Virtual Worship for December 12, 2021
Third Sunday of Advent
Worship at 9:00 a.m.
The congregation reads the boldface responses.
Once the prelude has begun, please cease all conversation
as we prepare our hearts and minds for worship.
PRELUDE
O Come Divine Messiah - Venez, divin Messie
GATHERING
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please stand as you are able.
GATHERING HYMN
Savior of the Nations Come (LBW 28)
1. Savior of the nations, come; show the glory of the Son!
Ev’ry people, stand in awe; praise the perfect Son of God.
2. Not of human seed or worth, but from God’s own mystic breath,
fruit in Mary’s womb begun when God breathed the Word, his Son.
3. Wondrous birth! Oh, wondrous child of the virgin undefiled!
Mighty God and man in one, eager now his race to run!
4. God the Father is his source, back to God he runs his course;
down to death and hell descends, God’s high throne he reascends.
5. He leaves heaven to return; trav’ling where dull hellfires burn;
riding out, returning home as the Savior who has come.
6. God the Father’s precious Son girds himself in flesh to run
for the trophies of our souls, longer than this round earth rolls.
7. Shining stable in the night, breathing vict’ry with your light;
darkness cannot hide your flame, shining bright as Jesus’ name.
Text: attr. St. Ambrose, 340-397
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
All may make the sign of the cross, the sign that is marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
who alone does wonders,
who lifts up the lowly,
who fills the hungry with good things.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin, trusting in the tender mercy of our God.
Silence is kept for reflection.
God for whom we wait,
in the presence of one another,
we confess our sin before you.
We fail in believing that your good news is for us.
We falter in our call to tend your creation.
We find our sense of self in material wealth.
We fear those different from ourselves.
We forget that we are your children
and turn away from your love.
Forgive us, Blessed One,
and assure us again of your saving grace.
Amen.
God, in Christ Jesus, has looked with favor upon you!
Through the power of the Holy Spirit,
☩ your sins are forgiven.
You are children of the Most High,
inheritors of the eternal promise,
and recipients of divine mercy.
God strengthens you anew to follow the way of peace.
Amen.
LIGHTING THE ADVENT WREATH
O come, O 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: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
The candles of the advent wreath are violet or blue, the color of
royalty, and the color of humility and penitence.
The mood is set for the coming of the king, the one who will heal and save.
The third candle of Advent is often called the Shepherd’s candle,
reminding us of the act of sharing Christ. The candle is often
pink, symbolizing the joy of this Sunday of praise. Hear the
words of Luke 2:9-10: An angel of the Lord stood before the
shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and
they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be
afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for
all the people!”
The angel said all people will share God’s great joy for the earth!
How can it not be true? For if the glory of the Lord shines upon
those who are dirty from keeping the sheep, it must certainly shine on us!
Thanks be to God!
Let us pray together:
O God, in the darkness we light a flame of hope.
Allow it to dance not only upon our Advent wreath,
but within each of our hearts as well.
With joy, we keep the tradition of ages past as we encircle our
advent wreath with love and prayerful expectation.
May this advent season bring us a new birth of hope
in the ancient promises of God. Amen.
O come, O Dayspring, come and cheer;
O Sun of justice, now draw near.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death's dark shadow put to flight. Refrain
GREETING
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.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Stir up the wills of your faithful people, Lord God, and open our ears to the preaching of John, that, rejoicing in your salvation, we may bring forth the fruits of repentance; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
A PRAYER FOR THE CALL COMMITTEE
Dear God, we thank you for your continued guidance as we look for the next pastor to lead, inspire, and help our church grow. We ask that you bless our call committee. Keep their hearts open and their eyes looking to you, so that you may direct all that they do towards the vision and plan you have for us. Again, we thank you Lord for all your blessings of wisdom, knowledge, and strength during this time of transition and your plentiful blessings unbeknown to us in the future. We pray this in your name. Amen.
Please be seated.
WORD
FIRST READING
Zephaniah 3:14-20
The prophet Zephaniah’s message is mostly one of judgment for sin. This reading, however, which comes from the conclusion of the book, prophesies joy for Judah and Jerusalem. Judgment has led to repentance, and God’s salvation is at hand.
14Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
15The Lord has taken away the judgments against you,
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.
16On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
17The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
18as on a day of festival.
I will remove disaster from you,
so that you will not bear reproach for it.
19I will deal with all your oppressors
at that time.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
20At that time I will bring you home,
at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes, says the Lord.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALMODY
Isaiah 12:2-6
(Read responsively.)
2Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid,
for the Lord God is my strength and my might, and has become my salvation.
3With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
4And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on God’s name;
make known the deeds of the Lord among the nations; proclaim that this name is exalted.
5Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be known in all the earth.
6Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
SECOND READING
Philippians 4:4-7
Despite being in prison, Paul is remarkably upbeat as he writes this letter. Here, he urges his friends in Philippi to trust God with all their worries and concerns with the hope that they will experience God’s joy and peace.
4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Please stand as you are able.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
GOSPEL
Luke 3:7-18
The holy gospel according to Luke.
Glory to you, O Lord.
7John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 9Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” 11In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” 12Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” 14Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”
15As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
18So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Please be seated.
SERMON
The Peace of God
Pastor Brown
Please stand as you are able.
HYMN OF THE DAY
People Look East (WOV 626)
1. People, look east. The time is near
of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east, and sing today—
Love, the Guest, is on the way.
2. Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,
one more seed is planted there.
Give up your strength the seed to nourish,
that in course the flow'r may flourish.
People, look east, and sing today.
Love, the Rose, is on the way.
3. Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim,
one more light the bowl shall brim,
shining beyond the frosty weather,
bright as sun and moon together.
People, look east, and sing today—
Love, the Star, is on the way.
4. Angels announce with shouts of mirth
him who brings new life to earth.
Set ev'ry peak and valley humming
with the word, the Lord is coming.
People, look east, and sing today—
Love, the Lord, is on the way.
Text: Eleanor E. Farjeon, 1881-1965
Text © Miss E. Farjeon Will Trust, by permission of David Higham Associates.
APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
In this season of watching and waiting, let us pray for all people and places that yearn for God’s presence.
A brief silence.
The response to “Lord, in your mercy,” is “hear our prayer.”
The prayers conclude:
God of new life, you come among us in the places we least expect. Receive these prayers and those of our hearts, in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Please be seated.
OFFERING
OFFERTORY
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear - Richard Storrs Willis
Ruthann Germann – Bell Tree
Please stand as you are able.
OFFERING PRAYER
God of our waiting and watching,
we offer the gifts of our hearts and our lives
to the service of all your people.
Prepare the way before us
as we meet you in this simple meal,
through Christ Jesus, our pathway and our peace.”
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.
SENDING
BLESSING
The God of Hope
fill us with all joy and peace in believing,
so that we may abound in hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
though Christ Jesus ☩ for who we wait.
Amen.
SENDING HYMN
Joy to the World (LBW 39)
1. 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.
2. Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let all their songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
3. No more let sin and sorrow 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.
4. 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.
Text: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Christ is near.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE
The King of Glory Comes - Israeli Folk Hymn
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