Welcome in the name of Jesus Christ!

Welcome in the name of Jesus Christ! We thank God that you have joined us this morning for worship. If you are visiting with us, we thank God you are here and pray our worship together will be a mutual blessing. If you are looking for a church home, we hope Abiding Savior can meet your needs. Please introduce yourself to one of the Pastors. We ask both members and visitors to kindly fill out attendance cards and pass them to the center aisle. The ushers will gather them during the Sermon Hymn which follows the Children s Message. Feel free to add a prayer request for the Pastor to include in the congregational prayer. We love children here at Abiding Savior. Parents are encouraged to sit in the front pews so that young children can see what is happening during worship. If you should want to make use of our cry room or nursery, please ask one of our ushers for directions. Ministers Rev. Dr. Thomas Rogers... Senior Pastor Rev. Glenn Lucas... Associate Pastor Rev. Richard Schumm, Emeritus... Assistant to the Pastors Mrs. Donna Lucas... Principal Pam Howard... Preschool Director Chris Rogers... Music Director & Organist Kyle Salesky.Director of Family and Youth Ministries Hank Hellfeld... Deacon Call Us Church Office... (949) 830-1460 School Office... (949) 830-1461 Preschool Office... (949) 837-4292 On the Web... www.abidingsavior.com facebook.com/abidingsaviorlakeforest @abidingsavior @aslc_youth

Order of Worship The Third Sunday in Advent Sunday, December 17, 2017 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. PRE RELUDE CHRIS ROGERS OGERS, ORGANIST WELCOME Please stand. OPENING HYMN Hark the Glad Sound Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes, The Savior promised long; Let ev ry heart prepare a throne And ev ry voice a song. He comes the pris ners to release, In Satan s bondage held. The gates of brass before Him burst, The iron fetters yield. He comes the broken heart to bind, The bleeding soul to cure, And with the treasures of His grace To enrich the humble poor. Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace, Thy welcome shall proclaim, And heav n s eternal arches ring With Thy belovèd name. Text: Philip Doddridge, 1702-51 Tune: Thomas Haweis, 1734-1820; setting: The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941 Text & Music: Public Domain LSB 349 Used by Permission. LSBHymnLicense.net #100012189 INV NVOCATION Pastor: In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen! Worshippers are invited to kneel for the Confession and Absolution. Those who desire not to kneel may sit or stand. CONFE ONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Pastor: But test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Since we are gathered to hear God s Word, call upon Him in prayer and praise, and receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of this altar, let us first consider our unworthiness and confess before God and one another that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition. Together as His people, let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God, our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ, and saying: God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to everlasting life. Amen. 2

Pastor: Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. HYMN OF PRAISE Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness Praise the One who breaks the darkness With a liberating light; Praise the One who frees the pris ners, Turning blindness into sight. Praise the One who preached the Gospel, Healing ev ry dread disease, Calming storms, and feeding thousands With the very Bread of peace. Praise the One who blessed the children With a strong, yet gentle word; Praise the One who drove out demons With the piercing, two-edged sword. Praise the One who brings cool water To the desert s burning sand; From this Well comes living water, Quenching thirst in ev ry land. Let us praise the Word Incarnate, Christ, who suffered in our place. Jesus died and rose victorious That we may know God by grace. Let us sing for joy and gladness, Seeing what our God has done; Let us praise the true Redeemer, Praise the One who makes us one. Text: Rusty Edwards, b. 1955 Tune: The Sacred Harp, Philadelphia, 1844 Text: 1987 Hope Publishing Co. LSB 849 Used by Permission. LSBHymnLicense.net #100012189 SALUTATION AND COLLECT Pastor: The Lord be with you. And also with you. Pastor: Let us pray. O Lord, You lead us to see and believe in Jesus, the light of the world, grant that we rejoice always in the new life that is ours; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. OLD TESTAMENT READING ISAIAH 61:1-4, 8-11 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. 3

They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations. Lector: This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. EPISTLE READING 1 SSALONIANS 5:16-24 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. Lector: This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Please stand for the Holy Gospel: HOLY GOSPEL Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, chapter one. JOHN 1:6 1:6-8, 19-28 4

READING OF HOLY GOSPEL There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you? He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? He said, I am not. Are you the Prophet? And he answered, No. So they said to him, Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? He said, I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said. (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet? John answered them, I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie. These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord! Worshippers are invited to stand and share the peace of the lord with each other. Children can come down to the chancel steps for the children s message. CHILDREN HILDREN S MESSAGE Prayer and member/guest cards will be collected during the singing of the following hymn: SERMON HYMN Hark! A Thrilling Voice is Sounding Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding! Christ is near, we hear it say. Cast away the works of darkness, All you children of the day! Startled at the solemn warning, Let the earthbound soul arise; Christ, its sun, all sloth dispelling, Shines upon the morning skies. See, the Lamb, so long expected, Comes with pardon down from heav n. Let us haste, with tears of sorrow, One and all, to be forgiv n; So, when next He comes in glory And the world is wrapped in fear, He will shield us with His mercy And with words of love draw near. Honor, glory, might, dominion To the Father and the Son With the ever-living Spirit While eternal ages run! Text: tr. Edward Caswall, 1814-78, alt. Music: William H. Monk, 1823-89 LSB 345 Used by Permission. LSBHymnLicense.net #100012189 5

SERMON REV EV. TOM ROGERS NICENE CREED I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father, and He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end. And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. GARING OF OUR TIS AND OFFERINGS God doesn t need our money, but in His grace He gives us the privilege to be stewards of everything He has entrusted to our care. We can do more together than separately. As one body in Christ, our congregation has agreed to offer our first fruits to support ministries and missions that enable us to communicate Christ s love to everyone, everywhere; and our love for Him. Your sacrificial gift enables this holy work. MUSICAL OFFERING We Give Thee But Thine Own We give Thee but Thine own, Whate er the gift may be; All that we have is Thine alone, A trust, O Lord, from Thee. May we Thy bounties thus As stewards true receive And gladly, as Thou blessest us, To Thee our firstfruits give! And we believe Thy Word, Though dim our faith may be: Whate er for Thine we do, O Lord, We do it unto Thee. Text: William W. How, 1823-97 Tune: William H. Monk, 1823-89 LSB 781 Used by Permission. LSBHymnLicense.net #100012189 PRAYER OF CHUR HURCH Pastor: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs. Pastor: Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. After each petition the prayer concludes: 6

Pastor: Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend ourselves and all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy through Jesus Christ, our Lord. We look now with joy to our Holy Communion at the Table of our Lord, rejoicing that He comes to us to bless us in this Sacrament of His Presence. Amen. REGARDING HOLY COMMUNION: As Lutheran communicants, we believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in this Holy Supper. Be mindful of the words of St. Paul: We ought to examine ourselves before we eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (1 Corinthians 11:28) Are you truly sorry for your sins? Do you believe that your sins are forgiven because Jesus died for them? Do you believe that Jesus gives you his own body and blood in the Sacrament as a seal of that forgiveness? Is it your sincere intention to do better in living a Christian life? Then come, and receive assurance and strengthening from Jesus. NOTE: In the center of each communion tray are a few glasses with grape juice wine for those who are on alcohol restrictive medications or who, for personal reasons, wish to abstain from wine. Also we have gluten uten-free communion wafers available for those who need them. They are in the small plastic containers on the wafer trays (patens). The empty plastic containers may be placed in the bags with the used communion cups. HOLY COMMUNION Pastor: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Pastor: Lift up your hearts. People: We lift them to the Lord. Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. People: It is right to give Him thanks and praise. Pastor: It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, whose way John the Baptist prepared, proclaiming Him the promised Messiah, the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and calling sinners to repentance that they might escape from the wrath to be revealed when He comes again in glory. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and singing: Holy, holy, holy Lord, Lord God of pow r and might: Heav n and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. 7

Pastor: Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have had mercy on us and given Your only-begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. We give You thanks for the redemption You have prepared for us through Jesus Christ. Send Your Holy Spirit into our hearts that He may establish in us a living faith and prepare us joyfully to remember our Redeemer and receive Him who comes to us in His body and blood. We pray together the prayer He taught us: 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 t kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. WORDS OF INSTITUTION Pastor: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: Take, eat; this is my body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me. In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: Drink of it, all of you; this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. Pastor: The peace of the Lord be with you always. People: And also with you. AGNUS DEI Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us. Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us. Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; Grant us peace, grant us peace. DISTRIBUTION HYMN Comfort, Comfort Ye My People Comfort, comfort ye My people, Speak ye peace, thus saith our God; Comfort those who sit in darkness, Mourning neath their sorrows load. Speak ye to Jerusalem Of the peace that waits for them; Tell her that her sins I cover And her warfare now is over. Yea, her sins our God will pardon, Blotting out each dark misdeed; All that well deserved His anger He no more will see or heed. She hath suffered many_a day, Now her griefs have passed away; God will change her pining sadness Into ever-springing gladness. 8

Hark, the herald s voice is crying In the desert far and near, Calling sinners to repentance, Since the Kingdom now is here. O that warning cry obey! Now prepare for God a way; Let the valleys rise to meet Him And the hills bow down to greet Him. Make ye straight what long was crooked; Make the rougher places plain. Let your hearts be true and humble, As befits His holy reign. For the glory of the Lord Now o er earth is shed abroad, And all flesh shall see the token That His Word is never broken. Text: Johann Olearius, 1611-84; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827-78, alt. Tune: Trente quatre Pseaumes de David, Geneva, 1551, ed. Louis Bourgeois; setting: The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941 Text & Music: Public Domain LSB 347 Used by Permission. LSBHymnLicense.net #100012189 PRAYER OF O THANKSGIVING Pastor: Let us pray. We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You spoke through John to point people to Jesus, the Christ. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, work through us to bear witness to Christ as well; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. BENEDICTION Pastor: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. Amen! CLOSING HYMN Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus Come, Thou long expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in Thee. Israel s strength and consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art, Dear desire of ev ry nation, Joy of ev ry longing heart. Born Thy people to deliver; Born a child and yet a king! Born to reign in us forever, Now Thy gracious kingdom bring. By Thine own eternal Spirit Rule in all our hearts alone; By Thine all sufficient merit Raise us to Thy glorious throne. Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-88, ats. Tune: Southern Harmony, New Haven, 1835 Text & Tune: Public Domain LSB 338 Used by Permission. LSBHymnLicense.net #100012189 Pastor: Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God! 9

Flowers The flowers which grace our altar this weekend are dedicated to the glory of the Lord by Mike and Pam Lang in loving memory of their son, Aaron. Keep in Your Prayers Prayers for strength and healing, guidance and blessing for: Betsy Hotsko Patricia Howard Elizabeth Hurley Jeanne Kelly Brad Lucente Ross Marchand Suzanne Bailey Bill Bartlett Leigh Bassler Dorothy Carnevale Vincent Carnevale Terri Green Alexander Hernandez Crystal Nylander Brett Riedlinger Lee Seib Junko Shiki Denice Soresi Eileen Stewart Judy Williams Irene Fabre Ruth Morgan We pray for those who are ill: Larry Reimnitz Lou Torres Etsuko Busker Rosemary Colburn We pray for those who are recovering: Jeff Conrad Rocky Hewitt June Thomas 10