| 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 – Comfort, Comfort Ye My People (LSB 347)
“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.”
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.
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.
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.
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 24 P: The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, C: for He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. P: Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in His holy place? C: He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. P: He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. C: Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. P: Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. C: Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! P: Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. C: Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory!
Old Testament – Daniel 2:36-49 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.” Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.
Epistle – Ephesians 5:15–21 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Holy Gospel – Luke 1:67-80 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Hymn of the Day – Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates (LSB 341)
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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 – On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry (LSB 344)
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!
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.
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.
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.
All praise, eternal Son, to Thee Whose advent sets Thy people free, Whom with the Father we adore And Holy Spirit evermore.
+ WORSHIP LEADERS + Preacher/Liturgist – Pastor Scott Jonas Organist/Pianist – Seth Carruthers Sound/Video – John Steele
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