Pastor Q's Blog

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

First Advent Midweek Service Preview

Service of Light

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

Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,

Prepare a bed, soft, undefiled,

A quiet chamber set apart

For You to dwell within my heart.

O holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us, we pray;

Cast out our sin, and enter in, Be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell;

O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Immanuel!

Old Testament Lesson Isaiah 64:1–9

¹Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,

that the mountains might quake at your presence—

²as when fire kindles brushwood

and the fire causes water to boil—

to make your name known to your adversaries,

and that the nations might tremble at your presence!

³When you did awesome things that we did not look for,

you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.

⁴From of old no one has heard

or perceived by the ear,

no eye has seen a God besides you,

who acts for those who wait for him.

⁵You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,

those who remember you in your ways.

Behold, you were angry, and we sinned;

in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?

⁶We have all become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

We all fade like a leaf,

and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

⁷There is no one who calls upon your name,

who rouses himself to take hold of you;

for you have hidden your face from us,

and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.

⁸But now, O Lord, you are our Father;

we are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the work of your hand.

⁹Be not so terribly angry, O Lord,

and remember not iniquity forever.

Behold, please look, we are all your people.

Epistle Lesson Romans 8:26–30

²⁶Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. ²⁸And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Holy Gospel Luke 2:25–38

²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, ²⁸he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

²⁹“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,

according to your word;

³⁰for my eyes have seen your salvation

³¹that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory to your people Israel.”

³³And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. ³⁴And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed ³⁵(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

³⁶And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, ³⁷and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Hymn ~ “O Savior, Rend the Heavens Wide”..................... LSB 355

Tune: LSB 498

Magnificat ~ “My Soul Now Magnifies the Lord”.............. LSB 934

Litany................................................................................................................ Page 250

Hymn ~ “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”............................ LSB 384

Advent is here!!! Christ is coming!!!

Advent is here!!! Christ is coming!!!

It is impossible for us to imagine what it was like to live in the times of the Old Testament. Every day was Advent. Jesus had not yet been born. Christ had not yet come! The people of old could only imagine what we know of Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection.

But God had not allowed them to remain in ignorance concerning His plan of salvation and the coming savior. God used the prophets to make known His plans by declaring His promises of redemption through the coming Messiah.

One of the most cherished of prophets is Isaiah. On page after page of his book, Isaiah points to the coming savior:

He will be the heir to the throne of David (Is 9:7). He will be born of a virgin (Is 7:14). His ministry will be in Galilee (Is 9:1-2). He will be rejected by the people (Is 53:3). He will be silent when accused (Is 53:7). He will be smitten and spat upon (Is 50:6). He will suffer as a sacrifice (Is 53:4, 5). He will be crucified with sinners (Is 53:12). He will be buried with the rich (Is 53:9). These are but a few of his prophecies.

It is little wonder that the great Lutheran hymn writer, Jaroslav J. Vajda (1919-2008), would write in the third stanza of his much beloved Christmas hymn, “Where Shepherds Lately Knelt”:

How should I not have known Isaiah would be there,

His prophecies fulfilled? With pounding heart I stare:

A child, a son, the Prince of Peace for me,

A child, a son, the Prince of Peace for me.

LSB 369

Each Wednesday during this Adventtide we will let Isaiah help us in our preparation as we await once again the celebration of Jesus birth at Christmas. Always in the background behind the beautiful image of the babe in the manger we will see the cross and the empty tomb. We will see the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. We will see the Savior who will one day come again in glory to bring us to our home with Him.

Pastor Quardokus

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Propers Plus for The First Sunday in Advent

The First Sunday in Advent

As We Gather

Advent means coming. For the last few weeks we have been anticipating Jesus’ second coming at the end of all time. In the Season of Advent we prepare to celebrate Christ’s first coming all the while keeping our eyes on Jesus’ second coming in triumph and glory. At Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday the crowds recognized the coming of the long promised King. We know that this King was born in the Royal City of Bethlehem, died in the Regal City of Jerusalem and rules heaven and earth for the sake of His faithful people. He will one day come again to judge both the living and the dead.

Hymn ~ “Savior of the Nations, Come” ............................. LSB 332

Divine Service – Setting 1

Page 151

LIGHTING THE ADVENT WREATH - THE FIRST CANDLE:

P As we light the first candle on our Advent wreath, we confess that Jesus, the wondrous child, is also the light divine, who came forth from the Father, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary as the Prophet Isaiah long ago foretold: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

C Savior of the nations, come,

Virgin’s Son, make here Your home!

Marvel now, O heav’n and earth,

That the Lord chose such a birth. Amen.

Introit

Behold, your king is com- | ing to you;*

righteous and having sal- | vation.

To you, | O Lord,*

I lift | up my soul.

O my God, in you I trust; let me not be | put to shame;*

let not my enemies exult | over me.

Indeed, none who wait for you shall be | put to shame;*

they shall be ashamed who are wantonly | treacherous.

Glory be to the Father and | to the Son*

and to the Holy | Spirit;

as it was in the be- | ginning,*

is now, and will be forever. | Amen.

Behold, your king is com- | ing to you;*

righteous and having sal- | vation.

Ps. 25:1–3; antiphon: Zech. 9:9b, alt.

Collect of the Day

P Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Reading from the Book of Concord -

The Augsburg Confession, Article III – The Son of God

Our churches teach that the Word, that is, the Son of God [John 1:14], assumed the human nature in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. So there are two natures—the divine and the human—inseparably joined in one person. There is one Christ, true God and true man, who was born of the Virgin Mary, truly suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried. He did this to reconcile the Father to us and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for all actual sins of mankind [John 1:29].

He also descended into hell, and truly rose again on the third day. Afterward, He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. There He forever reigns and has dominion over all creatures. He sanctifies those who believe in Him, by sending the Holy Spirit into their hearts to rule, comfort and make them alive. He defends them against the devil and the power of sin.

The same Christ will openly come again to judge the living and the dead, and so forth, according to the Apostles’ Creed.

Readings from Holy Scripture

Old Testament Lesson Isaiah 64:1–9

¹Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,

that the mountains might quake at your presence—

²as when fire kindles brushwood

and the fire causes water to boil—

to make your name known to your adversaries,

and that the nations might tremble at your presence!

³When you did awesome things that we did not look for,

you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.

⁴From of old no one has heard

or perceived by the ear,

no eye has seen a God besides you,

who acts for those who wait for him.

⁵You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,

those who remember you in your ways.

Behold, you were angry, and we sinned;

in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?

⁶We have all become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

We all fade like a leaf,

and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

⁷There is no one who calls upon your name,

who rouses himself to take hold of you;

for you have hidden your face from us,

and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.

⁸But now, O Lord, you are our Father;

we are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the work of your hand.

⁹Be not so terribly angry, O Lord,

and remember not iniquity forever.

Behold, please look, we are all your people.

P Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.

C Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem.

P Behold, your king is coming to you;

C righteous and having salvation.

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

C From the house of the Lord we bless you.

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

Epistle Lesson 1 Corinthians 1:3–9

³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, ⁵that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— ⁶even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— ⁷so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁸who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

P Lift up your heads, O gates!

C And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Ps. 24:7

Holy Gospel Mark 11:1–10

¹Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples ²and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. ³ If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” ⁴And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. ⁵And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” ⁶And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. ⁷And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. ⁸And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. ⁹And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

Hymn ~ “The Advent of Our King” ........................................ LSB 331

Sermon

The Coming Kingdom

Mark 11:1–10

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

(Stanza 1)

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

..... Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

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, whose way John the Baptist prepared, proclaiming Him the promised Messiah, the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and calling sinners to repentance that they might escape from the wrath to be revealed when He comes again in glory. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:

Distribution Hymns

“Draw Near and Take the Body of the Lord”........... LSB 637

“Jesus Shall Reign”....................................................................... LSB 832

Hymn ~ “Hark the Glad Sound” .................................................. LSB 349

+ Silent Prayer +

Thanksgiving Service Preview

Thanksgiving Eve and Day Service

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

This proclamation (October 3, 1863) set the precedent for America's national day of Thanksgiving. Prior to this, each state scheduled its own Thanksgiving holiday at different times, mainly in New England and other Northern states.

Prelude “We Praise You, O God” (Te Deum)....... Healey Willan

(Thursday)

Hymn of Thanksgiving “We Praise You, O God”.................. LSB 785

Morning Prayer.............................................................................................. Page 235

Venite ~ O Come, Let Us Sing........................................................... Page 236

Hymn ~ “God of Our Fathers”.......................................................... LW #501

By: Daniel C. Roberts

Reading from The Book of Concord

The Augsburg Confession,

Article XVI, Civil Government 1,2,6,7

Our churches teach that lawful civil regulations are good works of God. They teach that it is right for Christians to hold political office, to serve as judges, to judge matters by imperial laws and other existing laws, to impose just punishments, to engage in just wars, to serve as soldiers, to make legal contracts, to hold property, to take oaths when required by the magistrates, for a man to marry a wife, or a woman to be given in marriage [Romans 13; 1 Corinthians 7:2].

…Therefore, it is necessary for Christians to be obedient to their rulers and laws. The only exception is when they are commanded to sin. Then they ought to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).

Hymn ~ “God Bless Our Native Land”.......................................... LSB 965

God’s Thanksgiving Proclamation Deuteronomy 8:1-10

¹“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. ²And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. ³And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. ⁴Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. ⁵Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. ⁶So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. ⁷For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, ⁸a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, ⁹a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. ¹⁰And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

Anthem Thou Visitest the Earth

Thou visitest the earth and blesses it,

and crownest the year with Thy goodness.

Epistle Philippians 4:6-20

⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ⁹What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

¹⁰I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. ¹¹Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. ¹²I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. ¹³I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

¹⁴Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. ¹⁵And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. ¹⁶Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. ¹⁷Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. ¹⁸I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. ¹⁹And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. ²⁰To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Gradual Hymn ~ “Now Thank We All Our God”..................... LSB 895

Holy Gospel Luke 17:11-19

¹¹On the way to Jerusalem [Jesus] was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance ¹³and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” ¹⁴When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. ¹⁵Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; ¹⁶and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Hymn ~ “Let All Things Now Living”

(Choir)

1. Let all things now living A song of thanksgiving

To God the Creator triumphantly raise,

Who fashion’d and made us, Protected and stay’d us,

Who guideth us on to the end of our days.

His banners are o’er us, His Light goes before us,

A pillar of fire shining forth in the night,

Till shadows have vanish’d And darkness is banish’d,

As forward we travel for light into light!

(Congregation)

2. His law He enforces, the stars in their courses,

The sun is His orbit, obediently shine.

The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,

The deeps of the ocean proclaim Him Divine.

We, too, should be voicing our love and rejoicing,

With glad adoration a song let us raise,

Till all things now living unite in thanksgiving

To God in the highest, hosanna and praise! Amen

The Creed..... The First Article and Explanation from Luther’s Small Catechism

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

What does this mean?

I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.

He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.

He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil.

All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.

This is most certainly true.

Hymn ~ “Sing to the Lord of Harvest”........................................ LSB 893