Virtual Worship for December 19, 2021

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Worship/Holy Communion 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
First Snow - Robert Prester

GATHERING 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please stand as you are able. 

GATHERING HYMN
Soon and Very Soon (WOV 744)

1.     Soon and very soon,
We are goin’ to see the King,
Soon and very soon,
We are goin’ to see the King.
Soon and very soon,
We are goin’ to see the King,
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
We are goin’ to see the King.

2.     No more cryin’ there,
We are goin’ to see the King,
No more cryin’ there,
Because We are goin’ to see the King.
No more cryin’ there,
Cause We are goin’ to see the King,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
We are goin’ to see the King.

3.     No more dyin’ there,
We are goin’ to see the King,
No more dyin’ there,
We are goin’ to see the King.
No more dyin’ there,
We are goin’ to see the King,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
We are goin’ to see the King.

4. Soon and very soon,
We are goin’ to see the King,
Soon and very soon,
We are goin’ to see the King.
Soon and very soon,
We are goin’ to see the King,
Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Text © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship, admin. Augsburg Fortress. 

OPENING LITANY

P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C: and also with you.
P: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
C: Christ is the heart of Christmas!
P: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
C: Christ is the heart of Christmas!
P: I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord.
C: Christ is the heart of Christmas!
P: Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.
C: Christ is the heart of Christmas!
P: That Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.
C: Christ is the heart of Christmas! Amen!

LIGHTING THE ADVENT WREATH 

O come, O King of nations, come,
O Cornerstone that binds in one:
refresh the hearts that long for you;
restore the broken, make us new.  Refrain

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 fourth candle of Advent is often called the Angels Candle a candle of love.  Hear the words of Luke 2:11-12: To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord!  And this will be a sign for you: you will find the child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.
What began as one flame, dim in the darkness, now grows and glows, reflecting its light off our waiting faces.

Were the angels glowing with their own light?  Or were they merely reflecting the light from above--charged with the glory of the Lord?
May we always glow as bright!

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 come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.  Refrain

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. With your abundant grace and might, free us from the sin that binds us, that we may receive you in joy and serve you always, for you live and reign with the Father 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.

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

I.                 Mary and Joseph  

  Hymn: What Child is This  (LBW 40)

What child is this, who laid to rest,
on Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
while shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste to bring Him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

II.                Animals    

Hymn: Away in a Manger (LBW 67)
1. Away in a manger, no crib for His bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head;
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

2. The cattle are lowing; the poor baby wakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.
I love You, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

III.              Angels

  Hymn: Angels We Have Heard on High (LBW 60)
1. Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o’er the plains,
and the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains.

  CHORUS: Glo-ria in excelsis Deo!  Glo-ria in excelsis Deo!

2. Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be which inspire your heavenly song?  CHORUS

IV.             Shepherds 

  Hymn:  Go Tell It On the Mountain (LBW 70)

CHORUS: Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
Go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.

  1. While shepherds kept their watching o’er silent flocks by night,
behold, throughout the heavens there shone a holy light.  CHORUS

  2. The shepherds feared and trembled when lo, above the earth
rang out the angel chorus that hailed our Savior’s birth.  CHORUS

 V.               Wise Persons and Star

  Hymn: We Three Kings (WOV 646)

We three kings of Orient are; bearing gifts we traverse afar,
field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star.

  REFRAIN: Oh, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright;
westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect Light!

 VI.             Conclusion

Hymn of the Day: Joy to the World (LBW 39 v.1,2,4)

  1. Joy to the world, the Lord is come!  Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room!
And heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

  2. Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!  Let all their songs employ,
While field and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

  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.

Please stand as you are able.

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. 

MEAL

OFFERING

OFFERTORY
Mary Did You Know - Buddy Greene
Linda Dillinger - Soloist

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. 

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING

DIALOGUE 

The Lord be with you.
And also with you. 

Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord. 

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise. 

PREFACE

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God,
through our Savior Jesus Christ.
You comforted your people with the promise of the Redeemer,
through whom you will also make all things new
in the day when he comes to judge the world in righteousness.
And so, with all the choirs of angels,
with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven,
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of pow’r and might:
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna. Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. 

THANKSGIVING AT THE TABLE

Holy One, the beginning and the end, the giver of life:
Blessed are you for the birth of creation.
Blessed are you in the darkness and in the light.
Blessed are you for your promise to your people.
Blessed are you in the prophets’ hopes and dreams.
Blessed are you for Mary’s openness to your will.
Blessed are you for your Son Jesus,
the Word made flesh. 

In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me. 

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me. 

Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again. 

With this bread and cup
we remember your Word dwelling among us,
full of grace and truth.
We remember our new birth in his death and resurrection.
We look with hope for his coming.
Come, Lord Jesus. 

Holy God, we long for your Spirit.
Come among us.
Bless this meal.
May your Word take flesh in us.
Awaken your people.
Fill us with your light.
Bring the gift of peace on earth.
Come, Holy Spirit. 

All praise and glory are yours,
Holy One of Israel,
Word of God incarnate,
Power of the Most High,
one God, now and forever.
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.

INVITATION TO COMMUNION

Come to Christ’s banquet.
Feast on God’s gift of grace. 

COMMUNION

Holy Communion will be consumed together
 by the congregation at your seats. 

When giving the bread and cup, the pastors will say:
The body of Christ given for you. The blood of Christ shed for you.
Everyone may respond by saying: Amen. 

POST-COMMUNION BLESSING

The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.  Amen.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Most High God,
you have come among us at this table.
by the Spirit’s power, form us to be bearers of your word,
sharing gifts of mercy and grace with all,
through Christ Jesus for whom we wait.
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
The First Noel (LBW 56)

1. The first Noel the angel did say
was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
in fields where they lay, keeping their sheep,
on a cold winter’s night that was so deep.

    REFRAIN: Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel!
Born is the King of Israel.

 2. They look-ed up, and saw a star
shining in the east beyond them far;
and to the earth it gave great light,
and so it continued both day and night.  REFRAIN

 3. And by the light of that same star
three Wise Men came from country far;
to seek for a King was their intent,
and to follow the star wherever it went.  REFRAIN

 4. This star drew near to the northwest,
o’er Bethlehem it took its rest;
and there it did both stop and stay
right over the place where Jesus lay.  REFRAIN

 5. Then entered in those Wise Men three,
full reverently upon their knee,
and offered there in His presence
their gold, and myrrh, and frankincense.  REFRAIN

DISMISSAL

Go in peace. Christ is near.
Thanks be to God. 

POSTLUDE
GAUDETE! GAUDETE! CHRISTUS EST NATUS - traditional

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