St. Paul Lutheran Church In Jesus name, Do justice, Love kindness, Walk humbly with God. St. Paul is an open, affirming, and inclusive church, welcoming all who seek God. 515 South Wheaton Avenue - Wheaton, Illinois - 630-668-5953 First Sunday of Advent December 3, 2017 Daniel: The Fiery Furnace
Welcome to St. Paul Visiting today? We are glad you are here! Stop by the Welcome Center and receive a sweet gift. Please write your name and other information on the yellow welcome card. There are multiple areas and resources designed for children to participate in worship according to their needs, including but not limited to: a Children's Message at the start of worship, Rainbow Bags with quiet toys, and an attended Nursery on the lower level of the building for 0 to 3-yearolds. Additional info about resources for parents and kids is on the "Children at St. Paul Wheaton" laminated page posted at the outside aisle-end of your pew. Assisted listening headphones are available for those having difficulty hearing. Members, please wear your name tag. Extras are located in the pew racks. About Worship We follow an ancient pattern through the liturgy (which literally means the work of the people ). Some parts of the service may change each week, but there is a consistent flow: praising God, hearing God s word, offering our prayers and gifts, celebrating communion, and being sent into the world for service. The format remains fairly constant, but the style will vary widely. Sometimes we sing with the pipe organ, and the ministers chant. Sometimes we worship accompanied by piano, guitars, drums, violins, flutes or whatever our folk play. We range from Bach to blues, because we know that different styles connect to different people. So we all worship together, and change the style every few weeks. It s one of the ways we minister to and with each other and build community. Thank you for being part of our worship and community today! *At the asterisk, stand as you are able. P: Presiding Minister A: Assisting Minister L: Lector C: Congregation ELW (Evangelical Lutheran Worship) page numbers are printed in the lower corners in the front portion of the hymnal. Hymn numbers are large numbers printed beside hymn titles in the rest of the book. Serving Today Presiding Minister Pastor Jared Olson Assisting Minister Phil Adams Director of Music Carl Heine Lectors 8:30 Grant Eckhoff 11:00 Pat Pape Communion Deacons 8:30 Steve Carr 11:00 Mike Michalak Bread Hosts 8:30 John & Lori Whitnell 11:00 John & Pat Vicha Crucifer/Acolytes 8:30 Will Richards, Teresa Keys & Sherri D Agostino 11:00 Oliver, Ben & Julie Michalak Greeters 8:30 Diane Ingram, John & Lori Whitnell 11:00 Carolyn Lukens, Mike & Dawn Harrington Ushers 8:30 Chuck Taylor, Rich Wilen, Mina Kerr 11:00 Connie Totzke, Jeff & Brad Huber, Anthony Tarpeh Welcome Center 8:30 Lorraine Taylor 11:00 Anne Krick Counters Ann Holmstrom, Ron Diehl, Paul Cook
Preparing to Worship Prelude O come, O Come Emmanuel G. Edmundson Welcome Children s Message Pastor Jared Dana King *Entrance Hymn: As the Dark Awaits the Dawn (v. 1) ELW, #261
*Entrance Rite and Blessing of Advent Wreath P: We praise you, O God, for this evergreen crown that marks our days of preparation for Christ s advent. As we light the first candle on this wreath, rouse us from sleep, that we may be ready to greet our Lord when he comes with all the saints and angels. Enlighten us with your grace, and prepare our hearts to welcome him with joy. Grant this through Christ our Lord, whose coming is certain and whose day draws near. C: Amen Repeat Entrance Hymn, v. 1 Gathering Together in Worship *Confession and Forgiveness Most merciful God, we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen. P: Almighty God, in his mercy, has given his Son to die for us and, for his sake, forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. C. Amen.
*Prayer of the Day P: God of freedom, you are our deliverance, no matter the test. Strengthen us with your spirit and uphold us with your love, for the sake of your Son our Lord, Jesus Christ. C: Amen. Responding to the Word of God Lesson Daniel 3:1, 8-30 The Word of God as written in Daniel: 3King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue whose height was sixty cubits and whose width was six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon 8 Accordingly, at this time certain Chaldeans came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, shall fall down and worship the golden statue, 11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These pay no heed to you, O King. They do not serve your gods and they do not worship the golden statue that you have set up. 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought in; so they brought those men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and you do not worship the golden statue that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble to fall down and worship the statue that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands? 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter. 17 If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face was distorted. He ordered the furnace heated up seven times more than was customary, 20 and ordered some of the strongest guards in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 So the men were bound, still wearing their tunics, their trousers, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. 22 Because the king s command was urgent and the furnace was so overheated, the raging flames killed the men who lifted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 But the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his counselors, Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire? They answered the king, True, O king. 25 He replied, But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the fourth has the appearance of a god. 26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here! So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27 And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their tunics were not harmed, and not even the smell of fire came from them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that utters blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way. 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. L: Word of God, Word of life. C: Thanks be to God.
*Gospel Acclamation Return to the Lord Re turn to the Lord, your God, re - turn to the Lord, your God, who is gra -cious and mer-ci - ful, slow to an-ger and a -bound-ing in stead-fast love. *The Gospel John 18:36-37 P: The Holy Gospel according to John. C: Glory to you, O Lord. 36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here. 37 Pilate asked him, So you are a king? Jesus answered, You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice. L: The Gospel of the Lord. C: Praise to you, O Christ. Sermon Pastor Jared Receiving new members, (8:30) David, Kyra, Callie & Jonah Behnke (11:00) Jim & Gail Mathieson
*Hymn of the Day O Come, O Come, Emmanuel ELW, #257
*Christmas Creed I believe in Jesus Christ and in the beauty of the gospel begun in Bethlehem. I believe in the one whose spirit glorified a little town; and whose spirit still brings music to people all over the world, in towns both large and small. I believe in the one for whom the crowded inn could find no room, and I confess that my heart still sometimes wants to exclude Christ from my life today. I believe in the one who the rulers of the earth ignored and the proud could never understand; whose life was among common people, whose welcome came from people of hungry hearts. I believe in the one who proclaimed the love of God to be invincible: I believe in the one whose cradle was a mother's arms, whose modest home in Nazareth had love for its only wealth, who looked at people and made them see what God's love saw in them, who by love brought sinners back to purity, and lifted human weakness up to meet the strength of God. I confess my ever-lasting need of God: The need of forgiveness for our selfishness and greed, the need of new life for empty souls, the need of love for hearts grown cold. I believe in God who gives us the best of himself. I believe in Jesus, the son of the living God, born in Bethlehem this night, for me and for the world. *Prayers of the People After each petition of the prayers: A: Saving God. C: Hear our prayer. *Passing the Peace P: The peace of the Lord be with you always. C: And also with you. P: Let us share the peace.
Offering (11:00) St. Paul Choir Es Kommt Ein Schiff Geladen att. C. Heine *Offertory Response *Offertory Prayer A: For all that you have bestowed upon us, O Lord, we give you thanks. Out of the gratitude of our hearts we present these gifts, dedicating them to your merciful work on behalf of all those less fortunate than ourselves. May they be a testimony to the miracles you have brought about on behalf of your faithful people. C: Amen.
*The Great Thanksgiving Sharing the Eucharistic Meal P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. P: Lift up your hearts. C: We lift them to the Lord. P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. C: It is right to give our thanks and praise. P: It is indeed right... join their unending hymn. *Sanctus *Eucharistic Prayer
P: Lord, here us as we pray *The Lord s Prayer Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen. The Distribution of Communion The body and blood of Christ are present in this sacrament, for the forgiveness of sin and the strengthening of faith. All people are welcome to share in this meal with us. Parents, if you have a young child who receives communion, please indicate that when the minister comes to you. Those who do not receive communion are welcome to come forward for a blessing; simply keep your hands folded. Come forward and receive the bread from the minister. Gluten-free wafers are available. The gold chalice contains wine; you may drink directly from the cup or dip your bread into the wine. The pottery chalice contains non-alcoholic grape juice, which you may receive by dipping your bread into the juice. Return to your seat by the side aisles. If you would like communion brought to you, simply let an usher know. Agnus Dei Lamb of God
Music During Communion Hymn: He Came Down ELW, #253 *Post-Communion Prayer A: God for whom we wait, in this meal you give us a foretaste of that day when the hungry will be fed with good things. Send us forth to make known your deeds and to proclaim the greatness of your name, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. C: Amen.
*Post Communion Canticle Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers (v.1) ELW, #244 Going Out into the World Sent by God Announcements *Benediction P: The God of all grace, bless you now and forever C: Amen.
*Sending Hymn: Fling Wide the Door ELW, #259
*Dismissal A: Go in peace. Serve the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Postlude Fling Wide the Door C. Heine