The livestream may be found here.
The Peaceable Kingdom (Isaiah 11:1-10)
Blue, the
liturgical color of Advent, is redolent of the early morning sky at first light,
symbolic of the Christian hope for the coming of the Light of the World.
FIRST
READING: Isaiah speaks of the man of David’s kingly line who will
fulfill all God’s promises to Judah and Israel. He will be filled with the
sevenfold gifts of the Spirit (which, in our day, we pray that God would give
every candidate for baptism and every confirmand). He is the ideal king who
brings endless peace, so that the prophet imagines that not only will violence
between humans cease, but also violence in the animal kingdom as well.
PSALM: The
psalmist prays that the king of Israel be a just man and rule wisely. In the
time of the just king the complaint of the wise, why the evil flourish and the
righteous suffer, will be answered: both the good and the evil will receive
from the king what they truly deserve.
SECOND
READING: St Paul urges
the Jews and the non-Jews in the Roman Christian community to welcome and
receive each other as fellow believers. The ‘root of Jesse’, as foretold in
Isaiah and the Psalms, has been revealed in order to bring people of all races
and nations together in the Spirit to worship God the Father.
GOSPEL: John the Baptist
proclaims the kingdom of God, but the kingdom of God becomes wrath for those
who do evil. But it is not too late – the prophet urges ‘repentance,’ a turning
from evil and a movement towards good. The people must rely neither upon family
lineage nor upon mere performance of religious rites. A tree must bear good
fruit – otherwise destruction will be its lot. The tree that bears good fruit
is the person who turns to God, who confesses sin and receives forgiveness in
order to live for the coming reign of God.
OPENING MUSIC
Comfort, Comfort Now My People
- Paul Manz
Hark, the Glad Sound! - Healey Willan
Choir Gift
of God - Text and Music/ Marty Haugen Solo/ Mary Jane Snyder
Come to us, O
Emmanuel, Come to us, O Emmanuel
Come to us, O
Emmanuel, Come to us, O Emmanuel
Come,
O holy Shoot of Jesse; Come, and grow within your people:
Come,
O Spirit of our God.
You
are wisdom, you are insight; You are knowledge, you are power:
You
will lead our hearts to God.
Come to us, O
Emmanuel, Come to us, O Emmanuel
Come to us, O
Emmanuel, Come to us, O Emmanuel
BRIEF
ORDER FOR CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
In the name of the Father, and of the X Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Salvation is nearer to us than
when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. In repentance
and faith let us confess our sins.
Silence for reflection and
self-examination.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we
are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.
We have sinned against you in
thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done and by 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 your Son, Jesus
Christ, have mercy on us.
Forgive us, renew us, and lead us,
so that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of
your holy name. Amen
Let us live honorably as in the day; let us put on the
Lord Jesus Christ
and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its
desires. As a called and ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and by his
authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in
the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
THE HOLY COMMUNION
WHymn Green LBW 35 Hark, the Glad Sound!
the Savior promised long;
let ev'ry heart prepare a throne
and ev'ry voice a song.
2 He comes the pris'ners to release,
in Satan's bondage held.
The gates of brass before him burst,
the iron fetters yield.
3 He comes the broken heart to bind,
the bleeding soul to cure,
and with the treasures of his grace
to enrich the humble poor.
4 Our glad hosannas, Prince of peace,
your welcome shall proclaim,
and heav'n's eternal arches ring
with your beloved name.
Text: Philip Doddridge, 1702-1751
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. 2 Corinthians
13:13
KYRIE
In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
WCANDLE-LIGHTING Hymn
Green
LBW 30 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.
2 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, 1707-1788
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Amen
CALL TO THE WORD
The earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
Let us hear the Word of the Lord. Isaiah 11:9b
Sit
First rEADING Isaiah 11:1-10
1A shoot shall come out from the
stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2The spirit of the Lord
shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
4but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
6The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
7The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
9They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10On that day the root of Jesse
shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and
his dwelling shall be glorious.
the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM
72:1-7, 18-19
Antiphon
1 Give the king your jus- | tice, O God,*
and
your righteousness to | the king's son;
2 that he may rule your | people righteously*
and
the | poor with justice;
3 that the mountains may bring prosperity | to the people,*
and
the little | hills bring righteousness.
4 He shall defend the needy a- | mong the people;*
he
shall rescue the poor and crush | the oppressor.
5 He shall live as long as the sun and | moon endure,*
from
one generation | to another.
6 He shall come down like rain upon | the mown field,*
like
showers that wa- | ter the earth.
7 In his time shall the | righteous flourish;*
there
shall be abundance of peace
till
the moon shall | be no more.
18 Blessed be the Lord GOD,
the | God of Israel,*
who
alone does | wondrous deeds!
19 And blessed be his glorious | name forever,*
and
may all the earth be filled with his glory. A- | men. Amen.
SECOND READING Romans
15:4-13
4Whatever was written in former days was
written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement
of the scriptures we might have hope. 5May the God of steadfastness
and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance
with Christ Jesus, 6so that together you may with one voice glorify
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you,
for the glory of God. 8For I tell you that Christ has become a
servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might
confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9and in order that the
Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
“Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles,
and sing praises to your name”;
10and again he says,
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people”;
11and again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples praise him”;
12and again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse shall come,
the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;
in him the Gentiles shall hope.”
13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Stand
VERSE Luke 3:4, 6 Setting
by Robert Wetzler
Alleluia. Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight his
paths; all nations shall see the salvation of God. Alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 3:1-12
The Holy Gospel according to
St. Matthew. Glory to you, O
Lord.
In those days John the Baptist appeared
in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2“Repent, for the kingdom
of heaven has come near.” 3This is the one of whom the prophet
Isaiah spoke when he said,
“The voice of one crying out in the
wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.’ ”
4Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his
waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5Then the people of
Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the
Jordan, 6and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan,
confessing their sins.
7But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism,
he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to
come? 8Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9Do not presume
to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is
able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10Even now
the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not
bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more
powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He
will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12His winnowing fork
is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat
into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Stand
WHYMN OF THE DAY
Green LBW 29 Comfort, Comfort Now
My People
St. 2/Choir; Setting/ John Ferguson
1 “Comfort, comfort now my people;
tell of peace!” So says our God.
Comfort those who sit in darkness
mourning under sorrow’s load.
To God’s people now proclaim
that God’s pardon waits for them!
Tell them that their war is over;
God will reign in peace forever.
2 For the herald’s voice is crying
in the desert far and near,
calling us to true repentance,
since the kingdom now is here.
Oh, 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!
3 Straight shall be what long was crooked,
and the rougher places plain!
Let your hearts be true and humble,
as befits his holy reign!
For the glory of the Lord
now on earth is shed abroad,
and all flesh shall see the token
that God’s word is never broken.
Text: Johann G. Olearius, 1611-1684; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1829-1878, alt.
CONFESSION OF FAITH 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.
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
Watchful at all times, let us pray for the coming of
God’s kingdom in the Church and to all the world.
A brief silence is kept.
Stir up in your holy people the seven-fold gifts of the
Spirit; that your Church may be filled with hope and be doers of peace. Lord,
in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Stir up the hearts of the members of this congregation,
that we may abound in good deeds and abide in true faith. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Stir up the hearts of the people of the world to
prepare your kingdom of equity, in which no one shall hurt or destroy. Be with
all who hold positions of responsibility in our nation, and in all nations of
the world. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Stir up the hearts of those who care for others, and
give to the sick, the poor, the needy, and all who hope in the power of the
Lord signs of your mercy upon all creation.
The pastor reads the names submitted for prayer.
The congregation is invited to offer spoken or silent intercessions
and thanksgivings.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We thank you for those who have died in Christ, who with
one voice praised him who unites us in one body and who will raise us from the dead.
Stir up our hearts, that we may imitate their faith until the revealing of the
righteous King of peace. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Gracious Father, we lift these prayers before you
through our Lord, Jesus Christ; who came to Mary’s womb; was born into the
world in Bethlehem; and who will be revealed in glory for the salvation of your
people, who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
forever.
Amen
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
The Lord’s Table is prepared.
OFFERTORY Luke
13:29; 14:15 Setting by
Robert Wetzler
And many will come from the east and the west, from north and
south, and sit at table in the Kingdom of God. Blessed are they who shall eat
bread in the Kingdom of God.
As this bread
was scattered and then gathered and made one, so may
your Church
be gathered into your kingdom.
Glory to you, O
God, forever.
Wisdom has
built her a house;
she has mixed her wine;
she has set her table.
Glory to
you, O God, forever.
GREAT
THANKSGIVING
Sanctus
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.
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
Lord, come to us and cleanse
us, come to us and heal us,
come to us and strengthen us;
and grant
that, having received you,
we may
never be separated from you, but continue yours forever.
We adore Christ, present in
bread and wine.
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.
WDISTRIBUTION HYMN
Choir A Carol for
Advent - Text/ Rae E. Whitney; Music/ Carl Schalk
Conceived
in the autumn, born in midsummer,
Priest Zacharia and Elizabeth’s son,
promised
by Gabriel there in the temple,
John the forerunner of the One soon to come.
Conceived
in the springtime, born in the winter,
first-born of Mary, and son of the Lord;
promised
by Gabriel, welcomed by shepherds,
Jesus is Savior, God’s Living Word!
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
POST-COMMUNION
CANTICLE
Pour out
upon us the spirit of your love, O Lord, and unite the wills of those whom you
have fed with one heavenly food; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Sit
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE FAITH
FAMILY
May the God of peace
himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept
sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who
calls you is faithful, and he will do this.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Amen
Almighty God, Father, X Son, and
Holy Spirit,
bless you now and forever.
Amen
WCLOSING HYMN
Blue WOV 763
Let Justice Flow like
Streams
The text of this hymn may not be reproduced here.
Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks
be to God!
From
Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2022 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Reprinted
by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #20540.
New
Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education
of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of
America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Additional
liturgical material from Common Worship: Times and Seasons,
© 2006 The Archbishops’ Council of the Church
of England,
and Foretaste of the Feast to Come, by
Philip Pfatteicher, Augsburg, Minneapolis, 1987.
Beerhorst, Rick and Brenda. Peaceable
Kingdom, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a
project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55782 [retrieved
November 28, 2022]. Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/74782490@N00/5816094892.
Eucharistic
Canon reprinted by permission from A Little Book of Canons by Rod L.
Ronneberg, STS, c. 1997 and c. 2010.
Agnus
Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org
St Stephen Lutheran Church
55 Forsythe Road
Pittsburgh PA 15220
(412) 279-5868
office@ststephenpittsburgh.org
Saturday Evening Worship – 6:30 pm
Sunday Morning Worship – 10:30 am
