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First Sunday of Advent
WELCOME TO ST. ANDREW
10:00 AM Service November 30, 2025
PRELUDE
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
RINGING OF THE BELL
Please stand as you are able.
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, whose home is heaven and earth, whose salvation is sure.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Long-expected God, we confess that we look to ourselves for the peace and security only you can provide. We reach for swords and spears, reluctant to release our grip on the ways of war.
We become impatient while waiting and weary of keeping awake. Free us from self-reliance, and teach us to live in harmony with our neighbors. Increase our trust in God’s timing, and awaken us to your advent among us, that we may abound in the hope you have promised. Amen.
God judges us not as we deserve, but according to God’s own righteous-ness. You are freed and forgiven, saved by grace, and ready to welcome the Savior. Amen.
GATHERING HYMN “Rejoice, Rejoice Believers” Hymn #244
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.
HYMN OF PRAISE “Glory in the Highest”
Congregation sings the refrain and echoes each phrase of the verses.
Verse 1 Shaper of the Universe, Thanks and praise we sing. Loving Father, Caring Mother hold us in your wings. Refrain Verse 2 Jesus Christ the Lamb of God, You wash our sins away.
At your table all are welcome. Hear us as we pray. Refrain
Verse 3 Holy Spirit source of life, burning wild and free You are God the three-in-one such a mystery. Refrain Jonathan Rundman CCLI Song #5819016 © 2006 Rundman, Jonathan For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use.
All rights reserved. www.ccli.com Used with permission CCLI License #2561118
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray. Lord God, we have grown so jaded, that we hardly even look for the miracles anymore. Open our eyes, that we might see your good work in new ways, Amen.
Please be seated.
Glo - ry n the high est, Glo ry be to God.
Glo - ry in the high - est, And peace to all the earth.
LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT CANDLE
We light one candle for one God,
The one who comes to us as a baby, swaddled and wailing.
We light one candle for one hope, one light, one salvation.
We light one candle to say YES to the invitation
to participate in the story of God’s people.
Hymn # 253 “He Came Down” vs. 1
WORD
FIRST READING Isaiah 2:1-5
The visionary message presented in this reading focuses on a future day when God establishes a universal reign of peace. Divine decisions will make war obsolete, and the worshiping community responds: “Let us walk in the light of that Lord now!”
1 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be raised above the hills; all the na-tions shall stream to it. 3 Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more. 5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.
PSALM Psalm 122
Refrain:
1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” 2 Now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem is built as a city that is at unity with itself;
Refrain:
4 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, the assembly of Israel, to
praise the name of the Lord. 5 For there are the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.
Refrain:
7 Peace be within your walls and quietness within your towers. 8 For the sake of my kindred and companions, I pray for your prosperity. 9 Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek to do you good.”
Refrain:
SECOND READING Romans 13:11-14
Paul compares the advent of Christ to the coming of dawn. We live our lives today in light of Christ’s coming in the future.
11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is already the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone; the day is near. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us walk decently as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in illicit sex and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.
CHILDREN’S SERMON Pastor Chris Steubing
Please stand as you are able.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
The gospel according to Matthew.
Glory to you, O Lord.
GOSPEL READING Matthew 24: 36-44
Jesus describes his second coming as a sudden, turbulent event that will bring about deep change to our normal, day-to-day lives. Therefore, he urges people to stay awake, be aware, and wait expectantly, because the Son of Man will come unannounced.
[Jesus said to the disciples,] 36 “About that day and hour no one knows, nei-ther the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing un-til the flood came and swept them all away, so, too, will be the coming of the Son of Man.
40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken, and one will be left. 42 Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Al - le - lu - ia. Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the
Words of e—ter— nal life. Al - le - lu - ia. Al - le - lu - ia.
Please be seated.
SERMON Rev. Chris Steubing
HYMN OF THE DAY “Come to Us“
Words and Music by Greg Walton, © 2011 SPIRIT AND SONG OCP Used by permission CCLI # 2561118
Please stand as you are able.
THE NICENE CREED
Together with the whole church, we confess our faith:
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
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
. . .God of grace, Hear 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 MUSIC “Come Now, O Prince of Peace” Hymn #247
Please stand as you are able as the offering is brought forward.
OFFERING PRAYER
Let us pray. God of every good gift, we offer what we have back to you, knowing that your son is the greatest gift we will ever receive. Grant us glad and generous hearts, ever and always, 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
May God bless you with courage, as you seek the YES within you;
May Christ be born again in every risk you take for the sake of the world; And may the Holy Spirit remind you, again and again, that you are never alone, and that you are loved beyond measure.
SENDING HYMN “Soon and Very Soon” Hymn #439
Go in peace. Share the harvest.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE
Our staff and worship leaders today:
Pastor—Rev. Chris Steubing
Visitation Pastor—Rev. Judi Miller
Our Reader—Ed Zastawny
Our Liturgist—Ken Kleid
Organist—Jimmy Cheung
Choir and Hand Bell Director—Wendy Kuenemann