Church of the Lutheran Confession 12145 W. Edgerton Avenue Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130 414-427-9337 http://www.messiahhalescorners.com Michael Eichstadt, Pastor Phone: 414-427-9303 Ted Quade, Principal Phone: 262-522-9824 Michaela Winters, Teacher Phone: 715-864-2069 December 30, 2018 Christmas 1 Welcome to our visitors! We appreciate your joining our worship family this morning, and we invite you to sign our guest book. If you would like more information about our church, please contact the pastor at 414-427-9337. Sunday family worship...8:00 and 10:45 A.M. Choir...9:10 A.M. Sunday school...9:30 A.M. Bible class...9:45 A.M. Today's Worship But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son (Gal. 4:4). Greeting and prayer: Invocation: P: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. P: To us a child is born, to us a son is given; C: and the government shall be upon His shoulder. P: And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, C: Mighty God, FINANCES: Last Week To Date Budgetary Offerings: $5,152.00 $175,851.00 Sunday School: $5.00 $58.32 Budgetary Needs: $6,330.00 $164,580.00 Over/(Under) Budget: ($1,178.00) $11,271.00 Missions: $25.00 $27,020.00 ILC Building Fund: $75.00 $1,240.00 MDF: $195.00 $2,347.00 Kinship: $125.00 $1,628.00 MSAF: $15.00 Attendance last Sunday: 61,87. Advent: 60 Church Cleaning: January 5th-11th Church: Whiting, Ackerman School: J. Arndt, K. Arndt, Garvens January Ushers: 1st: J. Arndt, A. Gerbitz 2nd: J. Marita, A. Marita 10 Daily Bible Readings: 12/30 Rev 15:1-18:24 12/31 Rev 19:1-22:21 1/1 Reflect on God as Creator 1/2 Gen 1-4 Ps 1 Matt 1 1/3 Gen 5-9 Prov 1 Matt 2 1/4 Gen 10-14 Ps 2 Matt 3 1/5 Gen 15-18 Prov 2 Matt 4
Hymns and liturgical settings under copyright are used by permission through Concordia Publishing House, License #000013843, Onelicense.net, #A-720270, or Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series B, Part 4 2018 CPH. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Unless otherwise indicated, Scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 11 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it (Prov. 22:6)
Announcements P: Everlasting Father, C: Prince of Peace. Sunday school today Today s lesson about the bronze serpent is one of the more challenging accounts in the Old Testament. Just as the bronze serpent was lifted up to heal and save the Israelites, Christ was lifted up on the cross to heal and save us from sin, death, and the devil. Ask your children: Why did God send the poisonous snakes? How did He rescue people bitten by the snakes? How does God rescue you? New Year s Eve service Our Communion service begins at 7 p.m. tomorrow. Come and thank the Lord for His mercies of the past year and pray for His continued grace in 2019. New Year s resolutions? Have you made any New Year s resolutions? Why not make this the year that you read through the entire Bible? All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). The readings in the 2019 Sunday bulletins will be made up of daily selections from the Old Testament, New Testament, and the poetical books, and will cover the entire Bible in the course of the year. CLC news The KINSHIP Committee would like to offer our sincerest thanks for your generous responses to our recent request for sponsors. We praise the Lord for this generous outpouring of support! All of the Direct Looking Ahead DTomorrow: 7:00 P.M: New Year s Eve service with the Lord s Supper DThursday: 10:00 A.M: Adult information. DNext Sunday: Lord s Supper. 12:15 P.M: Public school confirmation class. DJanuary 9th: Wednesday Bible class resumes. DJanuary 10th: 7:00 A.M: School staff. 7:00 P.M: Bd. of Elders. DJanuary 27th: 12:00 P.M: Quarterly voters meeting. Sponsorships have now been filled, and we have begun a waiting list for anyone who would like to directly sponsor a seminary student or orphan in the future. Group Sponsorships are still available in which you as an individual can contribute to larger pools of support for various groups overseas, such as The Children in Need in Togo and the two schools in Kenya. You can also always donate to the KINSHIP General Fund which is used to support those three groups, the medical needs of orphans, and widows of former pastors. If you are interested in contributing to a Group Sponsorship or the General Fund and have any questions, please contact us at kinship@clclutheran.com. P: Sing to the Lord a new song, C: for He has done marvelous things! Hymn 86 (red hymnal): Christ the Lord to Us is Born Confession and Absolution: P: Let us confess our sins to God our Father. C: Heavenly Father, although You have called us as Your own people, dearly loved, we confess that we have failed to forgive one another as You have forgiven us. We have neglected to reflect Your love at home, school, and work. We have let discord and conflict drown out the peace that You have given us in Christ. We have failed to thank You for Your great love in our private prayers and with our outward words and actions. Forgive our disobedience for Jesus sake, and guide us by Your Holy Spirit so that our lives may reflect the love with which You surround us by grace each day. P: Rejoice! God grants us forgiveness as a gift for the sake of His Son, whose birth we celebrate. The Holy Spirit clothes us with the very compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience of Christ Himself. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Freely you have received God s love; freely give it as a gift to all you meet. 9 2
Prayer: P: O God, our Maker and Redeemer, You wonderfully created us and in the incarnation of Your Son yet more wondrously restored our human nature. Grant that we may ever be alive in Him who made Himself to be like us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. The Lord s Prayer: Old Testament lesson: 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26.Love for God was evident in the obedience of both Hannah and her son Samuel. But Samuel ministered before the LORD, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod. Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, The LORD give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the LORD. Then they would go to their own home. And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor with the LORD and men. Closing prayer: P: Thank You, Lord God, for nourishing our souls on this journey of earthly life with the food of everlasting life in Your holy Word. Fortify us to leave here and engage the people in our lives with the love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Use us to bring Your peace into the lives of those who need Your love; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Benediction P: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Closing hymn: 3 8
Offering and hymn verse: WS 714. Break forth, O beauteous heav nly light, And usher in the morning. You shepherds, shrink not with affright But hear the angel s tiding. This child, now weak in infancy, Our confidence and joy shall be, The pow r of Satan breaking, Our peace eternal making. Prayer of the Church Pastor: plain type. Cong: underlined, boldface type. Dear Lord God: After the excitement and joy of Christmas, life quickly falls back into a familiar routine and we may feel let down. Remind us then that each day, no matter how ordinary, is a precious gift of Your grace, which You would have us use in love and obedience to You. Yet we have not always obeyed. We have not treasured Your Word above all else. Instead of respecting parents, employers, government officials and others whom You place over us, we have complained and disobeyed. Our words and actions, even toward friends and loved ones, have not always been loving. For Jesus sake forgive our disobedience. In the new year ahead, through the message of Your Son born to be our Savior, renew our love and strengthen our desire to live for You. May others see You in us. Use us to bless those around us at work and school. Through our loving obedience may they be led to praise Jesus as Lord and Savior and to follow Him with us. Receive our offerings, not because of our own goodness, but because of Your mercy. Use these gifts to bring eternal riches to many more souls through the preaching and teaching of Your Word. Bless our ordinary lives with the extraordinary gifts won for us by Jesus. In His name we pray. Amen. Hymn 89 (red hymnal): To Thee My Heart I Offer 7 4
Epistle lesson: Hebrews 2:10-18.Do you ever cringe at being identified with certain family members? Even though we are by nature dead in sin, Jesus did not hesitate to call us family. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You. And again: I will put My trust in Him. And again: Here am I and the children whom God has given Me. Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. The Apostles Creed: I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. Sermon: Luke 2:41-52 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously. And He said to them, Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father s business? But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. GOD MAKES LIFE ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY I. Keep Him first. II. Gladly obey Him. 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. Hymn 713 (Worship Supplement): Your Little Ones, Dear Lord, Are We 5 6