New Year's Eve Peace Lutheran Church + Saginaw, Michigan December 31, 2013 PRESERVICE MUSIC WELCOME HYMN 899 Across the Sky the Shades of Night Across the sky the shades of night This New Year s Eve are fleeting. We deck Your altar, Lord, with light, In solemn worship meeting; And as the year s last hours go by, We raise to You our earnest cry, Once more Your love entreating. Before the cross subdued we bow, To You our prayer addressing, Recounting all Your mercies now, And all our sins confessing; Beseeching You this coming year To keep us in Your faith and fear And crown us with Your blessing. We gather up in this brief hour The mem ry of Your mercies: Your wondrous goodness, love, and pow r Our grateful song rehearses; For You have been our strength and stay In many_a dark and dreary day Of sorrow and reverses. We now remember, as we pray, Our dear ones in Your caring Who brightly shine in endless day, Past death and all despairing. At our life s end, Lord, as Your own, Bring us with them around Your throne, The joys of heaven sharing. Then, gracious God, in years to come, We pray Your hand may guide us, And, onward through our journey home, Your mercy walk beside us 1
Until at last our ransomed life Is safe from peril, toil, and strife When heav n itself shall hide us. INVOCATION and OPENING SENTENCES In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Restore us to Yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old. CONFESSION and ABSOLUTION Let us confess our sin to the God who holds all of our days in His merciful hands. Most merciful God, we confess to You all our sin, our neglect of Your Word and of our neighbor. Instead of daily repentance we have taken Your grace for granted. We return to You and to the promise of our Holy Baptism, imploring You for forgiveness and deliverance. God, who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, forgives you all your sins. Receive His forgiveness and love for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord. SALUTATION and COLLECT OF THE DAY The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray. Eternal God, we commit to Your mercy and forgiveness the year now ending and commend to Your blessing and love the times yet to come. In the new year, abide among us with Your Holy Spirit that we may always trust in the saving name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 2
PSALM 90:1 12 (antiphon: v.17) Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us. Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You return man to dust and say, Return, O children of man! For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us. 3
COMMEMORATION OF THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED I heard a voice from heaven saying, Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them. (Rev. 14:13) Let us remember with thanksgiving those who have gone before us into the arms of Jesus in this year of our Lord 2013. In His loving-kindness, He granted them new life through His Son in Holy Baptism and nourished them in the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ at His holy table. Now in His mercy He has summoned them to His eternal presence that they may be continually engaged in worshiping the Lamb forever and ever. [The names of the departed are read.] In joyful expectation of the resurrection to eternal life, we remember before You also, O Lord, all our departed family and friends who have gone before us in faith. We remember how swiftly life here comes to its close, as we eagerly await eternal joy in Your presence. We offer thanksgiving for the gift of faith and hold fast to the certainty of Your promises. [In silence we remember sainted family and friends.] Let us pray. Gracious Father, we remember with thanksgiving before You all those who rejoice with us, but upon another shore, and in a greater light, that multitude which no man can number, whose hope was the Word made flesh, and with whom in the Lord Jesus we are one forevermore. Lord, remember Your church throughout the world; make all its members grow in love for You and for one another. Give us a holy urgency to witness You to our world. As You have received our brothers and sisters who have gone to their rest in the hope of the resurrection to eternal life, bring us at last with them into the light of Your presence, that in union with all Your saints, we may laud and magnify Your name forever, through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. 4
EPISTLE Romans 8:31b 39 (A song of triumphant faith) 31 If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died more than that, who was raised to life is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. HYMN OF RESPONSE 818 In Thee Is Gladness In Thee is gladness Amid all sadness, Jesus, sunshine of my heart. By Thee are given The gifts of heaven, Thou the true Redeemer art. Our souls Thou wakest, Our bonds Thou breakest; Who trusts Thee surely Has built securely; He stands forever: Alleluia! Our hearts are pining To see Thy shining, Dying or living To Thee are cleaving; Naught can us sever: Alleluia! Since He is ours, We fear no powers, Not of earth nor sin nor death. He sees and blesses In worst distresses; He can change them with a breath. 5
Wherefore the story Tell of His glory With hearts and voices; All heav n rejoices In Him forever: Alleluia! We shout for gladness, Triumph o er sadness, Love Him and praise Him And still shall raise Him Glad hymns forever: Alleluia! Stand HOLY GOSPEL Luke 12:35-40 (Lively hope, vigilant and ready) The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the twelfth chapter. Glory to You, O Lord. 35 [Jesus said:] Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to You, O Christ. CHILDREN S MESSAGE HYMN O Christ the Same [Tune: LONDONDERRY AIR] O Christ the same, through all our story s pages Our loves and hopes, our failures and our fears; Eternal Lord, the king of all the ages, 6
Unchanging still amid the passing years. O living Word, the source of all creation, Who spread the skies and set the stars ablaze; O Christ the same, who wrought our whole salvation, We bring our thanks for all our yesterdays. O Christ the same, the friend of sinners, sharing Our inmost thoughts, the secrets none can hide; Still as of old upon Your body bearing The marks of love in triumph glorified. O Son of Man, who stooped for us from heaven O Prince of life, in all Your saving power; O Christ the same, to whom our hearts are given: We bring our thanks for this the present hour. O Christ the same, secure within whose keeping Our lives and loves, our days and years remain; Our work and rest, our waking and our sleeping, Our calm and storm, our pleasure and our pain: O Lord of love, for all our joys and sorrows For all our hopes when earth shall fade and flee; O Christ the same, beyond our brief tomorrows We bring our thanks for all that is to be. SERMON Numbering Our Days (Rev. C. William Weis) CONFESSION OF FAITH NICENE CREED [inside back cover of hymnal] PRAYER OF THE CHURCH Lord God, eternal Father, hear our prayers this night that we bring before You. Grant Your blessing to the whole Church throughout the world that Your ministers may proclaim Your truth and love courageously, that all of Your people grow in a confident and sure faith. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. 7
Cause leaders of all nations to see themselves as instruments in Your hands that they might encourage and seek to preserve peace and welfare for all people. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Grant Your blessing to this congregation that we may display Your strong love in our acts of mercy for one another and to those in our community. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Give peace, comfort, and respite this night to all who are sick or in any need or adversity. Be their guard and strong defense. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. For all who receive the body and blood of Christ: that we may be strengthened in faith and made partakers of the divine life, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy. Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy, through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. OFFERING Sing Softly, Angels Johnson (Mary Walk) Sing softly, angels, near His bed, and hover gently round His head. For lo, He sleeps, our infant King; yet He to all God s love shall bring. Walk softly, nations, round His bed; you, from afar, the star has led. For this is Christ the King, ye know, and He to all God s love shall show. PREFACE The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give Him thanks and praise. It is truly good and right for Your people gathered in Your name, O Lord, to proclaim Your praises to the world and to seek Your blessings upon a new year. We especially bless You for the love You have shown us in Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, who this day with simple bread and wine gives to us His body and blood. 8
Grant that each of us who receives this gift may know with certainty the forgiveness of sins. We lift our voices with those of the angels in heaven and the saints who have gone before, singing: SANCTUS [Tune: From Heaven Above] To God the holy Three-in-One our praises bring, our thanks be sung: O holy, holy, holy Lord, by heav n and earth in one accord. O blest is He who in God s name for our salvation, life once came. Hosanna, praise to Him be giv n on earth and in the highest heav n. LORD'S PRAYER Lord, remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray, 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. WORDS OF INSTITUTION The peace of the Lord be with you always. AGNUS DEI [Tune: From Heaven Above] O Christ, the Lamb of God we pray to take our sin and guilt away. You died, You rose that we might live; O Lamb of God, our sin forgive. O Christ, the Lamb of God, we pray to take our sin and guilt away. Your life, Your peace, to us now give that we with You in joy might live. 9
MUSIC AT DISTRIBUTION SOLO Peace Came to Earth Jeffrey (Mary Walk) Peace came to earth at last that chosen night when angels clove the sky with song and light and God embodied love and sheathed His might Who could but gasp: Immanuel! Who could but sing: Emmanuel! And who could be the same for having held the Infant in their arms, and later felt the wounded hands and side, all doubts dispelled Who could but sigh: Immanuel! Who could but shout: Emmanuel! You show the Father none has even seen, in flesh and blood You bore our griefs and pain, in bread and wine You visit us again Who could but see Immanuel! Who could but thrill: Emmanuel! How else could I have known You, O my God! How else could I have loved You, O my God! How else could I embrace You, O my God! Who could but pray: Immanuel! Who could but praise: Emmanuel! Who could but sing, who could but see, who could but praise Immanuel! HYMN 366 HYMN 392 It Came Upon the Midnight Clear God Loves Me Dearly NUNC DIMITTIS [Tune: From Heaven Above] In peace, Lord, let Your servant go, Your promised Word fulfilled, aglow. For I have seen Your love and grace and glory flow to all our race. O Christ, our Savior and our Light, to shine forever in sin s night, To You our thanks and praise be sung, O Father, Son, and Spirit One. POST-COMMUNION COLLECT We thank You, heavenly Father, for the gift of forgiveness and for the life which You have granted to us in the body and blood of Your Son Jesus. As the year draws to a close we have the assurance of Your continued blessings in this life, for You have granted to us eternal life. Strengthen us in faith that we may trust Your guiding hands in the days to come, even as You have shown Your faithfulness and love to us 10
in the days past, through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. BENEDICTION HYMN 390 Let Us All with Gladsome Voice Let us all with gladsome voice Praise the God of heaven, Who, to bid our hearts rejoice, His own Son hath given. To this vale of tears He comes, Here to serve in sadness, That with Him in heav n s fair homes We may reign in gladness. We are rich, for He was poor; Is not this a wonder? Therefore praise God evermore Here on earth and yonder. Christ, our Lord and Savior dear, Be Thou ever near us. Grant us now a glad new year. Amen, Jesus, hear us. POSTLUDE THIS EVENING S SERVANTS We thank the following for assisting in worship this evening: Preaching Minister Organist- Usher Captain - Elder - Greeter - Reader - Altar Worker - Paul Hinz Kenneth Klages Randy Beadle Mark DeWolf-Ott Lisa Seelye Lisa Seelye Joanne Seelye 11