| Prelude
Greeting and Welcome
Lighting of the Candles
Opening Sentences P: The Spirit and the Church cry out: C: Come, Lord Jesus. P: All those who await His appearance pray: C: Come, Lord Jesus. P: The whole creation pleads: C: Come, Lord Jesus.
Opening Hymn – Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending (LSB 336)
Lo! He comes with clouds descending, Once for ev’ry sinner slain; Thousand thousand saints attending Swell the triumph of His train: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Christ the Lord returns to reign.
Ev’ry eye shall now behold Him Robed in glorious majesty; Those who set at naught and sold Him, Pierced and nailed Him to the tree, Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing, Shall their true Messiah see.
Those dear tokens of His passion Still His dazzling body bears, Cause of endless exultation To His ransomed worshipers. With what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture Gaze we on those glorious scars!
Yea, amen, let all adore Thee, High on Thine eternal throne; Savior, take the pow’r and glory, Claim the kingdom as Thine own. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Thou shalt reign, and Thou alone!
Thanksgiving for Light P: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who led Your people Israel by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Enlighten our darkness by the light of Your Christ; may His Word be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path; for You are merciful, and You love Your whole creation and we, Your creatures, glorify You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. C: Amen.
Psalm P: Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up Your might and come to save us! Restore us, O God; let Your face shine, that we may be saved! C: Restore us, Lord of hosts, we pray, Stir up Your pow’r again. Smile on us, save us, Christ, our Lord, Within us come to reign. P: O LORD God of hosts, how long will You be angry with Your people’s prayers? You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure. You make us an object of contention for our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves. Restore us, O God of hosts; let Your face shine, that we may be saved! C: Restore us, Lord of hosts, we pray, Stir up Your pow’r again. Smile on us, save us, Christ, our Lord, Within us come to reign. P: But let Your hand be on the man of Your right hand, the son of man whom You have made strong for Yourself! Then we shall not turn back from You; give us life, and we will call upon Your name! Restore us, O LORD God of hosts! Let Your face shine, that we may be saved! C: Restore us, Lord of hosts, we pray, Stir up Your pow’r again. Smile on us, save us, Christ, our Lord, Within us come to reign.
First Reading - Isaiah 64:1–9 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil—to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him. You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Be not so terribly angry, O LORD, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people.
Second Reading - 2 Corinthians 8:1–15 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich… And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”
Sermon Hymn – Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart (LSB 806)
Give thanks with a grateful heart, Give thanks to the Holy One, Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ His Son. (2x)
And now let the weak say “I am strong,” Let the poor say “I am rich,” Because of what the Lord has done for us. (2x)
Give thanks, give thanks.
Sermon
Prayers P: Let us pray. O Shepherd of Israel, hear us as we pray for ourselves and all the Church: Strengthen our hope and increase faith and love among us and toward the world. Use us as fits Your gracious plans for them. C: Hear our prayer, O Lord. Restore us, stir up Your might, and come to save us. P: Lord over all the angels, hear us as we pray for all who have been forgotten by the world’s commerce: Surround with faith-filled people all who are hungry and homeless, the many who are migrants and refugees, people dealing with sudden ills and long-term disabilities, and all who are in mourning. Use us as fits Your gracious plans for them. C: Hear our prayer, O Lord. Restore us, stir up Your might, and come to save us. P: Regard us, the fruitful vine You have planted, as we struggle in this dark world: Renew in us true faith and peace, faithfulness in worship, spiritual vitality, and confidence in Your promise of eternal life. Grant that many join us in fruitful worship. Use us as fits Your gracious plans for them. C: Hear our prayer, O Lord. Restore us, stir up Your might, and come to save us. P: By the blessed coming of Your Son, whose death purchased us as Your own people, grant these our prayers, for we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. C: Amen.
Collect for Today P: Restore us by Your grace, heavenly Father, and strengthen us C: that we may serve You and love the people around us, confident that You sent Your Son to redeem us to be Your own people, P: through the same Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen.
Collect from Sunday P: Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, C: that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance; P: for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen.
Luther’s Evening Prayer I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angels be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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.
Benediction P: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and + give you peace. C: Amen.
Closing Hymn – Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow (LSB 805)
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host: Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
+ + +
+ WORSHIP LEADERS + Preacher/Liturgist – Pastor Scott Jonas Pianist – Janet Leet Sound/Video – John Steele
Acknowledgments Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. | 
