Welcome & Announcements

Prelude

Confession & 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.

Silence is kept for reflection.

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. [pause]

We falter in our call to tend your creation. [pause]

We find our sense of self in material wealth. [pause]

We fear those different from ourselves. [pause]

We forget that we are your children and turn away from your love. [pause]

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.

Advent Prayer:
Let us pray.
Emmanuel, God with us, in the height of our Advent walk, grant us the courage to experience joy. Joy in the face of apathy, joy in the face of sorrow, joy in the face of uncertainty.
Amen.

Opening Hymn

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.

Prayer of the Day:
Let us pray.
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. With your abundant grace and might, free us from the sin that binds us, that we may receive you in joy and serve you always, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

First Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-20
¹⁴Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! ¹⁵The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. ¹⁶On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. ¹⁷The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing ¹⁸as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. ¹⁹I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. ²⁰At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Gospel: Luke 1:39-45
This is the Holy Gospel according to Luke, the 1st chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.

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.”

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

Reflections of Joy

Lighting the Advent Wreath:
Let us pray.
We praise you, O God, for this victory wreath that marks our days of preparation for Christ’s advent. As we light the candles on this wreath, strengthen our hearts as we await the Lord’s coming in glory. Enlighten us with your grace, that we may serve our neighbors in need. Grant this through Christ our Lord, whose coming is certain and whose day draws near.
Amen.

Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah

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:
In this season of watching and waiting, let us pray for all people and places that yearn for God’s presence.

Prayers continue with each petition ending:

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.

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

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.

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.

Communion

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

Post-Communion Prayer:
Let us pray.
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 the gifts of mercy and grace with all, through Christ Jesus, our host and guest.
Amen.

Benediction:
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 242 “Awake! Awake, and Greet the New Morn”

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

Go in joy. Christ is near!
Thanks be to God!

Postlude

 

 

Prayer Requests:
Dale Robbins, Barbara Church, Jim Yost, family and friends of Willard Hauck, Shirley Hauck, Malcolm Arter, Russ Wynn, Kim Payne, family and friends of Darv Krouse, family and Friends of Irene Stark, Bob, Judy Rishel, Mary Baker, Delroy Caris, Sandy Ritter, Bob Furman, family and friends of Don Katherman, Gladys Fawcett, Peyton Weiser, Glen Embeck, Marie Tanner, James Zook, Tammy Stamm, Betsy Thomas, Grace Yost, Tim Trant, Viv Marsh, Peg Swinehart, Sonja Noll, 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.