December 3rd, 2017
First Sunday of Advent
Holy Communion (ELW 5)
INTRODUCTION
Stir up your power, and come! The psalmists plea in Psalm 80:2 has
become familiar to us in the Advent prayers. Isaiah wants God to rip the
heavens open. Both cry out for an apparently distant, angry God to show
up, to save, to restore. When we hear Jesus describing the coming of the
Son of Man with stars falling from heaven, it can sound dire and horrible,
not like anything we would ever hope for. But when we really look at the
suffering of people God loves, we can share the hope that God would tear
open the heavens and come.
CHILDREN are always welcome to our Worship Service. Rainbow bags
and a cry room are available. A staffed nursery is also available if needed.
An usher will gladly provide you with assistance.
As a worship courtesy, we ask that you please turn off or set to vibrate
all cellular telephones and pagers during the worship service.
We ask that all present today please fill out the Attendance and Communion
registration card found in your bulletin and place it in the offering plate so
that we may record your presence with us.
PRAYER UPON ENTERING THE PEW
Blessed Lord God, you have caused the holy scriptures to be written for the
nourishment of your people. Grant that we may hear them, read, mark,
learn, and inwardly digest them, that, comforted by your promises, we may
embrace and forever hold fast to the hope of eternal life, which you have
given us in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
THE ORDER OF WORSHIP
PRELUDE Prelude in Eb from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2 Bach
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
All may stand and make the sign of the cross, the sign with which we are
marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.
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.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Please kneel, silence is kept for reflection.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we are captive 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.
God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and
made us alive together through Christ. By grace you have been saved. In
the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God
strengthen you through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts
through and show forth in your lives. Amen.
Please stand and sing:
GATHERING SONG: Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying (ELW 436)
GREETING

Behold, now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation. 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

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. By your merciful protection
alert us to the threatening dangers of our sins, and redeem us for your life of
justice, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and forever. Amen.

Please be seated.

CHILDRENS MESSAGE

BLESSING OF THE ADVENT WREATH

We praise you, O God, for this evergreen crown that marks our days of
preparation for Christs advent. As we light the first candle on this wreath,
rouse us from sleep, that we may be ready to greet our Lord when he comes
with all the saints and angels. Enlighten us with your grace, and prepare our
hearts to welcome him with joy. Grant this through Christ our Lord, whose
coming is certain and whose day draws near. Amen.

CONGREGATIONAL SONG:
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, vv. 1-3 (ELW 257)
FIRST READING: Isaiah 64:1-9 PSALM 80:1-7, 17-19

A reading from Isaiah. Refrain:

This lament comes from a people who have had their hopes shattered. The
visions of a rebuilt Jerusalem and a renewed people of God, spoken of in
Isaiah 4055, have not been realized. Instead, the people experience ruin,
conflict, and famine. This lament calls God to accountto be the God who
has brought deliverance in the past.
1
O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,
so that the mountains would quake at your presence
2
as when fire kindles brushwood Tone:
and the fire causes water to boil
to make your name known to your adversaries,
so that the nations might tremble at your presence!
3
When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect,
you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. 1
Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph | like a flock;
4
From ages past no one has heard, shine forth, you that are enthroned up- | on the cherubim.
no ear has perceived, 2
In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, | and Manasseh,
no eye has seen any God besides you, stir up your strength and | come to help us.
who works for those who wait for him. 3
Restore | us, O God;
5
You meet those who gladly do right, let your face shine upon us, and we | shall be saved.
those who remember you in your ways. 4
O LORD| God of hosts,
But you were angry, and we sinned; how long will your anger fume when your | people pray? R
because you hid yourself we transgressed. 5
You have fed them with the | bread of tears;
6
We have all become like one who is unclean, you have given them bowls of | tears to drink.
and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. 6
You have made us the derision | of our neighbors,
We all fade like a leaf, and our enemies laugh | us to scorn.
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. 7
Restore us, O | God of hosts;
7
There is no one who calls on your name, let your face shine upon us, and we | shall be saved.
or attempts to take hold of you; 17
Let your hand be upon the one at | your right hand,
for you have hidden your face from us, the one you have made so strong | for yourself. R
and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.
8
Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; 18
And so will we never turn a- | way from you;
we are the clay, and you are our potter; give us life, that we may call up- | on your name.
we are all the work of your hand. 19
Restore us, O LORD| God of hosts;
9
Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD, let your face shine upon us, and we | shall be saved. R
and do not remember iniquity forever.
Now consider, we are all your people. SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

The word of the Lord. As the Christians in Corinth await the advent of Jesus, Paul reminds them
Thanks be to God. how the Lord has already enriched them through spiritual gifts and will
continue to strengthen them until the coming day of the Lord.
3
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God
that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5for in every way you have been
enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind6just as the
testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you7so that you are not
lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus
Christ. 8He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be
blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful; by him you
were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Please stand for the reading of the gospel.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION AND VERSE
Verse: Show us your steadfast | love, O LORD,*
and grant us | your salvation. (Psalm 85:7)
GOSPEL: Mark 13:24-37
As the Gospel is announced, worshippers are invited to trace a cross upon
their forehead, then over their lips, and then over their hearts, silently
praying, May the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ be ever on my mind, on
my lips, and in my heart.
The holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Mark
Glory to you, O Lord!
In todays reading, Jesus encourages his followers to look forward to the
day when he returns in power and glory to end all suffering.
[Jesus said:] 24In those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
25
and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26
Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power
and glory. 27Then 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.
28
From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes
tender and puts forth 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 tell you, this generation will not pass away until all
these things have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my
words will not pass away.
32
But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in
heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; 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 slaves in charge, each with his work, and
commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35Therefore, keep awake
for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the
evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or else he may find
you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to you I say to all:
Keep awake.
The gospel of the Lord!
Praise to you, O Christ!
Please be seated.
SERMON Pastor Charles Peterson
Please stand and sing:
HYMN OF THE DAY: My Lord, What a Morning (ELW 438)
CREED
As they recite the creed, worshippers are invited to bow beginning with the
words born of the Virgin Mary, until the words he descended to the
dead.
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 Please stand and sing:
begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God
from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; OFFERTORY HYMN: Create in Me a Clean Heart (ELW 188)
through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he
came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the
virgin Mary and became truly human. 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, who with the Father and the Son is
worshiped and glorified, who 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 INTERCESSION

Guided by the light of Christ, let us pray for the coming dawn of joy,
healing, and comfort for all Gods people.
Please sit or kneel as you are able.
Each petition ends with:
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We raise our prayers to you, O God, in the name of the one who is, who
was, and who is to come, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please stand and greet one another in the peace of the risen Christ.

PEACE

The peace of Christ be with you always.

And also with you.
Please be seated.

ANTHEM AT THE OFFERING Awake! The Voice is Calling Us

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme from Cantata 140 J.S. Bach
OFFERING PRAYER

God of abundance, we bring before you the precious fruits of your creation:
our time, our work, and our wealth. With them we offer back to you our
very lives. Teach us patience, fill us with hope, and empower us with love
as we care for all those in need until the coming of your Son, our Savior
and Lord. Amen.

DIALOGUE
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
Worshippers are invited to bow with the consecration of the Lords body
and blood, each time the words Do this for the remembrance of me, are
spoken.

Holy One, the beginning and the end, the giver of lifeAgain, 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
PREFACE resurrection. We look with hope for his coming.
Come, Lord Jesus.
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
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 God through our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Holy One of Israel, the Word of God incarnate, the Power of the Most
High. Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all
honor and glory are yours, almighty Father, now and forever. Amen.
LORD'S PRAYER COMMUNION

Lord Jesus Christ, for whom all creation waits, remember us in your The body of Christ, given for you.
kingdom, and teach us to pray: The blood of Christ, shed for you. Amen.

LAMB OF GOD

HYMN DURING DISTRIBUTION: Wait for the Lord (ELW 262)

INVITATION TO COMMUNION

The coming of the Lord Jesus is a consuming fire. All who desire their old
life to pass away and to live a new life in Christ, come with joy to the feast.

Please be seated.

All baptized people are welcome to the table to receive Christs body and
blood. If you have not been baptized, you are also welcome to the table as
Gods guest; we are honored by your presence. We recognize the Body of
Christ as the community of the baptized, so if you would like to become part
of the Body of Christ, we encourage you to seek baptism. If you cant or
dont wish to receive today, we encourage you to hold your hands over
your chest for a blessing as you come forward.
 SONG AFTER COMMUNION: Now, Lord (ELW 201)
Please stand.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Let us pray. God for whom we wait, in this meal you give us a foretaste of
that day when the hungry will be fed with good things. Send us forth to
share the good we have with those who have not, and in this was to
proclaim the greatness of your name, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and
Lord. Amen.
SENDING OF COMMUNION
Gracious God, loving all your family with a mothers tender care: As you
sent the angel to feed Elijah with heavenly bread, assist those who set forth
to share your word and sacrament with those who are sick, homebound, and
imprisoned. In your love and care, nourish and strengthen those who will
receive this sacrament, and give us all the comfort of your abiding presence
through the body and blood of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
BLESSING
The God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony
with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus. Amen.
The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you
may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The God of all grace bless you now and forever. Amen.
SENDING SONG: Hark! A Thrilling Voice Is Sounding! (ELW 246)
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve those in need. Proclaim the good news.
Thanks be to God!
POSTLUDE Prelude in e-minor J. S. Bach
UPCOMING COMMEMORATIONS
Francis Xavier, missionary to Asia, died 1552
Sunday, December 3, 2017
A native of the Basque region of Spain, Xavier became a missionary to
India, Southeast Asia, Japan, and the Philippines. He also helped to found
the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).
John of Damascus, theologian and hymnwriter, died around 749
Monday, December 4, 2017
A monk in an abbey near Jerusalem, John wrote many hymns as well as
theological works. One of his works, The Fount of Wisdom, remained
influential for centuries.