Third Advent Midweek Service Preview

Waiting with Joy

Service of Light

Hymn ~ “The King Shall Come When 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                               Isaiah 61:1–4, 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 the brokenhearted,

      to proclaim liberty to the captives,

        and the opening of the prison to those who 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 in Zion—

        to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,

      the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

        the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;

      that they may be called oaks of righteousness,

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

        ⁴They shall build up the ancient ruins;

        they shall raise up the former devastations;

      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 their recompense,

        and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

        ⁹Their offspring shall be known among the nations,

        and their descendants in the midst of the 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 garments of salvation;

        he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

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

        and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

        ¹¹For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,

        and as a garden causes what is sown in it 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

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. ⁵Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 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.

Holy Gospel                                                    Luke 1:5–17

⁵In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. ⁷But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

⁸Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, ⁹according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹²And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. ¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ¹⁷and he will go before him in the spirit 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 a people prepared.”

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

Magnificat...................................................................................................... Page 248

Hymn ~ “Hark The Glad Song”....................................................... LSB 349

Acknowledgments

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.

Advent waiting! Joy is coming!

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

The Third Sunday in Advent

Gaudete!

As We Gather

The Third Sunday in Advent is a Sunday of rejoicing! The third candle on the Advent wreath is traditionally pink or rose color to symbolize the joy that comes with the knowledge that we are about to celebrate 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 of Sharon” (Song of Solomon 2:1) and is one of the names of Christ.

Prelude “Comfort, Comfort”................................................. Christus Choir

Clarinets:  Jill, Measel, Rachel Matheny

Piccolo:  Jennifer Jackemeyer

Hymn “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”......................... LSB 338

LIGHTING THE ADVENT WREATH - THE THIRD CANDLE:

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

C  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.

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”..................... Christus Choir

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 by Your gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Reading from the Book of Concord                                    

Apology of the Augsburg Confession,

Article IV, Justification 80, 81

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

Readings from Holy Scripture

           

Old, Testament Reading                               Isaiah 61:1–4, 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 the brokenhearted,

      to proclaim liberty to the captives,

        and the opening of the prison to those who 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 in Zion—

        to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,

      the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

        the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;

      that they may be called oaks of righteousness,

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

        ⁴They shall build up the ancient ruins;

        they shall raise up the former devastations;

      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 their recompense,

        and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

        ⁹Their offspring shall be known among the nations,

        and their descendants in the midst of the 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 garments of salvation;

        he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

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

        and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

        ¹¹For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,

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

      so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise

        to sprout up before all the nations.

Gradual ~ Psalm 126..................................................................... Christus Choir

Epistle Lesson                                1 Thessalonians 5:16–24

¹⁶Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray without ceasing, ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰Do not despise prophecies, ²¹but test everything; hold fast what is good. ²²Abstain from every form of evil.

      ²³Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴He who calls 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                                                      John 1:6–8, 19–28

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

      ¹⁹And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” ²²So they 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 one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

      ²⁴(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) ²⁵They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” ²⁶John answered 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 not worthy to untie.” ²⁸These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

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

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

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

(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!

Distribution Hymns

“Your Table I Approach”.......................................................... LSB 628

“Soul, Adorn Yourself with Gladness”............................ LSB 636

Hymn “In Thee Is Gladness”............................................................. LSB 818

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

The Muppets and the Liturgy

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

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

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

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

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

The basic plot of The Muppets is a need for the Muppets 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 the Muppets to get back together and “put on a show.”

At one point during a dance number the camera does a close-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 Andy Hardy with Judy Garland in cheerfully naive musicals that usually end with the characters putting on an impromptu musical show to save the day, then Mickey’s cameo goes over your head and you miss one of the delightfully playful moments in the show.  It’s still a good movie but you have missed out.  I know because I asked a 30 something about it and he didn’t know why Mickey was there.

So this is a roundabout way of encouraging you to seek to learn more about the history of the liturgy and the importance of knowing a few Latin words to enhance your appreciation of the liturgy.  Certainly without Latin our worship still meaningfully 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 our Christian heritage and worship.  You will begin see that the work of the Holy Spirit (Sanctus Spiritus) is sanctification.  You will see why we often call the place where we worship the sanctuary (holy place).

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

Pastor Quardokus

Second Midweek Service in Advent Preview

Service of Light

Hymn ~ “Joyful, Joyful We Adore You”

Hymn ~ “Ah, Dearest Jesus”

C     Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,

       Prepare a bed, soft, undefiled,

       A quiet chamber set apart

       For You to dwell within my heart.

Old Testament Lesson                                   Isaiah 40:1–11

        ¹Comfort, comfort my people, 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.

        ³A voice cries:

      “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;

        make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

        ⁴Every valley shall be lifted up,

        and every mountain and hill be made low;

      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 flower of the field.

        ⁷The grass withers, the flower fades

        when the breath of the Lord blows on it;

        surely the people are grass.

        ⁸The grass withers, the flower fades,

        but the word of our God will stand forever.

       ^[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 a shepherd;

        he will gather the lambs in his arms;

      he will carry them in his bosom,

        and gently lead those that are with young.

Epistle Lesson                                       2 Corinthians 1:3–7

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. ⁶If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the 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 our comfort.

Holy Gospel                                                   Luke 1:67–80

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

⁶⁸“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

for he has visited and redeemed his people

⁶⁹and has raised up a horn of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David,

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

⁷¹that we should be saved from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us;

⁷²to show the mercy promised to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant,

⁷³the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us

⁷⁴that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,

might serve him without fear,

⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

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

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

⁷⁷to give knowledge of salvation to his people

in the forgiveness of their sins,

⁷⁸because of the tender mercy of our God,

whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high

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

to guide our feet 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”......................... LSB 347

Sermon

Waiting with Comfort

Isaiah 40:1–11

Canticle

Magnificat ~ “My Soul Rejoices”.................................................. LSB 933

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

+ Silent Prayer +

Acknowledgments

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.

Advent waiting! Comfort is coming!

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

It is often possible to find the cause of pain and suffering in specific sins.  We experience grief, sorrow and anguish when we are hurt by the sins of others or our own sinfulness. People are unkind and uncaring.  Even our dearest and closest friends ignore us, forget us and betray us.  The effects of sin are everywhere.

Yet in a deeper sense our entire existence is in anguish because of sin. St. Paul tells 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 to specific sins that God is punishing but rather they are evidence of how all of creation has been separated from God because of sin coming into the world.

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

This is the comfort that Isaiah is told to proclaim in Isaiah 40.  This is the comfort that is ours in Christ.  This is the comfort that pastors are to proclaim week in and week out from pulpit and altar: forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.

This comfort moved Johann Olearius to write the great Advent hymn based on Isaiah 40, “Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People.”  Johann was the son of a pastor and from an early age learned the love God in Christ Jesus.  He also knew sorrow and grief.  His mother died when he was eleven and his father died when he was twelve.  Becoming an orphan during those critical years must have affected him greatly.  He was drawn to study theology at the University of Wittenberg and became a Lutheran preacher.

How often during his formative years he must have sought comfort in the arms of a loving God.  We can only imagine how deeply he felt the words of this hymn as he penned and sang it. 

As you sing the hymn, think of the comfort of God given to Johann as he thought of his mother and father in the arms of a loving God. Think of how God comforts you in your times of need. Allow the words of comfort spoken to Christ’s Church ring in your ears:

Yea, her sins our God will pardon,

Blotting out each dark misdeed;

All that well deserved His anger

He no more will see or heed.

She hath suffered many_a day,

Now her griefs have passed away;

God will change her pining sadness

Into ever-springing gladness.

Comfort, Comfort Ye My People, LSB 347

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

Pastor Quardokus