Guest Pastor: Rev. Philip Callahan Head Usher: Brian Neukomm Elder: Dennis Selk Organist: Stephanie Gibbs

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1 Our Savior Lutheran hurch astor Karl Gibbs 209 West Jones Street, Milford, IL hone: ell: December 23, 2018 WELOME VISITORS! We are happy that you have chosen to worship with us this morning. lease sign one of the visitors registration cards found on the back of the pew and place it in the offering plate. AS WE GATHER Mary, the mother of our Lord, is the focus of this morning s Gospel lesson on this Sunday immediately before hristmas. When the angel Gabriel convinced her that she would bear God's Son in her virgin womb, she replied, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38 ESV). In one of his hristmas sermons, Martin Luther painted this vivid word picture of Mary: "Think, women, there was no one there to bathe the Baby. No warm water, nor even cold. No fire, no light. The mother was herself the midwife and the maid. The cold manger was the bed and the bathtub. Who showed the poor girl what to do? She had never had a baby before. I am amazed that the little one did not freeze. Do not make of Mary a stone. It must have gone straight to her heart that she was so abandoned. She was flesh and blood, and must have felt miserable - and Joseph too - that she was left this way, all alone, with no one to help, in a strange land in the middle of winter. Her eyes were moist even though she was happy, and aware that the Baby was God's Son and the Savior of the world. She was not stone. For the higher people are in the favor of God, the more tender are they." From Martin Luther's hristmas Book edited by Roland H. Bainton copyright (c) 1948 Fortress ress. Reproduced by permission of Augsburg Fortress ublishers. All rights reserved. Guest astor: Rev. hilip allahan Head Usher: Brian Neukomm Elder: Dennis Selk Organist: Stephanie Gibbs Acolyte: Natalee Bruens Sound Board: Dave Lucht Greeters: Kenda Morts Radio Monitors: Marilyn Reeves & hris Schroeder Altar Guild: Dianne Estes, heryl Knake, Sheila Selk

2 T The Fourth Sunday in Advent T T onfession and Absolution T Hymn of Invocation The Angel Gabriel from Heaven ame LSB 356 The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism. In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19 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. 1 John 1:8-9 Silence for reflection on God's Word and for self-examination. Let us then confess our sins to God our Father. I, a poor sinner, plead guilty before God of all sins. I have lived as if God did not matter and as if I mattered most. I have not honored my Lord's name as I should; my worship and prayers have faltered. I have not let His love have its way with me, and so my love for others has failed. There are those whom I have hurt, and those whom I have failed to help. My thoughts and desires have been soiled with sin. I am sorry for all of this and ask for grace that I may amend my sinful life. Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As an ordained servant of hrist, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit. John 20:19-23 Amen. T Lighting of the Advent Wreath T Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; Righteous and having salvation. Zechariah 9:9 Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless You. salm 118:26

3 Salutation and ollect of the Day lease be seated The Lord be with you. And also with you. T Service of the Word T Let us pray. Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Old Testament Reading Micah 5:2 5a But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,

4 in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. horal Anthem Long-Awaited One Nicole Elsey ome now, hild of promise, hope of all the earth. This broken world will be healed by Your most humble birth. ome now, hild of mercy, rince of eace and grace. Your life will silence our fears and all our sins erase. Long-awaited One, we will find rest in Your love. We have walked in darkness; let us see light from above. Emmanuel, God with us, hope has begun. Emmanuel, You are the Light, God s only Son. You will come to save us all, O long-awaited One. ome now, hild of heaven, Savior, King and Friend. O living Word of the Father now to us descend. ome now, child of wonder, reign in majesty. Awaken all of creation, set our spirits free. Epistle Hebrews 10:5 10 When hrist came into the world, he said, Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book. When he said above, You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings (these are offered according to the law), then he added, Behold, I have come to do your will. He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus hrist once for all. lease stand Verse This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Henry V. Gerike antor: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel. ongregation:

5 Holy Gospel Luke 1:39 45 The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the first chapter. Glory to You, O Lord. In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord. This is the Gospel of the Lord. raise to You, O hrist. Learn By Heart And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 lease be seated Hymn of the Day O ome, O ome Emmanuel LSB 357 Sermon lease stand Apostles' reed lease be seated I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus hrist, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under ontius ilate, 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. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy hristian hurch, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life T everlasting. Amen.

6 Offering All members of this congregation take this opportunity give back to the Lord in thankfulness for what He has done for us and in trust of His continued provisions for all that we need for this body and life. lease stand Visitors are welcome to give, but should not feel compelled to do so. Offertory Hymn We Give Thee But Thine Own LSB 781 ublic domain rayer of the hurch...lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Father, into Your hands we commend all for whom we pray, through Jesus hrist, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, and who has taught us to pray Lord's rayer Matthew 6:9 13 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. Morning rayer I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus hrist, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen. Benediction Numbers 6:24-26 The Lord bless you and keep you.

7 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and T give you peace. Amen. losing Hymn My Soul Rejoices LSB 933 Acknowledgments Divine Service, Setting Four from Lutheran Service Book Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by rossway Bibles, a division of Good News ublishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. reated by Lutheran Service Builder 2006 oncordia ublishing House. Announcements December 23, 2018 Thank you! Many thanks to Rev. hillip allahan, pastor at Good Shepherd, Hoopeston, for proclaiming God s Word to us this morning! Education Hour Sunday School and Adult Bible lass will not be in session this morning. The Sunday School children will have their dress rehearsal today from 10:30a-12:00p. lasses will resume next Sunday morning at 10:30 am. Thank you!!! A special "thank you" to the anonymous friend who enriched our hristmas celebration by sending a wonderful food basket. Blessings to You, ora Armatrout and Becky Hiles Support Our Military Members We want to support the two members of our congregation who selflessly and honorably serve on our behalf in the armed forces. Nate Bushong serves in the United States Army and Jay Kindle serves in the United States Navy. ongregants are invited to shower each of them with tokens of love and appreciation this holiday season. lease send all cards, wellwishes, and gifts to the addresses below. FYI: We've been told that Nate loves Dick's Sporting Goods and that he enjoys eating at Buffalo Wild Wings and anda Express. Jay especially loves Home Depot and Lowe's. Nate Bushong Jay Kindle 2036 E 100 North Rd 2901 S Brahma Blvd, Apt K2 Hoopeston IL Kingsville TX hildren s hristmas Eve Service on WGFA Our Savior Lutheran will once again offer a live broadcast of the hildren s hristmas Eve Service. The Service will be broadcast on WGFA 94.1 FM, beginning at 5:30 pm on Monday, December 24, hristmas Eve and hristmas Day Services Our Savior is providing three wonderful opportunities to come and worship the newborn King. First, the children of the congregation will lead our first Service on hristmas Eve, beginning at 5:30 p.m. This Service will end with the traditional candlelit Service of arols. Then at 9:00 pm, all are invited to gather in the Sanctuary for a subdued, yet joyous candlelit Service of Lessons & arols. Finally, before the presents are opened and the hristmas meals prepared, come and kneel before the manger of your Savior on hristmas morning at 9:00 a.m. A Divine Service with Holy ommunion will be celebrated. lease bring along a friend to these very special Services!

8 New Year s Eve Service What better way to ring out the old year and to ring in the new than to come before the throne of God and to thank Him for the blessings of the past and to ask for His blessings and protection in the year to come? A Divine Service with the celebration of the Lord s Supper will be held at 5:30 p.m. on December 31. Before you head out to celebrate for the evening, come to the Lord s House and receive the timeless blessing of His grace and forgiveness. Live Stream at OurSaviorMilford.com As a reminder, all of our worship services, hildren s hristmas Eve Worship Service at 5:30 pm, Service of Lessons and arols at 9:00 pm, hristmas Day Worship at 9:00 am and New Year s Eve at 5:30 pm will be streamed at hristmas Eve Offering Each year our congregation uses the offering during our hristmas Eve Services as a way for our congregation to give a hristmas gift to astor and his family. All cash and checks made out to astor Gibbs on hristmas Eve will go to the Gibbs family. Ladies Bible Study Ladies Bible Study will not meet on December 26th or January 2nd. This study will resume on Wednesday, January 9th at 9:30 am in the Annex. onfirmation We will not meet for onfirmation on December 27, 2018 or January 3, lasses will resume on Wednesday, January 10, 2019 at 4:00 pm. omforters News The omforters will meet on Monday, December 31, 2018 at 1:00pm in the Quilter s Room. Hope to see you there! Lutherans for Life Quote hristmas celebrates more than just Jesus birthday. This historical event testifies to unchangeable truth about humankind and our Almighty Maker. It bestows upon us the honor of a special connection to the Lord God that makes us more precious than any other creature. It forms the foundation for all peace and love and joy and hope by revealing His salvation and testifying to how we participate in His everlasting life. hristmas profoundly proves the Gospel to be our history, identity, and destiny, and it proclaims a distinctly life-affirming reality. Rev. Michael W. Salemink, executive director of Lutherans For Life A Life Quote from Lutherans For Life T T T This Week at a Glance Today: 10:15 am Fellowship 10:30 am hildren s hristmas Eve Rehearsal Monday: 5:30 pm hildren s hristmas Eve Service 9:00 pm Service of Lessons & arols Tuesday: 9:00 am hristmas Day Divine Service with Holy ommunion Wednesday: astor s Family Day Next Sunday: 9:00 am Divine Service with Holy ommunion 10:15 am Fellowship 10:30 am Sunday School/Adult Bible lass 10:30 am hildren s hristmas Eve Rehearsal T T T

9 Those suffering from cancer: Sue Benner sister-in-law of Doug Benner onnie Bruns friend of Al & Linda Kellerhals Terry ordes friend of atty Bruens Levi ross friend of the Flesher & Harms families ayton Ens acquaintance of Alan & Suzie Smith at Gorski step-mother of Olivia Harms arol Guenther cousin of Erica Anderson Adam Hubner grandson of Donald & LaVerne Hubner Bruce Johnston friend of atty Bruens Brenda Knuth mother of raig Smith Dawn Mullen niece of Jim & Linda Buhrmester arolyn Reutter friend of William Rapp Marsha Thompson acquaintance of Beth Smith aul Tobeck son of Larry & Nancy Tobeck Sue Williamson friend of atty Bruens Jeannette Winder OSL member rayer List for December 23 rd December 29 th Those requesting your general and ongoing prayers: Todd Davis friend of atty Bruens, heart issues Mia Hart friend of indy Maro, facing serious health issues Evan Lange upcoming surgery Bill Long recovering from numerous health setbacks Gary ate friend of Marvin & Deb Wright, recovering from a double lung transplant hris Rieches recovering from a broken vertebra Those serving in our Armed Forces and our local Law Enforcement, especially those connected to the OSL family: Nate Bushong OSL member, serving with the U.S. Army Alex Janssen son of Sara Janssen, serving with the U.S. Army Jay Kindle OSL member, son of Dean and Laurie Lingley, serving with the U.S. Navy Brandon Legan member of our omfort Dog Ministry Team, Iroquois ounty Sheriff s Deputy and Milford olice Department Kaleb Waldbeser friend of Bob & Donna Flesher, serving with the U.S. Marine orp Those preparing to serve the Lord in the hurch: Seminarian Luke Elowsky oncordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO Seminarian Timothy Magill, and his wife, Mary oncordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, IN Those serving in the Mission Field: Rev. Joel Fritsche - our adopted international missionary, currently serving in the Dominican Republic