MIDWEEK ADVENT WORSHIP Grace Lutheran Church, Tucson, Arizona December 13, 2023 Our midweek Advent services this year are considering three times when God’s people in the Old Testament were in exile. Their experience helps us understand the serious nature of sin and the challenge of being far from home. As sinful human beings, we are at risk of being exiled by sin and death, by fear and unbelief, and by our enemies who wish to torment us. We rejoice this Advent season to hear God’s gracious promises to exiles, and we prepare to celebrate anew the birth of the Messiah who has brought us back from exile.
PRESERVICE MUSIC
WELCOME
OPENING HYMN—When the King Shall Come Again
Christian Worship 307
Please stand
RESPONSIVE SENTENCES Minister: In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.
Congregation: Amen. Praise the Lord from the heavens. Praise him in the heights. (Psalm 148:1) Listen to me! The Lord’s arm is not too short to save, and his ear is not too deaf to hear. No, it is your guilt that has separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden God’s face from you, so that he does not hear. (Isaiah 59:1-2) Be gracious to me, God, according to your mercy. Erase my acts of rebellion according to the greatness of your compassion. (Psalm 51:1) 1
Then the nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile because of their guilt, because they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and delivered them into the hand of their adversaries…I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their rebellion, and I hid my face from them. (Ezekiel 39:23-24) Scrub me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. (Psalm 51:2) Therefore, this is what the Lord God says. Now I will bring about the restoration of Jacob. I will have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name. They will bear their shame and all the unfaithfulness that they displayed toward me, even when they lived securely in their own land with no one to make them afraid. (Ezekiel 39:25-26) For I admit my rebellious acts. My sin is always in front of me. Against you, you only, have I sinned, and I have done this evil in your eyes. (Psalm 51:3-4) When I bring them back from the nations and gather them from the lands of their enemies, I will show myself to be holy among them in the sight of many nations. They will know that I am the Lord their God, because, even though I sent them into captivity among the nations, I also gathered them again to their own land, and I will never again leave any of them there in captivity. Nor will I ever hide my face from them again, because I will have poured out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Lord God. (Ezekiel 39:27-29) Certainly, I was guilty when I was born. I was sinful when my mother conceived me. (Psalm 51:5) Judah has gone into exile. She endures affliction and harsh labor. She lives among the nations. She finds no rest. All her pursuers caught up with her when she was in great distress. (Lamentations 1:3) Remove my sin with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7) Do not cast me from your presence. Do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Sustain me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:11-12) I will let you find me, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back from your exile. I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have sent you as exiles, declares the Lord. I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. (Jeremiah 29:14) Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. (Psalm 51:15) The punishment for your guilt is finished, daughter of Zion. He will not send you into exile again. (Lamentations 4:22) I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 122:1) How I love your dwelling place, O Lord of Armies. (Psalm 84:1)
How blessed are those who live in your house. They are always praising you. (Psalm 84:4) 2
PRAYER Let us pray. Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires are known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by your Holy Spirit, that we may love you and praise your holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Please be seated
SCRIPTURE READING
1 Peter 2:9-12
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But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, the people who are God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10At one time you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. At one time you were not shown mercy, but now you have been shown mercy. 11
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and temporary residents in the world, to abstain from the desires of the sinful flesh, which war against your soul. 12Live an honorable life among the Gentiles so that even though they slander you as evildoers, when they observe your noble deeds, they may glorify God on the day he visits us. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
RESPONSIVE PSALM
Psalm 80:3-19
God, restore us, and make your face shine, so we will be saved. Lord God of Armies, how long will your anger smoke against the prayer of your people? You make them eat bread with tears, and you make them drink tears by the quart. You create strife between us and our neighbors, so our enemies join together in mocking us. God of Armies, restore us, and make your face shine, so we will be saved. 3
You brought a vine out from Egypt. You drove out the nations, and you planted it.
You cleared a place for it, and it took root and filled the land. The mountains were covered by its shade, the cedars of God with its branches. It sent out its boughs to the Sea, its shoots as far as the River. Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its fruit? A wild boar from the forest tears it up, and the wild animals feed on it.
God of Armies, return now! Look down from heaven and see, and take care of this vine, the shoot that your right hand has planted, the son that you made strong for yourself. It is burned with fire like garbage. Because of the rebuke from your face they perish. Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, on the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself. Then we will not turn away from you. Cause us to live, and we will call on your name. Lord God of Armies, restore us, and make your face shine, so we will be saved.
PSALM PRAYER Restore us, O God. We have sinned against you and deserve to be uprooted from our comfortable lives, but you have promised instead to graft us into the vine of your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant us nourishment and strength that we may bring forth the fruits of the Spirit and call on your name. Amen.
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GOSPEL
Luke 1:46-55
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Then Mary said,
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My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, because he has looked with favor on the humble state of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones. He has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, but the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, remembering his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his offspring forever.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise be to you, O Christ!
HYMN OF THE DAY—Dawning Light of Our Salvation
SERMON
Christian Worship 311
Exiled by Fear and Unbelief Selections from Numbers 13-14
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Moses sent them to scout the land of Canaan and said to them, “Go up this way through the Negev and go up into the hill country. 18See what the land is like. See if the people who live in the land are strong or weak. See if they are few or many. 19See if the land that they live in is good or bad. See what kind of cities they live in. See if the cities are camps or fortified places. 20See what the land is like. See if the land is fertile or poor. See if there are trees in the land or not. Be courageous and bring back some of the fruit of the land.” This happened at the season of the first ripe grapes. 26
They came back to Moses, Aaron, and the entire community of the Israelites at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Paran. They brought back a report to them and to the entire community. They showed them some of the fruit of the land. 27They reported to him and said, “We went to the land where you sent us. It really does flow with milk and honey, and here is its fruit. 28However, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. We also saw the descendants of Anak there. 29The Amalekites are living in the land of the Negev. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites are living in the hill country. The Canaanites are living by the sea and along the Jordan.” 30
Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should go up now and take possession of it, because we can certainly conquer it!” 5
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But the men who had gone up with Caleb said, “We are not able to go up against the people, because they are stronger than we are.” 32So they spread a negative report to the Israelites about the land that they had scouted. They said, “The land that we explored and scouted is a land that eats up its inhabitants. All the people we saw in the land were huge.” 26
The L spoke to Moses and Aaron, 27“How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the Israelites’ constant grumblings against me. 28Tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you just as I have heard you say. 29In this wilderness your corpses will fall. All of you who were registered in the census, every one of you twenty years old and up who have grumbled against me, 30I swear that none of you will go into the land where I promised to settle you, except for Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31But your children, whom you said would become plunder, I will bring in, and they will experience the land which you have rejected. 32But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. 33Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years. They will have to endure your prostitution until your corpses perish in the wilderness. 34You will bear the consequences of your guilt for forty years, based on the number of days that you scouted the land, forty days, one year for every day. You will experience my opposition.’ 35I, the Lord, have spoken. I swear that I will do this to this entire wicked community, who are gathered together against me. In this wilderness they will perish. There they will die.”
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.
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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 HYMN—Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Christian Worship 322 7
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HOLIDAY WORSHIP SCHEDULE Midweek Advent Services Wednesday, December 13 10:00 AM Grace-Benson (lunch following worship)
10:00 AM & 6:00 PM Grace-Sahuarita 10:00 AM & 7:00 PM Grace-Tucson (supper at 6:00 PM)
Sunday, December 24 7:30 AM Benson Christmas Worship 10:00 AM Grace-Sahuarita Children’s Christmas Service
Christmas Day Worship Monday, December 25 10:00 AM Grace-Sahuarita 10:00 AM Grace-Tucson
10:00 AM Tucson Worship 10:00 AM Vail Christmas Worship Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship 7:00 PM Grace-Sahuarita & Tucson Sunday, December 31
Sunday Morning 7:30 AM Benson Worship 10:00 AM Sahuarita, Tucson, and Vail Worship
All-Site New Year’s Eve Worship 5:30 PM Grace-Sahuarita Followed by dinner & fellowship
THOSE ASSISTING IN WORSHIP TODAY Minister ................................................................................................................... Pastor Nathan Kassulke Accompanist ........................................................................................................................... Teri Guenther Vocalist .................................................................................................................. Jeff Weinstein (7:00 PM) Ushers ................................................. Stanley Mead (10:00 AM), Justin Harris, Ferdie Kramm (7:00 PM) Sound and Recording Techs .................................................. Jeremy Snavely, Danny Koehler (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