Welcome & Announcements

Prelude

Confession and Forgiveness:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be God’s name forever! Amen.

Beloved, now is the time to wake from sleep. Let us confront our since, and confess them to the one who is merciful and just.

Silence is kept for reflection.

God of new beginnings,
we confess that we have not welcomed your holy reign.  We have strayed from your paths.  We prepare for war instead of peace.  We dishonor one another and your creation.  Purify us with your refining fire and set us again on your way of love, that we may bear fruit worthy of repentance, and welcome your coming among us.  Amen.

People of God, a new thing is growing in our midst, a tender branch, a living sign. By water and the Spirit you are joined to this wonder. You have put on + Christ, and your sins have been washed away. Rejoice in the way of the Lord.
Amen.

Opening Hymn: ELW 242 “Awake! Awake, and Greet the New Morn”

Awake! Awake and greet the new morn, for angels herald its dawning.
sing out your joy, for Jesus is born, behold! the Child of our longing.
Come as a baby weak and poor, to bring all hearts together,
to open wide the heavenly door, and lives now inside us forever.

To us, to all in sorrow and fear, Emmanuel comes a-singing,
whose humble song is quiet and near, yet fills the earth with its ringing.
Music to heal the broken soul and hymns of loving kindness,
the thunder of the anthems roll to shatter all hate and injustice.

In deepest night Christ’s coming shall be, when all the world is despairing,
as morning light so quiet and free, so warm and gentle and caring.
One without voice breaks forth in song, a lame one leaps in wonder,
the weak are raised above the strong, and weapons are broken asunder.

Rejoice, rejoice, take heart in the night, though cold the winter and cheerless,
the rising sun shall crown you with light, be strong and loving and fearless;
Love be our song and love our prayer, and love, our endless story,
may God fill every day we share, and bring us at last into glory.

Apostolic Greeting:
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.

O come, O 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.

O come, O wisdom from on high, embracing all things far and nigh,
in strength and beauty come and stay, teach us your will and guide our way.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

Prayer of the Day:
Let us pray.
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. By your merciful protection save us from the threatening dangers of our sins, and enlighten our walk in the way of your salvation, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

First Reading: Genesis 16:7-13
⁷Now the messenger of the ALL-SEEING GOD found Hagar by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring that is beside the road to Shur.  ⁸And the messenger said, “Hagar, slave-girl of Sarai, from where have you come and where are you going?”  And she said, “From my mistress Sarai I am fleeing.” ⁹The messenger of the INSCRUTABLE GOD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and subject yourself to her.”

¹⁰The messenger of the WELLSPRING OF LIFE said to Hagar, “Greatly I will multiply your seed, so they cannot be counted for multitude.”  ¹¹Then the messenger of the FOUNT OF LIFE said to her: “Look!  You are pregnant and shall give birth to a son, and you shall call him Ishmael (meaning God hears), for the FAITHFUL ONE  has heard of your abuse. ¹²He shall be a wild ass of a man, with his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall live in the sight of all his kin.”

¹³So Hagar named the LIVING GOD who spoke to her: “You are El-ro’I”; for she said, “Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing God?”

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!

Lighting of the Advent Wreath:
Let us pray.
Praise to you, O God, our salvation who is near. You hold us in our waiting, and keep us awake to the world. You show up in our lives at unexpected times. Bless us as we light this candle to keep vigil for your arrival. We trust that even though we do not know the day or the hour, you hurry to gather all people to your peace.
Amen.

Light one candle to watch for Messiah
let the light banish darkness.

He shall bring salvation to Israel, 
God fulfills the promise.

Gospel Reading: Luke 1:26-38
This is the Holy Gospel according to Luke, the 1st chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.

²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee, Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the name of the virgin was Mary. ²⁸And the angel came to Mary and said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Most High God is with you.” ²⁹Now, she was troubled by the angel’s words and pondered what sort of greeting this was. ³⁰Then the angel said to her, “Fear not Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And now, you will conceive in your womb give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High,, and the Sovereign God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his sovereignty there will be no end.” ³⁴Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have not known a man intimately?” ³⁵The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit, She will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the one born will be holy. He will be called Son of God. ³⁶And now, Elizabeth your kinswoman has even conceived in her old age, and this is the sixth month for she who was called barren. ³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸Then Mary said, “Here am I, the woman-slave of God; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

Children’s Message

Sermon

Hymn of the Day: ELW 265  “The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came”
The angel Gabriel from heaven came, with wings as drifted snow, with eyes as flame:
“All hail to thee, O lowly maiden Mary, most highly favored lady,” Gloria!

“For know a blessed Mother thou shalt be, all generations laud and honor thee;
thy son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold, most highly favored lady.” Gloria!

Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head; “To me be as it pleaseth God,” she said,
“My soul shall laud and magnify God’s holy name.” Most highly favored lady, Gloria!

Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born in Bethlehem all on a Christmas morn,
and Christian folk throughout the world will ever say: “Most highly favored lady.” Gloria!

Apostle’s Creed:
Let us confess our faith using the Apostle’s Creed:
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the dead.*
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession:
As we prepare for the fullness of Christ’s presence, let us pray for a world that yearns for new hope.

Prayers continue with each petition ending:

God, in your mercy
hear our prayer.

God of our longing, you know our deepest needs. By your Spirit, gather our prayers and join them with the prayers of all your children. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.

Sharing of the Peace:
May the peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.

Offering:
https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/468062

Offertory Hymn:
Let the vineyards be fruitful, Lord, and fill to the brim our cups of blessing.
Gather a harvest from the seeds that were sown, that we may be fed with the bread of life
Gather the hopes and dreams of all; united them with the prayers we offer.
Grace our table with your presence, and give us a foretaste of the feast to come.

Offering Prayer:
Let us pray.
Eternal God, you make the desert bloom and send springs of water to thirsty ground. Receive these simple gifts of bread, wine, and money, and make us messengers of your mercy and love for all in need of your healing and justice. We ask this through Christ our Savior.
Amen.

The 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 our thanks and praise.

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ. You comforted your people with the promise of the Redeemer, through whom you will also make all things new in the day when he comes to judge the world in righteousness. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, Lord God of pow’r and might,
heav’n 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.

Holy One, the beginning and the end, the giver of life: Blessed are you for the birth of creation. Blessed are you in the darkness and in the light. Blessed are you for your promise to your people. Blessed are you in the prophets’ hopes and dreams. Blessed are you for Mary’s openness to your will. Blessed are you for your Son Jesus, the Word made flesh.

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.

Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

With this bread and cup we remember your Word dwelling among us, full of grace and truth. We remember our new birth in his death and resurrection. We look with hope for his coming.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Holy God, we long for your Spirit. Come among us. Bless this meal. May your Word take flesh in us. Awaken your people. Fill us with your light. Bring the gift of peace on earth.
Come, Holy Spirit.

All praise and glory are yours, Holy One of Israel, Word of God incarnate, Power of the Most High, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Lord’s Prayer:
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us 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.

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, grant us peace.

Communion

Table Blessing:
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
Amen.

Post-Communion Canticle:
Thankful hearts and voices raise; tell everyone what God has done.
Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and bear Christ’s holy name.
Send us with your promises, O God, and lead us forth in joy with shouts of thanksgiving.  Alleluia

Post-Communion Prayer:
Let us pray.
Faithful God, in this meal you have remembered your mercy, bringing heaven and earth in the body and blood of Christ. As we wait for the day when all your promises will be fulfilled, sustain us and strengthen us by this holy mystery. Guide us toward your promised future, coming to birth in Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.
Amen.

Benediction:
God the eternal Word, who dwells with us in Jesus, and who holds us in the grace of the Holy Spirit, + bless you now and forever.
Amen.

Sending Hymn: ELW 244  “Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers

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.

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.

The saints, who here in patience their cross and sufferings 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.

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!

Dismissal:
Go in peace. Christ is near!
Thanks be to God!

Postlude

 

Prayer Requests: Dale Strassner, Alec Brock, Dave Wall, Liz Smith and Baby Grace, family and friends of Matt Rosamilia, family and friends of Michael McCollum, Mark Rabuck, Ryan Hunter, Rusty, Shirley Russell, Russ Wynn, Viv Marsh, Gladys Fawcett,  Alice Snyder, Marie Tanner, Peg Swinehart, Martha Ketchem, Bob Keifer.

 

Portions reprinted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, copyright 2006.  Used by permission of Augsburg Fortress, license #SBL09796L.  Music reprinted from the ELW, by permission of OneLicense, license #A712349.  Scripture quotations are from the 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.