First Sunday in Advent November 29, 2020

Today’s Theme for Worship: Christ is coming soon. Let us always be prepared to meet him.

Gathering Rite: We Wait in Hope

Special Music sings:

All Creation lies in waiting,

in the stillness of the night,

with hope anticipating

the Advent of Eternal Light.

M: Advent is a time to wait.

C: We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

M: During Advent we wait for light in the darkness.

C: We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

M: During Advent we wait for freedom from captivity.

C: We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

M: During Advent we wait for comfort in sorrow.

C: We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

M: During Advent we wait for power in weakness.

C: We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

M: This morning we light the first candle. The first candle reminds us that, as we wait upon the Lord, God’s light never ceases to shine, God’s will never ceases to unfold, and God’s grace never ceases to be felt. As we begin the journey of Advent, may we learn to wait upon the Lord with hopeful expectation by celebrating all God has done and anticipating all he will do.

Refrain (congregation)

We wait in hope for the morning Light, For the love of Christ to illuminate the night.

We wait with joy for the Savior's birth; We wait in hope for peace on earth.

P: The grace of our Lord + Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.

C: And also with you.

Confession of Sins

P: We have come into the presence of God, who created us to love and serve him as his dear children. But we have disobeyed him and deserve only his wrath and punishment. Therefore, let us confess our sins to him and plead for his mercy.

C: Merciful Father in heaven, I am altogether sinful from birth. In countless ways I have sinned against you and do not deserve to be called your child. But trusting in Jesus, my Savior, I pray: have mercy on me according to your unfailing love. Cleanse me from my sin, and take away my guilt.

P: God, our heavenly Father, has forgiven all your sins. By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, he has removed your guilt forever. You are his own dear child. May God give you strength to live according to his will.

C: Amen.

P: In the peace of forgiveness, let us praise the Lord.

♬ Oh Taste And See

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

Bless-ed are they who take re-fuge in him.

Your Word, O Lord, is e-ter-nal;

it stands firm in the heav-ens.

Your faith-ful-ness con-tin-ues for-ev-er.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

Bless-ed are they who take re-fuge in him.

Prayer of the Day

P: Let us Pray.

Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Protect us by your strength and save us from the threatening dangers of our sins; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: ♬ Amen.

First Lesson: Isaiah 63:16b,17; 64:1-8
Isaiah cries to the LORD to remember that he is the God of his people Israel

You, the Lord, are our Father.

Our Redeemer from everlasting is your name.

¹⁷Why do you cause us to wander from your ways, Lord?

Why do you harden our heart so that we do not fear you?

Return for the sake of your servants,

the tribes that are your heritage.

^64:1Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and come down.

Mountains then would quake because of your presence.

²As fire ignites stubble and as fire makes water boil,

make your name known to your adversaries.

Then nations would quake in your presence.

³You did amazing things that we did not expect.

You came down. Mountains quaked because of your presence.

⁴From ancient times no one has heard.

No ear has understood.

No eye has seen any god except you,

who goes into action for the one who waits for him.

⁵You meet anyone who joyfully practices righteousness,

who remembers you by walking in your ways!

But you were angry because we sinned.

We have remained in our sins for a long time.

Can we still be saved?

⁶All of us have become like something unclean,

and all our righteous acts are like a filthy cloth.

All of us have withered like a leaf,

and our guilt carries us away like the wind.

⁷There is no one who calls on your name,

who rouses himself to take hold of you.

So you hid your face from us.

You made us melt by the power of our guilt.

⁸But now, Lord, you are our father.

We are the clay, and you are our potter.

All of us are the work of your hand.

Psalm of the Day – Psalm 24

Refrain

Let the Lord enter; he is the King of glory.

The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it,*

the world, and all who live in it;

for he founded it upon the seas*

and established it upon the waters.

Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?*

Who may stand in his holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,*

he will receive blessing from God his Savior.

Refrain

Let the Lord enter; he is the King of glory.

Lift up your heads, O you gates;

be lifted up, you ancient doors,*

that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?*

The LORD strong and mighty,

the LORD mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O you gates;

lift them up, you ancient doors,*

that the King of glory may come in.

Who is he, this King of glory?*

The LORD Almighty-he is the King of glory.

Glory be 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.

Refrain

Let the Lord enter; he is the King of glory.

Refrain Tune: Richard Proulx. © 1986 GIA Publications, Inc., Chicago, IL, www.giamusic.com. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Paul encourages us to stand firm in this grace as we “wait for the Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.”

³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

⁴I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus. ⁵You were enriched in him in every way, in all your speaking and all your knowledge, ⁶because the testimony about Christ was established in you. ⁷As a result you do not lack any gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸He will also keep you strong until the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹God is faithful, who called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C: ♬ Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

These words are written that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Gospel: Mark 13:32-37
Jesus urges his followers to “be on guard” and to “be alert.”
³²“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³Watch! Be alert and pray, because you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴It is like a man going away on a journey. When he left his home, he put his servants in charge and assigned what each one was to do. He also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch. ³⁵Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the owner of the house is coming: whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or early in the morning. ³⁶If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. ³⁷What I say to you, I say to everyone: Keep watch!”

C: ♬ Praise be to you, O Christ!

Hymn of the Day: 2 Savior of the Nations, Come

1 Savior of the nations, come; Virgin’s Son, make here your home.

Marvel now, O heav’n and earth, That the Lord chose such a birth.

2 Not by human flesh and blood, By the Spirit of our God

Was the Word of God made flesh, Woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.

3 Wondrous birth! O wondrous Child Of the virgin undefiled,

Though by all the world disowned, Yet to be in heav’n enthroned!

4 From the Father’s throne he came And ascended to the same,

Captive leading death and hell-High the song of triumph swell!

5 Praise to God the Father sing, Praise to God the Son, our King,

Praise to God the Spirit be Ever and eternally.

Text: Ambrose, 340-97, abr.; German version, Martin Luther, 1483-1546, abr.;

tr. William M. Reynolds, 1812-76, alt.

Sermon

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Offering Prayer

Electronic Giving! You can give your offerings from your smartphone with the GivePlusChurch app, which can be downloaded for free at Google Play or the App Store. You can also give at holytrinitylutheranwyoming.com by clicking the Offerings link at the top of the page or scan the QR code below. If you have any questions about any of these options, please contact Dave Conrad at dconrad765@gmail.com or 616-406-7172

Prayer of the Church

Lord’s Prayer

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.

Hymn: 22 O Savior, Rend the Heavens Wide

1 O Savior, rend the heavens wide; Come down, come down with mighty stride;

Unlock the gates, the doors break down; Unbar the way to heaven’s crown.

2 O Morning Star, O radiant Dawn, When will we sing your morning song?

Come, Son of God! Without your light We grope in dread and gloom of night.

3 Sin’s dreadful doom upon us lies; Grim death looms fierce before our eyes.

Oh, come, lead us with mighty hand From exile to our promised land.

4 There shall we all our praises bring And sing to you, our Savior-King;

There shall we laud you and adore Forever and forevermore.

Text: Friedrich von Spee, 1591-1635, abr.; tr. Martin L. Seltz, 1909-67, alt. © 1969 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Prayer and Blessing

P: O Lord God, our heavenly Father, pour out the Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep us strong in your grace and truth, protect and comfort us in all temptation, and bestow on us your saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

or

P: Almighty God, we thank you for teaching us the things you want us to believe and do. Help us by your Holy Spirit to keep your Word in pure hearts that we may be strengthened in faith, guided in holiness, and comforted in life and in death, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: ♬ A-men.

P: Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another. Serve the Lord with gladness.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look on you with favor and + give you peace.

C: ♬ A-men, A-men, A-men

Closing Hymn: 42 Come, Your Hearts and Voices Raising vv. 1-3, 5

1 Come, your hearts and voices raising,

Christ the Lord with gladness praising;

Loudly sing his love amazing,

Worthy folk of Christendom.

2 See how God, for us providing,

Gave his Son and life abiding;

He our weary steps is guiding

From earth’s woe to heav’nly joy.

3 Christ, from heav’n to us descending

And in love our race befriending,

In our need his help extending,

Saved us from the wily foe.

5 Gracious Child, we pray you, hear us;

From your lowly manger cheer us.

Gently lead us and be near us

Till we join th’ angelic choir.

Text: Paul Gerhardt, 1607-76, abr.; tr. The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis, 1941.