St. Matthew Lutheran Church

Sunday, November 29, 2020

First Sunday of Advent

Prelude: Meditation on “Freu Dich Sehr”

Welcome and Announcements

Gathering Hymn: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” – LBW # 34, vs 1 - 4

Confession & Forgiveness

Greeting & Kyrie

Canticle of Praise: “Glory to God…”

Prayer of the Day

First Reading, Isaiah 64:1-9

Psalm # 80

Second Reading, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Holy Gospel, Mark 13:24-37

Sermon

Hymn of the Day: “Beautiful Savior” – LBW # 518, vs 1 - 4

Nicene Creed

Prayers of the Church

The Lord’s Prayer

Blessing

Dismissal

Sending Hymn: “Hark the Glad Sound” - LBW # 35, vs 1 – 4

Postlude: Voluntary on “Chesterfield”

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Service Supplement

(Congregational responses are in bold print)

The community of faith comes together in worship to praise God and be nurtured by His Word and Sacrament. As the prelude begins, prepare to worship, use opportunities during the service to practice silence, to focus upon God, and to offer prayer.

Prelude Meditation on “Freu Dich Sehr”

Welcome and Announcements Pastor John

Gathering Hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” LBW # 34, vs 1 - 4

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, oh, come, great Lord of might, Who to your tribes on Sinai's height In ancient times once gave the law In cloud, and majesty, and awe. (Refrain)

Oh, come, strong Branch of Jesse, free Your own from Satan's tyranny; From depths of hell your people save And give them vict'ry o'er the grave. (Refrain)

Oh, come, blest Dayspring, come and cheer Our spirits by you advent here; Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death's dark shadows put to flight. (Refrain)

Confession & Forgiveness (Pastor)

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Most merciful God, we confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. 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. 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.

Almighty God, in his mercy, has given his Son to die for us and, for his sake, forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Greeting (Pastor)

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.

Kyrie (Worship Assistant)

In peace, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy. For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy. 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. Lord, have mercy. For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy. Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord. Amen.

Canticle of Praise “Glory to God…” (Worship Assistant)

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Prayer of the Day (Pastor)

Let us pray…Stir up your power, O Lord, and come, that by your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by your mighty deliverance; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

First Reading: Isaiah 64:1-9 (Worship Assistant)

Israel was cut off from the Lord because of their iniquity. Sin had separated them from God, but a cry went out for God not to forget them, even though they were unclean. Israel vowed to be like clay and allow God, their Father, to be the potter as they recognized that they were the very work of his hand.

¹Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence — ²as 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! ³When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. ⁴From 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. ⁵You 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? ⁶We 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. ⁷There 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. ⁸But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. ⁹Be not so terribly angry, O Lord, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people. This is the word of the Lord, thanks be to God.

Psalm: Psalm # 80 - read responsively (Worship Assistant)

The psalmist lamented to the Lord that he had left them to drown in their tears and made them a laughingstock to all their neighbors. “Let your face shine upon us,” he cried, begging the Lord to save his people from their misery. He implored the Shepherd of Israel to come and save His people.

Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.

In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up your strength and come to help us.

Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angered despite the prayers of your people?

You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have given them bowls of tears to drink.

You have made us the derision of our neighbors, and our enemies laugh us to scorn.

Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 (Worship Assistant)

Paul wrote to the church in Corinth giving thanks for them and the fact that they were enriched by the Spirit, possessing all good gifts for the sake of the ministry of the Gospel. “Christ will sustain you!” He wrote. “You were called into Christ!”

³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, ⁵that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge — ⁶even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you — ⁷so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁸who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the Word of God, word of life, thanks be to God.

Holy Gospel: Mark 13:24-37 (Pastor)

The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the 13^th Chapter. Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus explained to his followers that a time of distress would come but they would see the signs in the sun, stars and heavens that would clue them in to the time when the Son of Man would return to earth in great power and glory. Angels would be sent from the ends of the earth to gather God’s elect. Jesus assured his friends that even though heaven and earth would pass away, his Word will last forever.

²⁴Jesus said, “In those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, ²⁵and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁶And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. ²⁸From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. ³⁰Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. ³²But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. ³⁵Therefore stay awake — for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning — ³⁶lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. ³⁷And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” This is the gospel of the Lord, praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon Pastor John

*Hymn of the Day “Beautiful Savior” LBW # 518 vs. 1 - 4

Beautiful Savior, King of creation, Son of God and Son of Man! Truly I'd love Thee, Truly I'd serve thee, Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.

Fair are the meadows, Fair are the woodlands, Robed in flow'rs of blooming spring; Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer, He makes our sorrowing spirit sing.

Fair is the sunshine, Fair is the moonlight, Bright the sparkling stars on high; Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer Than all the angels in the sky.

Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations, Son of God and Son of Man! Glory and honor, Praise, adoration, Now and forevermore be thine!

Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Prayers of the Church (Worship Assistant)

(P): Walking in the light of the coming Savior, let us pray for the church, the world, and all who await God’s justice. A brief silence.

(W): God of new beginnings, in these days of Advent prepare our hearts and minds to receive your Word in ever powerful ways. By the power of your Holy Spirit, stir us to wait with joyful expectation for the coming of your Son. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(W): God of light, as the days grow shorter, fill our lives with the light of your love. Empower us to be beacons of the Christ light that is in us. May we share the good news of the coming Lord with all whom we meet. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(W): God of mercy, your anger does not last forever. Hear our prayers for forgiveness and remind us of your never-failing love. May we know your grace in such a way that we willingly extend it to those who have angered or hurt us. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(W): God of comfort, pour out your healing touch on all who cry for help. Strengthen and console those who are anxious, grieving, lonely, ill, or discouraged in any way. Shine the light of your presence into their lives through the compassion which your people share with them. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(P): Into your hands, gracious God, we commend all for who we pray, trusting in your steadfast love and faithfulness, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Let us pray the prayer our Savior taught us…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.

Blessing (Pastor)

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord’s face shine on you with grace and mercy. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. Amen.

Dismissal (Worship Assistant)

Go in peace. Christ is with you. Thanks be to God.

Sending Hymn “Hark the Glad Sound!” LBW # 35, vs 1 – 4

Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes, The Savior promised long; Let ev'ry heart prepare a throne And ev'ry voice a song.

He comes the pris'ners to release, In Satan's bondage held. The gates of brass before him burst, The iron fetters yield.

He comes the broken heart to bind, The bleeding soul to cure, And with the treasures of his grace To enrich the humble poor.

Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace, Your welcome shall proclaim, And heav'n's eternal arches ring With your beloved name.

Postlude Voluntary on “Chesterfield”