OPENING SONG Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel John M. Neale

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1 Welcome to Zion Lutheran Church! 1732 S. Main St. Aberdeen, SD Website: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rooted in Faith * Growing in Spirit * Reaching out to Those in Need ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ December 11, 2016 _ 10:45am _ 3rd Sunday of Advent INTRODUCTION A note of joyful expectation marks today s worship. Isaiah announces that the desert shall rejoice and blossom. Jesus points to signs of God s reign: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear. We wait with patience for the coming of the Lord, even as we rejoice at his presence among us this day: in word and holy supper, in church and in our homes, in silent reflection and in works of justice and love. We pray that God would open our eyes and ears to the wonders of Christ s advent among us. GATHERING MUSIC WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS TEMPLE TALK St. Dysmas of South Dakota BLESSING OF THE ADVENT WREATH Andrea & Alecia Morehouse Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe. Your prophets spoke of a day when the desert would blossom and waters would break forth in the wilderness. Bless us as we light the candles on this wreath. Strengthen our hearts as we prepare for the coming of the Lord. May he give water to all who thirst, for he is our light and our salvation. Blessed be God forever. OPENING SONG Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel John M. Neale Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. Oh, come, oh, come great Lord of might, Who to your tribes on Sinai s height In ancient times once gave the law In cloud, and majesty, and awe. Oh, come, strong Branch of Jesse, free Your own from Satan s tyranny; From depths of hell your people save And give them vict ry o er the grave. Oh, come blest Dayspring, come and cheer Our spirits by your advent here; Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death s dark shadows put to flight. Oh, come, O Key of David, come, And open wide our heav nly home; Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery. CONFESSION Gracious God, in this time of waning daylight, we confess the shadows of sin in our lives. We build ourselves up at the expense of others. We rely on our own efforts to make our lives secure. Yet you, O Lord, are the potter, and we are the clay. Come to restore us in your image, remake us into your people, and rebuild what sin has broken, that we and the whole creation may rejoice. Amen. 1 2

2 ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS Fear not, people of God: the Almighty has done great things for us. God casts away our sin from us and makes of us a new creation. In + Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Take heart in the tender compassion of our God. Thanks be to God. PRAYER OF THE DAY Stir up the wills of all who look to you, Lord God, and strengthen our faith in your coming, that, transformed by grace, we may walk in your way; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen (please be seated) SPECIAL MUSIC Every Valley Patti Drennan Zion Adult Choir FIRST READING Isaiah 35:1-10 Pew Bible OT p. 735 The prophet describes the return from the Babylonian captivity as a joyous procession to Zion. God s coming reign will bring a renewal of creation in which health and wholeness will be restored. There is no need for fear, for God is coming to save. ALLELUIA Halle, Halle, Hallelujah Caribbean trad: arr. Mark Sedio Halle, halle, hallelujah! Halle, halle, hallelujah! Halle, halle, hallelujah! Hallelujah, Hallelujah! Halle, halle, hallelujah! Halle, halle, hallelujah! Halle, halle, hallelujah! Hallelujah, Hallelujah! The holy gospel according to Matthew chapter 11. Glory to you, O Lord. GOSPEL Matthew 11:2-11 Pew Bible NT p. 11 John the Baptist expects the Messiah to bring God s judgment upon the earth. From a prison cell, he wonders whether Jesus is the one who will do this. The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. (please be seated) MESSAGE Pastor Marcia SONG OF THE DAY Blessed Be Your Name Matt & Beth Redman Blessed be Your name in the land that is plentiful, Where the streams of abundance flow, Blessed be Your name when I m found in the desert place, Though I walk through the wilderness Ev ry blessing You pour out I ll turn back to praise. When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say. Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be Your glorious name. Blessed be Your name when the sun s shining down on me, When the world s all as it should be. Blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering, Though there s pain in the offering. Ev ry blessing You pour out I ll turn back to praise. When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say. 3 4

3 Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be Your glorious name. You give and take away, You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be your name. You give and take away, You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be Your name. Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be Your glorious name. OFFERING & NOISY OFFERING The children are welcome to come forward and place their offerings in the For Children Everywhere box. OFFERING SONG Holy, Holy Jimmy Owens Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty; And we lift our hearts before you as a token of our love, Holy, holy, holy, holy. Precious Jesus, precious Jesus, We re so glad that you ve redeemed us, precious Jesus. And we lift our hands before you as a token of our love, Precious Jesus, precious Jesus. OFFERING PRAYER (please stand) Savior of the nations, come. Make your home here in us. Feed us with your love, that our faith shine ever new and our lives reveal your light. Amen. 5 WORDS OF INSTITUTION THE 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 (please be seated) INVITATION TO COMMUNION DISTRIBUTION OF THE SUPPER All are welcome at the Lord s table. Please come forward as directed by the ushers. Grape juice and gluten free wafers are available; please indicate to the server by raising your hand. DISTRIBUTION SONG In Christ alone my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song. This Cornerstone, this solid ground. Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace. When fears are stilled, when strivings ceased. My Comforter, my All in All, Here in the love of Christ I stand. In Christ alone, who took my flesh, Fullness of God in helpless babe. This gift of love and righteousness, Scorned by the ones He came to save. Till on that cross as Jesus died., The love of God is satisfied. For every sin on Him was laid. Here in the death of Christ I live. In Christ Alone Stuart Townend, Keith Getty 6

4 There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain. Then bursting forth in glorious Day, Up from the grave He rose again. And as He stands in victory, Sin s curse has lost its grip on me. For I am His and He is mine, Bought with the precious blood of Christ. No guilt in life, no fear in death. This is the pow r of Christ in me. From life s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No pow r of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand. Till He returns or calls me home, Here in the pow r of Christ I ll stand. 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. BLESSING May Christ, the Sun of righteousness, shine upon you and scatter the darkness from before your path. Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever. Amen. They looked 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. 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. 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. Then entered in those Wise Men three, Full rev rently upon their knee, And offered there in his presence Their gold, and myrrh, and frankincense. From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2016 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License # New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. SENDING SONG The First Noel Bohemian Carol 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. 7 8

5 LEADING OUR WORSHIP: Preaching: Pastor Marcia Sylvester Presiding: Pastor Erin Heidelberger Lector: Bruce Carson Deacon: Chastity Madsen Steve Ottenbacher Acolyte: Paige Madsen Power Point: Heather Beusch Altar Guild Co-Chairs: Janel Ellingson Norma Miller Sound System: Gene Reich Van Driver: Rick Weber Counters: Lynae Poel Sharon Paranto Jeff\Vicki Carlson Coffee Hosts: Zion Youth Ushers: Garry Johnson Jim\Norma Miller Praise Band: Vicki Carlson, Justin Desens, Scott Geffre, Stacy Geffre, Stephanie Hawkinson, Alan LaFave, Lexi LaFave, Lynae Poel 9

6 FIRST READING Isaiah 35: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus 2 it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. 3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart, Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you. 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. GOSPEL Matthew 11: When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another? 4 Jesus answered them, Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me. 7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written, See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you. 11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 8 A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. 9 No lion shall be there,

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