Hymn “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates” LSB # 341
1 Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates! Behold, the King of glory waits.
The King of kings is drawing near; The Savior of the world is here.
Life and salvation He doth bring; Therefore rejoice and gladly sing.
To God the Father raise Your joyful songs of praise.
2 A righteous Helper comes to thee; His chariot is humility,
His kingly crown is holiness, His scepter, pity in distress.
The end of all our woe He brings; Therefore the earth is glad and sings.
To Christ the Savior raise Your grateful hymns of praise.
3 How blest the land, the city blest, Where Christ the ruler is confessed!
O peaceful hearts and happy homes To whom this King in triumph comes!
The cloudless sun of joy is He Who comes to set His people free.
To God the Spirit raise Your happy shouts of praise.
4 Fling wide the portals of your heart; Make it a temple set apart
From earthly use for heav'n's employ, Adorned with prayer and love and joy.
So shall your Sov'reign enter in And new and nobler life begin.
To God alone be praise For word and deed and grace!
5 Redeemer, come and open wide My heart to Thee; here, Lord, abide!
O enter with Thy grace divine; Thy face of mercy on me shine.
Thy Holy Spirit guide us on Until our glorious goal is won.
Eternal praise and fame We offer to Thy name.
P: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
C: But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)
(We reflect on God’s Word and examine ourselves)
P: Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.
C: Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. 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. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. 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.
P: Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Hymn “Hark the Glad Sound” LSB # 349
1 Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes, 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, Thy welcome shall proclaim,
And heav'n's eternal arches ring With Thy beloved name.
(Sung)
P: In peace let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: 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
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
C: Amen.
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Let us pray. Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
Scripture Readings
Old Testament Reading (Micah 5:2-5a)
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
5 And he shall be their peace.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle Reading (Hebrews 10:5-10)
5 W hen Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”
8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
All: Alleluia. Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia, alleluia.
P: The holy Gospel according to St. Luke the 1st chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
(Luke 1:39-45)
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
Hymn “The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns” LSB # 348
1 The King shall come when morning dawns And light triumphant breaks,
When beauty gilds the eastern hills And life to joy awakes.
2 Not as of old a little child, To bear and fight and die,
But crowned with glory like the sun That lights the morning sky.
3 Oh, brighter than the rising morn When Christ, victorious rose
And left the lonesome place of death Despite the rage of foes.
4 Oh, brighter than that glorious morn Shall dawn upon our race
The day when Christ in splendor comes And we shall see His face.
5 The King shall come when morning dawns And light and beauty brings.
Hail, Christ the Lord! Your people pray: Come quickly, King of kings!
Confession of Faith -- Nicene Creed
C: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only‐begotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,
whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Sermon
Prayer of the Church
P: Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer.
The 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
Benediction
P: The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and + give you peace.
C: Amen.
Closing Hymn “Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending” LSB # 336
1 Lo! He comes with clouds descending, Once for ev'ry sinner slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending Swell the triumph of His train;
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Christ the Lord returns to reign.
2 Ev'ry eye shall now behold Him Robed in glorious majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold Him, Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing, Shall their true Messiah see.
3 Those dear tokens of His passion Still His dazzling body bears,
Cause of endless exultation To His ransomed worshipers.
With what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture
Gaze we on those glorious scars!
4 Yea, amen, let all adore Thee, High on Thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the pow'r and glory, Claim the kingdom as Thine own.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Thou shalt reign, and Thou alone!