Prelude
Greeting and Welcome
Lighting of the Candles
Hymn of Invocation – Joy to the World (LSB 387)
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.
Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love.
+ Preparation +
Invocation
P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Confession and Absolution
P: Brothers and sisters, although “God abides in us and His love is perfected in us,” we sin every day and need the assurance of His forgiveness. Let us go to God, seeking His power to amend our sinful lives. Lord Jesus, the love of God made manifest among us,
C: we have not loved You with our whole heart, nor have we loved our neighbors as ourselves. Without Your help we cannot change. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
P: Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
+ Word +
Salutation
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
Prayer of the Day
P: Let us pray. O God, You make us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
C: Grant that as we joyfully receive Him as our Redeemer, we may with sure confidence behold Him when He comes to be our Judge;
P: through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
First Reading – Isaiah 7:10–14
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Gradual – Isaiah 9:6; Psalm 98:1a
P: To us a child is born,
C: to us a son is given;
P: and the government shall be upon His shoulder.
C: And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
P: Sing to the Lord a new song,
C: for He has done marvelous things!
Second Reading – 1 John 4:7–16
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Holy Gospel – Matthew 1:18-25
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the first chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
Children’s Song – Away in a Manger (LSB 364)
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.
The stars in the [bright] sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay
Close by me forever and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,
And take us to heaven to live with Thee there.
Children’s Message – Pastor Scott
Hymn of the Day – Angels We Have Heard on High (LSB 368)
Angels we have heard on high,
Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply,
Echoing their joyous strains. Refrain
Refrain: Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heav’nly song? Refrain
Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the newborn King. Refrain
Sermon
Apostles' Creed
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.
Prayer of the Church
P: God entered human history in the person of Jesus, who experienced all our joys and sorrows. He has promised that our heavenly Father will hear whatever we ask in His name. Let us bring our requests to Him in confident faith.
Wonderful Counselor, we pray that You will give empathy, wisdom, and compassion to all who seek to meet the needs of the people around them, providing food, clothing, and shelter, tending to the sick and injured, and responding to human crises and natural disasters. Remember, we pray, those with special needs and those known only to You. As You give us opportunity, grant that we may be part of Your answers to their petitions.
Mighty God, whose Word created all things in heaven and on earth, when storms rage, fires spread, or the earth trembles, give courage and skill to those who would provide rescue, relief, and shelter. Bless those who till the soil and raise crops and all who manage and distribute the world’s bounty, that the hungry be fed, the poor clothed, and the displaced given shelter. Gracious God, receive our plea;
C: hear the prayers to You we bring, Father, Spirit, newborn King.
P: Everlasting Father, shower Your grace on all families, enabling parents and children to grow in faith and love. In neighborhoods, communities, and cities where there is discord, open doors of peace; where there is discrimination, provide justice; where there is loneliness, provide companionship. Bless individuals and organizations to use the talents and resources You provide to restore dignity, health, and peace to everyone in their care. Gracious God, receive our plea;
C: hear the prayers to You we bring, Father, Spirit, newborn King.
P: Prince of Peace, use the earthly powers that be to put into positions of authority those who will work for justice within their nations and cooperation across their borders. Give protection and courage to police and first responders in their communities and to armed forces deployed. Where wars threaten, move leaders to seek calm; where long-term animosity gives rise to fear and hatred, open avenues of communication and understanding. Grant that Your Church stand as a beacon in this troubled world to proclaim the Gospel and exhibit loving forgiveness in Your name. Grant that many find the peace they seek in You, our gracious Savior. Gracious God, receive our plea;
C: hear the prayers to You we bring, Father, Spirit, newborn King.
P: Into Your hands, heavenly Father, we commend ourselves and all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy for the sake of Him whose birth we celebrate this day, Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C: Amen.
