The livestream may be found here.
December 19, 2021
Fourth Sunday of Advent
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT
The color blue, used for the vestments and
paraments of Advent, is redolent of the deep blue of twilight just before dawn,
symbolic of the Christian hope for the coming of the Light of the World.
FIRST
READING: The coming Messiah is foretold by psalms and prophets. The prophet Micah
speaks of the coming of a ruler from Bethlehem, and that when ‘she who is in
labor has brought forth,’ Israel’s exile will be over. The ruler will be a
shepherd, just as his ancestor David was, and he will make God’s people secure
and bring peace.
SECOND READING: When the writer of the letter to
the Hebrews reflects upon the Incarnation, the coming of God in human flesh, he
recalls the words of Psalm 40 and imagines them upon the lips of Jesus. Christ,
the Incarnate God, is the one who removes our sacrifice and offering as
propitiation of God; instead he offers his own body and his desire to do God’s
will. It is through this offering, and no other, that we are made holy.
GOSPEL and PSALMODY: In Luke 1, John the Baptist begins
his witness to Jesus as the Son of God even from the womb, and his mother
Elizabeth proclaims Mary to be ‘the mother of my Lord.’ In the Psalmody, we sing
the song Mary herself sang at Elizabeth’s confirmation of the angel’s visit. In
and through her, God is acting, as the psalmists and the prophets have always
promised he would, to liberate Israel from bondage to sin, death, and the evil
one; but his mercy is not only for Israel, but ‘for those (of every nation) who
fear him from generation to generation.’
;OPENING MUSIC
Fantasia on VENI
EMMANUEL
- Heathcote Statham
Stand
X OPENING HYMN Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel
Refrain: ALL
Stanzas 1,3,5, and 7: ALL
Stanzas 2,4, and 6: Choir/ Setting by Paul
Bunjes
Refrain Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel
Shall come to
you, O Israel!
1 Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear. Refrain
2
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. Refrain
3 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. Refrain
4
Oh, come, O Rod of Jesse's
stem,
From every foe deliver them
That trust your mighty power to save;
Bring them in victory through the grave. Refrain
5
Oh, come, O Key of David,
come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery. Refrain
6
Oh, come, our 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. Refrain
7
Oh, come, Desire of nations,
bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace. Refrain
The
day of justice and righteousness dawns upon us.
Standing in the light of the fourth candle,
we turn to God with sorrow for sin and hope for salvation.
you exalted the humble and meek:
give us humble and contrite hearts. Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you grew towards birth in the Virgin’s
womb:
be planted also in our hearts and lives. Christ, have
mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Holy Spirit, you overshadowed Mary,
that she might become the God-bearer:
fill us with your heavenly gifts. Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Almighty God, who in Jesus Christ
has given us a kingdom that cannot be destroyed,
forgive you your sins, open your eyes to his truth,
strengthen you to do his will, and give you the joy of
his kingdom.
Amen
APOSTOLIC GREETING and PRAYER OF THE DAY
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you
all.
And also with you.
Amen
As soon as Elizabeth heard the sound of Mary’s
greeting,
the child in her womb leaped for joy. Luke 1:44
Let us hear
the Word of the Lord.
First READING Micah 5:2-5a
2But you, O Bethlehem of
Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
3Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
4And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord
his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;
5aand he shall be the one of peace.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALMODY Magnificat- James
J. Chepponis
Rob Dawe- Clarinet
SECOND READING Hebrews
10:5-10
5Consequently, when Christ came into
the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body you have prepared for me;
6in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7Then I said, ‘See, God, I have come to do your will, O God’
(in the scroll of the book it is written of me).”
8When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in
sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are
offered according to the law), 9then he added, “See, I have come to
do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. 10And
it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to
God.
Stand
VERSE Matthew 1:23 Setting by Robert Wetzler
Alleluia.
A virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name
shall be called Emmanuel. Alleluia.
Gospel Luke 1:39-45
The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke.
39In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a
Judean town in the hill country, 40where she entered the house of
Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s
greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy
Spirit 42and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among
women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And why has this
happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44For as
soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for
joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment
of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
The Gospel of
the Lord.
Sit
SERMON
X HYMN OF THE DAY The Only Son from Heaven
Stanzas 1 and 3: Choir
Stanzas 2 and 4: All
foretold by ancient
seers,
by God the Father
given,
in human form
appears.
No sphere his light
confining,
no star so brightly
shining
as he, our Morning
Star.
2 Oh, time of God appointed,
oh, bright and holy
morn!
He comes, the king
anointed,
the Christ, the
virgin-born,
grim death to
vanquish for us,
to open heav'n before
us
and bring us life
again.
3 Awaken, Lord, our
spirit
to know and love you
more,
in faith to stand
unshaken,
in spirit to adore,
that we, through this
world moving,
each glimpse of
heaven proving,
may reap its fullness
there.
4 O Father, here before
you
and Jesus, we adore
you,
O pride of
angel-host:
before you mortals
lowly
cry, "Holy,
holy, holy,
O blessed
Trinity!"
Text: Elizabeth Cruciger, 1500-1535; tr.
Arthur T. Russell, 1806-1874, alt.
CONFESSION OF FAITH
The pastor and people confess the faith
of the Church in the words of the Nicene Creed.
X At the words ‘For us and for our salvation,’
and continuing through ‘and was made man,’ a solemn bow is appropriate to
praise the incarnation of our Lord.
We believe in one God,
the
Father, the Almighty,
maker
of heaven and earth,
of
all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus
Christ,
the
only Son of God,
eternally
begotten of the Father,
God
from God, Light from Light,
true
God from true God,
begotten,
not made,
of
one Being with the Father.
Through
him all things were made.
X For us and for our salvation
he
came down from heaven;
by
the power of the Holy Spirit
he
became incarnate from the virgin Mary, and was made man. X
For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate;
he
suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose
again
in
accordance with the Scriptures;
he
ascended into heaven
and
is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He
will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and
his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the
Lord, the giver of life,
who
proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With
the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He
has spoken through the prophets.
We
believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We
acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We
look for the resurrection of the dead,
and
the life of the world to come. Amen
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
Silence is kept.
Holy and gracious
God, you planted your Word in the womb of the Virgin Mary, gave her faith in your promises, and confirmed that faith
by the witness of her cousin Elizabeth. Give us faith in the promises of baptism,
and by the visitation of your Holy Spirit make us to bear good fruit for your
glory. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Holy and
gracious God, beneath and beyond the frantic pace of these days you are calling
us to stillness and readiness. Help us to hear that call, that we might hear the
voice of Mary, calling us to worship her Son. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Holy and
gracious God, you promised to lift up the poor and you reject those who trust
in their riches. Give us the vision to see the needs of others and to meet them
where they are, trusting not in our abilities but in your compassion. Lord, in
your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Receive, in
this time of grace, our intercessions and supplications:
For our bishop and pastors, hear
our prayer.
For the peace of the world, hear
our prayer.
For the President, the Congress, and the courts;
for good
government and domestic tranquility, hear
our prayer.
For all who protect, heal, and serve others, hear our prayer.
For the poor and all who are in need, hear our prayer.
For those who have lost faith, hear our prayer.
For the sick, the friendless, the grieving,
the
anxious, and the despairing, hear
our prayer.
The pastor reads the names submitted for prayer.
The people may offer silent or spoken intercessions and
thanksgivings.
Lord, in
your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Holy and
gracious God, we give you thanks for John the Baptist, for Zechariah his
father, Elizabeth his mother, for Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and for all the saints who have striven to do your holy will. Bless us, that we
may imitate their faith and with them receive the crown of glory. Lord, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
Almighty
God, as your blessed Son Jesus Christ first came to seek and to save the lost;
so may he come again to find in us the completion of his redeeming work; for he
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
Amen
PEACE
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also
with you.
The people exchange a sign of peace
with the simple words, Peace be with you.
Sit
The Lord’s Table is prepared.
Stand
OFFERTORY Zephaniah 3:14, 17 Setting by Robert Wetzler
PRAYER OF
PREPARATION
Hear us, O Lord Jesus Christ, from your dwelling place,
from the glorious throne of your kingdom, and
come and cleanse us.
You
are seated on high with the Father,
and you
dwell also with us here, although unseen.
By your mighty hand render us worthy to receive
in holy communion
your spotless body and your precious blood.
Amen
GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you.
And also with
you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to
the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to
give him thanks and praise.
It is indeed right and salutary that
we should at all times and in all places offer thanks and praise to you, O
Lord, holy Father, almighty and ever-living God.
It was your
will and purpose that your Word should become incarnate in the womb of the
Virgin Mary, so that he, your only Son, who came to share our human nature, might
wonderfully gather us to himself as fellow heirs and partakers of eternal life.
And so,
with Mary, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist, with the Church on earth and the
hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy,
holy, holy LORD, God of power and might!
Heaven
and earth are full of your glory;
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
Hosanna in the highest! (Isaiah 6:3, Matthew 21:9)
The pastor
leads the people in praying the Eucharistic canon:
Blessed are you, O Adonai, Most
High and Holy God,
for the wonder of your goodness
which creates, establishes, and permeates
the heavens and the earth.
We
praise you for the promises you made to the Patriarchs,
as you led your chosen people
out of slavery
into the land of promise,
giving them your Law on Sinai’s
heights.
You
promised, through the prophets,
that the Messiah would come,
the very branch of Jesse –
before whom all nations would
keep silent.
Then,
at the appointed time,
you sent your beloved Son, Jesus
our Emmanuel,
the key of David born of Mary by
the power of the Spirit.
He
came to rescue the uprooted,
to bring life to the lifeless
and voice to those who were without hope;
on Calvary’s heights gave His
life
to draw all people to Himself
and to your promise of mercy.
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.
Together,
let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
O Christ, you are the splendor
of life everlasting:
We laud your death and resurrection,
and await your return in glory.
Blessed
are you, O Adonai, Lord of might.
You fulfilled your promises
in the death, resurrection and ascension of
your Son,
the King of all nations.
We praise you for embracing us
as the people who now dwell in
the brightness of His glory.
Send
now your holy and life-giving Spirit
upon this Bread of Life and this
Cup of Salvation,
that we, in this holy communion,
may be united to Him who is our
cornerstone,
the One who gives us His very
body and blood
to sustain us in His forgiving
love.
With
all the people of your promises,
we await our Lord’s final coming
when we will share in that feast
which shall never end.
Amen. Come, O precious Ransom, come!
In the presence of Christ, we pray to his Father using the words he gave
us.
Christ is in our midst.
By the power of the
Spirit,
we pray to his Father,
saying:
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 Matthew
6:9-15
This is the bread of God which gives
life to the world.
Glory to you, O God, forever. John 6:33
Wisdom has built her a house;
she has mixed her wine;
she has set her table.
Glory to you, O God, forever. Proverbs 9:1
We adore Christ with the words of
the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God).
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
Grant us peace. John 1:29, see also Luke 17:13
Sit
DISTRIBUTION
Admission to the Sacrament is by
invitation of the Lord, presented through the Church to those who are baptized.
They may receive the Lord’s Body and Blood who
are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
who commune in their home churches, and who believe that Jesus Christ,
crucified and risen, is truly present in, with, and under the forms of bread
and wine for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
The communicants
will be invited forward one family unit at a time. Please do not come forward
until the pastor directs you to come forward, do not approach all the way to
the table until the pastor has retreated.
When the pastor says ‘The body of Christ,
given for you,’ eat the bread. When the pastor says, ‘The blood of Christ, shed
for you,’ drink the wine. Please take
the plate and the glass(es) and place them on the table that is indicated.
CHOIR
The Kingdom of Love
Text/ Carl P. Daw, Jr. ; Music/ David
Ashely White
Clarinet/ Rob Dawe; Percussion/ Mary
Jane Snyder
Make
straight in the desert a highway;
prepare
the way of the Lord:
let
mountains and hills bow in reverence
and
valleys rise up for their King.
In joy
shall the wilderness blossom,
and
streams through the desert be poured;
the eyes
of the blind shall be opened,
and
tongues that were silent shall sing.
Break
forth into singing, O Zion,
your
King is coming to you.
Jerusalem,
shout with rejoicing,
he comes
to redeem you from fear.
For God
shall bring peace and abundance,
your
praise and renown to renew;
prepare
to receive your salvation:
the
promised Redeemer is near.
The
reign of the Lord will be gracious,
its
blessings ever will last;
for then
will God bring to fulfillment
the
promise of peace from above.
All
creatures will prosper together,
to
plowshares all swords will be cast:
earth’s
people will find their true freedom
in God’s
perfect Kingdom of Love.
Savior of the Nations, Come
1 Savior of the nations, come;
show the glory of
the Son!
Ev’ry people stand in
awe;
praise the perfect
Son of God.
3 Wondrous birth! O
wondrous child
of the virgin
undefiled!
Mighty God and man in
one,
eager now his race to
run
4 God the Father is his
source,
back to God he runs
his course;
down to death and
hell descends,
God’s high throne he
reascends.
5 He leaves heaven to
return;
Trav’ling where dull
hellfires burn;
Riding out, returning
home
As the Savior who has
come.
6 God the Father’s
precious Son
Girds himself in
flesh to run
For the trophies of
our souls,
Longer than this
round earth rolls.
7 Shining stable in the
night,
Breathing vict’ry
with your light;
Darkenss cannot hide
your flame,
Shining bright as
Jesus’ name.
After all have returned to their places, the people
stand at the direction of the pastor.
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you
and keep you in his grace.
Amen
your word has been fulfilled.
My own eyes have seen the
salvation
which you have prepared in the
sight of every people:
A light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people
Israel.
Glory to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is
now, and will be forever. Amen
Song of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32)
Pour out upon us the spirit of your
love, O Lord, and unite the wills of those whom you have fed with one heavenly
food; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen
May God
the Father, who loved the world so much that he sent his only Son. give you
grace to prepare for life eternal. Amen
May God
the Son, who comes to us as redeemer and judge,
reveal to
you the path from darkness to light. Amen
May God
the Holy Spirit, by whose working the Virgin Mary conceived the Christ, help
you bear the fruits of holiness. Amen
Almighty God,
Father, XSon, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever.
Amen
X CLOSING HYMN
Fling Wide the Door
1 Fling wide the door,
unbar the gate;
the King of glory
comes in state;
the Lord of lords and
King of kings,
the Savior of the
world who brings
his great salvation
to the earth.
So raise a shout of
holy mirth
and praise our God
and Lord,
Creator, Spirit,
Word.
the heart of mercy's
gentle self.
His kingly crown is
holiness;
his scepter is his
loveliness;
he brings our sorrows
to an end.
Now gladly praise our
king and friend,
for saving us from
wrong.
3 Oh, happy towns and
blessed lands
that live by their
true king's commands.
And blessed be the
hearts he rules,
the humble places
where he dwells.
He is the rightful
Son of bliss
who fills our lives
and makes us his,
creator of the world,
our only strength for
good.
4 Come, Lord, our Savior,
Jesus Christ;
our hearts are open
wide in trust.
Oh, show us now your
lovely grace,
upon our sorrows
shine your face,
and let your Holy
Spirit guide
our journey in your
grace so wide.
We praise your holy
name,
from age to age the
same!
Text: Georg Weissel, 1590-1635; tr. Gracia
Grindal, b. 1943
Text © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship,
admin. Augsburg Fortress.
DISMISSAL
Go
in peace. Serve the Lord.
THE SCHEDULE for Christmas and New Years’ Services is below. Please note that there is no
Saturday evening worship service on Dec. 25.
Fri/Dec 24 Christmas Eve Worship, 7:30 p.m.
Sat/Dec 25 Christmas Day Worship, 10:30 a.m.
Sun/Dec 26 St Stephen’s Day Worship, 10:30 a.m.
Fri/Dec 31 New Year’s Eve Service, 6:30 p.m.
Sat/Jan 1 WORSHIP, 6:30 p.m.
Sun/Jan 2 WORSHIP, 10:30 a.m.
THIS
WEEK
FOR THE FAITH FAMILY Sun/ Dec 19 Choir rehearsal 9:30 AM WORSHIP 10:30 AM Prayer at the Close of the Day (livestream) 9:30 PM Decorate the church 6:30 PM Mon/
Dec 20 Morning Prayer (livestream
) 8:30 AM Wed/
Dec 22 Evening Prayer (livestream)
7:00 PM Fri/
Dec 24 Christmas Eve Worship
7:30 PM Sat/
Dec 25 Christmas Day Worship
10:30 AM NA Meeting 11 AM Sun/
Dec 26 Choir rehearsal 9:30 AM WORSHIP 10:30 AM Prayer at the Close of the Day (livestream) 9:30 PM
From
Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2021 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Reprinted
by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #20540.
New
Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education
of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of
America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Common Worship: Times and Seasons, material from which is included
here, is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2006 and published by Church
House Publishing.
Eucharistic
Prayer reprinted by permission from A Little Book of Canons
by Rod L. Ronneberg, STS, 1997 and 2010.
LePlae,
Charles. Two Women, from Art
in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt
Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54235 [retrieved
December 10, 2021]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_Leplae_Twee_zwangere_vrouwen_1953.jpg.
Murillo,
Bartolomé Esteban, 1617-1682. Young Christ as the Good Shepherd, from Art in the Christian Tradition,
a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=46404 [retrieved
December 13, 2021]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bartolom%C3%A9_Esteban_Murillo_-_The_Young_Christ_as_the_Good_Shepherd_-_58.1425_-_Museum_of_Fine_Arts.jpg.
Agnus
Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org
