord

2012-01-04T09:11:00.001-05:00

From earliest times the birth of Jesus, Epiphany, andThe Baptism of our Lord have been closely associated in the Church Year. By 385 Epiphany and The Baptism of our Lordwas a major eight day celebration in Jerusalem.

The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River is a muchloved subject of Christian art. Itadorns stained glass windows, paintings and icons.

Although The Baptism of our Lord is often passed overin many non-liturgical churches, it affords us the opportunity direct ourattention to Jesus’ message and ministry. John the Baptist, Jesus, and His disciples all share a common message,“Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” From their time until now, baptismand repentance have been closely connected.

As we celebrate the beginning of Jesus’ ministry atHis baptism, let us see its fulfillment in the cross and resurrection. Jesus’Baptism is the ideal time for us to remember that in baptism with have beentruly connected to Jesus’ death and resurrection. May we daily return to baptism in repentanceand live the new life we have received by the working of the Holy Spiritthrough baptism.

Pastor Quardokus

Propers Plus for the Contemporary Service for The Baptism of Our Lord

2012-01-04T09:06:00.000-05:00

The Baptism of our Lord

Contemporary

January 8, 8:00 a.m.

As We Gather

The theme for the Epiphany seasonis the showing forth of Jesus as God's Son, the Messiah, our Savior. He was first known publicly at His baptism.

(Luther’s Small Catechism).

The Light of Christ

Arise Shine

Collectof the Day

C Amen.

Readingfrom the Book of Concord -

TheLarge Catechism,

PartIV: Baptism 77-79; 84-86

Readingsfrom Holy Scripture

OldTestament Reading Genesis1:1–5

EpistleReading Romans6:1–11

Verse

P Alleluia.You are my beloved Son;

C with you I am well pleased. Alleluia

Mark 1:11b

HolyGospel Mark1:4–11

SermonHymn

We Worship a Wonderful Savior

The Worship Team

You Bring Peace

Offertory

How Can We Thank You Lord

Holy,Holy, Holy Lord

Distribution Hymns

White As Snow

What Kind of Throne

You Are My All In All

Closing

Shine, Jesus Shine

A Quick Look at the History of Epiphany

2012-01-04T07:48:00.002-05:00

Epiphany is an ancient celebration in the Church Year.The first certain reference to it was made by Clement of Alexandria in aboutthe year 200. He reports that it isalready an established festival. (He also writes about Jesus’ birth, “there arethose who have determined not only the year of our Lord's birth, but also theday; and they say that it took place in the twenty-eighth year of Augustus, andin the twenty-fifth day of Pachon..”)

By the year 385 Epiphany had become a major eight dayfestival in Jerusalem. On Epiphany Eve (January 5) a procession left Jerusalemfor Bethlehem and returned the following morning for an elaborate service. Awoman who attended the procession and service writes, “It would be superfluousto describe the adornment … of the church … on that day; you see nothing butgold and gems and silk. For if you look at the veils, they are made wholly ofsilk striped with gold, and if you look at the curtains, they too are madewholly of silk striped with gold. The church vessels too, of every kind, goldand jeweled, are brought out on that day, and indeed, who could either reckonor describe the number and weight of the candles or of the lamps or of thelanterns …”

The nightly procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem andback continued for each of the eight days with the morning service taking placeat a different location in Jerusalem each day.

Why would the early Church make Epiphany such anelaborate celebration? They were rejoicing in the wonderful message that Jesusis not only a man but God incarnate. The coming of the wise men, the words“This is my beloved Son” at Jesus’ baptism, and Jesus’ miracles such as turningwater into wine all point to this awe inspiring truth. This is the truth thatGod’s only-begotten Son became flesh and dwelt among us. This is the truth that God’s only-begottenSon died on the cross and rose again from the dead for our salvation.

Pastor Quardokus

Epiphany Eve Preview

2012-01-04T07:41:00.002-05:00

EpiphanyEve

As We Gather

Epiphany is a time for us to celebrate that Jesus ismade known to us as Savior and Lord. He was revealed to the Wise Men as “Kingof the Jews.” We know Him as King of the Universe, Lord of the Church, and Kingof Heaven. He is not only the babe bornin Bethlehembut He is the only-begotten Son of God who was given so that believing in Him,you may have eternal life.

Hymn~ “As with Gladness Men of Old”................................. Page379

EntranceHymn ~

“Jesus Has Come and Brings Pleasure”.......................... Page 533

Hymnof Praise “The Star Proclaims the King Is Here” Page 399

(Service Note: This ancient hymn titled “Herodes hostis impie” was written by CoeliusSedulius in about A.D. 450. Lutherpublished the German translation “Wasfuercht'st du, Feind Herodes, sehr?” in one of the first hymnals of theReformation, Geistliche Lieder in thetown of Wittenberg,in 1535.)

Collectof the Day

P ... OGod, by the leading of a star You made known Your only-begotten Son to theGentiles. Lead us, who know You by faith, to enjoy in heaven the fullness ofYour divine presence; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives andreigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

Readingfrom the Book of Concord -

TheFormula of Concord(SD), Article VIII, The Person of Christ, 6

We believe, teach, and confess that God’sSon from eternity has been a particular, distinct, entire, divine person. Yet He is true, essential, perfect God withthe Father and the Holy Spirit. In thefullness of time He received also the human nature into the unity of Hisperson. He did not do this in such a waythat there are now two persons or two Christs. Christ Jesus is now in oneperson at the same time true, eternal God, born of the Father from eternity,and a true man, born of the most blessed Virgin Mary. This is written in Romans 9:5, “from theirrace, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessedforever.”

Readingsfrom Holy Scripture

OldTestament Reading Isaiah60:1–6

¹Arise,shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

²Forbehold, darkness shall cover the earth,

and thick darkness the peoples;

but the Lordwill arise upon you,

and his glory will be seen upon you.

³Andnations shall come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your rising.

⁴Liftup your eyes all around, and see;

they all gather together, they come to you;

your sons shall come from afar,

and your daughters shall be carried on thehip.

⁵Thenyou shall see and be radiant;

your heart shall thrill and exult,

because the abundance of the sea shall beturned to you,

the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

⁶Amultitude of camels shall cover you,

the young camels of Midian and Ephah;

all those from Sheba shall come.

They shall bring gold and frankincense,

and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.

EpistleReading Ephesians3:1–12

¹For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesuson behalf of you Gentiles—²assuming that you have heard of thestewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, ³how themystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. ⁴Whenyou read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵whichwas not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now beenrevealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. ⁶Thismystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, andpartakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

⁷Of this gospel I was made aminister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by theworking of his power. ⁸To me, though I am the very least of all thesaints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable richesof Christ, ⁹and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan ofthe mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, ¹⁰so thatthrough the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to therulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹This was accordingto the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹²inwhom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

Verse

P Alleluia.Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?

C For we saw his star when it rose and havecome to worship him. Alleluia.

HolyGospel Matthew2:1–12

¹Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in thedays of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ²saying,“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when itrose and have come to worship him.” ³When Herod the king heard this,he was troubled, and all Jerusalemwith him; ⁴and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of thepeople, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵Theytold him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

⁶“‘Andyou, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷Then Herod summoned the wise mensecretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸Andhe sent them to Bethlehem,saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him,bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” ⁹Afterlistening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that theyhad seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the placewhere the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoicedexceedingly with great joy. ¹¹And going into the house they saw thechild with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, openingtheir treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹²Andbeing warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their owncountry by another way.

HYMN~ “O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright”.............. Page 395

(Service Note: Philipp Nicolai (1556–1608) was apastor in Germanyduring the Great Plague, which took the lives of 1,300 of his parishionersduring a sixth-month period. In addition to his heroic pastoral ministry duringthat time of stress and sorrow, he wrote the texts for “Wake, Awake, for NightIs Flying” and “O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright,” known, respectively, asthe king and queen of the Lutheran chorales.)

Sermon

TheyFell Down and Worshiped Him

Matthew 2:1–12

Offertory~ “O God of God, O Light of Light” ................. Page 810

Distribution Hymns

“Arise and Shine in Splendor”..................................................... Page396

“Hail to the Lord’s Anointed”....................................................... Page398

Post-CommunionCanticle

“Brightest and Best of the Stars ofthe Morning”................ Page 400

Post-CommunionCollect.................................................................... Page166

Benediction................................................................................................. Page166

Hymn ~ “The People That in Darkness Sat”........................ Page 412

The Christmas Eve Bidding Prayer

2011-12-22T17:01:00.001-05:00

P Beloved inChrist, may it be our care and delight this Christmas Eve to prepare ourselvesto hear again the message of the angels; in heart and mind to go unto Bethlehemand see this thing which is come to pass, and the Babe lying in a manger.

Let us read and mark in Holy Scripture thestory of the loving purposes of God from the ﬁrst days of our disobedience tothe glorious Redemption brought us by this Holy Child; and let us make thisholy house of God glad with our carols of praise:

But ﬁrst let us pray for the needs of Hiswhole world; for peace and goodwill over all the earth; for unity andbrotherhood within the Church He came to build, and especially in our nation,our state and our community. And because this of all things would rejoice Hisheart, let us at this time remember in His name the poor and the helpless, thecold, the hungry and the oppressed; the sick in body and in mind and them thatmourn; the lonely and the unloved; the aged and the little children; all who donot know the Lord Jesus, or who love Him not, or who by sin have grieved Hisheart of love.

Lastly let us remember before God allthose who rejoice with us, but upon another shore and in a greater light, thatmultitude which no man can number, whose hope was in the Word made ﬂesh, andwith whom, in this Lord Jesus, we forevermore are one.

P Lord in Yourmercy,

C Hear our prayer.

P Theseprayers and praises let us humbly offer up to the throne of heaven, in thewords which Christ himself has taught us:

C Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed beThy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; giveus this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive thosewho trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us fromevil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.Amen.

On Christmas through the Centuries

2011-12-22T14:19:00.002-05:00

Today’sChristmas worship reaches back through the ages to bring to us themessage of our Savior’s birth and God’s plan of salvation. Theoldest portion of our service is the Old Testament Lesson from theProphet Isaiah which was written about 700 B.C. (Psalm 98 is possiblyolder).

Ourcelebration of the Lord’s Supper began about A.D. 33 and The NewTestament lessons were written in the first century. Various partsof the liturgy developed through the following years with the NiceneCreed coming from the year 325.

Themost recent parts of today’s worship are the hymns and carols. They range from the 1600’s to 1986. Here is the list:

OCome, All Ye Faithful – mid 1800’s

Angelsfrom the Realms of Glory – early 1800’s

AngelsWe Have Heard on High – 1862

LetAll Together Praise Our God – early 1900’s

WhereShepherds Lately Knelt – 1986

GentleMary Laid Her Child – early 1900’s

Awayin a Manger – 1885

LetUs All with Gladsome Voice – 1600’s

Joyto the World – early 1700’s

OLittle Town of Bethlehem – 1800’s

Wethank God that the Christmas message still brings comfort today as ithas for countless Christians throughout the ages. The message ofChristmas is more than love, joy and peace. It is the message offorgiveness of sins, life and salvation through our Savior Jesus whocame into the world to be born, live, die, and rise again for each ofus. May our hymns of praise to hymn have no end.

PastorQuardokus

Christmas and December 25

2011-12-22T14:17:00.002-05:00

Noone knows the exact date of Jesus’ birth. This is true. But do yourealize how ancient the celebration of Christmas actually is? Weknow that celebrating Christ’s birth on December 25 was already anold and established practice in A.D. 312.

Thefalse claim is often repeated that the Church chose December 25 asthe date in order to preempt an old pagan celebration. Howeverhistory tells another story. In fact we know that celebratingChristmas on December 25 was the practice of a group of earlyChristians (Donatists) who were especially careful not to have anyconnection to the pagan religion of the Roman Empire.

Whilethe date of Christ’s birth is lost to history, it is clear thatcelebrating Christmas on December 25^this not of pagan origin. Then where does it come from? The bestexplanation is that the Church calculated the date of Jesus’ birthfrom the date of the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary. Theearly Church determined this date to be March 25. Nine months laterMary would travel to Bethlehem and deliver baby Jesus, wrap Him inswaddling cloths and lay him in a manger.

PastorQuardokus

Propers Plus for Christmas Day

2011-12-22T14:14:00.002-05:00

TheNativity of Our Lord

AsWe Gather

Joyto the world for to us a child is born. This child is theonly-begotten Son of God in the flesh who came to set us free. Werejoice that Jesus, the Word made flesh, has made His dwelling amongus even today through Word and Sacrament.

Prelude~

“ThisDay is Such a Joyful Day” Christus Choir

Violin- Beth Oeseburg

Cello– Jeff Oeseburg

HYMN~ “O, Come, All Ye Faithful” LSB 379

EntranceHymn ~ “Angels from the Realms of Glory” LSB367

Hymnof Praise ~ “Angels We have Heard on High” LSB368

Collectof the Day

Almighty God, grant that thebirth of Your only-begotten Son in the flesh may set us free from thebondage of sin; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who livesand reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

OldTestament Reading Isaiah52:7–10

⁷Howbeautiful upon the mountains

are the feet ofhim who brings good news,

who publishes peace,who brings good news of happiness,

who publishessalvation,

who says to Zion,“Your God reigns.”

⁸Thevoice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;

together they singfor joy;

for eye to eye theysee

the return of theLord to Zion.

⁹Breakforth together into singing,

you waste placesof Jerusalem,

for the Lordhas comforted his people;

he has redeemedJerusalem.

¹⁰TheLord has bared his holy arm

before the eyes ofall the nations,

and all the ends ofthe earth shall see

the salvation ofour God.

P Tous a child is born, to us a son is given;

C andthe government shall be upon his shoulder.

P Andhis name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

C EverlastingFather, Prince of Peace.

P Singto the Lord a new song,

C forhe has done marvelous things!

Isaiah9:6; Psalm 98:1

EpistleReading Hebrews1:1–6

¹Longago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by theprophets, ²but inthese last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed theheir of all things, through whom also he created the world. ³Heis the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of hisnature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. Aftermaking purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of theMajesty on high, ⁴havingbecome as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited ismore excellent than theirs.

⁵Forto which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son,

today I havebegotten you”?

Or again,

“I will be to hima father,

and he shall be tome a son”?

⁶Andagain, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

“Let all God’sangels worship him.”

Verse

P Alleluia.The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and

C and wehave seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, fullof grace and truth. Alleluia.

Hymn“Let All Together Praise Our God” Stanzas1 & 7

HolyGospel John1:1–18

¹Inthe beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Wordwas God. ²He wasin the beginning with God. ³Allthings were made through him, and without him was not any thing madethat was made. ⁴Inhim was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵Thelight shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ⁶There was aman sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷Hecame as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all mightbelieve through him. ⁸Hewas not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹Thetrue light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.¹⁰He was in theworld, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not knowhim. ¹¹He came tohis own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹²Butto all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave theright to become children of God, ¹³whowere born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the willof man, but of God.

¹⁴Andthe Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory,glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

¹⁵(Johnbore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said,‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was beforeme.’”) ¹⁶Andfrom his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷Forthe law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through JesusChrist. ¹⁸No onehas ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, hehas made him known.

HYMN~ “Where Shepherds Lately Knelt” LSB 369

Sermon

Andthe Word Became Flesh

John1:1–18

Voluntary~

“WordMade Flesh, We Welcome You” Christus Choir

Offertory~ “Gentle Mary Laid Her Child” LSB 374

Serviceof the Sacrament

Proper Preface

It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should atall times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almightyFather, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord; for in themystery of the Word made flesh You have given us a new revelation ofYour glory that, seeing You in the person of Your Son, we may knowand love those things which are not seen. Therefore with angels andarchangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnifyYour glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:

DistributionHymns

“Awayin A Manger” LSB 365

“LetUs All with Gladsome Voice” LSB390

Post-CommunionCanticle

“Joyto the World” LSB 387

Hymn~ “Oh, Little Town Of Bethlehem” LSB361

The Christmas Story from the King James Version

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Thebest known and most widely used translation of the Bible is the KingJames Version. As a result, the Christmas story is most widely knownin the King James Version. This is the version that was read byLinus in A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Weare especially thankful to God tonight because this year is the 400^thanniversary of the reading of the Christmas story on Christmas Evefrom the King James Version of the Bible. It was first published in1611.

The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

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TheFestival of Nine Lessons and Carolscelebrating the birth of Jesus is historically used on Christmas Eve.The story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, andthe birth of Jesus is told in nine short Bible readings including OldTestament prophecies and New Testament fulfillment in the Gospels.These lessons are interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols,hymns and choir music.

Thisformat is based on an order of worship first used on Christmas Eve1880 in Cornwall, England by Bishop Edward White Benson. He laterbecame Archbishop of Canterbury. This is the time when Currier &Ives were producing their well-known prints.

Theoriginal liturgy has been adapted and used by churches all over theworld. Lessons and Carols most often occur in Anglican, RomanCatholic, Lutheran, and Presbyterian Churches. However, numerousChristian churches have adopted this service, or a variation as partof their Christmas celebrations.

Preview of the Christmas Eve Service

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AFESTIVAL

OFNINE LESSONS

ANDCAROLS

ChristmasEve

December24, 2011

5:00and 7:00 P.M.

AsWe Gather

The timecame for the baby to be born and Mary gave birth to her firstborn, ason. Tonight we celebrate that time so long ago, yet so very presenttoday, as the incarnate Lord dwells with us through Word andSacrament.

ProcessionalHymn ~“Once in Royal David’s City”

TheChristmas Eve Bidding Prayer

P Belovedin Christ, may it be our care and delight this Christmas Eve toprepare ourselves to hear again the message of the angels; in heartand mind to go unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come topass, and the Babe lying in a manger.

Letus read and mark in Holy Scripture the story of the loving purposesof God from the ﬁrst days of our disobedience to the gloriousRedemption brought us by this Holy Child; and let us make this holyhouse of God glad with our carols of praise:

Butﬁrst let us pray for the needs of His whole world; for peace andgoodwill over all the earth; for unity and brotherhood within theChurch He came to build, and especially in our nation, our state andour community. And because this of all things would rejoice Hisheart, let us at this time remember in His name the poor and thehelpless, the cold, the hungry and the oppressed; the sick in bodyand in mind and them that mourn; the lonely and the unloved; the agedand the little children; all who do not know the Lord Jesus, or wholove Him not, or who by sin have grieved His heart of love.

Lastlylet us remember before God all those who rejoice with us, but uponanother shore and in a greater light, that multitude which no man cannumber, whose hope was in the Word made ﬂesh, and with whom, inthis Lord Jesus, we forevermore are one.

P These prayers and praises let us humbly offer up to the throne ofheaven, in the words which Christ himself has taught us:

C OurFather who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thywill be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our dailybread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassagainst us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us fromevil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory foreverand ever. Amen.

Collectfor Christmas Eve

P OGod, because you once caused this holy night to shine with thebrightness of the true Light, grant that we who have known themystery of that Light here on earth may come to the full measure ofits joys in heaven; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives andreigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

ACarol by the Choir ~

“Beforethe Marvel of this Night” CarlSchalk

Voluntary~ “To Jesus Who is King” Richard Hillert

LessonOne Genesis 3:15

Godannounces in the Garden of Eden that the Seedof the woman (Christ) would destroySatan and his power.

¹⁵Iwill put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.”

Carolby Choir and Congregation ~“The Tree of Life”

LessonTwo Genesis 22:15-18

Godpromises to faithful Abraham that through his descendants - andeventually the Messiah - all the nations of the earth will be blessedwith salvation.

¹⁵Andthe angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven¹⁶and said, “Bymyself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done thisand have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷Iwill surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring asthe stars of heaven and as the

sand that ison the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of hisenemies, ¹⁸and inyour offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, becauseyou have obeyed my voice.”

LessonThree Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

The birthand kingdom of Christ are foretold by the prophet.

²The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,

on them has light shined.

⁶For to us a child isborn,

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.

⁷Of the increase of hisgovernment and of peace

there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and to uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lordof hosts will do this.

Carolby the Choir ~

“BreakForth, O Beauteous, Heavenly Light”

LessonFour Micah 5:2-4

Theprophet foretells the glory of little Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus.

²But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to be ruler in Israel,

whose origin is from of old,

from ancient days.

³Therefore he shall givethem up until the time

when she who is in labor has given birth;

then the rest of his brothers shall return

to the people of Israel.

⁴And he shall stand andshepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,

in the majesty of the name of the Lordhis God.

And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great

to the ends of the earth.

Carolby Congregation and Choir ~

“OLittle Town of Bethlehem”

LessonFive Luke 1:26-28

The angelGabriel salutes the Blessed Virgin Mary.

CarolBy Choir ~

“Thereis no Rose of such Virtue” Stephen Caracciolo

Soloist: Andrea Frobel

Songby the Soloist ~ “Magnificat”

Soloist: Jennifer Steffens

TheChristmas Gospel ~ Lesson Six Luke 2:1-7

St. Luketells of the birth of Jesus. We read in unison.

¹Andit came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree fromCaesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

²(Andthis taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

³Andall went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

⁴AndJoseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, intoJudaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (becausehe was of the house and lineage of David:)

⁵Tobe taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

⁶Andso it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplishedthat she should be delivered.

⁷Andshe brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddlingclothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for themin the inn.

Carolby Choir and Congregation ~ “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly”

TheChristmas Gospel ~ Lesson Seven Luke 2:8-16

The shepherdsgo to the manger. We read in unison.

⁸Andthere were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹And,lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lordshone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

¹⁰Andthe angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you goodtidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

¹¹Forunto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which isChrist the Lord.

¹²Andthis shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped inswaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

¹³Andsuddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hostpraising God, and saying,

¹⁴Gloryto God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

¹⁵Andit came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven,the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem,and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath madeknown unto us.

¹⁶Andthey came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lyingin a manger.

Carolby the Choir ~ “Therefore Be Merry” Mark Sedio

Soloist: Jennifer Steffens

LessonEight Matthew 2:1-11

The Wise Menare led by the star of Jesus.

¹Nowafter Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod theking, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ²saying,“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw hisstar when it rose and have come to worship him.” ³WhenHerod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem withhim; ⁴andassembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, heinquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵Theytold him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by theprophet:

⁶“‘And you, OBethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷Then Herod summoned thewise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star hadappeared. ⁸And hesent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for thechild, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too maycome and worship him.” ⁹Afterlistening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the starthat they had seen when it rose went before them until it came torest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰Whenthey saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹Andgoing into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, andthey fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, theyoffered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Carolby Congregation and Choir ~ “Joy to the World”

LessonNine John 1:1-15

St. Johnunfolds the great mystery of the Incarnation.

⁶There was a man sentfrom God, whose name was John. ⁷Hecame as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all mightbelieve through him. ⁸Hewas not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹The true light, whichenlightens everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰Hewas in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the worlddid not know him. ¹¹Hecame to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹²Butto all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave theright to become children of God, ¹³whowere born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the willof man, but of God.

¹⁴And the Word becameflesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of theonly Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵(Johnbore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said,‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was beforeme.’”)

Carolby Choir ~ “The Glory of the Father” Egil Hovland

CandlelightCarol by Congregation and Choir

“SilentNight”

RecessionalHymn ~ “O Come All Ye Faithful”

Preview of the Contemporary Service for the Fourth Sunday in Advent

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TheFourth Sunday in Advent

Contemporary

As We Gather

God chose a faithful young woman to be the mother ofour Savior. She recognized that in theworld’s eyes she was not highly regarded but God set the might of the world inmotion to bring her and Joseph to Bethlehem for Jesus to be born. He bringsdown rulers from their thrones but lifts up the humble. During this Advent timeand always may we, like Mary, humbly serve the Savior of the Nations.

Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, Oancient doors,

that the Kingof glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?

The LORD,strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!

Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, Oancient doors,

that the Kingof glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?

The LORD ofhosts, he is the King of glory!

Psalm 24:7-10

Pre Service Music:

HolidayTraditions

Joan Kern Flute

Opening Medley:

The Glory of the Heavens

Comfort, Comfort All My People

LIGHTING THEADVENT WREATH - THE FOURTH CANDLE:

P As we lightthe Fourth candle on our Advent wreath, we rejoice that God chose the VirginMary to be the mother of Immanuel, God with us, our Savior, Jesus. May we join with Mary in magnifying the Lordfor doing great and mighty things through such a lowly birth in Bethlehem. Letus also humble ourselves to prepare for the Savior of the Nations to come.

C Saviorof the nations, come,

Virgin’s Son, make here Your home!

Marvel now, O heav’n and earth,

That the Lord chose such a birth.

Here a maid was found with child,

Yet remained a virgin mild.

In her womb this truth was shown:

God was there upon His throne.

SONGS OF ADVENT ANTICIPATION

Emmanuel

Jesus Name Above All Names

Collect of the Day

P ... Stir up Yourpower, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh usdown may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy; for You live and reign withthe Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

Reading from the Book of Concord -

TheFormula of Concord, Epitome, Article VIII, 12, 13.

We believe, teach, and confess that Maryconceived and bore not merely a man and no more, but God’s true Son. Therefore, she also is rightly called andtruly is “the mother of God.”

We also believe, teach, and confess that itwas not a mere man who suffered, died, was buried, descended to hell, rose fromthe dead, ascended into heaven, and was raised to God’s majesty and almightypower for us. But it was a man whosehuman nature has such a profound, indescribable union and communion with God’sSon that it is one person with Him.

Readingsfrom Holy Scripture

Old Testament Reading 2 Samuel 7:1–11, 16

¹Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all hissurrounding enemies, ²the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now,I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” ³AndNathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴But that same night the wordof the Lord came to Nathan, ⁵“Goand tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord:Would you build me a house to dwell in? ⁶I have not lived in a housesince the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but Ihave been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. ⁷In all placeswhere I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with anyof the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying,“Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ ⁸Now, therefore, thusyou shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from followingthe sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. ⁹And Ihave been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies frombefore you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the greatones of the earth. ¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israeland will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbedno more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, ¹¹fromthe time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give yourest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lorddeclares to you that the Lord willmake you a house. . . . ¹⁶And your house and your kingdom shall bemade sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”

P Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.

C Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem.

P Behold, your king is coming to you;

C righteousand having salvation.

P Blessèd is he who comes in the name of theLord.

C From the house of the Lord we bless you.

Responseto the Reading of God’s Word

Lift Up Your Heads

Epistle Lesson Romans16:25–27

²⁵Now to him who is able to strengthen you according tomy gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of themystery that was kept secret for long ages ²⁶but has now beendisclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to allnations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about theobedience of faith— ²⁷to the only wise God be glory forevermorethrough Jesus Christ! Amen.

Choraloffering

Mary, Did You Know?

FredHuff

Verse

P Behold, the virgin shall conceive andbear a son,

C and they shall call his name Immanuel.

Matt. 1:23a

Holy Gospel Luke1:26–38

²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from Godto a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to aman whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name wasMary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, theLord is with you!” ²⁹But she was greatly troubled at the saying, andtried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰And theangel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹Andbehold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call hisname Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of theMost High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, ³³andhe will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will beno end.”

³⁴And Mary said to the angel,“How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

³⁵And the angel answered her,“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High willovershadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son ofGod. ³⁶And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has alsoconceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. ³⁷Fornothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸And Mary said, “Behold, I amthe servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angeldeparted from her.

SermonSong

Glorious Light

Music During the collection ofthe offering

Sung by the Worship Team

Emmanuel

Offertory

On Christmas Day

Closing

Praisethe God of Grace and Glory

The Hymn of the Day: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

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The Hymn of the Day is designated for each Sunday ofthe Church Year. These hymns are selectedto reflect the theme of the day as found in the Gospel Lesson. They are rich in theological content and areof historic significance in the worship life of the Church. They reflect thebroad spectrum of the Christian Church coming from all parts of the world andfrom every age of the Church.

Unfortunately LutheranService Book does not contain the list of Hymns of the Day. However, they are found in Lutheran Worship.

The Hymn of the Day for this Sunday is one of the bestloved Advent hymns, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” This hymn was originally written in Latin and titled, “Veni, veni,Emmanuel.” It is based on the great “OAntiphons.” The Great O Antiphons are seven brief prayers that aretraditionally chanted or sung on successive evenings starting on December 17.

The origins of these Great O Antiphons is unknown butby the 8^th and 9^th centuries they were in use throughoutwestern Europe at the evening services during Advent. The O Antiphons areprinted in Lutheran Service Bookfollowing hymn 357. Each O Antiphon addresses Christ by one of His Old Testament titles andprays for Him to come in fulfillment the Old Testament prophesies concerningthe promised Savior.

The translation from Latin was done in the 1800’s by JohnMason Neale and Henry Sloane Coffin. Henry Sloane Coffin was one of the mostfamous Presbyterian ministers of his day in America.

John Mason Neale was an Anglican priest, scholar andhymn-writer who was born in London in 1818. He made English-speakingcongregations aware of the centuries-old heritage of Latin, Greek, Russian, andSyrian hymns.

In addition to O Come, O Come Emmanuel, histranslations include:

All Glory, Laud, and Honor, LSB 442

A Great and Mighty Wonder, LSB 383

Good King Wenceslas

Of the Father's Heart Begotten, LSB 384

Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle, LSB 454

Before The Ending of The Day, LSB 889

Propers Plus for The Fourth Sunday in Advent

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As We Gather

Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, Oancient doors,

that the Kingof glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?

The LORD,strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!

Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, Oancient doors,

that the Kingof glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?

The LORD ofhosts, he is the King of glory!

Psalm 24:7-10

HYMN~ “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”................................ LSB357

(Stanzas 1-3)

LIGHTING THEADVENT WREATH - THE FOURTH CANDLE:

C Saviorof the nations, come,

Virgin’s Son, make here Your home!

Marvel now, O heav’n and earth,

That the Lord chose such a birth.

Here a maid was found with child,

Yet remained a virgin mild.

In her womb this truth was shown:

God was there upon His throne.

Introit

Shower, O heavens, fromabove, and let the clouds rain down | righteousness;*

let the earth open, that salvation andrighteousness may | bear fruit.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and thesky above proclaims his | handiwork.*

Inthem he has set a tent | for the sun,

which comes out like abridegroom leaving his | chamber,*

and, like a strong man, runs its | coursewith joy.

Its rising is from the end of the heavens,and its circuit to the | end of them,*

and there is nothing hidden | from its heat.

Glory be to the Father and | to the Son*

and to the Holy | Spirit;

as it was in the be- | ginning,*

isnow, and will be forever. | Amen.

Shower, O heavens, fromabove, and let the clouds rain down | righteousness;*

let the earth open, that salvation andrighteousness may | bear fruit.

Ps. 19:1, 4c, 5–6; antiphon: Is. 45:8a,b

Collect of the Day

C Amen.

Reading from the Book ofConcord -

TheFormula of Concord, Epitome, Article VIII, 12, 13.

We believe, teach, and confess that Maryconceived and bore not merely a man and no more, but God’s true Son. Therefore, she also is rightly called andtruly is “the mother of God.”

Readings from Holy Scripture

Old Testament Reading 2 Samuel 7:1–11, 16

Gradual

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of |Zion.*

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jer- | usalem.

Behold, your king is com- | ing toyou;*

righteous and having sal- | vation.

Blessèd is he who comes in the name| of the Lord.*

From the house of the Lord we | bless You.

Zech. 9:9; Ps. 118:26, alt.

Epistle Lesson Romans16:25–27

Verse

P Behold, the virgin shall conceive andbear a son,

C and they shall call his name Immanuel.

Matt. 1:23a

Holy Gospel Luke1:26–38

³⁴And Mary said to the angel,“How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

HYMN~ “The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came”............ LSB 356

Offertory ~ “Lift Up YourHeads, Ye Mighty Gates” ..... LSB 341

(Stanza 1)

Lift up your heads, ye mightygates!

Behold, the King of glorywaits.

The King of kings is drawingnear;

The Savior of the world ishere.

Life and salvation He dothbring;

Therefore rejoice and gladlysing.

To God the Father raise

Your joyful songs of praise.

HYMN ~ “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”................................ LSB357

(Stanzas 4-7)

Third Advent Midweek Service Preview

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Waitingwith Joy

Service of Light

Hymn ~ “The King Shall ComeWhen Morning Dawns”

Hymn ~ “Ah, Dearest Jesus”

Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,

Prepare a bed, soft, undefiled,

A quiet chamber set apart

For You to dwell within my heart.

Psalm 26

Old,Testament Reading Isaiah61:1–4, 8–11

¹The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up thebrokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to thosewho are bound;

²to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

³to grant to those who mourn inZion—

to give them a beautiful headdressinstead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the garment of praise instead of afaint spirit;

that they may be called oaks ofrighteousness,

the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

⁴They shall build up the ancientruins;

they shall raise up the formerdevastations;

they shall repair the ruined cities,

the devastations of many generations. .. .

⁸For I the Lord love justice;

I hate robbery and wrong;

I will faithfully give them theirrecompense,

and I will make an everlasting covenantwith them.

⁹Their offspring shall be knownamong the nations,

and their descendants in the midst ofthe peoples;

all who see them shall acknowledge them,

that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.

¹⁰I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;

my soul shall exult in my God,

for he has clothed me with the garmentsof salvation;

he has covered me with the robe ofrighteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself like apriest with a beautiful headdress,

and as a bride adorns herself with herjewels.

¹¹For as the earth brings forthits sprouts,

and as a garden causes what is sown init to sprout up,

so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise

to sprout up before all the nations.

Epistle Lesson Philippians 4:4–7

⁴Rejoicein the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. ⁵Let yourreasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶do not beanxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication withthanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peaceof God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and yourminds in Christ Jesus.

Holy Gospel Luke 1:5–17

⁵Inthe days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the divisionof Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name wasElizabeth. ⁶And they were both righteous before God, walkingblamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. ⁷Butthey had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced inyears.

⁸Nowwhile he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, ⁹accordingto the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple ofthe Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰And the whole multitude of the peoplewere praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹And there appeared tohim an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹²AndZechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. ¹³Butthe angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has beenheard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his nameJohn. ¹⁴And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice athis birth, ¹⁵for he will be great before the Lord. And he must notdrink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, evenfrom his mother’s womb. ¹⁶And he will turn many of the children ofIsrael to the Lord their God, ¹⁷and he will go before him in thespirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord apeople prepared.”

Hymn~ “Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord”.................... LSB 352

Magnificat...................................................................................................... Page248

Hymn~ “Hark The Glad Song”....................................................... LSB349

Acknowledgments

Advent waiting! Joy is coming!

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How often do you feel sad? What makes you feel sad? Do you feel poor? Are you brokenhearted? Do you feel like a prisoner to life’s circumstances? Are you mourning? Do you feel too weak and faint to face life’s challenges?

These same problems were felt by God’s people of old. Isaiah prophesied that the coming Messiah would be the cure for these heart wrenching problems. Indeed Jesus did come to bring good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to captives, to bring comfort and gladness to all who mourn, and strength to those who feel faint.

Heinrich Held was one of the best Silesian hymn writers. He was born in 1620 and lived only 39 years. His short life was filled with the trials and afflictions of war. When he was just 23 years old he published a book of hymns and poems. One of those hymns has become a favorite in the English language: Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord.

In spite of experiencing the difficulties of life he is able to boldly proclaim:

Let the earth now praise the Lord,

Who has truly kept His word

And at last to us did send

Christ, the sinner’s help and friend.

No matter what has broken your heart, Christ is your help and friend. How wonderful and marvelous it is that God has kept His word of promise given through the prophet Isaiah.

Knowing that Heinrich Held lived during a time of turmoil and war, the fourth stanza of his hymn is particularly moving.

As Your coming was in peace,

Quiet, full of gentleness,

Let the same mind dwell in me

Which is Yours eternally.

Like Heinrich Held you may face devastating circumstances in life, but like him may your life be filled with the joy and peace of Christ this Advent and always.

Pastor Quardokus

Propers Plus for the Third Sunday in Advent

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TheThird Sunday in Advent

Gaudete!

As We Gather

The Third Sunday in Advent is a Sunday ofrejoicing! The third candle on the Advent wreath is traditionally pink or rosecolor to symbolize the joy that comes with the knowledge that we are about tocelebrate Christ’s birth. Our introit begins with the words of Philippians 4:4,“Rejoice in the Lord, Always.” The rose candle reminds us of “The Rose ofSharon” (Song of Solomon 2:1) and is one of the names of Christ.

Prelude “Comfort, Comfort”................................................. ChristusChoir

Clarinets: Jill, Measel,Rachel Matheny

Piccolo: Jennifer Jackemeyer

Hymn “Come,Thou Long-Expected Jesus”......................... LSB338

LIGHTING THEADVENT WREATH - THE THIRD CANDLE:

P As we lightthe third candle on our Advent wreath, we rejoice that God chose to send forthHis only-begotten son to become fully man, born of the virgin and under the Lawto redeem us and the world so that we may receive adoption into the family Godthrough faith. May the Lord use thisAdvent time to lighten the burdens of our hearts as we prepare for the Saviorof the Nations to come.

C Here a maid was found with child,

Yetremained a virgin mild.

In her wombthis truth was shown:

God wasthere upon His throne.

Then stepped forth the Lord of all

From His pure and kingly hall;

God of God, yet fully man,

His heroic course began.

Introit ~ “Comfort, My People”..................... ChristusChoir

Flutist – Sandy Strefling

Collect of the Day

Lord Jesus Christ,we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts byYour gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the HolySpirit, one God, now and forever.

Reading from the Book ofConcord

Apologyof the Augsburg Confession,

ArticleIV, Justification 80, 81

Christ is not received as a Mediator exceptby faith. Therefore, by faith alone wereceive forgiveness of sins when we comfort our hearts with confidence in themercy promised for Christ’s sake. Likewise, Paul says in Romans 5:2, “Through Him we have also obtainedaccess” and adds, “by faith.” Therefore, we are reconciled to the Father andreceive forgiveness of sins when we are comforted with confidence in the mercypromised for Christ’s sake.

Readings from Holy Scripture

Old, Testament Reading Isaiah 61:1–4, 8–11

¹The Spirit of the Lord Godis upon me,

becausethe Lord has anointed me

to bringgood news to the poor;

he hassent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

toproclaim liberty to the captives,

and theopening of the prison to those who are bound;

²to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

and theday of vengeance of our God;

tocomfort all who mourn;

³to grant to those who mourn in Zion—

to givethem a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,

the oil ofgladness instead of mourning,

thegarment of praise instead of a faint spirit;

that theymay be called oaks of righteousness,

theplanting of the Lord, that he maybe glorified.

⁴They shall build up the ancient ruins;

theyshall raise up the former devastations;

they shallrepair the ruined cities,

thedevastations of many generations. . . .

⁸For I the Lordlove justice;

I haterobbery and wrong;

I willfaithfully give them their recompense,

and Iwill make an everlasting covenant with them.

⁹Their offspring shall be known among the nations,

andtheir descendants in the midst of the peoples;

all whosee them shall acknowledge them,

thatthey are an offspring the Lord hasblessed.

¹⁰I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;

my soulshall exult in my God,

for he hasclothed me with the garments of salvation;

he hascovered me with the robe of righteousness,

as abridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,

and as abride adorns herself with her jewels.

¹¹For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,

and as agarden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,

so theLord God will cause righteousnessand praise

tosprout up before all the nations.

Gradual~ Psalm 126..................................................................... ChristusChoir

Epistle Lesson 1 Thessalonians5:16–24

¹⁶Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray without ceasing, ¹⁸givethanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus foryou. ¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰Do not despiseprophecies, ²¹but test everything; hold fast what is good. ²²Abstainfrom every form of evil.

²³Now may the God of peacehimself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body bekept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴He whocalls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

P Alleluia. Behold, I send my messenger before your face,

C who will prepare your way before you. Alleluia.

Matt. 11:10b

Holy Gospel John1:6–8, 19–28

⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷Hecame as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believethrough him. ⁸He was not the light, but came to bear witness aboutthe light. . . .

¹⁹And this is the testimony ofJohn, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Whoare you?” ²⁰He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am notthe Christ.” ²¹And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” Hesaid, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” ²²Sothey said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us.What do you say about yourself?” ²³He said, “I am the voice of onecrying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as theprophet Isaiah said.”

²⁴(Now they had been sent fromthe Pharisees.) ²⁵They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, ifyou are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” ²⁶Johnanswered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know,²⁷even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am notworthy to untie.” ²⁸These things took place in Bethany across theJordan, where John was baptizing.

Hymn ~ “Hark! A Thrilling VoiceIs Sounding” .............. LSB 345

Congregation:stanzas 1, 3 & 5; Choir: stanzas 2 & 4

Offertory ~ “O Come, O Come,Emmanuel” ...................... LSB 357

(Stanza 1)

Ocome, O come, Emmanuel,

Andransom captive Israel,

Thatmourns in lonely exile here

Untilthe Son of God appear.

..... Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shallcome to thee, O Israel!

Distribution Hymns

“Your Table I Approach”.......................................................... LSB628

“Soul, Adorn Yourself with Gladness”............................ LSB636

Hymn “In TheeIs Gladness”............................................................. LSB818

The Muppets and the Liturgy

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(Spoiler alert: Do not read this if you are over 35and plan to see The Muppets.)

Gaudete is the Latin name for this Sunday. It meansrejoice and comes from the appointed Introit for the Third Sunday inAdvent. For centuries upon centuries onthe Third Sunday in Advent, the worshiping congregation would hear Philippians4:4 sung in Latin, “Gaudete in Dominosemper: iterum dico, gaudete” (Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say,rejoice!).

I suppose the majority of people will moan and groanjust at the mention of Latin. (Latin is a language. Dead as dead can be. Firstit killed the Romans Now it's killing me.) I’m not suggesting that everyone go out and learn Latin but I do thinkthat a nodding acquaintance with the ancient language of the Church will enrichyour appreciation for the liturgy and our way of worship in the LutheranChurch.

Here’s where The Muppets come in. (No, I don’t thinkwe should have Muppets lead worship.) Last night, after waiting for weeks, I finally saw The Muppets. While most think of The Muppets as children’sentertainment, there is much there for adults. In fact it is so packed with subtle cultural references that I don’tthink just one viewing could uncover them all. It is a delight to discover these hidden treasures and appreciate theeffort that went into producing this movie. Certainly the film will thrill children but its wholesome humor willsatisfy the deepest thinking adult.

(Spoiler alert: If you intend to see The Muppets stopreading.)

The basic plot of The Muppets is a need for theMuppets to save their old theater and studio in Hollywood. To do this they must raise $10 million. The only way to raise this money is for theMuppets to get back together and “put on a show.”

At one point during a dance number the camera does aclose-up on a Smalltown resident as he sings. The Smalltown resident is none other than Mickey Rooney. When I saw him I laughed out loud!

Of course if you’ve never seen Mickey Rooney as AndyHardy with Judy Garland in cheerfully naive musicals that usually end with thecharacters putting on an impromptu musical show to save the day, then Mickey’scameo goes over your head and you miss one of the delightfully playful momentsin the show. It’s still a good movie butyou have missed out. I know because Iasked a 30 something about it and he didn’t know why Mickey was there.

So this is a roundabout way of encouraging you to seekto learn more about the history of the liturgy and the importance of knowing afew Latin words to enhance your appreciation of the liturgy. Certainly without Latin our worship stillmeaningfully points to Christ and His cross each and every Sunday. But if you realize that Sanctus means holy and is the Latin name for “Holy, Holy, Holy,Lord God Almighty,” you will begin to have a deeper appreciation for ourChristian heritage and worship. You willbegin see that the work of the Holy Spirit (Sanctus Spiritus) is sanctification. You will see why we often call the placewhere we worship the sanctuary (holy place).

On Gaudete Sunday rejoice with me that we have a wayof worship that is simple enough for small children but deep enough to occupyour growing faith throughout our lives. To help you on your quest to deepenyour understanding of our way of worship, you may want to look at the glossaryon page xxiv in Lutheran Service Book.

Pastor Quardokus

Second Midweek Service in Advent Preview

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Service of Light

Hymn ~ “Joyful, Joyful We AdoreYou”

Hymn ~ “Ah, Dearest Jesus”

C Ah, dearest Jesus, holyChild,

Prepare a bed, soft, undefiled,

A quiet chamber set apart

For You to dwell within my heart.

Old Testament Lesson Isaiah40:1–11

¹Comfort, comfort mypeople, says your God.

²Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,

and cry to her

that her warfare is ended,

that her iniquity is pardoned,

that she has received from the Lord’s hand

double for all her sins.

³Avoice cries:

“In the wilderness prepare the way of theLord;

make straight in the desert a highwayfor our God.

⁴Every valley shall be lifted up,

and every mountain and hill be madelow;

the uneven ground shall become level,

and the rough places a plain.

⁵And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

and all flesh shall see it together,

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

⁶A voice says, “Cry!”

And I said, “What shall I cry?”

All flesh is grass,

and all its beauty is like the flowerof the field.

⁷The grass withers, the flowerfades

when the breath of the Lord blows on it;

surely the people are grass.

⁸The grass withers, the flowerfades,

but the word of our God will standforever.

^[9Get you up to a high mountain,

O Zion, herald of good news;

lift up your voice with strength,

O Jerusalem, herald of good news;

lift it up, fear not;

say to the cities of Judah,

“Behold your God!”

¹⁰Behold, the Lord God comes with might,

and his arm rules for him;

behold, his reward is with him,

and his recompense before him.

¹¹He will tend his flock like ashepherd;

he will gather the lambs in his arms;

he will carry them in his bosom,

and gently lead those that are withyoung.

Epistle Lesson 2 Corinthians 1:3–7

³Blessedbe the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and Godof all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our affliction, so that wemay be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort withwhich we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵For as we share abundantlyin Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. ⁶Ifwe are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we arecomforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endurethe same sufferings that we suffer. ⁷Our hope for you is unshaken,for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in ourcomfort.

Holy Gospel Luke 1:67–80

⁶⁷And his fatherZechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

⁶⁸“Blessedbe the Lord God of Israel,

for he hasvisited and redeemed his people

⁶⁹andhas raised up a horn of salvation for us

in the house ofhis servant David,

⁷⁰ashe spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

⁷¹thatwe should be saved from our enemies

and from thehand of all who hate us;

⁷²toshow the mercy promised to our fathers

and to rememberhis holy covenant,

⁷³theoath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us

⁷⁴thatwe, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,

might serve himwithout fear,

⁷⁵inholiness and righteousness before him all our days.

⁷⁶Andyou, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

for you will gobefore the Lord to prepare his ways,

⁷⁷togive knowledge of salvation to his people

in theforgiveness of their sins,

⁷⁸becauseof the tender mercy of our God,

whereby thesunrise shall visit us from on high

⁷⁹togive light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide ourfeet into the way of peace.”

⁸⁰And the child grew and became strong in spirit,and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Hymn~ “Comfort, Comfort Ye My People”......................... LSB347

Sermon

Waiting with Comfort

Isaiah 40:1–11

Canticle

Magnificat ~ “My Soul Rejoices”.................................................. LSB933

Hymn~ “The Advent of Our King”............................................. LSB331

+ Silent Prayer +

Acknowledgments

Advent waiting! Comfort is coming!

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Welive in a world of pain and suffering. All of this pain and suffering can be traced to one cause: Sin!

Itis often possible to find the cause of pain and suffering in specificsins. We experience grief, sorrow andanguish when we are hurt by the sins of others or our own sinfulness. Peopleare unkind and uncaring. Even ourdearest and closest friends ignore us, forget us and betray us. The effects of sin are everywhere.

Yetin a deeper sense our entire existence is in anguish because of sin. St. Paultells us in Romans 8:18-23 that even creation groans because of sin.Earthquakes, tornadoes, draught and floods all are the result of sin. It is not that we can trace these things tospecific sins that God is punishing but rather they are evidence of how all ofcreation has been separated from God because of sin coming into the world.

Realcomfort comes not so much from bandaging wounds or tender soothing words. Rather real comfort comes from God Himself inChrist Jesus who is the end of sin through His death on the cross. Real comfort comes only when we are connectedto Christ through His word and sacraments.

Thisis the comfort that Isaiah is told to proclaim in Isaiah 40. This is the comfort that is ours inChrist. This is the comfort that pastorsare to proclaim week in and week out from pulpit and altar: forgiveness ofsins, life and salvation.

Thiscomfort moved Johann Olearius to write the great Advent hymn based on Isaiah40, “Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People.” Johann was the son of a pastor and from an early age learned the loveGod in Christ Jesus. He also knew sorrowand grief. His mother died when he waseleven and his father died when he was twelve. Becoming an orphan during those critical years must have affected himgreatly. He was drawn to study theology atthe University of Wittenberg and became a Lutheran preacher.

Howoften during his formative years he must have sought comfort in the arms of aloving God. We can only imagine howdeeply he felt the words of this hymn as he penned and sang it.

Asyou sing the hymn, think of the comfort of God given to Johann as he thought ofhis mother and father in the arms of a loving God. Think of how God comfortsyou in your times of need. Allow the words of comfort spoken to Christ’s Churchring in your ears:

Yea, her sins our Godwill pardon,

Blotting out eachdark misdeed;

All that welldeserved His anger

He no more will seeor heed.

She hath sufferedmany_a day,

Now her griefs havepassed away;

God will change herpining sadness

Into ever-springing gladness.

Comfort,Comfort Ye My People, LSB 347

May ever-springing gladness in Christ be yoursthroughout this blessed season and always.

Pastor Quardokus

The Hymn of the Day

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The Hymn of the Day is designated for each Sunday ofthe Church Year. These hymns areselected to reflect the theme of the day as found in the Gospel Lesson. They are rich in theological content and areof historic significance in the worship life of the Church. They reflect thebroad spectrum of the Christian Church coming from all parts of the world andfrom every age of the Church.

Unfortunately LutheranService Book does not contain the list of Hymns of the Day. However, they are found in Lutheran Worship.

The Hymn of the Day for this Sunday is “On Jordan’sBank the Baptist’s Cry.” This French hymn was originally written in Latin by CharlesCoffin in 1736. Charles Coffin was a scholar and professor who sought to embodyin song the message of today’s Holy Gospel. This hymn is widely used across avariety of denominations in liturgical churches everywhere. It is rich in the biblical message of bothJohn the Baptist and Jesus.

To plumb the depth of this hymn you may wish to study thefollowing Bible passages and reflect on how Coffin was able to echo theirmeaning in his hymn.

Stanza 1:Matt 3:1-6; Is 40:3; Ps 34:18; Is 52:7; Luke 8:1; Mark 1:2-6; Luke 3:1-5; John1:19-23.

Stanza 2:John 1:23; Psalm 10:17.

Stanza 3:Ps 48:3; Is 40:10; Is 40:7-8; Ps 90:6; Gen 15:1; Zeph 3:17.

Stanza 4:Ps 144:7; Ps 67:1; Num 6:25; Ps 138:7; 2 Cor 4:6.

Stanza 5:Ps 146:7; John 8:36.

Pastor Quardokus

Propers Plus for the Second Sunday in Advent

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TheSecond Sunday in Advent

As We Gather

Advent and Baptism! These two hardly seem to gotogether until you hear the words of today’s Holy Gospel. Advent is a time ofpreparation. It is a time to makestraight paths for the Lord. John theBaptist was commissioned to do this by “proclaiming a baptism of repentance forthe forgiveness of sins.”

We daily sin much. Does this mean that we have fallen from our baptism? Martin Luther reminds us to return daily toour baptism. For repentance is simplyreturning to baptism, drowning the old sinful self and allowing the new personto emerge in forgiveness and new life.

Make straight paths for the Lord every day of Adventby returning to your baptism in repentance and living the new life in Christ.May our lives shine brightly in the world so that people around us will beprepared for the coming of the Lord.

Prelude “God Loves Me Dearly”.............. Kindergarten-SecondGrade

Hymn ~ “All Christians Who HaveBeen Baptized” .... LSB 596

LIGHTING THEADVENT WREATH - THE SECOND CANDLE:

P As we lightthe second candle on our Advent wreath, we marvel at our Savior’s birth thatGod’s own Son would make our world His own and give His holy, precious bloodand innocent suffering and death for sinners such as us. May the path into ourhearts be made straight through repentance and baptism for the forgiveness ofsins as we prepare for the Savior of the Nations to come.

C Saviorof the nations, come,

Virgin’s Son, make here Your home!

Marvel now, O heav’n and earth,

That the Lord chose such a birth.

Introit

Restore us, | O God;*

let your face shine, that we | may besaved!

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who leadJoseph | like a flock!*

You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, | shine forth.

You brought a vine out of |Egypt;*

it took deep root and | filled the land.

Restore us, O | God of hosts;*

let your face shine, that we | may be saved!

Glory be to the Father and | to the Son*

and to the Holy | Spirit;

as it was in the be- | ginning,*

isnow, and will be forever. | Amen.

Restore us, | O God;*

let your face shine, that we | may besaved!

Ps. 80:1, 8a, 9b, 7; antiphon: Ps. 80:3

Collect of the Day

P ... Stir up ourhearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by Hiscoming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds; through the same JesusChrist, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God,now and forever.

C Amen.

Reading from the Book of Concord -

TheSmalcald Articles, Part III,

ArticleIII, Repentance 37-40

Confession, too, cannot be false, uncertain,or fragmentary. A person who confesses that everything in him is nothing butsin includes all sins, excludes none, forgets none. Neither can thesatisfaction be uncertain, because it is not our uncertain, sinful work.Rather, it is the suffering and blood of the innocent Lamb of God, who takesaway the sin of the world [John 1:29].

This is the repentance John the Baptistpreaches [Matthew 3:1-12]. And afterward, Christ does this in the Gospel [Mark 1:15], and so do we…

In Christians, this repentance continuesuntil death. For through one’s entire life, repentance contends with the sinremaining in the flesh. Paul testifies that he wars with the law in thismembers (Romans 7:14-25)not by his own powers, but by the gift of the Holy Spirit that follows theforgiveness of sins [Romans 8:1-17]. This gift daily cleanses and sweeps outthe remaining sins and works to make a person truly pure and holy.

Readings from Holy Scripture

Old Testament Reading Isaiah 40:1–11

¹Comfort,comfort my people, says your God.

²Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,

and cryto her

that herwarfare is ended,

that heriniquity is pardoned,

that she has received from the Lord’s hand

doublefor all her sins.

³A voice cries:

“In thewilderness prepare the way of the Lord;

makestraight in the desert a highway for our God.

⁴Every valley shall be lifted up,

andevery mountain and hill be made low;

the unevenground shall become level,

and therough places a plain.

⁵And the glory of the Lordshall be revealed,

and allflesh shall see it together,

for themouth of the Lord has spoken.”

⁶A voice says, “Cry!”

And Isaid, “What shall I cry?”

All fleshis grass,

and allits beauty is like the flower of the field.

⁷The grass withers, the flower fades

when thebreath of the Lord blows on it;

surelythe people are grass.

⁸The grass withers, the flower fades,

but theword of our God will stand forever.

⁹Get you up to a high mountain,

O Zion,herald of good news;

lift upyour voice with strength,

OJerusalem, herald of good news;

lift itup, fear not;

say to thecities of Judah,

“Beholdyour God!”

¹⁰Behold, the Lord Godcomes with might,

and hisarm rules for him;

behold,his reward is with him,

and hisrecompense before him.

¹¹He will tend his flock like a shepherd;

he willgather the lambs in his arms;

he willcarry them in his bosom,

and gently lead those that are withyoung.

Gradual

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of |Zion.*

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jer- | usalem.

Behold, your king is com- | ing toyou;*

righteous and having sal- | vation.

Blessèd is he who comes in the name| of the Lord.*

From the house of the Lord we | bless You.

Zech. 9:9; Ps. 118:26, alt.

Epistle Reading 2Peter 3:8–14

⁸Do not overlook thisone fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and athousand years as one day. ⁹The Lord is not slow to fulfill hispromise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that anyshould perish, but that all should reach repentance. ¹⁰But the dayof the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with aroar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earthand the works that are done on it will be exposed.

¹¹Since all these things arethus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holinessand godliness, ¹²waiting for and hastening the coming of the day ofGod, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and theheavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³But according to hispromise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousnessdwells.

¹⁴Therefore, beloved, sinceyou are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot orblemish, and at peace.

P Alleluia.Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight;

C all flesh shall see the salvation of God.Alleluia.

Luke 3:4b, 6

Holy Gospel Mark1:1–8

¹The beginning of thegospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

²As it is written in Isaiahthe prophet,

“Behold, I send my messenger before yourface,

who will prepare your way,

³the voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight,’”

P Thisis the Gospel of the Lord.

C (sing) Praise to you, O Christ.

Hymn of the Day

“On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’sCry” ......................... LSB344

Offertory ~ “O Come, O Come,Emmanuel” ...................... LSB 349

(Stanza 1)

Ocome, O come, Emmanuel,

Andransom captive Israel,

Thatmourns in lonely exile here

Untilthe Son of God appear.

..... Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shallcome to thee, O Israel!

Hymn ~ “Prepare the RoyalHighway” ................................ LSB 343