Divine Service December 13th

Advent Reading 

 

Opening Music

 

Please stand.

 

Invocation

 

Confession and Absolution (1 John 1:8-9, John 20:22-23)  

 

P: As we prepare for this great gift, let us confess our sins and hear the promise of forgiveness. 

 

*moment of silent reflection

 

P: Most merciful God,

C: we confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

P: Almighty God, in his mercy, has given his Son to die for us and, for his sake, forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

 

Please be seated.

 

P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

C: And also with you.

 

Prayer of the Day (2 Timothy 4:22)

 

P: Let us pray. 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.

 

C: Amen.

 

 

 

 

First Reading…………………………………..…..…Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

 

1 The 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; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to 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. 4 They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.

 

8 For 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. 9 Their 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. 10 I 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. 11 For 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.

 

P:  This is the Word of the Lord.

C:  Thanks be to God.

 

Psalm 126

 

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,

     we were like those who dream.

2  Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

     and our tongue with shouts of joy;

then they said among the nations,

     “The Lord has done great things for them.”

3  The Lord has done great things for us;

     we are glad.

4  Restore our fortunes, O Lord,

     like streams in the Negeb!

5  Those who sow in tears

     shall reap with shouts of joy!

6  He who goes out weeping,

     bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with shouts of joy,

     bringing his sheaves with him.

Second Reading………………………………………1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

 

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now 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. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

 

P:  This is the Word of the Lord.

C:  Thanks be to God.

 

Please stand.

 

Holy Gospel       

 

P:The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the first chapter, verses 6-8, 19-28 

C:Glory to You, O Lord

 

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

 

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

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

 

P:  This is the Gospel of the Lord.

C:  Praise to You, O Christ.

 

Please be seated.

 

Sermon

Please stand.

 

 

Nicene Creed

 

C: I believe in one God,

  the Father Almighty,

  maker of heaven and earth

      and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,

  the only-begotten Son of God,

  begotten of His Father before all worlds,

  God of God, Light of Light,

  very God of very God,

  begotten, not made,

  being of one substance with the Father,

  by whom all things were made;

  who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven

  and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary

  and was made man;

  and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.

  He suffered and was buried.

  And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures

      and ascended into heaven

  and sits at the right hand of the Father.

  And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,

  whose kingdom will have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit,

  the Lord and giver of life,

  who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

  who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,

  who spoke by the prophets.

  And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,

  I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,

  and I look for the resurrection of the dead

  and the life  of the world to come. Amen.

 

The Prayers of the Church (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

 

P: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs.

After each petition:

 

      P: Lord, in Your mercy,      or       P: let us pray to the Lord

      C: hear our prayer                      C: Lord have mercy.

 

Please stand.

 

Service of the Sacrament (2 Timothy 4:22)

 

P: The peace of the Lord be with you always.

C: And also with you.

 

P: In the night in which he was betrayed,

our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;

broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:

Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

 

Again, after supper, he took the cup.

gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying:

This cup is the new covenant in my blood,

shed for you and for all people

for the forgiveness of sin.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

C: Amen.

 

Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)

 

C. Our Father who art in heaven, 

hallowed be Thy name, 

Thy kingdom come, 

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

  Give us this day our daily bread; 

and forgive us our trespasses 

as we forgive those who trespass against us; 

and lead us not into temptation, 

but deliver us from evil. 

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the 

  glory forever and ever. Amen. 

 

Please be seated.

 

Distribution

 

(The usher will direct family groups up for communion. Please stand behind the line of tape marked on the floor until Pastor motions for you to come up for communion.)

 

P: The body of Christ, given for you.

The blood of Christ, shed for you.

 

 

 

Closing Prayer

 

P: Let us pray. Almighty God, you provide the true bread from heaven, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant that we who have received the Sacrament of His body and blood may abide in Him and He in us, that we may be filled with the power of His endless life, now and forever.

C: Amen.

 

The Benediction (Numbers 6:22-27)  

 

P: The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious

    to you.The Lord look upon you with favor and give you

    peace.

C: Amen.

 

Closing Music  

 

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Parts of the service from Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series B, Quarter 3.  Copyright 2017 Concordia Publishing House.  All rights reserved.  Used by permission.