God Gets Us Ready

He promises us eternal peace

4th Sunday in Advent

December 20, 2015

First Evangelical Lutheran Church ________________________________________________________________________

December 20, 2015

Advent - God Gets Us Ready

Getting ready for Christmas can be stressful and exhausting, so much so that it can

distract us from the real preparation that Christians must make: preparation for

Christ's second coming. Thankfully, God himself gets us ready for Christ's return.

Today’s Theme - He promises us eternal peace

Today we see that God promises his people a ruler who will bring everlasting peace.

The child born to Mary is a king who has no beginning and whose rule has no end.

Therefore we say with Mary, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.”

Prayer before worship

Almighty God, we know that judgment is coming. In light of that truth, strengthen our

trust in your promises, that the same Savior Jesus who was conceived by the Holy

Spirit is the same Savior who will return in all glory to announce us innocent in God's

sight because of his substitutionary and sacrificial work. Amen.

Welcome

We are happy you have joined us!

This booklet provides important details for today’s service. After the sermon, the

order of service picks up on p.31 in the front of the red hymnal.

Men’s and women’s restrooms are located in the church basement. A single

restroom is also located up the stairs that are to the left as you exit the middle doors

of the sanctuary. A small nursery area is located in the church basement if parents

wish to quiet small children. Speakers allow you to hear the service from there.

Assisted hearing devices are available. Please ask an usher if you would like one.

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Service of Word and Sacrament The gathering rite below replaces the usual beginning of the service.

Song of Mary Magnificat

Choir: Refrain Congregation: Refrain He favors those who fear his name, in ev’ry generation. He has shown the might and strength of his arm, and scattered the proud

of heart. Congregation: Refrain He has cast the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with all good gifts, and sent the rich away. Congregation: Refrain He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy. He promised his mercy to Abraham and his children forevermore.

Congregation: Refrain

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Please stand (as you are able)

Invocation

M: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

Confession and Absolution for Advent

M: Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway

for our God.

C: Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low.

M: The rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.

C: And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together

will see it.

M: Dear friends, one day Christ will come in glory to deliver his people.

Therefore, let us prepare our hearts to meet him by humbly seeking his

forgiveness.

C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful and

that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have

done what is evil and failed to do what is good. For this I deserve

your punishment both now and in eternity. But I am truly sorry for

my sins, and trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have

mercy on me, a sinner.

M: All mankind has seen the salvation of our God. Christ came in human

flesh to redeem our fallen race. With his perfect life, he kept the law in our

place. With his innocent death, he paid the penalty for our sins.

Therefore, at Christ’s command and by his authority, I forgive you all

your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

This responsive confession and absolution for Advent makes use of Isaiah 40:3-5, which stresses 1) the importance of preparing our hearts to meet the Lord, 2) God’s grace in sending messengers for that purpose, and 3) the peace that is ours when Christ comes.

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Lighting of the Advent Candles

M: We light four Advent candles, remembering Jesus, the Son of God and

Son of Mary. He came to share our humanity.

C: We remember Jesus, whose name means Savior. He came to save his

people from their sins.

M: We hear his call to give him a place in our hearts.

C: We light four Advent candles as a sign of our joy and hope.

M: Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest.

C: Through your Word and Spirit may our souls be blessed.

While the candle is being lit, the congregation sings the refrain a final time:

Choir: Proclaim the greatness of God, rejoice!

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Prayer of the Day

M: 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.

Be seated

First Lesson Micah 5:2-5a

God promises a ruler whose peace knows no end.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

though you are small among the clans of Judah,

out of you will come for me

one who will be ruler over Israel,

whose origins are from of old,

from ancient times.”

3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned

until the time when she who is in labor gives birth

and the rest of his brothers return

to join the Israelites.

4 He will stand and shepherd his flock

in the strength of the LORD,

in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.

And they will live securely, for then his greatness

will reach to the ends of the earth.

5 And he will be their peace.

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The Great O Antiphons of Advent

The Great O Antiphons of Advent have been cherished for centuries by Christian

worshipers. Each one consists of a title given to Christ in the Old Testament and a

petition asking him to come and fulfill the scriptural promise or prophecy. An

“antiphon” is a verse that is sung responsively. The familiar hymn, “Oh, Come, Oh,

Come, Emmanuel,” is an adaptation of the O Antiphons.

M: Let us pray.

O Emmanuel, our King and our Lord, the anointed of the nations and

their Savior, come and save us, O Lord our God.

♫ Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!

M: O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High, pervading and

permeating all creation, mightily order all things; come and teach us the

way of prudence.

♫ Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high, who ordered all things

mightily;

To us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go.

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

M: O Adonai and ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the

burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai, come with an outstretched

arm and redeem us.

♫ Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might, who to your tribes on Sinai’s

height

In ancient times gave holy law, in cloud and majesty and awe.

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

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M: O Root of Jesse, standing as an ensign before the peoples, before whom all

kings are mute, to whom the nations will do homage, come quickly to

deliver us.

♫ Oh, come, O Rod of Jesse’s stem. From every foe deliver them

That trust your mighty pow’r to save: Bring them in victory through

the grave.

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

Second Lesson Hebrews 10:5-10

Jesus brought peace by becoming a sacrifice for us.

Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7 Then I said, ‘Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, O God.’”

8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made). 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The writer is quoting Psalm 40:6-8.

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The Great O Antiphons of Advent

M: O Key of David and scepter of the house of Israel, you open and no one

can close; you close and no one can open; come and rescue the prisoners

who are in darkness and the shadow of death.

♫ Oh, 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.

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

M: O Dayspring, splendor of light everlasting, come and enlighten those who

sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

♫ Oh, 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.

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

M: O King of the nations, the ruler they long for, the cornerstone for uniting

all people, come and save us all, whom you formed out of clay.

♫ Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind-- in one the hearts of all mankind;

Oh, bid our sad divisions cease, and be yourself the King of Peace.

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

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Please stand after the Gospel is announced.

Gospel Luke 1:39-55

Mary praises the Lord for keeping his promises.

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. 41

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my

womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful

of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

holy is his name.

50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,

from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things

but has sent the rich away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful

55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,

even as he said to our fathers.”

After the Gospel, the congregation sings:

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Be seated

Hymn of the Day O Lord, How Shall I Meet You | CW 18

Sermon Luke 1:39-55

Conceived by the Holy Spirit

I. A truth that needs confirmation

II. A truth that cannot be contained

The order of service continues on p.31 in the front of the red hymnal.

Distribution of the Lord’s Supper

The Scriptures teach that the celebration of the Lord’s Supper connects us intimately

with Christ and with one another as Christians who are united around a common

confession of faith. For this reason, members of WELS and ELS churches are invited

to commune. The pastors would be happy to answer any questions you might have

about the sacrament.

Distribution Hymns As Angels Joyed with One Accord | CW 5

My Soul Now Magnifies the Lord | CW 274

The order of service continues on p.36 in the front of the red hymnal.

Closing Hymn Oh, that I Had a Thousand Voices | CW 194 st.1

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hymns are found

in the red hymnal

called “Christian

Worship” (CW).

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News, Notes, and Announcements

Today’s Altar Flowers

The altar flowers are donated by Barbara Borowsky, in loving remembrance of her

Aunt and Godmother, Florence (Borowsky) Comfort, whose 95th birthday would have

been this past Wednesday, December 16. Florence passed away on June 19, 2015.

Sunday School and Family Bible Hour

Sunday School will be meeting this morning at the usual time in the church

basement. The children will be practicing for their Christmas Eve service. There is no

Adult Bible Class or Bible instruction Class today or December 27. The Adult Bible

Class will resume with the conclusion of “My Son, My Savior” on January 3. Sunday

School will not be held on December 27 and will also resume on January 3.

German Service Today In keeping with our German heritage and tradition, there will be an all-German

language worship service with Das Heilige Abendmahl (Holy Communion) today at

9:30am. Pastor Emeritus Nathan Pope will be preaching. Something new this year is

the option to follow an English translation, so if you don’t speak German you will still

be able to comprehend the service. Please join us!

Ladies Aid Cookie Walk is Today!

Please join us for our annual walk down “Treat Street” for some delectable

homemade Christmas cookies this morning after all three services in the church

basement. Cookies may be purchased for $8.00/lb. Proceeds from the Cookie Walk

will benefit the Church Organ and Window funds. Alongside the Cookie Walk, you will

find Joanna Mission Circle’s renowned Dilly Beans available for $6.00/jar, plus First

Evan ornaments ($10 each) will also be offered. (Proceeds to the Organ fund.) Join

the fun and stop down! A BIG THANK YOU to all who donated Christmas cookies!

Exceptional Gift Sale Downstairs Today

The Sewing Circle will hold a sale of their handcrafted items in conjunction with the

Cookie Walk. Items on display in the church basement will be: Christmas pot holders

($3/ea. or 2/$5), colorful embroidered dish towels ($7/ea.), children’s knitted hats,

sweaters, and scarfs, 12” prairie doll, 2 baby quilts (pink and blue, $45/ea.), several

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tied quilts, & other assorted items. Sale proceeds will be used towards support of

our church expenses. Please come down and shop!

Kwik Trip Gift Cards Available During the Cookie Walk

You will have the opportunity to purchase Kwik Trip gas/gift cards at the Cookie Walk

today after services in the church basement. The cards are sold by WLS Home &

School and will benefit our school. These cards make great gifts for anyone on your

list! Stop down and cross some names off your shopping list.

WLS Christmas Services this Afternoon

Wisconsin Lutheran School students in all grades will present their Christmas

Service, “Children of the Heavenly Father,” today at 2:30pm and again (identical

service) at 4:00pm here at First Evan. Due to the large number of people that are

expected to attend, we ask that families try to attend the service indicated, if at all

possible. Families with last names beginning with A-K — 2:30 service; and those

beginning with L-Z — 4:00pm service. We hope you can attend!

2016 Budget Approved

The proposed church budget for 2016 was approved at the Congregational Voters’

meeting held this past Thursday, December 17. Copies of the approved budget are

available in the north tower room. If you would like a copy emailed to you, please

contact the church office at churchoffice@firstracine.org to request one.

2016 Contribution Envelopes

The 2016 contribution envelopes have arrived. You will find your packet in your

church mailbox. (Multiple packets for family members can be found on the table in

the church library.)

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Services

On Christmas Eve, (Thursday) the Sunday School will present their service entitled

“Did You Know?” A Children’s Christmas Service by Carrie Schaefer, beginning at

6:30pm. The service will again close with the traditional hymn of “Silent Night,”

followed by the darkening of the church in preparation to sing “The Lord’s Prayer” by

children and congregation. Our Christmas Day Festival service, “The Nativity of Our

Lord” will begin at 9:30am. Please join us! Christmas is a wonderful time to bring an

unchurched family member or friend. Please consider doing so!

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WLS Food Drive

If anyone would like to receive some food from the Wisconsin Lutheran School Food

Drive, please contact the Middle School Office at 456-2770.

A Look Ahead to New Year’s Eve

Ring in the New Year with Jesus by attending our New Year’s Eve service on

Thursday, December 31st. The service will begin at 6:00pm so that you are able to

get to other celebrations held on this night. Plan to attend prior to your other

engagements!

Epiphany Festival Service on Wednesday, January 6, 2016

You are invited to join with the Wise Men to worship the Christ Child once again at the

Festival of the Epiphany of Our Lord. The Festival of the Epiphany is always

celebrated on January 6 and is one of the oldest festivals in the Christian Church.

This year we celebrate Epiphany with music provided by WLS Grades 3-5, as well as

choirs from Epiphany and First Evan Lutheran Churches. We bring the Christ Child

our gifts of time, respect, worship, prayers and praise – gifts brought intentionally –

gifts fit for a King. The service takes place at 6:30pm at Epiphany Lutheran Church,

2921 Olive Street.

Last Week’s Offering

Operating Budget $10,325.00 ($9,778 needed to meet budget)

4 Steps $460.00 ($22,844 given to date)

Copyright info Song of Mary: Magnificat. Text: Luke 1:46-55; James J. Chepponis, © 1980, GIA Publications, Inc.

O Antiphons: © 1999 Northwestern Publishing House. Reprinted by permission.

O Antiphons Art: Ian M. Welch. © 2014. All rights reserved. (paramentics.com)

Cover Art: © 1994, Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, art by Steve Erspamer, SM.

Reprinted under OneLicense.net #A-703651

2015 Budget Given to Date Need by 12/31/15

Shoreland LHS $29,000.00 $28,409.01 $590.99

Synod $35,000.00 $34,768.00 $232.00

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This Week at First Evan

December 20-26, 2015

Today 9:15am Sunday School Meets, church basement

Ladies Aid Cookie Walk, church basement

(w/Kwik Trip Cards, Dilly Beans & FE Ornaments)

Sewing Circle Gifts on Display, church basement

9:30am German Service with Communion

2:30pm 4pm WLS Christmas Services

Monday WLS Christmas Recess Begins

Tuesday

Wednesday 7:30pm Choir Practice, church basement

Thursday 6:30pm Christmas Eve Sunday School Service

Friday 9:30am Christmas Day Festival Service

Saturday

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First Evangelical Lutheran Church (WELS)

728 Villa St.

Racine, WI 53403

633-8267

churchoffice@firstracine.org

www.firstracine.org

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Worship Services

Sunday: 8:00 & 10:45am

Monday: 7:00pm (resumes January 11, 2016)

Pastor John D. Roekle - 637-7142; pastorroekle@firstracine.org

Pastor Aaron J. Dolan - 898-1910; pastordolan@firstracine.org

Nathan R. Pope, Pastor Emeritus

Wisconsin Lutheran School

Principal Paul R. Patterson

456-2770 [Middle School]

633-7143 [Elementary School]

633-7142 [Early Childhood Campus]

www.wisconsinlutheranschool.org

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