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WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS
In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
The mystery that was kept secret for long
ages
is now disclosed to bring about the
obedience of faith.
Therefore in obedience and faith we confess
our sins.
Romans 15:25-26
Silence for reflection and
self-examination.
God
for whom we wait,
we confess to you our sin in thought, word,
and deed,
in what we have done and in 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 our Lord Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us.
Forgive us, renew us, and lead us;
restore our fortunes;
fill our mouths with laughter
and our tongues with shouts of joy. Amen
God is able to strengthen his people
according to the Gospel and proclamation of
Jesus Christ. Romans 15:25
As
a called and ordained minister of the Church of Christ,
and
by his authority,
I
declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins,
in
the name of the Father, and of the X Son,
and
of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
THE HOLY COMMUNION
APOSTOLIC
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.
KYRIE
ELEISON
In peace, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above,
and for our salvation, let us pray to the
Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world,
for the well-being of the Church of God,
and for the unity of all, let us pray to the
Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house,
and for all who offer here their worship and
praise,
let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort and defend us, gracious Lord. Amen
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Blessing OF THE ADVENT WREATH
Fourth Sunday in Advent
We
praise you, O God, for this wheel of time
that
marks our days of preparation for Christ’s advent.
By the
light of the fourth candle on this wreath,
open our eyes to see your presence
in the lowly ones of this earth.
Enlighten us with your grace,
that we may sing of your advent among us
in the Word made flesh.
Grant this through Christ our
Lord,
whose coming is certain and whose
day draws near.
Amen
PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Stir up your power, O Lord, and come.
Take away the hindrance of our sins and
make us ready for the
celebration of your birth, that
we may receive you with joy and
serve you always;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen
CALL TO
THE WORD
Mary said to the angel,
‘Let it be to me according to your word.’ Luke 1:38
Let us hear the Word of the Lord.
Sit
First READING 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
Now when the
king was settled in his house, and the Lord
had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2the king said
to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark
of God stays in a tent.” 3Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that
you have in mind; for the Lord is
with you.”
4But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: 5Go and tell my servant
David: Thus says the Lord: Are you
the one to build me a house to live in? 6I have not lived in a house
since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I
have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. 7Wherever I have
moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of
the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel,
saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” 8Now therefore
thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following
the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; 9and I have been with
you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I
will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10And
I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they
may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall
afflict them no more, as formerly, 11from the time that I appointed
judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies.
Moreover the Lord declares to you
that the Lord will make you a
house. 16Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever
before me; your throne shall be established forever.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
NEW TESTAMENT CANTICLE
Song of Mary
Luke 1:46b-55
The canticle is read responsively between the pastor and the people.
The
Lord has lifted up the lowly. Luke 1:52a
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked
with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all
generations will call me blessed.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
He has mercy on those
who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm;
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the
mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the
lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the
help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered
his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.
Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the
beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen
The Lord has lifted up the lowly. Luke 1:52a
SECOND READING Romans
16:25-27
25Now to God
who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of
Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret
for long ages 26but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic
writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the
eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—27to the only
wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to
God.
Stand
VERSE
Alleluia. The virgin shall conceive and
bear a son
and they shall name him Emmanuel. Alleluia.
Matthew
1:23
Gospel Luke
1:26-38
The
Holy Gospel according to St. Luke.
Glory to you, O Lord.
26In the sixth
month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to
a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The
virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings,
favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29But she was much perplexed by
his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30The
angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And
now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him
Jesus. 32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most
High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33He
will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no
end.” 34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a
virgin?” 35The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to
be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36And now, your
relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the
sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37For nothing will be
impossible with God.” 38Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of
the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed
from her.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sit
SERMON
HYMN OF THE DAY Savior
of the Nations, Come
Please meditate on the text of the hymn as
it is played.
1 Savior of the
nations, come;
show
the glory of the Son!
Ev’ry
people, stand in awe;
Praise
the perfect Son of God.
2 Not
of human seed or worth,
but
from God’s own mystic breath,
fruit
in Mary’s womb begun,
when
God breathed the Word, his Son.
3 Wondrous
birth! Oh, wondrous child
of
the virgin undefiled!
Mighty
God and man in one,
eager
now his race to run!
4 God
the Father is his source,
back
to God he runs his course;
down
to death and hell descends,
God’s
high throne he reascends.
5 He
leaves heaven to return;
trav’ling
where dull hellfires burn;
Riding
out, returning home
As the Savior who has come.
6 God
the Father’s precious Son
Girds
himself in flesh to run
for
the trophies of our souls,
Longer
than this round earth rolls.
7
Shining stable in the
night,
breathing vict’ry with
your light;
darkness cannot hide your
flame,
shining bright as Jesus’
name.
Text: attr. Ambrose of Milan,
340-397; Martin Luther, 1483-1546;
tr. hymnal version.
Stand
CONFESSION OF FAITH
The pastor and people confess the faith
of the Church in the words of the Nicene Creed.
X At the words ‘For us and for our
salvation,’ and continuing through ‘and was made man,’
a solemn bow is appropriate to praise the
incarnation of our Lord.
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.
X For us and for our salvation
he
came down from heaven;
by
the power of the Holy Spirit
he
became incarnate from the virgin Mary, and
was made man. X
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.
With
the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He
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
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all
people according to their needs.
A brief silence is kept.
hear our prayer.
For this congregation: that you would show us signs of your mercy and
grace. Make of us a house to praise you forever, and bring about the obedience
of faith in us. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
For our bishop, Dan; our Dean, Nila; our pastors, Maurice and Harvey,
and for all those called to the ministry of Word and Sacrament: that they may
proclaim Jesus as the One who fulfills all of your promises. Lord, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
For peace in the world; for deliverance from terror, injustice, and
abuse of power: that room for you may be made in this earth. Lord, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
For those who must be far from home in these days, especially for all
who serve in our armed forces; that all may know the blessings of Christ’s love
and protection. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
For those for whom the busy-ness of this season is a burden; for those
for whom poverty, illness, grief, and despair darken their celebrations; for
those who work in hospitals, in nursing homes, and who serve as first
responders, and for those who have not yet come to faith, that you might visit
all of them with the angel who calls them to rejoice in the good news. We name
these before you:
The People
may offer silent or spoken intercessions and thanksgivings.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We praise you for King David and the prophet Nathan; for St Paul and the
Church in Rome; for the Blessed Virgin Mary, and for all those who have trusted
your promise in Jesus Christ; and we ask that we be numbered among their
company until all things are fulfilled. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Into your hands, Father, we commend all for whom we
pray, trusting in your steadfast love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
PEACE
The peace
of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.
The
people exchange a sign of peace with the simple words, Peace be with you.
Sit
Stand
PRAYER OF
PREPARATION
As the grain once scattered
in the fields
and the grapes once dispersed
on the hillside
are reunited on this table in
bread and wine,
so, Lord, may your whole
Church soon be gathered together
from the corners of the earth
into your kingdom.
Amen
GREAT THANKSGIVING
The
Great Thanksgiving begins with the Preface, leading into the Sanctus:
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 indeed right and salutary that we
should at all times and in all places offer thanks and praise to you, O Lord,
holy Father, through your Son, Jesus Christ.
Your eternal Word adorned the face of heaven
with splendor and, with the glory of the incarnation, he filled the Virgin’s
womb and made it fruitful; so that a new light in radiant splendor might shine
upon all, and that from Mary, virgin and mother, might spring salvation from
for the human race.
And so with the Church on earth and the hosts
of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy LORD, God of power and might!
Heaven 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! (Isaiah 6:3, Matthew 21:9)
The pastor leads the people
in praying the Eucharistic canon:
Blessed are you, O Adonai, Most High and Holy God,
for the wonder of your goodness
which creates,
establishes, and permeates
the heavens and the earth.
We praise you for
the promises you made to the Patriarchs,
as you led your chosen people
out of slavery
into the land of
promise,
giving them your Law on Sinai’s
heights.
You promised,
through the prophets,
that the Messiah would come,
the very branch of Jesse –
before whom all nations would
keep silent.
Then, at the
appointed time,
you sent your beloved Son, Jesus
our Emmanuel,
the key of David born of Mary by
the power of the Spirit.
He came to rescue
the uprooted,
to bring life to the lifeless
and voice to those
who were without hope;
on Calvary’s heights gave His
life
to draw all people to Himself
and to your promise
of mercy.
In the night in
which He was betrayed
our Lord Jesus took bread and gave thanks,
broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my Body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of
me.
Again, after
supper, He took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my Blood,
shed for you and for all people
for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of
me.
Together, let us
proclaim the mystery of faith:
O Christ, you are the splendor
of life everlasting:
We laud your death
and resurrection,
and await your return
in glory.
Blessed are you, O
Adonai, Lord of might.
You fulfilled your promises
in the death,
resurrection and ascension of your Son,
the King of all nations.
We praise you for
embracing us
as the people who now dwell in
the brightness of His glory.
Send now your holy
and life-giving Spirit
upon this Bread of Life and this
Cup of Salvation,
that we, in this holy communion,
may be united to Him who is our
cornerstone,
the One who gives us His very
body and blood
to sustain us in His forgiving
love.
With all the people
of your promises,
we await our Lord’s final coming
when we will share in that feast
which shall never end.
Amen. Come, O precious Ransom, come!
In the presence of Christ, we pray to his Father
using the words he gave us.
Christ
is in our midst.
By the power of the Spirit,
we pray to his Father, saying:
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. Amen (Matthew 6:9-15)
God
lifts up the lowly
and
fills the hungry with good things.
Thanks be to God.
Luke 1:52-53
We adore Christ with the words of the Agnus Dei (Lamb
of God).
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. (John
1:29, see also Luke 17:13)
DISTRIBUTION
Admission to the Sacrament is by
invitation of the Lord, presented through the Church to those who are baptized.
They may receive the Lord’s Body and Blood who
are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
who commune in their home churches, and who believe that Jesus Christ,
crucified and risen, is truly present in, with, and under the forms of bread
and wine for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
The
communicants will be invited forward one family unit at a time. Please do not
come forward until the pastor directs you to come forward, do not approach all
the way to the table until the pastor has retreated, and please do not remove your mask until you
have reached the table with the elements on it.
When the pastor says ‘The body of Christ,
given for you,’ eat the bread. When the pastor says, ‘The blood of Christ, shed
for you,’ drink the wine. Please take
the plate and the glass(es) and place them on the table that is indicated.
Please put your mask on before returning to your seat.
Please meditate
on the text of the hymn as it is played.
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
1 Let
all mortal flesh keep silence,
and
with fear and trembling stand;
ponder
nothing earthly-minded,
for
with blessing in his hand
Christ
our God to earth descending
comes
our homage to demand.
2 King
of kings, yet born of Mary,
as
of old on earth he stood,
Lord
of lords in human vesture,
in
the body and the blood,
he
will give to all the faithful
his
own self for heav’nly food.
3 Rank
on rank the host of heaven
spreads
its vanguard on the way;
as
the Light of light, descending
from
the realms of endless day,
comes,
the pow’rs of hell to vanquish,
as
the darkness clears away.
4 At
his feet the six-winged seraph,
cherubim
with sleepless eye,
veil
their faces to the presence,
as
with ceaseless voice they cry:
“Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Alleluia,
Lord Most High!”
Text: Liturgy of St. James; tr. Gerard Moultrie, 1829-1885, alt.
When all have
received, the congregation stands at the direction of the pastor.
The body and blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace. Amen
Lord, now you let your servant
go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled.
My own eyes have seen the
salvation
which you have prepared in the
sight of every people:
A light to reveal you to the
nations
and the glory of your people
Israel.
Glory to the Father, and to
the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is
now,
and will be forever. Amen Song
of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32)
O God, in this meal
we have been given a foretaste
of the feast that is to come.
Help us always to be alert
to your gifts in our midst;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
who loved the world so much that he sent
his only Son,
give you grace to prepare for life
eternal.
Amen
May God the Son,
who comes to us as redeemer and judge,
reveal to you the path from darkness to light.
Amen
May God the Holy Spirit,
by whose power the Virgin Mary conceived
the Christ,
help you
bear the fruits of holiness.
Amen
Almighty God, Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you
now and forever.
Amen
DISMISSAL
Go
in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
CLOSING MUSIC O Come, O
Come Emmanuel
