Second Sunday of Advent 12/8/24
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
DECEMBER 8, 2024
ST. PAUL’S LUTHERAN CHURCH, FALLS CHURCH, VA
✠ ✠ ✠
PRELUDE On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry Setting: Jacob B Weber
WELCOME
ENTRANCE HYMN (Stand) On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry LSB 344
1 On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry
Announces that the Lord is nigh;
Awake and hearken, for he brings
Glad tidings of the King of kings!
2 Then cleansed be ev’ry life from sin;
Make straight the way for God within,
And let us all our hearts prepare
For Christ to come and enter there.
3 We hail Thee as our Savior, Lord,
Our refuge and our great reward;
Without Thy grace we waste away
Like flow’rs that wither and decay.
4 Lay on the sick Thy healing hand
And make the fallen strong to stand;
Show us the glory of Thy face
Till beauty springs in ev’ry place.
5 All praise, eternal Son, to Thee
Whose advent sets Thy people free,
Whom with the Father we adore
And Holy Spirit evermore.
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love You and worthily magnify Your Holy Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sin, be our advocate in heaven, and bring us to eternal life. Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith, resolved to keep God’s commandments and to live in love and peace with all.
(We kneel)
Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
we confess that we have sinned against You and against our neighbor in thought, word and deed; through negligence, through weakness, and through our own deliberate fault. We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, who died for us on the cross, forgive us all that is past, and grant that we may serve You in newness of life, to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son ✠ and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
KYRIE (Kyrie eleison means “Lord have mercy”) (Stand) LSB 943
Kyrie, Kyrie eleison. Kyrie, Kyrie eleison.
For peace in our hearts as we gather for worship, and for the peace of the whole world and the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord:
Kyrie, Kyrie eleison. Kyrie, Kyrie eleison.
For the proclamation of the Gospel in this and every place and for the calling of all to faith, let us pray to the Lord:
Kyrie, Kyrie eleison. Kyrie, Kyrie eleison.
For grace to await our Lord’s coming again in glory, and for the joyful anticipation of his coming into our hearts today, let us pray to the Lord:
Kyrie, Kyrie eleison. Kyrie, Kyrie eleison.
HYMN OF PRAISE (omitted during this penitential season)
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. Stir up our hearts, O Lord,
to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be
enabled to serve You with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
✠ ✠ ✠
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST LESSON (Be seated) Malachi 3:1-7b
“Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But 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. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
ANTHEM Jubilation Choir Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers Setting: John Ferguson
1 Rejoice, rejoice, believers,
And let your lights appear;
The evening is advancing,
And darker night is near.
The Bridegroom is arising
And soon is drawing nigh.
Up, pray and watch and wrestle;
At midnight comes the cry.
2 The watchers on the mountain
Proclaim the Bridegroom near;
Go forth as He approaches
With alleluias clear.
The marriage feast is waiting;
The gates wide open stand.
Arise, O heirs of glory;
The Bridegroom is at hand.
3 The saints, who here in patience
Their cross and suff’rings bore,
Shall live and reign forever
When sorrow is no more.
Around the throne of glory
The Lamb they shall behold;
In triumph cast before Him
Their diadems of gold.
4 Our hope and expectation,
O Jesus, now appear;
Arise, O Sun so longed for,
O’er this benighted sphere.
With hearts and hands uplifted,
We plead, O Lord, to see
The day of earth’s redemption
That sets Your people free!
SECOND LESSON Philippians 1:2-11
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
(10:30) CHILDREN’S SERMON
GOSPEL VERSE (Stand) LSB 352
1 Let the earth now praise the Lord,
Who has truly kept His word
And at last to us did send
Christ, the sinner’s help and friend.
2 What the fathers most desired,
What the prophets’ heart inspired,
What they longed for many_a year,
Stands fulfilled in glory here.
GOSPEL Luke 3:1-17
The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke the 3rd chapter
Glory to You, O Lord.
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus. Amen. Dear friends in Christ:
On this Second Sunday of Advent the church directs us to think about John the Baptist. And as you may know, the church also directs us to think about him next week – on the Third Sunday of Advent. This is not surprising. For John is the forerunner of Christ. And his message of preparation is one that we all need to learn well.
When John originally gave his message, his preparation was focused on the Messiah’s imminent arrival. We see this in his quoting of Isaiah, saying: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” We also see it in his statement: “He who is coming is mightier than I… he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
John’s preparing of us today is similar in that we, too, are to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah. But John would also have us be ready for a different arrival of Jesus – the one where he will come to end this world and be our judge. Notice how John points toward this by saying: “His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
The return of Christ has been the focus of our attention the past three Sundays. And although we’re now pivoting to a focus on his first arrival, the message of his final return gets repeated yet again in today’s second reading – the one from the first chapter of Philippians.
In this text there are two separate references to Christ’s second coming. In verse six he says, “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” And in verse ten he prays that the people “may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.” In both cases, Paul draws on the language of the Old Testament prophets, who spoke frequently about the “day of the Lord” as a time of God’s judgment.
Paul’s purpose in mentioning this day is to urge us to endure in our faith. For when Christ comes, we don’t want to be found without faith.
Notice that this endurance of faith is about more than just holding on to certain beliefs. What we believe is crucial, of course. But Paul also wants us to be “pure and blameless” in our actions.
At its most basic level, the endurance to which Paul is calling us here is an endurance in our sense of hope. We are to continue our belief that life is worth living and that there are good days ahead.
As we know, this kind of endurance is not always easy. For the hurts and pains of life often drag us down.
This can happen to us even at Christmas. While in many ways this great holiday brings a sense of fun, meaning and joy, in other ways it brings feelings of frustration, and sometimes even despair. This happens, for instance, when we look at the list of gifts we wish to give but realize we can’t afford them. Or when we think about the cold weather settling in for many more months. Or when we fret about the parties we did or did not get invited to and the obligations we have but really don’t enjoy. Or when we think about the people who will not be with us this Christmas– people whom we miss dearly.
Paul knew a thing or two about enduring troubles. At the time of this letter’s writing he was enduring a prison sentence. But Paul also had a great supply of hope, and this enabled him to face his challenges with great faith. We see this in his letters as he teaches and encourages with confidence and enthusiasm.
As we noted earlier, Paul’s purpose in writing to the Philippian Christians was to encourage their endurance in faith. But more than this, Paul was also teaching them how to endure.
Specifically, Paul was teaching them to successfully endure by making Christian fellowship a high priority. If the people wanted to persevere in the faith and overcome the trials and troubles of this life, then they should gather together and stick together.
Paul reflects this teaching by calling his own relationship with the Philippians a “partnership in the Gospel.” The Greek word he uses here is Koinonia – a word that points to a close and mutual relationship. Sometimes we translate the word as “sharing.” Other times we say “fellowship.” When used as an adjective, it means “generous.” Christian fellowship, we could say, is to be a partnership characterized by generous sharing with one another.
Just as Paul teaches about Christian fellowship by describing his own relationship with the Philippians, so also, he models it by describing how he prays for them. He tells them: “I thank my God every time I remember you.” And he makes it clear that his prayers are for all of them and that they are offered with joy.
About this prayer for others, let’s face it – it’s easy for us to thank God for those people we really like. It’s also easy to thank God for those who have helped us or been kind to us. But Paul teaches us to give thanks for all the people of the church– even those who may not be so easy to love. He does this because he wants us to be committed to the fellowship of believers. He knows that God is working in each of them and that they all have something of value to discover and celebrate.
Notice that Paul also prays for specific needs of the people. Here he prays that they may “abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment.” He does this so that they “may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” This is a truly beautiful prayer – and not just beautiful in its wording but also in its content.
At St. Paul’s we publish a prayer list so that our members and friends can offer prayers on behalf of those facing particular needs. We offer this list not just so that we know who’s being prayed for on Sunday, but also so that we can offer prayers during the week. Offering prayers on behalf of others is one of the most important things we do as Christians.
Reading on in our text, we see that Paul also teaches us how true Christian fellowship includes showing love for one another. He does this once again through his example. Paul’s love for the Philippian Christians is unmistakable in this letter. Here in today’s section he expresses it twice. In verse eight he says: “I hold you in my heart.” And in verse nine he says: “For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”
Paul clearly loves these Christians. And he also clearly desires them to show this same kind of love to one another. We see this as he says: “it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more.”
One may wonder if Paul was always so loving and enthusiastic in his correspondence with the churches he visited. As we know, some of the churches, like the one in Corinth, needed a lot of correction.
What we see in these other letters is that Paul never held back when correction was needed. But we also see that he always had words of love to give too. To the Corinthians he began with the same words that he did to the Philippians: “I always thank God for you because of his grace given in Christ Jesus.”
While Paul didn’t like some of the choices the Corinthians made, he loved them just the same. And Paul knew that love is what ultimately spurs a person on to live rightly.
Pastor Andrew Ross tells the story of a time when he was greeting worshipers at the end of the service and noticed that the man shaking his hand was wearing a particularly good-looking tie. And he told him: “I like your tie.” Without hesitation, the man immediately took it off and gave it to him. “Here,” he said. “Take it. You’ve blessed me today… I’d love to do something for you.” Such giving and receiving is the spirit of Christian fellowship.
And by the way, Pastor Ross now reports that every time he wears that tie, he is reminded of spontaneous generosity. And when the associate pastor sees him wearing the tie he jokingly tells Pastor Ross that he should have complimented the man on his nice car. To which Pastor Ross replies that he’s just glad he didn’t compliment the man’s pants!
One more point to note about Christian fellowship. Paul describes such fellowship as a striving together for “knowledge and all discernment.” Here we are reminded that the church which cares about its fellowship will offer opportunities to study and learn.
To this point, let me remind you that the church offers extra opportunities to learn during the season of Advent. We’ve made devotional booklets available for your use. And we’re holding Advent Midweek services on Wednesdays, which are also recorded and posted on our website.
Beyond these, let me also encourage you to continue participating in weekly Sunday School and Bible Class. These classes emphasize the partnership aspect of fellowship very well, in that all present are encouraged to contribute their thoughts and ideas. The classes allow us to learn from one another and to practice the fine art of loving one another well – especially in those cases where there might be some disagreement.
Christian believers are to make Christian fellowship a high priority. And this high priority will entail some work. For as we know, fellowship doesn’t always come so naturally or easily.
Without question, the greatest help God gives us toward this effort is his grace. God’s grace allows us to make mistakes and be forgiven. And God’s grace moves us to forgive others too.
Paul told the Philippians “you are all partakers with me of grace.” In saying this, Paul expresses his equality with them – an essential element of good fellowship. Paul may have been their teacher, but he was also a fellow sinner in need of God’s grace.
When we understand ourselves in this same way, our fellowship will be better. For although each of us have different gifts, and some of us have our own unique and assigned tasks, we are all in need of the same grace.
God’s grace is what ultimately makes for good fellowship. And not just because of the equality but also because of what it says about our God. Grace teaches us that God loves us and wants to work with us. We see this as he took on human flesh and came into our troubled world. And we see this as he endured the cross to save us.
Grace teaches us that God wants us to find joy and to be at peace. These are reflected in Paul’s prayers of joy for the Philippians and in his words of certainty about them. For he said: “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
When we are in fellowship with Christ Jesus, we can endure until the end. And this fellowship will be strengthened and perfected as we engage in fellowship with our fellow believers.
May God bless us in all our fellowship endeavors. And may God use them to help us endure in faith.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY (Stand) O Come, O Come, Emmanuel 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!
2 O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who ord’rest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go. Refrain
3 O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the Law
In cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain
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
6 O come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight. 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
APOSTLES’ CREED Hymnal, back cover
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.
And 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 sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence 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.
OFFERING
Offerings support the church’s mission work – both here and through our many partners. Offerings may be placed in the box at the sanctuary entrance or sent to the church through our website or the mail. Fellowship Cards help us welcome new people and track participation. Please fill one out and place it in the offering box following the service.
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH (Stand)
Holy God, You sent Your Son to purify us, that we might be righteous and holy before You. Deliver us from the love of sin, which defiles us and stains our works. Cleanse our hearts by Your grace, so that we may delight in Your promises, and our works would be pleasing to You. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Almighty God, as You sent John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord, so also send us as the people of your church to declare Your saving Word to the nations. Preserve us from temptation, protect us in suffering, and equip us with every good gift to make known the Christ who still comes to save. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, as You call and gather us into Your family, so bless the households of this congregation. Bless husbands and wives, children, parents and grandparents. And bless us all in our fellowship together as believers. Let our love abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment. And fill us with the righteousness that comes through Christ Jesus. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord of hosts, St. John the Baptist counseled penitent soldiers to go about their military duties according to Your Word. Remember those who serve in the armed forces. Protect them from harm, give them wisdom and courage, and grant that they fulfill their duties honorably. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Merciful Lord, Your forerunner prepared the way for the One who is mightier than all: Your Son, Jesus Christ. For His sake, we entrust to You those in need of healing, comfort and rescue, especially those on our prayer list and those we name before you in our hearts at this time… Have mercy upon them, deliver them according to Your will, and strengthen them in faith, that they might be assured of Your care. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Gracious Lord, You sent St. John the Baptist to prepare all flesh to see the salvation of God. Prepare also the hearts of all who kneel at Your altar today to receive worthily Christ’s body and blood for the forgiveness of their sins. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
All these things and whatever else You know that we need, grant us, Father, for the sake of Him who died and rose again and now lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever. Amen.
OFFERTORY (Stand) LSB 636
1 Soul, adorn yourself with gladness,
Leave the gloomy haunts of sadness,
Come into the daylight’s splendor,
There with joy your praises render.
Bless the One whose grace unbounded
This amazing banquet founded;
He, though heav’nly, high, and holy,
Deigns to dwell with you most lowly.
✠ ✠ ✠
THE LITURGY OF HOLY COMMUNION
PREFACE TO HOLY COMMUNION
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 truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, whose way John the Baptist prepared, proclaiming Him the promised Messiah, the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and calling sinners to repentance that they might escape from the wrath to be revealed when He comes again in glory. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:
SANCTUS LSB 208
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth adored;
Heav’n and earth with full acclaim shout the glory of Your name.
Sing hosanna in the highest, sing hosanna to the Lord;
Truly blest is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
Holy God, mighty Lord, gracious Father:
Endless is Your mercy and eternal your reign.
You have filled all creation with light and life;
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Through Abraham you promised to bless all nations.
You rescued Israel, your chosen people.
Through the prophets you renewed your promise;
And, at this the end of all ages, you sent your Son,
Who in words and deeds proclaimed your kingdom
and was obedient to your will, even to giving his life.
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD
PROCLAMATION OF CHRIST
As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Therefore, gracious Father; with this bread and cup
We remember the life our Lord offered for us.
And believing the witness of his resurrection,
We await his coming in power to share with us
The great and promised feast.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Join our prayers with those of your servants of every time and place,
And unite them with the ceaseless petitions of our great high priest
Until he comes as victorious Lord of all.
Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
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.
PAX DOMINI
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
Amen.
AGNUS DEI LSB 963
1 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 Your peace,
grant us Your peace.
DISTRIBUTION (Be seated)
Those wishing to commune at the foot of the steps should come forward first. Those wishing to commune at the altar rail should come forward after these, front rows first, from both sides of the aisle. After receiving, all should return to their seats. A common dismissal will be given at the end.
DISTRIUTION HYMN Comfort, Comfort Ye My People LSB 347
1 “Comfort, comfort ye My people,
Speak ye peace,” thus saith our God;
“Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Mourning ’neath their sorrows’ load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them;
Tell her that her sins I cover
And her warfare now is over.”
2 Yea, her sins our God will pardon,
Blotting out each dark misdeed;
All that well deserved His anger
He no more will see or heed.
She hath suffered many_a day,
Now her griefs have passed away;
God will change her pining sadness
Into ever-springing gladness.
3 Hark, the herald’s voice is crying
In the desert far and near,
Calling sinners to repentance,
Since the Kingdom now is here.
O that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way;
Let the valleys rise to meet Him
And the hills bow down to greet Him.
4 Make ye straight what long was crooked;
Make the rougher places plain.
Let your hearts be true and humble,
As befits His holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord
Now o’er earth is shed abroad,
And all flesh shall see the token
That His Word is never broken.
POST-COMMUNION COLLECT (Stand)
BENEDICTION
SENDING HYMN Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates LSB 341
1 Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates!
Behold, the King of glory waits.
The King of kings is drawing near;
The Savior of the world is here.
Life and salvation He doth bring;
Therefore rejoice and gladly sing.
To God the Father raise
Your joyful songs of praise.
2 A righteous Helper comes to thee;
His chariot is humility,
His kingly crown is holiness,
His scepter, pity in distress.
The end of all our woe He brings;
Therefore the earth is glad and sings.
To Christ the Savior raise
Your grateful hymns of praise.
3 How blest the land, the city blest,
Where Christ the ruler is confessed!
O peaceful hearts and happy homes
To whom this King in triumph comes!
The cloudless sun of joy is He
Who comes to set His people free.
To God the Spirit raise
Your happy shouts of praise.
4 Fling wide the portals of your heart;
Make it a temple set apart
From earthly use for heav’n’s employ,
Adorned with prayer and love and joy.
So shall your Sov’reign enter in
And new and nobler life begin.
To God alone be praise
For word and deed and grace!
5 Redeemer, come and open wide
My heart to Thee; here, Lord, abide!
O enter with Thy grace divine;
Thy face of mercy on me shine.
Thy Holy Spirit guide us on
Until our glorious goal is won.
Eternal praise and fame
We offer to Thy name.
ANNOUNCEMENTS (Be seated)
DISMISSAL
POSTLUDE Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates Setting: Jim Vyhanek
Those serving:
8:00 a.m.
Greeter: Bob Juenger
Comm. assist: Judy Koucky
Reader: Michael Chamberlain
10:30 a.m.
Greeter: SP Youth
Comm. assist: SP Youth/Jill Hecht
Reader: SP Youth
Acolyte: Ian Lynch
AV Assistants: Hannes Buuck, Andreas Buuck
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 © 2024 Concordia Publishing House.
352 Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord Text: Heinrich Held, 1620–59; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–78, alt. Tune: Geystliche gesangk Buchleyn, 1524, Wittenberg, ed. Johann Walter Text and tune: Public domain
937 Lord, Bid Your Servant Go in Peace Text (sts. 1–2): James Quinn, 1919–2010; (st. 3): Henry V. Gerike, 1948 Tune: American Text (sts. 1–2): © 1969, 1989 OCP Publications; (st. 3): © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: Public domain
344 On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry Text: Charles Coffin, 1676–1749; tr. Composite Tune: adapt. Michael Praetorius, 1571–1621 Text and tune: Public domain
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
347 Comfort, Comfort Ye My People Text: Johann Olearius, 1611–84; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–78, alt. Tune: Trente quatre Pseaumes de David, 1551, Geneva, ed. Louis Bourgeois Text and tune: Public domain
341 Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates Text: Georg Weissel, 1590–1635; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–78, alt. Tune: August Lemke, 1820–1913 Text and tune: Public domain
515 Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers Text: Laurentius Laurenti, 1660–1722; tr. Sarah B. Findlater, 1823–1907, alt. Text: Public domain Setting John Ferguson
