Christ is Coming! With a Word for Our Congregation Peace Lutheran Church 2090 Commerce Drive North Mankato, MN 56003
Peace Lutheran Church Evangelical Lutheran Synod Serving Christ with united hearts and hands and voices Pastor Timothy Hartwig Church Office: 507-385-1386 Cell Phone: 507-382-6826 Email: pastorhartwig@gmail.com Jesus Lambs at Peace Preschool Teacher/Director: Joslyn Moldstad Phone: 507-385-7752 Email: joslynm@chartermi.net Divine Service 6:30 PM December 17, 2014 Third Wednesday in Advent Welcome to Peace! The purpose of our congregation is to worship God, who gives life through Word and Sacrament; to serve one another in love and fellowship; and to proclaim forgiveness and salvation to all through Jesus Christ alone. Before Worship As you prepare to worship your Lord this evening, spend a few quiet minutes in prayer before the service. Review the lessons, the service notes, and pray this prayer: Prayer of the Day Hear our prayers, Lord Jesus Christ, and come with the good news of Your mighty deliverance. Drive the darkness from our hearts and fill us with Your light; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. For the Children A Cry-Room is available if your little ones need a moment. It is the first room on the left as you walk into the church building. Sound and video are piped into the room to enable you to hear and see the service. Facilities Restrooms are located down the hall and on the right side. 2
Advent Vespers Peace & Mt. Olive Lutheran Churches Christ is Coming! The Confession of Sin P: Dearly beloved! We have come together in the presence of God our heavenly Father, to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at His hand, to set forth His most worthy praise, to hear His holy Word, and to ask for ourselves and on behalf of others, those things that are necessary for our life and salvation. O come, let us worship Him! Let us kneel and bow down before Him. Let us confess our sins with penitent hearts, and obtain forgiveness by His infinite grace and mercy. C: Almighty and most merciful Father, we have strayed from Your ways like lost sheep. We have followed the devices and desires of our hearts. We have offended against Your holy law. We have done those things which we should not have done, and we have not done those things which we should have done. Have mercy on us, O Lord! Spare us and restore us, according to the promises You have declared to us in Jesus Christ, our Lord. For His sake grant that we may live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of Your holy name. P: The almighty and merciful Lord has granted us pardon and forgiveness of all our sins, grace for true repentance and amendment of life, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Hymn #108, Creator of the Starry Height Verse 1 solo; verses 2-6 - congregation The Versicles P: O Lord, open my lips. 3
P: Make haste, O God, to deliver me. The Psalmody Psalm 71 P: In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; C: let me never be put to shame. P: Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; 4
C: turn your ear to me and save me. P: Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; C: give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. P: Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, C: from the grasp of evil and cruel men. P: For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, C: my confidence since my youth. P: From birth I have relied on you; C: you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you. P: I have become like a portent to many, C: but you are my strong refuge. P: My mouth is filled with your praise, C: declaring your splendor all day long. P: Do not cast me away when I am old; C: do not forsake me when my strength is gone. P: For my enemies speak against me; C: those who wait to kill me conspire together. P: They say, "God has forsaken him; C: pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him." P: Be not far from me, O God; C: come quickly, O my God, to help me. P: May my accusers perish in shame; C: may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace. P: But as for me, I will always have hope; C: I will praise you more and more. P: My mouth will tell of your righteousness, C: of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure. P: I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; C: I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone. P: Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, C: and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. 5
P: Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, C: till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. P: Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. C: Who, O God, is like you? P: Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; C: from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. P: You will increase my honor C: and comfort me once again. P: I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; C: I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. P: My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you C: I, whom you have redeemed. P: My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, C: for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion. All: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, forever more. Amen. The Lection Isaiah 35:1-10 1 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. 3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." 6
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. 8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, 10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. A Responsory P: O Lord, have mercy upon us. The Sermon Hymn: #486, The Church s One Foundation 7
The Sermon 1 Thessalonians 5:14-16 With a Word for Our Congregation 14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. 16 Be joyful always; The Offering The members of Peace Lutheran Congregation have joined together to do the Lord s work in this community and around the world. Visitors need not feel obligated to participate in this offering which supports our ministry. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. II Corinthians 9:7 Please fill out the Friendship Register. The Versicle P: Let my prayers rise before You as incense: Solo, Canticle of Mary The Prayers, beginning with The Kyrie 8
The Lord s Prayer 9
The Collect P: Abide with us, Lord, for it is toward evening and the day is far spent. Abide with us and with Your whole Church. Abide with us in the end of the day, in the end of our life, and in the end of the world. Abide with us with Your grace and goodness, with Your holy Word and Sacrament, with Your strength and blessing. Abide with us when the night of affliction and temptation comes upon us, the night of fear and despair when death shall come. Abide with us and with all the faithful through time and eternity. The Benedicamus P: Let us bless the Lord. 10
The Benediction P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. The Closing Hymn #565, All Praise to Thee, My God This Night Thank you to those who served in our service today: Soloists: Ben Schultz, Alison Wierschke; Accompanist: Susan Lepak; Special Music: Laura and Eric Harstad; Organist: Katie Hartwig; The ushers; Cover artwork: Don Moldstad. To God be the Glory! 11
Christmas Worship Schedule Midweek Advent Vespers ~ Wednesdays, 6:30pm Christ Is Coming" 12/17 5:30-6:15PM Advent Supper 6:30PM Pastor Tim Hartwig 1 Thessalonians 5:14-16 With a Word for Our Congregation 12/19 6:30PM The Preschool Children s Christmas Program 12/21 8:30AM Worship Service 10:45AM The Sunday School Children s Christmas Program Christmas Eve Worship Service 6:30pm Christmas Day Worship Service 9:00am New Year s Eve Scripture & Song Service 6:30pm One Worship Service, at 9:00am, on Sunday, December 28 th. No Sunday School or Bible Class on December 28 th. Classes will resume again on January 4 th. No Solid Grounds Bible Study on December 23 rd.or December 30 th. Class will resume on January 6 th. No Confirmation Class on December 24 th or 31 st. Class will resume on January 7 th. 12