Upload
others
View
1
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
God Gets Us Ready
He promises us eternal peace
4th Sunday in Advent
December 20, 2015
First Evangelical Lutheran Church ________________________________________________________________________
December 20, 2015
Advent - God Gets Us Ready
Getting ready for Christmas can be stressful and exhausting, so much so that it can
distract us from the real preparation that Christians must make: preparation for
Christ's second coming. Thankfully, God himself gets us ready for Christ's return.
Today’s Theme - He promises us eternal peace
Today we see that God promises his people a ruler who will bring everlasting peace.
The child born to Mary is a king who has no beginning and whose rule has no end.
Therefore we say with Mary, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.”
Prayer before worship
Almighty God, we know that judgment is coming. In light of that truth, strengthen our
trust in your promises, that the same Savior Jesus who was conceived by the Holy
Spirit is the same Savior who will return in all glory to announce us innocent in God's
sight because of his substitutionary and sacrificial work. Amen.
Welcome
We are happy you have joined us!
This booklet provides important details for today’s service. After the sermon, the
order of service picks up on p.31 in the front of the red hymnal.
Men’s and women’s restrooms are located in the church basement. A single
restroom is also located up the stairs that are to the left as you exit the middle doors
of the sanctuary. A small nursery area is located in the church basement if parents
wish to quiet small children. Speakers allow you to hear the service from there.
Assisted hearing devices are available. Please ask an usher if you would like one.
1
Service of Word and Sacrament The gathering rite below replaces the usual beginning of the service.
Song of Mary Magnificat
Choir: Refrain Congregation: Refrain He favors those who fear his name, in ev’ry generation. He has shown the might and strength of his arm, and scattered the proud
of heart. Congregation: Refrain He has cast the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with all good gifts, and sent the rich away. Congregation: Refrain He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy. He promised his mercy to Abraham and his children forevermore.
Congregation: Refrain
2
Please stand (as you are able)
Invocation
M: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Confession and Absolution for Advent
M: Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway
for our God.
C: Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low.
M: The rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
C: And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together
will see it.
M: Dear friends, one day Christ will come in glory to deliver his people.
Therefore, let us prepare our hearts to meet him by humbly seeking his
forgiveness.
C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful and
that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have
done what is evil and failed to do what is good. For this I deserve
your punishment both now and in eternity. But I am truly sorry for
my sins, and trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have
mercy on me, a sinner.
M: All mankind has seen the salvation of our God. Christ came in human
flesh to redeem our fallen race. With his perfect life, he kept the law in our
place. With his innocent death, he paid the penalty for our sins.
Therefore, at Christ’s command and by his authority, I forgive you all
your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
This responsive confession and absolution for Advent makes use of Isaiah 40:3-5, which stresses 1) the importance of preparing our hearts to meet the Lord, 2) God’s grace in sending messengers for that purpose, and 3) the peace that is ours when Christ comes.
3
Lighting of the Advent Candles
M: We light four Advent candles, remembering Jesus, the Son of God and
Son of Mary. He came to share our humanity.
C: We remember Jesus, whose name means Savior. He came to save his
people from their sins.
M: We hear his call to give him a place in our hearts.
C: We light four Advent candles as a sign of our joy and hope.
M: Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest.
C: Through your Word and Spirit may our souls be blessed.
While the candle is being lit, the congregation sings the refrain a final time:
Choir: Proclaim the greatness of God, rejoice!
4
Prayer of the Day
M: Let us pray.
Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Take away the burden of our sins
and make us ready for the celebration of your birth, that we may receive
you in joy and serve you always; for you live and reign with the Father
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Be seated
First Lesson Micah 5:2-5a
God promises a ruler whose peace knows no end.
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor gives birth
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be their peace.
5
The Great O Antiphons of Advent
The Great O Antiphons of Advent have been cherished for centuries by Christian
worshipers. Each one consists of a title given to Christ in the Old Testament and a
petition asking him to come and fulfill the scriptural promise or prophecy. An
“antiphon” is a verse that is sung responsively. The familiar hymn, “Oh, Come, Oh,
Come, Emmanuel,” is an adaptation of the O Antiphons.
M: Let us pray.
O Emmanuel, our King and our Lord, the anointed of the nations and
their Savior, come and save us, O Lord our God.
♫ Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!
M: O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High, pervading and
permeating all creation, mightily order all things; come and teach us the
way of prudence.
♫ Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high, who ordered all things
mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!
M: O Adonai and ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the
burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai, come with an outstretched
arm and redeem us.
♫ Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might, who to your tribes on Sinai’s
height
In ancient times gave holy law, in cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!
6
M: O Root of Jesse, standing as an ensign before the peoples, before whom all
kings are mute, to whom the nations will do homage, come quickly to
deliver us.
♫ Oh, come, O Rod of Jesse’s stem. From every foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow’r to save: Bring them in victory through
the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!
Second Lesson Hebrews 10:5-10
Jesus brought peace by becoming a sacrifice for us.
Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7 Then I said, ‘Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, O God.’”
8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made). 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
The writer is quoting Psalm 40:6-8.
7
The Great O Antiphons of Advent
M: O Key of David and scepter of the house of Israel, you open and no one
can close; you close and no one can open; come and rescue the prisoners
who are in darkness and the shadow of death.
♫ Oh, come, O Key of David, come, and open wide our heav’nly home.
Make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!
M: O Dayspring, splendor of light everlasting, come and enlighten those who
sit in darkness and the shadow of death.
♫ Oh, come, O Dayspring from on high, and cheer us by your drawing
nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadows put
to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!
M: O King of the nations, the ruler they long for, the cornerstone for uniting
all people, come and save us all, whom you formed out of clay.
♫ Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind-- in one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease, and be yourself the King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!
8
Please stand after the Gospel is announced.
Gospel Luke 1:39-55
Mary praises the Lord for keeping his promises.
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. 41
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed:
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my
womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”
46 And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.”
After the Gospel, the congregation sings:
9
Be seated
Hymn of the Day O Lord, How Shall I Meet You | CW 18
Sermon Luke 1:39-55
Conceived by the Holy Spirit
I. A truth that needs confirmation
II. A truth that cannot be contained
The order of service continues on p.31 in the front of the red hymnal.
Distribution of the Lord’s Supper
The Scriptures teach that the celebration of the Lord’s Supper connects us intimately
with Christ and with one another as Christians who are united around a common
confession of faith. For this reason, members of WELS and ELS churches are invited
to commune. The pastors would be happy to answer any questions you might have
about the sacrament.
Distribution Hymns As Angels Joyed with One Accord | CW 5
My Soul Now Magnifies the Lord | CW 274
The order of service continues on p.36 in the front of the red hymnal.
Closing Hymn Oh, that I Had a Thousand Voices | CW 194 st.1
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hymns are found
in the red hymnal
called “Christian
Worship” (CW).
10
News, Notes, and Announcements
Today’s Altar Flowers
The altar flowers are donated by Barbara Borowsky, in loving remembrance of her
Aunt and Godmother, Florence (Borowsky) Comfort, whose 95th birthday would have
been this past Wednesday, December 16. Florence passed away on June 19, 2015.
Sunday School and Family Bible Hour
Sunday School will be meeting this morning at the usual time in the church
basement. The children will be practicing for their Christmas Eve service. There is no
Adult Bible Class or Bible instruction Class today or December 27. The Adult Bible
Class will resume with the conclusion of “My Son, My Savior” on January 3. Sunday
School will not be held on December 27 and will also resume on January 3.
German Service Today In keeping with our German heritage and tradition, there will be an all-German
language worship service with Das Heilige Abendmahl (Holy Communion) today at
9:30am. Pastor Emeritus Nathan Pope will be preaching. Something new this year is
the option to follow an English translation, so if you don’t speak German you will still
be able to comprehend the service. Please join us!
Ladies Aid Cookie Walk is Today!
Please join us for our annual walk down “Treat Street” for some delectable
homemade Christmas cookies this morning after all three services in the church
basement. Cookies may be purchased for $8.00/lb. Proceeds from the Cookie Walk
will benefit the Church Organ and Window funds. Alongside the Cookie Walk, you will
find Joanna Mission Circle’s renowned Dilly Beans available for $6.00/jar, plus First
Evan ornaments ($10 each) will also be offered. (Proceeds to the Organ fund.) Join
the fun and stop down! A BIG THANK YOU to all who donated Christmas cookies!
Exceptional Gift Sale Downstairs Today
The Sewing Circle will hold a sale of their handcrafted items in conjunction with the
Cookie Walk. Items on display in the church basement will be: Christmas pot holders
($3/ea. or 2/$5), colorful embroidered dish towels ($7/ea.), children’s knitted hats,
sweaters, and scarfs, 12” prairie doll, 2 baby quilts (pink and blue, $45/ea.), several
11
tied quilts, & other assorted items. Sale proceeds will be used towards support of
our church expenses. Please come down and shop!
Kwik Trip Gift Cards Available During the Cookie Walk
You will have the opportunity to purchase Kwik Trip gas/gift cards at the Cookie Walk
today after services in the church basement. The cards are sold by WLS Home &
School and will benefit our school. These cards make great gifts for anyone on your
list! Stop down and cross some names off your shopping list.
WLS Christmas Services this Afternoon
Wisconsin Lutheran School students in all grades will present their Christmas
Service, “Children of the Heavenly Father,” today at 2:30pm and again (identical
service) at 4:00pm here at First Evan. Due to the large number of people that are
expected to attend, we ask that families try to attend the service indicated, if at all
possible. Families with last names beginning with A-K — 2:30 service; and those
beginning with L-Z — 4:00pm service. We hope you can attend!
2016 Budget Approved
The proposed church budget for 2016 was approved at the Congregational Voters’
meeting held this past Thursday, December 17. Copies of the approved budget are
available in the north tower room. If you would like a copy emailed to you, please
contact the church office at [email protected] to request one.
2016 Contribution Envelopes
The 2016 contribution envelopes have arrived. You will find your packet in your
church mailbox. (Multiple packets for family members can be found on the table in
the church library.)
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Services
On Christmas Eve, (Thursday) the Sunday School will present their service entitled
“Did You Know?” A Children’s Christmas Service by Carrie Schaefer, beginning at
6:30pm. The service will again close with the traditional hymn of “Silent Night,”
followed by the darkening of the church in preparation to sing “The Lord’s Prayer” by
children and congregation. Our Christmas Day Festival service, “The Nativity of Our
Lord” will begin at 9:30am. Please join us! Christmas is a wonderful time to bring an
unchurched family member or friend. Please consider doing so!
12
WLS Food Drive
If anyone would like to receive some food from the Wisconsin Lutheran School Food
Drive, please contact the Middle School Office at 456-2770.
A Look Ahead to New Year’s Eve
Ring in the New Year with Jesus by attending our New Year’s Eve service on
Thursday, December 31st. The service will begin at 6:00pm so that you are able to
get to other celebrations held on this night. Plan to attend prior to your other
engagements!
Epiphany Festival Service on Wednesday, January 6, 2016
You are invited to join with the Wise Men to worship the Christ Child once again at the
Festival of the Epiphany of Our Lord. The Festival of the Epiphany is always
celebrated on January 6 and is one of the oldest festivals in the Christian Church.
This year we celebrate Epiphany with music provided by WLS Grades 3-5, as well as
choirs from Epiphany and First Evan Lutheran Churches. We bring the Christ Child
our gifts of time, respect, worship, prayers and praise – gifts brought intentionally –
gifts fit for a King. The service takes place at 6:30pm at Epiphany Lutheran Church,
2921 Olive Street.
Last Week’s Offering
Operating Budget $10,325.00 ($9,778 needed to meet budget)
4 Steps $460.00 ($22,844 given to date)
Copyright info Song of Mary: Magnificat. Text: Luke 1:46-55; James J. Chepponis, © 1980, GIA Publications, Inc.
O Antiphons: © 1999 Northwestern Publishing House. Reprinted by permission.
O Antiphons Art: Ian M. Welch. © 2014. All rights reserved. (paramentics.com)
Cover Art: © 1994, Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, art by Steve Erspamer, SM.
Reprinted under OneLicense.net #A-703651
2015 Budget Given to Date Need by 12/31/15
Shoreland LHS $29,000.00 $28,409.01 $590.99
Synod $35,000.00 $34,768.00 $232.00
13
This Week at First Evan
December 20-26, 2015
Today 9:15am Sunday School Meets, church basement
Ladies Aid Cookie Walk, church basement
(w/Kwik Trip Cards, Dilly Beans & FE Ornaments)
Sewing Circle Gifts on Display, church basement
9:30am German Service with Communion
2:30pm 4pm WLS Christmas Services
Monday WLS Christmas Recess Begins
Tuesday
Wednesday 7:30pm Choir Practice, church basement
Thursday 6:30pm Christmas Eve Sunday School Service
Friday 9:30am Christmas Day Festival Service
Saturday
14
First Evangelical Lutheran Church (WELS)
728 Villa St.
Racine, WI 53403
633-8267
www.firstracine.org
Like us on Facebook
Worship Services
Sunday: 8:00 & 10:45am
Monday: 7:00pm (resumes January 11, 2016)
Pastor John D. Roekle - 637-7142; [email protected]
Pastor Aaron J. Dolan - 898-1910; [email protected]
Nathan R. Pope, Pastor Emeritus
Wisconsin Lutheran School
Principal Paul R. Patterson
456-2770 [Middle School]
633-7143 [Elementary School]
633-7142 [Early Childhood Campus]
www.wisconsinlutheranschool.org
Like us on Facebook