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

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 +

All scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Reading from the book of Concord is from Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions-A Readers Edition of the Book of Concord - 2nd edition, Copyright 2005, 2006 Concordia Publishing House