| Prelude Greeting and Welcome Lighting of the Candles Hymn of Invocation – Savior of the Nations, Come (LSB 332, verses 1-3, 8) Savior of the nations, come, Virgin’s Son, make here Your home! Marvel now, O heav’n and earth, That the Lord chose such a birth. Not by human flesh and blood, By the Spirit of our God, Was the Word of God made flesh— Woman’s offspring, pure and fresh. Here a maid was found with child, Yet remained a virgin mild. In her womb this truth was shown: God was there upon His throne. Glory to the Father sing, Glory to the Son, our king, Glory to the Spirit be Now and through eternity. + Preparation + Invocation P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit C: Amen.
Confession and Absolution P: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. C: But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Silence for reflection on God's Word and for self-examination. P: Let us then confess our sins to God our Father. C: Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. 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 + Introit P: Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence. C: I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; P: my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. C: O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. P: And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. All: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen P: Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence. Kyrie P: In peace let us pray to the Lord. C: Lord, have mercy. P: For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord. C: Lord, have mercy. P: For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord. C: Lord, have mercy. P: For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord. C: Lord, have mercy. P: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord. C: Amen. Salutation and Collect of the Day P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. P: Let us pray. Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. First Reading – Isaiah 7:10–17 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. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.” P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Epistle – Romans 1:1–7 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Alleluia and Verse Alleluia. Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia, alleluia. 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 Hymn – Jesus, Name Above All Names (AGPS 145) Jesus, name above all names Beautiful Savior, glorious Lord, Emmanuel, God is with us, Blessed Redeemer, living Word.
Jesus, loving shepherd, Vine of the branches, Son of God Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Lord of the universe, Light of the world. Children’s Message – Janet Leet Hymn of the Day – O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (LSB 357, verses 1, 5) O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. Refrain Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, Thou Key of David, come, And open wide our heav’nly home; Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery. Refrain Sermon – “What About Joseph?” 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 + Celebrating birthdays this week: 21 – Sherman Moore; 24 – Jean Peterson; 25 – Mary Skouby, John Willmann; 29 – William Sowers; 30 – Karen Frimel; 31 – Andrew Grossenheider + Wedding anniversaries: 29 – Jon & Sue Schultz Special Celebrations and Needs: + Church family members: Valerie Wehmueller, recuperating at home; Pastor Scott, recovering from a stroke; Ken Kight Jr., diagnosed with colon cancer; Mark Schultz, undergoing radiation treatments + Friends of our congregation: Myron, father-in-law of Grace (Jonas) Morse, receiving radiation treatment; Mary Ann, friend of Jan Cosby, upon her metastatic cancer diagnosis; Kelly, a CCLS teacher, who miscarried at 20 weeks; Charlie, nephew of Tim Cosby, fighting RSV; Penny Jonas, mother of Pastor Jonas, in a rehab facility; Kim, daughter of Karen and Greg Frimel, fighting cancer + Those who are homebound or in nursing facilities: Twylah Atwood, Mary Aufderheide, Jules & Mary Bush, Frank & Sharon Gaal, Mary Guinon, Jerry & Jane Keathley, Rosemary Orloff, Judy Thielker, Shirley Williams | 
