Living Savior Lutheran Church4616 Gharrett St Missoula, MT 59803

livingsaviormissoula.org 406.543.8222Pastor Justin Cloute pastor@livingsaviormissoula.org

December 10, 2017 Advent 2 WELCOME TO WORSHIPWe’re happy you’re here to worship with us! We pray that the Lord bless you through his Word this morning.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask one of the greeters or anyone else who looks like they know what is going on.

Restrooms - We would ask that you use the restrooms out the back doors and down the hallway on left.

Parents, we are so glad that you have brought your little children to church this morning. If needed, there is a nursery out the back doors to the right.

We apologize for our mess as we remodel our sanctuary.

Advent Series – Jesus Comes!Psalms of Advent

Dec 3 – Jesus Comes To Save Us From Our Sins (Psalm 24)Dec 10 – Jesus Comes, Listen To The Call To Repent (Psalm 85)Dec 17 – Jesus Comes, Rejoice! (Psalm 71)Dec 24 – Jesus Comes in Love – (O Antiphons)

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SERVICE OF THE WORDOur worship follows an order (liturgy) that centers our attention on listening to God’s Word, recounting what he has done for us, and praising his name. This basic order has been the foundation of worship for centuries in the Christian Church.

INVOCATION

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

C: And also with you.

GATHERING RITE AND CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTIONCome, Lord Jesus Come1

ChoirChoir ♪ Aimless searching, lost in night, come, Lord Jesus, come.

Deep in darkness, longing for light, come, Lord Jesus, come.Choir Refrain ♪ Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set they people free;

From our sins and fears release us, let us find our rest in TheeP: We have come into the presence of God, who created us to love and

serve him as his dear children. But we have disobeyed him and deserve only his wrath and punishment. Therefore, let us confess our sins to him and plead for his mercy.

C: Merciful Father in heaven, I am altogether sinful from birth. In countless ways I have sinned against you and do not deserve to be called your child. But trusting in Jesus, my Savior, I pray: Have mercy on me according to your unfailing love. Cleanse me from my sin, and take away my guilt.

P: God, our heavenly Father, has forgiven all your sins. By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, he has removed your guilt forever. You are his own dear child. May God give you strength to live according to his will.

C: Amen.

1 Text: Charles Wesley, Music: Joel Raney, 2017 Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL, 60188

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LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT CANDLEP: Advent is marked by a spirit of yearning for peace.C: May the world be filled with the peace of Christ.P: We long today for peace among nations.C: May the world be filled with the peace of Christ. P: We long today for the peace among races.C: May the world be filled with the peace of Christ.P: We long today for peace in our hearts and in our lives.C: May the world be filled with the peace of Christ.P: Today we light the second candle…

All: sing refrain

PRAYER OF THE DAYP: Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the way for your only Son. By his

coming give us strength in our conflicts and shed light on our path

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through the darkness of this world; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: Amen.

THE WORD OF GOD

THE FIRST LESSON Isaiah 40:1-11John the Baptist would preach a message of repentance. Repentance is acknowledging sinfulness and trusting in Christ’s forgiveness. It is not a work to earn forgiveness but rather is an attitude given to us by our loving God.

1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to herthat her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for,that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.3 A voice of one calling:“In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord;make straight in the desert a highway for our God.4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”6 A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?”“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,

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because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass.8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”9 You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain.You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout,lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm.See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his armsand carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

VERSE OF THE DAY Luke 3:4,6P: Alleluia. Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.

Alleluia.C: Alleluia. All mankind will see God’s salvation. Alleluia.

CHOIR Psalm 85All sing the refrain

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You showed favor to your land, O LORD;

You restored the fortunes of Jacob.

You forgave the iniquity of your peopleAnd covered all their sins.

Show us your unfailing love, O LORD,And grant us your salvation. Refrain

I will listen to what God the LORD will say;He promises peace to his people, his saints.

Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,That his glory may dwell in our land.

Love and faithfulness meet together;Righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Glory be to the Father and to the SonAnd to the Holy Spirit,As it was in the beginning, Is now, and will be forever. Amen. Refrain

THE GOSPEL LESSON Mark 1:1-8John the Baptist was the messenger prophesied by Isaiah. He prepared the way for the Messiah with a baptism of repentance.

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1The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:“I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”—3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE

HYMN OF THE DAY On Jordan’s Bank The Baptist’s Cry | 16

THE SERMON TEXT Psalm 851 You, Lord, showed favor to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.2 You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins.3 You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.4 Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations?6 Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?7 Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation.8 I will listen to what God the Lord says;

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he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly.9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.10 Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.12 The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.13 Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.

SERMONRestore us again, God our Savior

Psalm 85

APOSTLE’S CREEDI believe in God, the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell.The third day he rose again from the dead.He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy Christian Church,

the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

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OFFERING “Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” - 2 Corinthians 9:7

PRAYER OF THE CHURCHLORD’S PRAYERC: 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.

THE BLESSINGP: Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another.

Serve the Lord with gladness.The Lord bless you and keep you;The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;The Lord look on you with his favor and give you peace.

C: Amen.

CLOSING HYMN Comfort, Comfort All My People | 11The Season of Advent

Advent is a Latin word that means “coming.” The season of Advent has been observed by Christians in the four-week period before Christmas since at least the 5 th Century. Originally certain days were set aside for fasting to remember Christ’s coming and to look forward to his coming again. During Advent there is a deep sense of urgency as we consider the threefold emphasis of:

1) The “coming” of our Lord in the flesh at Christmas

2) The continual “coming” of the Lord in his Word

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3) The second “coming” of Jesus at the end of time

Many churches use blue as the liturgical color of Advent. Blue is the color of heaven, and symbolizes hope and anticipation. An alternate color for Advent is purple. Purple is the color of royalty, since in ancient times purple was the most expensive dye to produce. It is an appropriate color for Advent since we remember our coming King. Purple also reminds us of repentance, a theme that runs throughout Advent as we prepare for Jesus coming.

ADVENT WREATHThe Advent Wreath is a combination of two very common symbols: light and the fir tree. From the early centuries of Christianity, it has been the practice to represent Christ by a burning candle. The fir tree has a long history of religious use. No doubt the Advent Wreath was suggested by the Christmas tree.

It seems that the Advent Wreath originated a few hundred years ago among the Lutherans of eastern Germany. A wreath of evergreens, made in various sizes, was either suspended from the ceiling or placed on a table. Four candles representing the four Sundays of Advent were fastened to the wreath.

Eventually the use of the Advent Wreath became wide spread and moved also from the home into the church. The general symbolism of the Advent Wreath lies in the growing light of the wreath, increasing each week as we approach the birthday of Jesus, the Light of the world.

News and NotesBible Study: Today we wrap up our Bible study on the truths from the Lutheran Reformation. Our closing lesson will be looking at how the Reformation got the Bible into the hands of the people.

No Sunday School or Confirmation Class Today

Annual Meeting will be held today at 11:00am after the service. We invite all members and guests to stick around to review the year’s ministry, discuss future plans, and thank God for his grace. The voter’s meeting will follow at 12:15pm.

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Neighborhood Thank You and Invite Today after our annual meeting we will hand out Christmas cookies to thank our neighbors for putting up with our construction and give them an an invitation to our Christmas Eve Service. We only plan on going out for an hour or so and would love your help

Preschool Christmas Program: Next Sunday at noon we will share lunch with our preschool families. You are invited to stick around to watch the kid’s Christmas program as well.

Women’s Bible Study: Study will continue this next Friday December 15 with the focus of “Making a joyful noise unto the Lord” (Psalm 100, KJV). This will be the last Bible study in this series. The study will be at 12:30pm at the Petty’s.

Bible Basics: Is meeting Wednesdays at 6pm. Talk to Pastor if you’d like to join us.

Christmas Worship Schedule Christmas Eve morning “O Antiphons” 10am, Christmas Eve Candlelight 6pm, Christmas Day 10 am.

Serving at Living SaviorMusic:Today: SherylNext Sunday: Jon

Camera:Today: TerryNext Sunday: Gil

Greeters:Today: MurphyNext Sunday: Weege/Heide

Cleaners:This Week: Fleigs

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