+ FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT +
DECEMBER 22, 2024
342 WHAT HOPE! AN EDEN PROPHESIED
What hope! An Eden prophesied
Where tame live with the wild;
The lamb and lion side by side,
Led by a little child!
A shoot will sprout from Jesse’s stem,
A branch from David’s line,
A Prince of Peace in Bethlehem:
The fruit of God’s design.
As banner of God’s love unfurled,
Christ came to suffer loss,
That by His death a dying world
Would rally to the cross.
Come, Jesus, come, Messiah Lord,
Lost Paradise restore;
Lead past the angel’s flaming sword—
Come, open heaven’s door.
Text: Stephen P. Starke, 1955
Text: © 1998 Stephen P. Starke, admin. Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110004997
(Stand)
(The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.)
INVOCATION
P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
EXHORTATION LSB 151
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.
(Kneel/Stand)
(Silence for reflection on God’s Word and for self-examination.)
CONFESSION OF SINS LSB 151
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.
ABSOLUTION LSB 151
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 T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
(Stand)
+ SERVICE OF THE WORD +
PSALM Psalm 80:1–7; antiphon: v. 7
1Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph | like a flock!*
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, | shine forth.
2Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Ma- | nasseh,*
stir up your might
and come to | save us!
3Restore us, | O God;*
let your face shine, that we | may be saved!
4O Lord | God of hosts,*
how long will you be angry with your | people’s prayers?
5You have fed them with the | bread of tears*
and given them tears to drink in full | measure.
6You make us an object of contention for our | neighbors,*
and our enemies laugh a- | mong themselves.
7Restore us, O | God of hosts;*
let your face shine, that we | may be saved!
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.
KYRIE LSB 152
A In peace let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
A For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
A 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.
A For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
A Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
C Amen.
SALUTATION AND COLLECT OF THE DAY
A 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.
(Sit)
OLD TESTAMENT READING Micah 5:2–5a
2 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 origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
3Therefore 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.
4And 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.
5And he shall be their peace.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
GRADUAL Zechariah 9:9; Psalm 118:26, alt.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem.
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation.
Blessèd is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
EPISTLE Hebrews 10:5–10
5When Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
6in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”
8When 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), 9then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. 10And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
(Stand)
ALLELUIA AND VERSE LSB 156
C Alleluia.
Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
Alleluia, alleluia.
HOLY GOSPEL Luke 1:39–45
P The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the first chapter.
C Glory to You, O Lord.
39In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45And 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.
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 T of the world to come. Amen.
(Sit)
357 O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
[MEN]
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who ord’rest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the Law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
[CANTOR]
O come, Thou Branch of Jesse’s tree,
Free them from Satan’s tyranny
That trust Thy mighty pow’r to save,
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
O come, Thou 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 thee, O Israel!
[WOMEN]
O come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
Text: Latin, c. 12th cent.; Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum, 1710, Köln; tr. John Mason Neale, 1818–66, alt.
Text: Public domain
SERMON
(Stand)
OFFERTORY LSB 159
C What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me?
I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call on the name of the Lord.
I will take the cup of salvation and will call on the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all His people,
in the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
(Sit)
OFFERING
(Kneel/Stand)
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
PREFACE LSB 160
P The Lord be with you.
C And also with you.
P Lift up your hearts.
C We lift them to the Lord.
P Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
PROPER PREFACE (FULL)
P It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, whose way John the Baptist prepared, proclaiming Him the promised Messiah, the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and calling sinners to repentance that they might escape from the wrath to be revealed when He comes again in glory. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:
SANCTUS LSB 161
C Holy, holy, holy Lord God of pow’r and might:
Heaven and earth are full of Your glory.
Hosanna. Hosanna.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING LSB 161
P Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have had mercy on those whom You created and sent Your only-begotten Son into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior. With repentant joy we receive the salvation accomplished for us by the all-availing sacrifice of His body and His blood on the cross.
Gathered in the name and the remembrance of Jesus, we beg You, O Lord, to forgive, renew, and strengthen us with Your Word and Spirit. Grant us faithfully to eat His body and drink His blood as He bids us do in His own testament. Gather us together, we pray, from the ends of the earth to celebrate with all the faithful the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end. Graciously receive our prayers; deliver and preserve us. To You alone, O Father, be all glory, honor, and worship, with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
C 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.
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD
P Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My T body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”
In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My T blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
PAX DOMINI LSB 163
P The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C Amen.
AGNUS DEI LSB 163
C 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 peace.
(Sit)
DISTRIBUTION
356 THE ANGEL GABRIEL FROM HEAVEN CAME
The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
With wings as drifted snow, with eyes as flame:
“All hail to thee, O lowly maiden Mary,
Most highly favored lady.”
Gloria!
“For know a blessèd mother thou shalt be,
All generations laud and honor thee;
Thy son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold,
Most highly favored lady.”
Gloria!
Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head;
“To me be as it pleaseth God,” she said.
“My soul shall laud and magnify God’s holy name.”
Most highly favored lady,
Gloria!
Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born
In Bethlehem all on a Christmas morn,
And Christian folk throughout the world will ever say:
“Most highly favored lady.”
Gloria!
Text: para. Sabine Baring-Gould, 1834–1924; Basque, c. 18th cent.
Text: Public domain
935 TELL OUT, MY SOUL, THE GREATNESS OF THE LORD
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings, give my spirit voice;
Tender to me the promise of His Word;
In God my Savior shall my heart rejoice.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of His name!
Make known His might, the deeds His arm has done;
His mercy sure, from age to age the same;
His holy name, the Lord, the Mighty One.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of His might!
Pow’rs and dominions lay their glory by.
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,
The hungry fed, the humble lifted high.
Tell out, my soul, the glories of His Word!
Firm is His promise, and His mercy sure.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
To children’s children and forevermore!
Text: Timothy Dudley-Smith, 1926–2024
Text: © 1962, renewed 1990 Hope Publishing Co. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110004997
530 NO TEMPLE NOW, NO GIFT OF PRICE
No temple now, no gift of price,
No priestly round of sacrifice,
Retain their ancient pow’rs.
As shadows fade before the sun
The day of sacrifice is done,
The day of grace is ours.
The dying Lord our ransom paid,
One final full self-off’ring made,
Complete in ev’ry part.
His finished sacrifice for sins
The covenant of grace begins,
The law within the heart.
In faith and confidence draw near,
Within the holiest appear,
With all who praise and pray;
Who share one family, one feast,
One great imperishable Priest,
One new and living way.
For Christ is ours! With purpose true
The pilgrim path of faith pursue,
The road that Jesus trod;
Until by His prevailing grace
We stand at last before His face,
Our Savior and our God.
Text: Timothy Dudley-Smith, 1926–2024
Text: © 1984 Hope Publishing Co. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110004997
564 CHRIST SITS AT GOD’S RIGHT HAND
Christ sits at God’s right hand,
His saving work complete,
To reign till ev’ry foe will lie
Beneath His feet—
All that the Father planned,
The Son sought to fulfill,
When first He said, “Lord, here am I
To do Your will.”
Christ was that priest God swore,
Uniquely First and Last,
Who would in righteousness and love
Be unsurpassed:
“A priest forevermore,”
An oath God would not break,
“A priest within the order of
Melchizedek.”
Christ’s altar was the tree,
Where on the world’s behalf
He shed a blood, unlike the blood
Of goat or calf,
To seal God’s guarantee
Of grace that cannot fail;
With blood He entered for our good
Behind the veil.
What costly sacrifice
To cover human sin!
Who but Christ Jesus had the right
To enter in?
His blood, that sprinkled price,
So we might be assured
That our inheritance in light
Has been secured.
Then let us now draw near,
Washed in that precious flood
And enter the Most Holy Place
By Jesus’ blood.
From hearts that are sincere,
Let tongues our hope profess,
And trust anew God’s faithful grace
That we confess.
All praise to Christ we bring,
Our Lord who intercedes,
Our great High Priest enthroned above
Who knows our needs;
And to the Father sing
Our songs of thankful praise,
Who with the Spirit reigns in love
For endless days.
Text: Stephen P. Starke, 1955
Text: © 2002 Stephen P. Starke, admin. Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110004997
(Stand)
THANK THE LORD LSB 164
C Thank the Lord and sing His praise; tell ev’ryone what He has done.
Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear His name.
He recalls His promises and leads His people forth in joy
with shouts of thanksgiving. Alleluia, alleluia.
POST-COMMUNION COLLECT
A Let us pray.
We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we implore You that of Your mercy You would strengthen us through the same in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one another; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
BENEDICTION LSB 166
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 T give you peace.
C Amen.
338 COME, THOU LONG-EXPECTED JESUS
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.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art,
Dear desire of ev’ry nation,
Joy of ev’ry longing heart.
Born Thy people to deliver;
Born a child and yet a king!
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
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, 1707–88, alt.
Text: Public domain
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2024 Concordia Publishing House.
