Fourth Sunday in Advent December 18, 2022

Today’s Theme for Worship: Come, Lord Jesus! As Immanuel. Immanuel means “God with us.” The Son of God became Mary’s son, so that he could do for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Hymn: 322 Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

1     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.

2     Israel’s strength and consolation,
    hope of all the earth thou art,
dear desire of ev’ry nation,
    joy of ev’ry longing heart.

3     Born thy people to deliver,
    born a child and yet a king,
born to reign in us forever,
    now thy gracious kingdom bring.

4     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, alt.
Text: Public domain

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 your power, O Lord, and come. Take away the burden of our sins, and make us ready for the celebration of your birth, that we may receive you in joy and serve you always; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

First Reading: Isaiah 7:10–14

¹⁰The Lord spoke to Ahaz again. He said, ¹¹“Ask for a sign from the Lord your God. Ask for it either in the depths below or in the heights above.”

¹²But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, neither will I test the Lord.”

¹³So Isaiah said: “Listen now, you house of David. Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? ¹⁴Therefore the Lord himself will give you all a sign. Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and call his name Immanuel.

Psalm of the Day: 89A Forever I Will Sing

Refrain

Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord, the goodness of the Lord.

I will sing of the Lord’s great love for- / ever;
    with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all gener- / ations.
I will declare that your love stands firm for- / ever,
    that you have established your faithfulness in / heav’n itself.
The heavens praise your / wonders, Lord,
    your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the / holy ones.    Refrain

Who is like you, Lord God Al- / mighty?
    You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness sur- / rounds you.
Blessed are those who have learned to ac- / claim you,
    who walk in the light of your / presence, Lord.
They rejoice in your name / all day long;
    they celebrate your / righteousness.
Glory be to the Father and / to the Son
    and to the Holy / Spirit,
as it was in the be- / ginning,
    is now, and will be forever. / Amen.    Refrain

Second Reading

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ²which he promised in advance through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. ³This gospel is about his Son—who in the flesh was born a descendant of David, ⁴who in the spirit of holiness was declared to be God’s powerful Son by his resurrection from the dead—Jesus Christ, our Lord. ⁵Through him we received grace and the call to be an apostle on behalf of his name, to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, ⁶including you, who were called by Jesus Christ.

⁷To all those loved by God who are in Rome, called to be saints:

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

Gospel Acclamation: Matthew 1:23

Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia!

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son,

and they will call him Immanuel.

Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia!

Gospel: Matthew 1:18–25

¹⁸This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. His mother, Mary, was pledged in marriage to Joseph. Before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her. So he decided to divorce her privately. ²⁰But as he was considering these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

²²All this happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ²³“Look, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son. And they will name him Immanuel,” which means, “God with us.”

²⁴When Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. He took Mary home as his wife, ²⁵but he was not intimate with her until she gave birth to her firstborn son. And he named him Jesus.

P: The Gospel of the Lord.

C: Praise be to you, O Christ!

Hymn of the Day: 327 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

1 O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear. (Refrain)

Ref Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to you, O Israel!

2 O come, O Root of Jesse, free
your own from Satan’s tyranny;
from depths of hell your people save,
and give them vict’ry o’er the grave. (Refrain)

3 O come, O Dayspring from on high,
and cheer us by your drawing nigh;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s dark shadows put to flight. (Refrain)

4 O come, O Key of David, come,
and open wide our heav’nly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery. (Refrain)

Text: Latin, c. 12th cent., Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum, Köln, 1710; tr. John Mason Neale, 1818–1866, alt.
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.

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; grant us, grant us peace.

Distribution

Distribution Hymn: 496 Jesus! Name of Wondrous Love

1 Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
name all other names above,
unto which must ev’ry knee
bow in deep humility.

2 Jesus! Name decreed of old,
to the maiden mother told,
kneeling in her lowly cell,
by the angel Gabriel.

3 Jesus! Name of priceless worth
to the fallen here on earth
for the promise that it gave,
“Jesus shall his people save.”

4 Jesus! Name of mercy mild,
given to the holy Child
when the cup of human woe
first he tasted here below.

5 Jesus! Only name that’s giv’n
under all the mighty heav’n
whereby those to sin enslaved
burst their fetters and are saved.

6 Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
human name of God above;
pleading only this, we flee
helpless, O our God, to thee.

Text: William W. How, 1823–1897, alt.
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: 330 Peace Came to Earth

1     Peace came to earth at last that chosen night
when angels clove the sky with song and light
and God embodied love and sheathed his might—
    Who could but gasp: Immanuel!
    Who could but sing: Immanuel!

2     And who could be the same for having held
the infant in their arms and later felt
the wounded hands and side, all doubts dispelled—
    Who could but sigh: Immanuel!
    Who could but shout: Immanuel!

3     You show the Father none has ever seen,
in flesh and blood you bore our griefs and pain,
in bread and wine you visit us again—
    Who could but see: Immanuel!
    Who could but thrill: Immanuel!

4     How else could I have known you, O my God!
How else could I have loved you, O my God!
How else could I embrace you, O my God!
    Who could but pray: Immanuel!
    Who could but praise: Immanuel!

Acknowledgments

Setting Three from Christian Worship

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, New International Version^®, NIV^®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.^TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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