MIDWEEK ADVENT WORSHIP
Grace Lutheran Church, Tucson, Arizona
November 30, 2022
PRESERVICE MUSIC WELCOME
RESPONSIVE SENTENCES
Minister: In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Congregation: Amen.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
CONFESSION OF SIN
1 John 1:5 8
Father, I have sinned against you and am no longer worthy to be called your child. Yet in mercy you sacrificed your only Son to purge away my guilt. For his sake, O God, be merciful to me, a sinner, and in the joy of your Holy Spirit let me serve you all my days.
Silence for personal examination and confession
OPENING HYMN—God’s Own Son Most Holy Christian Worship 321 Please standABSOLUTION
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Upon this, your confession, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. 1 John 1:9 Amen.
PRAYER
Let us praise the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Lord God, you are compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love. Fill us with the peace of your forgiveness so that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen. Please be seated
FIRST READING
2 Samuel 12:1-13
1 So the L sent Nathan to David. He came and told him this: There were two men in a city. One was rich and one poor. 2 The rich man had a large number of flocks and herds. 3 The poor man did not own anything except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He raised it so that it grew up together with him and his children. It ate from his food and drank from his cup. It slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. 4 When a traveler came to the rich man, the rich man was unwilling to take an animal from his flock or from his herd to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. So he took the lamb from the poor man and prepared it for the man who had come to him.
5 David’s anger flared up against that man. He said to Nathan, “As the L lives, the man who has done this is as good as dead. 6 In place of that lamb, he will restore four lambs, because he did this and had no pity.”
7 Nathan told David, “You are the man. This is what the L , the God of Israel, says.”
I anointed you king over Israel. I rescued you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave the house of your master to you, and I gave the wives of your master into your embrace. I gave you the house of Israel and the house of Judah. If this was too little, I would have added even more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the L by doing evil in his eyes? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword. You have taken his wife as your own wife. You have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 So now the sword will not depart from your house forever, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.
11 This is what the L says. Look! I am raising up disaster against you from your own house. Right in front of your eyes I will take your wives and give them to your neighbor, and he will lie down with your wives in the sight of the sun. 12 Because you acted in secret, I will do this in front of all Israel in broad daylight.
13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the L .”
Nathan said to David, “The L himself has put away your sin. You will not die.”
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
RESPONSIVE PSALM
Turn your ear, O Lord. Answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am favored by you.
You are my God. Save your servant, who trusts in you.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. Indeed, you, Lord, are good and forgiving and abounding in mercy to all who call to you.
Give ear to my prayer, O Lord. Pay attention to the sound of my cries for mercy.
In the day of my distress I will call to you, because you will answer me.
There is no one like you among the gods, O Lord. There are no deeds like your deeds.
All the nations you have made will come. They will bow before you, O Lord, and they will give glory to your name, because you are great and do marvelous deeds. You alone are God.
Psalm 86:1 10
PSALM PRAYER
O Lord my God, even when I am in danger, I trust your holy name, because you have been good to me all the way from birth. I praise and thank you for your mercy to me, especially for the gift of deliverance through Jesus, your Son and my Savior. Keep me faithful to him as long as I live. Amen.
SECOND READING Luke 1:57-79
57 When the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they were rejoicing with her. 59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. They wanted to call him Zechariah after the name of the father. 60 But his mother answered, “No. He will be called John.”
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 They made signs to his father, to see what he wanted to name him. 63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. 64 Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened, his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came on all who lived around them. In the entire hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 And everyone who heard this took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” Clearly, the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited us and prepared redemption for his people. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 just as he said long ago through the mouth of his holy prophets. 71 He raised up salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, 72 in order to show mercy to our fathers by remembering his holy covenant, 73 the oath which he swore to Abraham our father, 74 to grant deliverance to us from the hand of our enemies, so that we are able to serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, because you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of God’s tender mercies, by which the Rising Sun from on high will visit us, 79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
SERMON O Lord, How Shall I Meet You? With Repentance Like Zechariah
Please stand
CONFESSION OF FAITH Luther’s Explanation to the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed
I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from all eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil,
not with gold or silver but with his holy precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death.
All this he did that I should be his own, and live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness,
just as he has risen from death and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.
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 favorable weather, for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and need, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
PRAYER FOR PEACE
Lord God, all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works come from you. Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments. Defend us also from the fear of our enemies, that we may live in peace and quietness, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and 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.
BLESSING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen. Please be seated CLOSING
If you would like to leave an offering, you may place it in the offering plates located at either exit. Members of Grace respond to their Savior’s love with offerings that are given joyfully, generously, regularly, and in a way that is proportionate to how the Lord has blessed them. Their cheerful gifts support the mission and ministry of our congregation. If you are a guest today, please know that we do not expect you to contribute to our congregation’s work. However, if you would like to give an offering to the Lord in response to his love to you, we are happy to receive it and put it to work in God’s kingdom. If you prefer, use your smart phone to give online by scanning this QR code:
THOSE ASSISTING IN WORSHIP TODAY
Pastor Nathan Kassulke Accompanists
Deb Bakken (10:00 AM), Jim Bakken (7:00 PM) Vocalist
Jeff Weinstein (7:00 PM) Acolyte
Elsa Wiechmann (7:00 PM) Sound and Recording Techs
Jeremy Snavely, Danny Koehler, Sam Kassulke (7:00 PM)
Copyright Information: Scripture readings are taken from The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) © 2018 The Wartburg Project. All rights reserved. www.wartburgproject.org
HOLIDAY WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Midweek Advent Services
Wednesdays: Nov. 30, Dec. 7, Dec. 14
10:00 AM at Grace Benson (lunch following worship)
10:00 AM & 6:00 PM at Grace Sahuarita
10:00 AM & 7:00 PM at Grace Tucson (supper at 6:00 PM)
Christmas Day Worship Sunday, December 25
7:30 AM at Grace Benson 10:00 AM at Grace Vail 10:00 AM at Grace Sahuarita 10:00 AM at Grace-Tucson
Christmas Eve Services Saturday, December 24
Children’s Christmas Service 4:00 PM at Grace-Sahuarita
Christmas Eve Worship 4:00 PM at Grace Vail 4:00 & 7:00 PM at Grace-Tucson 7:00 PM at Grace Sahuarita
New Year’s Eve Worship
All-Site Service Saturday, December 31
7:00 PM at Grace Tucson Followed by food and fun!
Grace Lutheran Church is a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), a group of nearly 400,000 men, women, and children in nearly 1,300 congregations across the United States and Canada united by a common faith in Christ's saving love. We are committed to a common calling encouraging each other in our faith and sharing God's gift of a Savior with the rest of the world. For more information about our synod and what we believe visit: www.wels.net