Garfield Lutheran Church, ELCA Lac Qui Parle Lutheran Church, ELCA

Transcription

1 Garfield Lutheran Church, ELCA Lac Qui Parle Lutheran Church, ELCA December 3, 2017 Garfield: th Street Madison, MN Lac qui Parle: th Street Dawson, MN Ministers: Members of Garfield and Lac qui Parle Congregations Rev. Bruce N. Bringle Parsonage: Cell: Pastor s pastor@lqplutheran.org Garfield Organists/Pianists: Jane Stoks, Maralee Wiese Garfield Acolyte: Jacob Bringle LqP Pianist: Sallianne Gottschall LqP Acolyte: Aric Gruwell Secretary: Rhoda Johnson secretary@lqplutheran.org

2 Hanging of the Greens A Service for the Beginning of Advent Sunday, December 3, 2017 *Please stand as you are able. ORGAN PRELUDE SILENCE and CHURCH BELL WELCOME, ANNOUNCEMENTS, and EXPLANATION OF THE SERVICE *CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God, who comes to wake us from sleep, who leads us into the light of grace. Amen. Let us prepare the way of the Lord by confessing our sin against God and neighbor. (Silence is kept for reflection) God of all time, All: we confess that we have not prepared for your merciful reign among us. We ignore our neighbors in need and fail in the labor of justice and peace. In your mercy forgive us. Grant us wisdom to welcome your light and to seek the things that will endure until Christ comes again in glory. Amen. Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. In Jesus Christ your sins are forgiven and all things are made new. Rejoice in this good news! Amen. * Significance of the Star *OPENING HYMN Prepare the Royal Highway (vv.1,3,4) ELW 264 LIGHTING OF THE ALTAR CANDLES Significance of the Candles THE CALL TO WORSHIP God of Adam and Eve and Noah, God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, God of Moses and Samuel and David, God of Isaiah and Micah and John the Baptizer- God of all: You are indeed a God of Promise. For Your concern we praise You. God of the Flood and safe passage, God of the Exodus and freedom, God who begat Jesus and raised Him from death: You are indeed a God of fulfillment. For Your faithful action we praise You. God of our time: amid disease and famine, amid crimes and wars, amid broken families, broken bodies, broken dreams and broken spirits we await the fulfillment of Your promise, Lo, I am coming soon! Empower us, Lord, with the breeze of Your Holy Spirit, that our waiting may not be a silent sitting. You have in deed made us Your children: make us Your children in deed. To those in our community who need healing and comfort, empower us to come; when action is needed in our

3 government and our world, empower us to come; as those around us need to hear the message which broke into our world on that ancient silent night empower us to come. BACKGROUND and HISTORY OF ADVENT (Gar) Rachel Bringle (LqP) Sue Lund HYMN O Come, O Come, Emmanuel! (vv.1,3,4) ELW 257 THE ADVENT WREATH (Gar) Jennifer Bringle (LqP) Karin Falness SCRIPTURE Isaiah 9:6-7 Hymn Hark, the Glad Sound! ELW 239 THE CHANCEL DECORATIONS SCRIPTURE Luke 2:29-32 THE HANGING OF THE GREENS (Gar) Jeri Popma (LqP) Lynn Marotzke THE SANCTUARY GREENS (Gar) Lorraine Connor (LqP) Bob Lund SCRIPTURE Matthew 2:7-11 Hymn Wake, Awake, For Night is Flying (vv.1,2) ELW 436 THE CHRISTMAS TREE (Gar) Pam Weber (LqP) John Dessonville SCRIPTURE Luke 2:11-12 Hymn Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers (vv.1,4) ELW 244 MEDITATION Pastor Bringle *THE NICENE CREED Page 104 *PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. *SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST OFFERING *OFFERTORY (Gar) We Give Thee But Thine Own (vv. 1,2) ELW 686 (LqP) We Are an Offering ELW 692 *OFFERING PRAYER Let us pray O Giver of life, accept these gifts we bring to you today. We have given in response to the great gift of your Son and our Savior: Use these gifts, we pray, that all may know you ways of love and peace. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

4 *WORDS OF INSTITUTION *THE LORD S PRAYER Page 208 * Lamb of God Page 208 (Gar) DISTRIBUTION HYMNS Take My Life, That I May Be ELW 685 O Lord, How Shall I Meet You ELW 241 My Lord, What a Morning ELW 438 (LqP) DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION *PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION God for whom we wait, you come to us in the broken bread and the cup we share. Make us ready always to welcome Christ into our hearts, and send us forth to be your people in the world, announcing your coming among us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. THE MANGER SCENE (Gar) Cynthia Huse (LqP) Doris Graven SCRIPTURE Matthew 1:22-23 PRAYER We wait in anxious advent expectation at your manger, Lord. We peer into the straw to see the miracle of a birth made doubly special because it is yours- your birth, which kindled the fires of our lives, and set you in our midst. We wait to relive your birth, and to re-celebrate you saving presence: Come, Lord Jesus! We watch in anxious advent expectation, at our jobs and in our families, and at our meeting, and in our lives, Lord. We peer into our offices, homes, and churches, to catch glimpses of your presence at work in our world, our communities, and ourselves. We live to bring you, birthed and living, into our days: Come, Lord Jesus! We hope in anxious advent expectation at the horizons of time, Lord. We peer ahead into dimly lit years to spy that day when you shall ride the clouds, returning to claim all who are yours. Come, Lord Jesus! Amen. THE LIGHTING OF THE TREE LIGHTS SCRIPTURE John 1:4, 9; Matthew 5:14-16 (Gar) Jacob Bringle (LqP) Josh Falness BENEDICTION Lord God, We pray to you in the name of Jesus. We pray as your children. You sent Jesus to us and he saved us. But we do not always live as saved people. Sometimes there is little difference between us and the unbelievers. Help us to live the peace that Jesus brought us. Help us to walk the way that he showed us. Help us to be as loving and unselfish as he was.

5 All: Lord God, when we are weak, make us strong in faith and action. Take away our sin as we wait for Jesus to come again. As we wait for Christmas, help us to change and grow as believers. We ask these things through Jesus, your Son. Amen. Hear the good news! God has forgiven each one of us and calls us to take our parts in the story of God s love and care. All: Thanks be to God. Amen. RECESSIONAL HYMN Joy to the World ELW 267 *(LqP) TABLE GRACE Be present at our table, Lord SILENCE, CHURCH BELL, and DISMISSAL ORGAN POSTLUDE Deck the Hall