Advent Midweek 1 12/6/23
MIDWEEK ADVENT WORSHIP
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, WELCOME TO ST. PAUL’S!
COMPLINE
7:30 p.m.
✠ ✠ ✠
PRELUDE
WELCOME
OPENING VERSE (Stand) LSB 253
The Lord Almighty grant us a quiet night and peace at the last.
Amen.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
to herald Your love in the morning,
Your truth at the close of the day.
CONFESSION LSB 254
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Silence for self-examination.
I confess to God Almighty, before the whole company of heaven and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned in thought, word, and deed by my fault, by my own fault, by my own most grievous fault; wherefore I pray God Almighty to have mercy on me, forgive me all my sins, and bring me to everlasting life. Amen.
The almighty and merciful Lord grant you pardon, forgiveness, and remission of all your sins. Amen.
I confess to God Almighty, before the whole company of heaven and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned in thought, word, and deed by my fault, by my own fault, by my own most grievous fault; wherefore I pray God Almighty to have mercy on me, forgive me all my sins, and bring me to everlasting life. Amen.
The almighty and merciful Lord grant you pardon, forgiveness, and remission of all your sins.
Amen.
ADVENT HYMN O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Sts.1,4,5,7 LSB 357
1 O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear. Refrain
Refrain
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
4 O come, Thou Branch of Jesse’s tree,
Free them from Satan’s tyranny
That trust Thy mighty pow’r to save,
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave. Refrain
5 O come, Thou 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. Refrain
7 O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace. Refrain
FIRST READING (Be seated) Zechariah 12:10-13:2
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.
“On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.
“And on that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more. And also I will remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
RESPONSORY (Stand) LSB 255
Into Your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Into Your hands I commend my spirit.
You have redeemed me, O Lord, God of truth.
Into Your hands I commend my spirit.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Into Your hands I commend my spirit.
GOSPEL READING Mark 1:21-34
The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the 1st chapter
Glory to You, O Lord.
And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, O Christ
SERMON (Be seated)
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus. Amen. Dear friends in Christ:
That scene just described for us in the Gospel reading is intense. Doesn’t it seem like one that ought to be put into a movie?
Well, in fact, it was. There is a scene based on this story in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1977 film Jesus of Nazareth.
In the film, Jesus is teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. A few of his disciples are with him, and other men crowd around him in order to ask questions and respond to what he says. Unlike the Gospel account, however, in which we do not hear the actual content of Jesus’s teaching, but only that it is perceived as having authority, the film has Jesus teaching on the nature of the Law of God – how it is spiritual and alive and not fixed in dead stones. When asked what the good news is, the actor playing Jesus looks to the camera and says: “Man’s captivity is over, his captivity to sin. God is fulfilling the promises he made to Israel and is reconciling man to himself.”
This sounds like something Jesus would say. And it’s good theology. But Jesus didn’t actually say these words. And certainly not at this point in his ministry.
The words do at least have an air of authority to them. But the film doesn’t emphasize this. None of the people respond in such a way. Instead, the actor playing Jesus just sort of stares off into space as his words trail off.
Then, suddenly, Jesus is interrupted by a man from outside the synagogue, who runs in, shrieking and foaming at the mouth. His tone of voice does not sound quite as scary as the voice of the demon possessed girl from The Exorcist, but the fact that he is possessed is still made very clear. The man mumbles something which may be the words of the Biblical account, then foams at the mouth, jumps around and falls, and makes quite a scene. Overall, he looks and acts just the way we might think a demon-possessed man should.
When Mark relates this part of the story, he uses the word “immediately” to describe the possessed man’s entrance. He says: “And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit.” This might make it seem like the man came in from outside the building. But that’s not the case. Mark uses the word “immediately” as a simple means of moving the action forward. We see this usage frequently in his Gospel, especially early on.
The film probably has the demon-possessed man coming in from the outside because this conforms to our idea of where demon-possessed people should be. We don’t think of these people attending synagogue. Why would they? Those under the oppression of unclean spirits, we assume, live outside on the streets, out in the hills, away from “polite society.”
If we were to make a film that conformed more to the Biblical account, we would need to do it differently. For example, if we chose to put words in Jesus’ mouth, to give content to his teaching, then we would have Jesus speak the only teaching we have heard from him so far in the Gospel. That message is: “The time if fulfilled. The reign of God is here. Repent and believe the good news!”
According to a statement in verse 15, Jesus was preaching this message throughout Galilee. So we can assume that this was the message he gave in the synagogue in Capernaum as well.
And if it was, then we can understand why the men who heard him perceived his message as having great authority. Jesus was telling them that God’s eschatological reign was present – right there and then. Because of this present reign, the people were to repent and believe. This was a very different message than the ones the scribes were teaching. Moreover, it was one that the forces of Satan would definitely want to confront.
As for filming the man with the unclean spirit, we would need to make some changes here too. For one, we wouldn’t want to show him running in from the outside.
The text says that the man was “in their synagogue,” which, again, sounds like he might be an outsider. But it doesn’t have to mean that. The designation of “their” could simply be from Jesus’ perspective. Jesus was from Nazareth, not Capernaum. “Their synagogue” could be a way of speaking about this difference.
So rather than imagining some crazy, out-of-place stranger running in off the streets, perhaps we should imagine instead a well-dressed fellow attending the synagogue that day – perhaps one who was even a member in good standing of that congregation. And when this man confronts Jesus, his voice wouldn’t sound demonic at all. It would sound as if he were speaking for himself and perhaps even for some of the others gathered there that day. When he says: “What is there between us and you, Jesus of Nazareth?” – the “us” could be understood as “us gathered in the synagogue” not “us unclean spirits.”
And if that’s the case, then many of the those in attendance that day may have been nodding in agreement to this question, as if to say: “preach it, Brother!” They may have liked this man calling out Jesus for his belief that they – the good men of Israel who were there in the Synagogue doing exactly what they should – actually needed to repent.
But then, as the man continued to talk, things started to get weird. For the spirit within him added: “Did you come to destroy us?” And this would definitely cause the people to start wondering what was going on.
However, it was what the man said next that would truly shock them. For he added: “I know who you are, the Holy One of God!” Now they would have understood. They would realize that this man, whom they knew and trusted – perhaps for a long time – was actually possessed by an unclean spirit and that the presence of God’s prophet among them had brought this unclean spirit into the light.
Amidst the great shock, confusion and fear which no doubt commenced, Jesus took control. He cast out the unclean spirit – doing so with a simple rebuke. And now the people knew that his authority was even greater than they imagined.
Later that evening, when the Sabbath was over, the people of Capernaum brought other demon-possessed people to Jesus. From that point forward, the casting out of unclean spirits became a regular feature of his work.
Of all the accounts of these exorcisms given in the scriptures, this first one recorded in Mark best reminds us that a demon-possessed person can appear to be fairly normal. This is a thought we may not like to face, but we need to.
Just as troubling is the fact that this possession happened in Capernaum – which makes it clear that Satan’s power extends even over God’s chosen people.
During his ministry, we see that Jesus casts out demons from both Jews and Gentiles alike. The reality and extensiveness of these demons is troubling indeed.
But the greater message we should see here is that God is addressing the evil in the world. And not just addressing it but conquering it.
To battle the forces of evil and uncleanness, God sent Jesus, his divine Son, to inaugurate his reign of salvation. And in this reign, Jesus uses his authority over Satan to save people and set them free.
Jesus explains this work of his in a short parable recorded two chapters later in Mark. There Jesus says: “No one is able, after entering into the house of the strong man, to plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man; then he can plunder his possessions” (3:27).
The context of this parable is that scribes were coming from Jerusalem and accusing Jesus of being in league with the satanic realm. This was the only way they could explain his ability to cast out so many demons. Jesus responds that their accusations are ridiculous and make no sense – for even Satan is not so stupid as to fight himself.
Jesus then tells the parable to explain what is really going on. He is the thief who has broken into the strong man’s house. He has restrained the strong man and now is plundering the strong man’s possessions. These possessions are the people oppressed by unclean spirits. Jesus is stealing them from the devil and transferring them into the reign of God.
The exorcisms Jesus performed were the first evidence of Jesus’ universal mission in the Gospel of Mark. God’s reign of salvation, they tell us, has come for all people. There is no one Jesus will not save from satanic oppression. Israel’s Messiah has come for all of humanity—fulfilling the promise given to Abraham that through his descendant all nations would be blessed.
The Apostle Paul says of this work of Jesus: “[God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14).
Yes, we too were once under Satan’s power. He possessed our souls on account of the sin in our lives.
Yet when our Lord Jesus called us to repentance and faith, through baptism and his Word, he plundered us from Satan’s house – meaning that he saved us from sin’s consequences and took possession of us.
He will also do this for us again and again – as long as we have need. For we now belong to Jesus. We have been released from sin’s oppression and brought into God’s reign of salvation.
In his great hymn A Mighty Fortress is our God, Martin Luther describes how Christ frees us from Satan’s grasp. He says: “By might of ours would naught be done, and soon our loss effected. But for us fights the valiant one, whom God himself elected. Ask ye who this is? Jesus Christ it is! Lord of hosts, and there’s no other God. He holds the field forever.”
When Mark introduces Jesus in his Gospel, he shows how Jesus has come to release us from the grasp of our three greatest enemies – sin, death and the power of the Devil. Today’s reading reminds us of our release from the power of the Devil. In the weeks to come we will be reminded of our release from sin and death.
Advent reminds us that Christ will come again soon to bring us full release from these enemies. But it reminds us, too, that this release has already commenced. For Christ has arrived and his reign has begun. Those who acknowledge his reign can be confident of their full release in the new life to come.
Knowing this, may the Lord God our heavenly Father, who through Jesus Christ delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the reign of his Son, continue to preserve us from the evil one and keep us steadfast in this faith, now and unto life everlasting. Amen.
ADVENT HYMN (Stand) O Lord, How Shall I Meet You Sts. 1-4 LSB 334
1 O Lord, how shall I meet You,
How welcome You aright?
Your people long to greet You,
My hope, my heart’s delight!
O kindle, Lord most holy,
Your lamp within my breast
To do in spirit lowly
All that may please You best.
2 Your Zion strews before You
Green boughs and fairest palms;
And I too will adore You
With joyous songs and psalms.
My heart shall bloom forever
For You with praises new
And from Your name shall never
Withhold the honor due.
3 I lay in fetters, groaning;
You came to set me free.
I stood, my shame bemoaning;
You came to honor me.
A glorious crown You give me,
A treasure safe on high
That will not fail or leave me
As earthly riches fly.
4 Love caused Your incarnation;
Love brought You down to me.
Your thirst for my salvation
Procured my liberty.
Oh, love beyond all telling,
That led You to embrace
In love, all love excelling,
Our lost and fallen race.
OFFERING (Be seated)
THE PRAYERS (Kneel) LSB 256-257
NUNC DIMITTIS LSB 258
Guide us waking, O Lord,
and guard us sleeping
that awake we may watch with Christ
and asleep we may rest in peace.
Lord, now You let Your servant go in peace;
Your word has been fulfilled.
My own eyes have seen the salvation
which You have prepared in the sight of ev’ry people:
a light to reveal You to the nations
and the glory of Your people Israel.
Glory be 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.
Guide us waking, O Lord,
and guard us sleeping
that awake we may watch with Christ
and asleep we may rest in peace.
BENEDICTION LSB 259
The almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, the ✠ Son,
and the Holy Spirit, bless us and keep us.
Amen.
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE
Those serving:
Greeter: Steve Berg
Reader: Melissa Hecht
AV/Streaming: Richard Irwin
ADVENT & CHRISTMAS AT ST. PAUL’S
2023
WORSHIP SCHEDULE
MIDWEEK ADVENT SERVICES
December 6, 10, 10 at 7:00 p.m.
******************************************************
Christmas Eve Worship – Sunday, December 24
10:00 a.m. Regular Communion Service
5:00 p.m. Candlelight service for families
7:30 p.m. Pre-service Music
8:00 p.m. Candlelight service with Holy Communion
Christmas Day Worship – Monday, December 25
10:00 a.m. Celebration of Christ’s Birth
with Holy Communion
Acknowledgments
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2023 Concordia Publishing House.
357 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Text: Latin, c. 12th cent.; Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum, 1710, Köln; tr. John Mason Neale, 1818–66, alt.
Tune: French, 15th cent. Text and tune: Public domain
334 O Lord, How Shall I Meet You Text: Paul Gerhardt, 1607–76; tr. The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941, alt. Tune: Johann Crüger, 1598–1662 Text and tune: Public domain