Blessings!
Make “straight” the paths of the Lord!
Peace, Pastor Chris Lee
Order of Worship for Sunday, December 5, 2021
Prelude: “O Come, O Come Immanuel,”- Sleeth. Senior Choir.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Meditation
Forerunners and messengers advance the advent of our God. While John the baptizer’s voice in the wilderness may be the principal focus of the day, Malachi’s prophecy could as easily herald the coming Christ as forerunner of the Lord of hosts. Finally all the baptized are called to participate in the sharing of the gospel. In so doing we prepare the way for the coming of Jesus and assist all people in capturing a vision of the “salvation of God.”
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, who alone does wonders, who lifts up the lowly, who fills the hungry with good things.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin, trusting in the tender mercy of our God.
God for whom we wait,
in the presence of one another, we confess our sin before you. We fail in believing that your good news is for us. We falter in our call to tend your creation. We find our sense of self in material wealth. We fear those different from ourselves. We forget that we are your children and turn away from your love. Forgive us, Blessed One,and assure us again of your saving grace.
Amen.
God, in Christ Jesus, has looked with favor upon you! Through the power of the Holy Spirit, ☩ your sins are forgiven. You are children of the Most High, inheritors of the eternal promise, and recipients of divine mercy. God strengthens you anew to follow the way of peace.
Amen.
Opening Hymn: ELW 264- “Prepare the Royal Highway,” all 4 verses. Melody Accompaniment: Kristin Stambaugh, violin.
Prayer of the Day
Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son. By his coming give to all the people of the world knowledge of your salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Lighting of the Advent Wreath Candles
Second Sunday of Advent
Blessed are you, God of hope, for you promise to bring forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse who will bring justice to the poor, who will deliver the needy and crush the oppressor, who will stand as a signal of hope for all people. As we light these candles, turn our wills to bear the fruit of repentance, transform our hearts to live in justice and harmony with one another, and fix our eyes on the root of Jesse, Jesus Christ, the hope of all nations.
O people of hope, come,
let us rejoice in the faithfulness of the Lord. Amen.
Light the first and second candle
Lighting of the Advent Candle: ELW 249- “Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah,” 2nd verse.
First Reading: Malachi 3:1-4
God announces a covenant with Israel. A messenger like Malachi (his name means “my messenger”) will prepare the way for the coming of the Lord by purifying and refining God’s people, as silver and gold are refined.
1See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; 3he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. 4Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
Second Reading: Philippians 1:3-11
The apostle Paul was the pastor of many new churches. He writes in this letter about his joy to be in partnership with the Christians of Philippi. Listen to how tender-hearted Paul, sometimes a stern preacher, is with his friends as he encourages them to grow in love and knowledge.
3I thank my God every time I remember you, 4constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. 7It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Gospel: Luke 3:1-6
John the Baptist is a herald of Jesus, whose way is prepared by “repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” As we hear the careful record of human leaders, we sense the spectrum of political and religious authority that will be challenged by this coming Lord.
1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
Sermon: Pastor Chris Lee
Hymn of the Day: ELW 255- “There’s a Voice in the Wilderness,” all 3 verses.
Prayers of Intercession
In this season of watching and waiting, let us pray for all people and places that yearn for God’s presence.
You send messengers into the world to proclaim the day of your coming. Make our bishops, pastors, deacons, and lay preachers confident in their preaching, that their words and our lives witness to your grace. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Send your Spirit to all living creatures that are endangered. Provide them with shelter and care, and bring us into right relationship with the earth that you create and call good. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Send leaders to our nations, cities, schools, and businesses to work on behalf of those who have lost parents, spouses, and loved ones; immigrants; the imprisoned; those living in poverty; and all who are oppressed. Make them bold in their commitments to justice and reconciliation. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Send your servants to care for those who suffer. Use our ministries and our lives to reach out with compassion to those who are hungry, oppressed, lonely, or ill especially Betty Lee; Paige Wheeler; Julie Prenatt; David Neu; Sheri Stoutt; Nan Hibbs; Britta Maddox; Everett Noah; Libby Hofsas; Noah Stoutt; Shelley Collis; Barb Martin; Deb Schafer; Richard Hotchkiss; Nancy and Bob Bosco; Charysse and Adean Heritage and Family; Randy McIntyre; Karen Bemowski; Marilyn Hubbard; Helen Schubert, and all those we name before you now, aloud or in our hearts… Give them tangible signs of your steadfast love. Grant them healing and wholeness. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Send prophets to speak difficult truths, even when they are poorly received. Embolden those who ask hard questions and challenge accepted ways. Instill in youth and elders alike a passion for pointing to Jesus in all things. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
We remember your saints, both those publicly celebrated and those more humbly remembered, especially Marijane Cook; Blake Wheeler; Baby Wheeler; Eugene William Eiklor;and Marilyn Allen; Rose Reasor and their families. Confident that your work will be completed, we live in faith until the day of your coming. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of new life, you come among us in the places we least expect. Receive these prayers and those of our hearts, in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Peace
Great Thanksgiving
The Lord’s Prayer
Communion: ACS 1056- “God Bless to Us Our Bread.”
Communion: ELW 256- “Comfort, Comfort Now My People.”
Prayer after Communion
Most High God, you have come among us at this table. By the Spirit’s power, form us to be bearers of your word, sharing gifts of mercy and grace with all, through Christ Jesus, our host and our guest.
Amen.
Blessing
The God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, so that we may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit, through Christ Jesus for whom we wait.
Amen.
Sending Hymn: ELW 254- “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus,” both verses. Melody Accompaniment: Kristin Stambaugh, violin.
Dismissal
Go in peace. Christ is near.
Thanks be to God.
Postlude: “Hark! A Thrilling Voice is Sounding,” – Bouman.
Facebook link to the Second Sunday of Advent worship service, December 5, 2021:
https://www.facebook.com/190629367619921/videos/647923846570694
Image credits: John the Baptist, timothylutheranbiblestudy.com; Christmas wreath at the Parish House, by Therese Guise; and Advent, gracesystem.org
Music credits:
Miriam Anderson: Song Leader
Kristin Stambaugh: Violin
Pam Edwards: Music Director/ Piano & Organ
“O Come, O Come Immanuel,”-Natalie Sleeth. Words and Music – © 1982 Choristers Guild. ( One License #CGA273). All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream and print the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-704843.
“Prepare the Royal Highway.”Text: Frans Mikael Franzen, 1772 – 1847; tr. Lutheran Book of Worship. Music: Swedish folk tune, 17th cent.. Text copyright 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship, admin. Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream and print the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-704843.
“Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah.” Text: Wayne L. Wold, b. 1954. Music: Yiddish folk tune. Text copyright 1984 Fortress Press. Public domain.
“There’s a Voice in the Wilderness.” Text: James Lewis Milligan, 1876 – 1961, alt.. Music: Henry Hugh Bancroft, 1904 – 1988. Music copyright Estate of Eldred Bancroft, admin. B. Burrows. All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream and print the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-704843.
“God Bless to Us Our Bread.”(Bendice, Senor, nuestro pan) Text: Argentine traditional, collected by Federico Pagura, 1923 -2016; tr. John L. Bell, b. 1949. Music: Argentine melody, collected by Federico Pagura; arr. John L. Bell. Text and tune copyright 2002 World Council of Churches. English tuext and arr. copyright WGRG, Iona Community, admin. GIA Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream and print the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-704843.
“Comfort, Comfort Now My People.” Text: Johann G. Olearius, 1635 – 1711; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827 – 1878, alt.. Music: Trente quatre pseaumes de David, Geneva, 1551. Public domain.
“Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.” Text: Charles Wesley, 1707 – 1788. Music: W. Walker, Southern Harmony, 1835. All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream and print the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-704843.
“Hark! A Thrilling Voice is Sounding.” Setting by Paul Bouman. From the Concordia Hymn Prelude Series: Advent, Vol. 1. (One License #97-7020). Copyright 1982 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream and print the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-704843.
Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2022 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. 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. Reprinted/ streamed with permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS006904. Duplication in any form is prohibited without permission or valid license from the copyright administrator.