Grace Lutheran Church Wednesday, December 2, 2015 The KING IS COMING Grace Lutheran Church Wednesday, December 2, 2015

WELCOME Welcome in Jesus’ name. We thank God for your presence among us and pray God’s blessing be upon your hearing of His Word. We know in this day and age you have many choices to choose from when it comes to Worship, Fellowship, and Bible study. We also know that people do not join churches like they join civil organizations, but rather, through Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit people are brought into the Kingdom of God and are declared His children to live and serve under Him. Here at Grace Lutheran Church we seek to honor Jesus Christ through Worship, Fellowship, Prayer, and Bible Study which enriches, engages, and provides many opportunities for service of love within and without our community.

We believe in the power of prayer and welcome your prayer requests on behalf of yourself or someone you know. Just fill out the Prayer Card located in the pew in front of you and place it in the offering plate. We will add your prayer request to our daily prayers. If you are looking for a church home, we would invite you to prayerfully consider Grace Lutheran. We welcome you to come and join us Sunday mornings from 9:00-10:00 a.m. as we learn more about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

SHARING THE PEACE .

Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes,   HARK THE GLAD SOUND Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes, The Savior promised long; Let every heart prepare a throne And every voice a song. He comes the prisoners to release, In Satan's bondage held. The gates of brass before Him burst, The iron fetters yield. He comes from thickest films of vice To clear the mental ray And on the eyeballs of the blind To pour celestial day.

INVOCATION P In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. C Amen.  

CONFESSION P The night is far gone; the day is at hand. C So let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.   P Holy and gracious God, C I confess that I have sinned against You this day, O Lord. Some of my sin I know--- the thoughts and words and deeds of which I am ashamed---but some is known only to You. In the name of Jesus Christ I ask for Your forgiveness and I pray You to deliver and restore me, a lost and condemned sinner.

ABSOLUTION P By the mercy of God we are redeemed by Jesus Christ and in Him we are forgiven. 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.  

LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT WREATH   O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel!

PRAYER OF THE DAY P 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 be saved by Your mighty deliverance; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C Amen  

OLD TESTAMENT Jeremiah 33:14-16   The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’ R This is the Word of the Lord. C Thanks be to God.

EPISTLE 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13   How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you.  

EPISTLE 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13   May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. R This is the Word of the Lord. C Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL  Luke 19:28-40   P The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the nineteenth chapter. C Glory to You, O Lord After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

GOSPEL   Luke 19:28-40   Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.” They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

GOSPEL   Luke 19:28-40 “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”   P This is the Gospel of the Lord. C Praise to You, O Christ.

THE KING SHALL COME The King shall come when morning dawns,     The King shall come when morning dawns, And light triumphant breaks; When beauty gilds the eastern hills, And life to joy awakes. And earth’s dark night is past;— O, haste the rising of that morn, That day that aye shall last.  

SERMON      

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.

APOSTLES’ CREED 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 P Let us pray on behalf of the world, all people as they have need, and the household of the faithful. that we may not walk in the darkness of sin and its death but in the light of the Lord; let us pray to the Lord. C Lord, have mercy.   P That we may be steadfast in faith during times of test, trial, and tribulation, that Jesus may find us faithful and ready when He comes again; let us pray to the Lord.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH P That all who suffer, all the sick, all the sorrowful, and all in need may call upon the Lord and be comforted (especially __________), that they may trust in God's grace for every trouble and circumstance; let us pray to the Lord. C Lord, have mercy. P That the nations may walk together in peace, that the leaders of the nations may act with integrity, wisdom, and justice for all people; let us pray to the Lord. C Lord, have mercy. 

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH P Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend ourselves and all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy, through Jesus Christ; C Amen.  

 

BENEDICTION   P The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord look on you in favor and + give you peace. C Amen.

HARK THE GLAD SOUND    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, Thy welcome shall proclaim And heaven's eternal arches ring With Thy beloved name.