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PRELUDE 

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS 

RINGING OF THE BELL 

Please rise as you are able. 

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS 

Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, alive in the world, reviving creation, arriving soon. Amen. 

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another. 

Silence is kept for reflection. 

God of mercy, we confess that we have sinned. We trust earthly powers and human authority alone. We grow fearful. We cling to false comforts. 

God of might, we confess that we have sinned. We have turned away from our neighbors. We have trusted false promises. 

God in our midst, we confess that we have sinned. We plead: come to us. Bring your mercy to birth in us. 

A righteous branch springs forth: it is Christ the Lord, our Savior, in whom we have forgiveness, life, and mercy. By the power of the Holy Spirit, receive the grace and forgiveness of God through Christ Jesus, whose day draws near. 

Amen. 

GATHERING HYMN “All Earth Is Hopeful” Hymn #266 

GREETING 

The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. 

And also with you. 

WORD 

FIRST READING: Micah 5: 2-5a 

The prophet Micah, having pronounced judgment upon Judah, speaks of a future shepherd-king who, like David, will come from the small town of Bethlehem. (Ephrathah refers to the area around Bethlehem.) This king will restore Israel and bring peace. New Testament writers understood this pas-sage to be referring to Jesus. 

2 But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. 3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; 5a and he shall be the one of peace. 

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 

 

PSALM “The Magnificat” Luke 1: 44-56 

 

SECOND READING Hebrews 10: 5-10 

The author of Hebrews uses the image of religious sacrifice to convey the significance of Christ’s coming. Through obedient acceptance of God’s will, Christ allows his own body to become the greatest sacrifice of all, one through which we are made a holy people. 

5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me; 6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘See, God, I have come to do your will, O God’ (in the scroll of the book it is written of me).” 8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “See, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. 10 And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 

CHILDREN’S SERMON Pastor Chris Steubing 

Please rise as you are able. 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION 

Gospel according to Luke. 

Glory to you, O Lord. 

GOSPEL READING Luke 1: 39-45 

Elizabeth, John’s mother, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, are two women filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. In Elizabeth’s inspired greeting and Mary’s song of praise we hear of a saving God who remembers, scatters, lifts up, and fulfills all things. 

39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Eliza-beth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” 

The gospel of the Lord. 

Praise to you, O Christ. 

Please be seated. 

SERMON Pastor Chris Steubing 

HYMN OF THE DAY Hymn #257 

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” Vs. 1-5 

Please rise as you are able. 

 

THE NICENE CREED 

Together with the whole church, we confess our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed: 

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, 

the only Son of God, 

eternally begotten of the Father, 

God from God, Light from Light, 

true God from true God, begotten, not made, 

of one Being with the Father; 

through him all things were made. 

For us and for our salvation 

he came down from heaven, 

was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary 

and became truly human. 

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; 

he suffered death and was buried. 

On the third day he rose again 

in accordance with the scriptures; 

He ascended into heaven, 

and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 

He will come again in glory to judge the living and 

the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. 

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, 

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,* 

who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. 

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. 

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. 

We look for the resurrection of the dead, 

and the life of the world to come. Amen. 

THE PRAYERS 

. . . Lord, in Your mercy, Receive our prayer. 

THE PEACE 

The peace of Christ be with you always. 

And also with you. 

Let us share the peace with one another. 

OFFERING 

OFFERING HYMN “Come Now, O God” (Next Pg) 

The offering is collected as the hymn is sung. Please rise as you are able as the offering is brought forward. 

OFFERING PRAYER 

Let us pray God of abundance, we bring before you the precious fruits of your creation and with them our very lives. Teach us patience and hope as we care for all those in need until the coming of your son, our Savior and Lord. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER: (Sung) 

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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen 

BENEDICTION 

God of endings and beginnings, God in the darkness and the light, God, our hope for the journey, + bless and keep you now and forever. 

SENDING HYMN “Joy to the World” Hymn #267 

DISMISSAL 

Go in peace. Prepare the way for Emmanuel. 

Thanks be to God. 

POSTLUDE. 

 

Our thanks to those who serve as our worship leaders today: 

Our Reader—Tom Pearson 

Our Liturgist—Ken Kleid 

Organist—Jimmy Cheung 

Choir and Hand Bell Director—Wendy Kuenemann 

Pastor—Rev. Christopher Steubing