Living Savior Lutheran Church

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2 Living Savior Lutheran Church 4616 Gharrett St Missoula, MT livingsaviormissoula.org Pastor Noah Willitz December 23, 2018 Advent 4 WELCOME TO WORSHIP We re happy you re here to worship with us! We pray that the Lord bless you through his Word this morning. Notes about your visit: If you have any questions, please don t hesitate to ask one of the greeters or anyone else. Restrooms There are restrooms out the back doors and down the second hallway on the right. Parents, we are so glad that you have brought your little children to church this morning. If needed, there is a nursery out the back doors to the right. Understanding the Church Year Season of Advent Advent is the Latin word for Coming. During the four weeks before Christmas, we ll meditate on the things God s Old Testament prophets tell us about what Jesus coming means for us and for the world. December 2 He Comes to Fulfill God s Promise December 9 He Comes to Purify God s People December 16 He Comes to Bring Rejoicing December 23 He Comes to Shepherd God s Flock 1

3 HE COMES TO SHEPHERD GOD S FLOCK INVOCATION M: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you. C: And also with you GATHERING RITE FOR ADVENT Choir: Refrain: Psalm and Gospel Acclamation for Advent GIA Publication Stephen Pisher, 2000 Congregation: Refrain Choir: Lord make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth, For you are God my Savior. Congregation: Refrain Choir: The Lord is good and upright. He shows the path to those who stray. God guides the humble in the right path. He teaches his way to the poor. Congregation: Refrain Choir: God s ways are faithfulness and love, for those who keep his covenant and will. The Lord s friendship is for those who revere him: To them God reveals the covenant. Congregation: Refrain 2

4 CONFESSION OF SINS M: Dear friends, let us approach God with a true heart and confess our sins, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us. C: Lord of life, I confess that I am by nature dead in sin. For faithless worrying and selfish pride, For sins of habit and sins of choice, For the evil I have done and the good I have failed to do, You should cast me away from your presence forever. O Lord, I am sorry for my sins. Forgive me, for Jesus sake. ABSOLUTION M: Christ has died. Christ is risen Christ will come again. In his great mercy, God made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our sins. Hear the word of Christ through his called servant: I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. HYMN Hark the Glad Sound! The Savior Comes 12 During this hymn, all four Advent candles will be lit. PRAYER OF THE DAY M: Let us pray. Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Take away the burden of our sins and make us ready for the celebration of your birth, that we may receive you in joy and serve you always; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. 3

5 The Word THE EPISTLE READING Hebrews 10:5-10 (NIV) Christmas is intimately connected with Good Friday and Easter Jesus took on human flesh and became a man in order to free us from our sins. Only the sacrifice of his body can make us holy. 5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7 Then I said, Here I am it is written about me in the scroll I have come to do your will, my God. 8 First he said, Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, Here I am, I have come to do your will. He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. VERSE OF THE DAY Matthew 1:23 M: Alleluia. The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel. Alleluia. (The congregation s sung response is at the top of the next page.) 4

6 THE HOLY GOSPEL Luke 1:39-55 (ESV) Mary s song of joy clearly communicates to significance of her child s birth. Jesus comes to show mercy. He comes to show God s might and power to save. He comes to deliver God s people forever. 39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord. 46 And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. 5

7 For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever. HYMN OF THE DAY To Shepherds as They Watched by Night 53 SERMON Micah 5:2-5a (ESV) This Shepherd is Different 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 coming forth 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, 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. 6

8 APOSTLE S CREED I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I believe 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 is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. 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. OFFERING Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 Corinthians 9:7 THE GREAT O ANTIPHONS OF ADVENT For centuries the Great O Antiphons have been used by Christians during the Advent season. Each one uses a title given to Christ in the Old Testament and asks Jesus to come, fulfilling the scriptural promise. If you d like to follow along with the music, we ll be using hymn 23 in the red hymnal. M: O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High, pervading and permeating all creation, mightily order all things; come and teach us the way of prudence. C: Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high, who ordered all things mightily; To us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go. 7

9 M: O Adonai and ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai, come with an outstretched arm and redeem us. C: Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might, who to your tribes on Sinai s height In ancient times gave holy law, in cloud and majesty and awe. M: O Root of Jesse, standing as an ensign before the peoples, before whom all kings are mute, to whom the nations will do homage, come quickly to deliver us. C: Oh, come, O Rod of Jesse s stem. From every foe deliver them That trust your mighty pow r to save: Bring them in vict ry through the grave. M: O Key of David and scepter of the house of Israel, you open and no one can close; you close and no one can open; come and rescue the prisoners who are in darkness and the shadow of death. C: 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. M: O Dayspring, splendor of light everlasting, come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. C: Oh, come, O Dayspring from on high, and cheer us by your drawing nigh; Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death s dark shadows put to flight. M: O King of nations, the ruler they long for, the cornerstone for uniting all people, come and save us all, whom you formed out of clay. C: Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind; Oh, bid our sad divisions cease, and be yourself the King of Peace. M: O Emmanuel, our King and our Lord, the anointed of the nations and their Savior, come and save us, O Lord our God. C: Amen. 8

10 LORD S PRAYER C: 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. THE BLESSING P: Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another. Serve the Lord with gladness. 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 with his favor and give you peace. C: Amen. C: Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. 9

11 News and Notes Annual Meeting Our congregation and voters meeting is today. All are welcome to attend! Pastor Gone On Wednesday, Pastor and Lauren are leaving for Colorado. They re planning to be back on Wednesday, Jan. 2. Worship on Sunday, Dec. 30 will be at the normal time. If you need to get a hold of Pastor, his cell is (406) Confirmation Class will resume on Friday, January 4. Serving at Living Savior Greeters: Today: Landers Next Sunday: Murphy Cleaners: This Week: Landers/Hill Music: Today: Peter Camera: Today: Terry Next Sunday: Gil This Week at Living Savior Monday Tuesday 6:30 pm: Christmas Eve Worship 10:00 am: Christmas Day Worship w/ Holy Communion In our prayers this week: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. -Philippians 4:6 The Appelt Family: John is undergoing treatments for esophageal cancer. Eunice Schulz: Eunice is one of our shut-ins who lives at Brookdale Missoula Valley. We pray for continuing faith, strength, and peace as she experiences failing health. Gil Turner: Gil continues to battle cancer. How can we pray for you? Let Pastor know! 10