Second Sunday in Advent December4, 2022

Today’s Theme for Worship: Come, Lord Jesus! As Judge. As John the Baptist once said, “All people will see God’s salvation.” The only question is if one sees Christ’s second coming with joy or regret.

Hymn: 311 Dawning Light of Our Salvation

1 Long in darkness Israel wandered;
long in mortal shadows we
walked in bondage and self-pity,
trod in paths of sin and grief.
In the prophets’ words he told us,
long the God of Israel spoke;
he alone in strength would save us
from the hands of all our foes. (Refrain)

Ref Ev’ry valley be exalted!
Ev’ry mountain be made plane!
Crooked ways repent and straighten;
all creation bend in praise!

2 He shall raise a mighty Savior;
born of David’s lineage, he
comes in cov’nant love to claim us,
from our sins to set us free.
Light to those who dwell in darkness,
life to those from death who flee,
joy unto the earth, and gladness,
to your pathways dawning peace! (Refrain)

3 Jesus, Lord, and mighty Savior,
David’s son and yet his King,
dawning light of our salvation,
of your saving pow’r we sing!
Stand, O lame, and dance, ye broken;
know the Savior’s healing grace.
Come, O deaf, and hear him singing;
turn, O blind, behold his face! (Refrain)

Text: Wendell Kimbrough, b. 1983
Text: © 2012 Wendell Kimbrough. Used by permission: OneLicense no. 703297

In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Confession

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Let us confess our sins to the Lord.

Holy God, gracious Father,
I am sinful by nature
and have sinned against you in my thoughts, words, and actions.
I have not loved you with my whole heart;
I have not loved others as I should.
I deserve your punishment both now and forever.
But Jesus, my Savior, paid for my sins
with his innocent suffering and death.
Trusting in him, I pray: God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Our gracious Father in heaven has been merciful to us. He sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, who gave his life as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Lord, Have Mercy

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.

Glory to God in the Highest

Refrain: Glory to God in the highest, glory to God, and peace to his people on earth, and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us. You are seated at the right hand of the Father; receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. Amen. Refrain

The Word

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Prayer of the Day:

Let us pray.

Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the way for your only Son. By his coming, give us strength in our conflicts, and shed light on our path through the darkness of this world; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

First Reading: Isaiah 11:1–10

A shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse,

and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.

²The Spirit of the Lord will 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.

³He will be delighted with the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

nor will he render decisions based on what he hears with his ears,

⁴but with righteousness he will judge the poor,

and he will render fair decisions in favor of the oppressed on the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath from his lips he will put the wicked to death.

⁵Righteousness will be the belt around his waist,

and faithfulness the belt around his hips.

⁶The wolf will dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard will lie down with the young goat,

the calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together,

and a little child will lead them.

⁷The cow and the bear will graze together,

and their young ones will lie down together.

The lion will eat straw like the cattle.

⁸The nursing child will play near a cobra’s hole,

and the weaned child will put his hand into a viper’s den.

⁹They will not hurt or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain,

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord,

as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁰This is what will take place on that day. The peoples will seek the Root of Jesse, who will be standing like a banner for the peoples, and his resting place will be glorious.

Psalm of the Day: 130F From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee

1 From depths of woe I cry to thee,
Lord, hear me, I implore thee.
Bend down thy gracious ear to me,
my prayer let come before thee.
If thou rememb’rest each misdeed,
if each should have its rightful meed,
who may abide thy presence?

2 Thy love and grace alone avail
to blot out my transgression;
the best and holiest deeds must fail
to break sin’s dread oppression.
Before thee none can boasting stand,
but all must fear thy strict demand
and live alone by mercy.

3 Therefore my hope is in the LORD
and not in mine own merit;
it rests upon his faithful word
to them of contrite spirit
that he is merciful and just;
this is my comfort and my trust.
His help I wait with patience.

4 And though it tarry till the night
and till the morning waken,
my heart shall never doubt his might
nor count itself forsaken.
Do thus, O ye of Israel’s seed,
ye of the Spirit born indeed;
wait for your God’s appearing.

5 Though great our sins and sore our woes,
his grace much more aboundeth;
his helping love no limit knows,
our utmost need it soundeth.
Our shepherd good and true is he,
Who will at last his Israel free
from all their sin and sorrow.

Text: tr. Catherine Winkworth; Martin Luther
Text: Public domain

Second Reading: Romans 15:4–13

⁴Indeed, whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that, through patient endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we would have hope. ⁵And may God, the source of patient endurance and encouragement, grant that you agree with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, ⁶so that with one mind, in one voice, you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷For this reason, accept one another as Christ also accepted you to the glory of God. ⁸For I am saying that Christ became a servant of those who are circumcised for the sake of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs. ⁹He also did this so that the Gentiles would glorify God for his mercy, as it is written:

For this reason I will praise you among the Gentiles,

and I will sing to your name.

¹⁰And again it says:

Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.

¹¹And again:

Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,

and let all the peoples give him praise.

¹²And again Isaiah says:

There will be a Root of Jesse,

and he is the one who will rise up to rule the Gentiles;

on him the Gentiles will place their hope.

¹³Now may the God of hope fill you with complete joy and peace as you continue to believe, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Gospel Acclamation: Luke 3:4,6

Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia!

Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.

And all people will see God’s salvation.

Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia!

Gospel: Matthew 3:1–12

In those days, John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ²“Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near!” ³Yes, this is he of whom this was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

A voice of one crying out in the wilderness,

“Prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.”

⁴John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵Then Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him. ⁶They were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. ⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸Therefore produce fruit in keeping with repentance! ⁹Do not think of saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. ¹⁰Already the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹I baptize you with water for repentance. But the one who comes after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹²His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Hymn of the Day: 316 On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry

1 On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry
announces that the Lord is nigh;
come, then, and listen, for he brings
good news about the King of kings.

2 Then cleansed be ev’ry life from sin
and furnished for a Guest within,
and let us all our hearts prepare
for Christ to come and enter there.

3 We hail you as our Savior, Lord,
our refuge and our great reward;
without your grace we waste away
like flow’rs that wither and decay.

4 Stretch forth your hand, our health restore,
and lift us up to fall no more;
O make your face on us to shine,
and fill the world with love divine.

5 All praise to you, eternal Son,
whose advent has our freedom won,
whom with the Father we adore
and Holy Spirit evermore.

Text: tr. composite; Charles Coffin, 1676–1749
Text: Public domain

Sermon

Nicene Creed

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 in unity with the Father and the Son
is worshiped and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy Christian 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.

Prayer of the Church

Offering

You can give your offerings from your smartphone with the new Vanco Mobile 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. If you have any questions about any of these options, please contact Dave Vogel at financialsecretary@holytrinity-wels.netThe Sacrament

The Sacrament

Preface

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give him thanks and praise.

It is truly good and right that we should at all times and in all places give you thanks, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, whose way John the Baptist prepared when he called people to repentance and pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Therefore, with all the saints on earth and hosts of heaven, we praise your holy name and join their glorious song:

Holy, Holy, Holy

Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts,

heaven and earth are full, full of your glory.

Hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

Hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Lord God, eternal King and gracious Father. In love you made us the crown of your creation. In mercy you planned our salvation. In grace you sent your Son to redeem us from sin.

We remember and give you thanks that your eternal Son, Jesus Christ, became flesh and made his dwelling among us, that he willingly placed himself under law to redeem those under law, that he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death on a cross, that he has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Bless us as we receive your Son’s body and blood in this Sacrament. Forgive our sins, increase our faith, strengthen our fellowship, and deepen our longing for the day when Christ will welcome us to his eternal feast. Praise and thanks and honor and glory be to you, O God our Father, and to your Son and to the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,

 hallowed be your name,

 your kingdom come,

 your will be done

  on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins,

 as we forgive those

 who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

 and the glory are yours

 now and forever. Amen.

Words of Institution

Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my T body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; this is my T blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

Amen.

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, grant us peace.

Distribution

Distribution Hymn: 312 Comfort, Comfort All My People

1 “Comfort, comfort all my people;
speak of peace,” so says our God.
“Comfort those who sit in darkness,
groaning from their sorrows’ load.
Speak to all Jerusalem
of the peace that waits for them;
tell them that their sins I cover,
that their warfare now is over.”

2 All their sins our God will pardon,
blotting out each dark misdeed;
all that well deserved his anger
he no more will see or heed.
They have suffered many’‿a day;
now their griefs have passed away.
God will change their aching sadness
into ever-springing gladness.

3 John the Baptist’s voice is crying
in the desert far and near,
calling people to repentance
for the kingdom now is here.
O 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.

4 Then make straight the crooked highway;
make the rougher places plain.
Let your hearts be true and humble,
ready for his holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord
now o’er earth is spread abroad,
and all flesh shall see the token
that his word is never broken.

Text: tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–1878, alt.; Johann G. Olearius, 1611–1684
Text: Public domain

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his mercy endures forever.

Whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup,

we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

O God the Father, source of all goodness, in your loving-kindness you sent your Son to share our humanity. We thank you that through him you have given us pardon and peace in this Sacrament. We also pray that you will not forsake us but will rule our hearts and minds by your Holy Spirit so that we willingly serve you day after day; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Blessing

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 T give you peace.

Amen.

Hymn: 326 O Jesus, Grant Me Hope and Comfort

1 O Jesus, grant me hope and comfort;
O let me ne’er in sorrow pine.
My heart, my soul, yea, all my being,
O Jesus, trust alone in thee.
Thou Prince of Peace, thou Pearl from heaven,
true God, true man, my Morning Star! (Refrain)

Ref O come, thou precious Sun most radiant,
thy beams illumine my heart, my soul.

2 O Jesus, with thy advent quiet
my restless soul and anxious mind.
In true humility I welcome
thee, Jesus Christ, my joy divine.
My thoughts, desires, and all my longings
I dedicate, O Christ, to thee. (Refrain)

Text: tr. Walter E. Buszin, 1899–1973; Wilhelm Osterwald, 1820–1887
Text: © 1939 Paul A. Schmitt Music Co.; ren. 1967 Schmitt, Hall & McCreary Company, admin. Jubilate Music Group. Used by permission: OneLicense no. 703297

Acknowledgments

Setting Three from Christian Worship

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