Sunday Divine Service 12-3-2023

The Liturgy of Advent 2023 (Dec 3) Prelude

*** Show us Jesus *** Welcome

please stand P: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

(Isa 9:2) C: Christ is our light.

P: The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel.

C: God will raise up a righteous Branch for David; and he shall bring justice.

(Jer. 33:14-15) P: Make known to us your ways, O Lord; teach us your paths.

C: Lead us in your truth, we wait for you all day long.

(Ps 25:4-5) P: The Lord be with you!

C: And also with you.

P: We gather this morning to worship God, the Father, Son + & the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

P: Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work or watch or weep this day, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ, give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous— C: and all for your love's sake. Amen. ~Attributed to Augustine of Canterbury P: Our help comes from the Lord, C: the maker of heaven and earth.

P: He will not let our feet slip—he who watches over us will not slumber; C: He who watches over us will neither slumber nor sleep.

(Ps 121:2-4) AM: We place our souls and our bodies in your safekeeping, O God, the Father of all; In your safe keeping, O Jesus Christ, Lord of the heavens and the earth; In your safekeeping, O Spirit of perfect truth, giver of life.

Defend our cause by keeping us this day from harm, and guide our journey through this Advent season. Inspire us to follow Jesus and so to be the Light of the world.

C: Amen.

AM: O Christ, kindle in our hearts a flame of love for our neighbor, for our friends, for our foes, for our families. May your Holy Spirit burn with love for others in our souls.

C: O Christ of the poor and the yearning; from the humblest thing that lives, to the highest beings of all, kindle in our hearts a flame of love for all. Amen.

AM: We place our souls and our bodies under your guarding protection this day, O Christ. O Son of Mary, of the manger, of piercings, and of Resurrection power; be a light to us all.

C: Come to us this day, O God, come to us with light.

The Advent Wreath is lit AM: Speak to us this morning, C: O God, speak to us your truth.

P: C:

Dwell with us this day, O God, Dwell with us in love.

A Bible is placed centrally

The Cross is placed centrally 1

2

P: C:

Confession and Absolution Do not count us as nothing, O God, nor abandon us.

We confess our sins to you, compassionate Father of life.

A Moment of Silence

P: C: P: C: P: C: P: C:

P: C: P: C:

P: C: LP: C:

Give your merciful pardon: For our careless talk, our broken oath, our empty speech; for all that we have left undone, for all that we have done amiss.

For the dullness of our vision.

Father forgive us.

For the weakness of our faith.

Jesus forgive us.

For disobedience and our lack of love.

Spirit forgive us.

Jesus, only-begotten Son, and Lamb of the Father, you gave your blood to save us from the grave.

Encircle us with your protection this day, and this night.

Uphold us Son of God most high; be our treasure, and our everlasting triumph.

Lord of light, Help us to: See you more clearly, Love you more dearly, and Follow you more nearly. Amen.

Almighty God, have mercy upon you; pardon and deliver you from all your sins; confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal through Jesus + Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Prayer of the Day Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. By your merciful protection awaken us to the threatening dangers of our sins, and keep us blameless until the coming of your new day, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

3

Readings L:

The Old Testament reading is from: Genesis 1:1, 26-31 In the beginning God spoke, and it was so.

L:

Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. …This is the Word of the Lord.

4

C:

Thanks be to God.

L:

The Wisdom reading is from: Ecclesiastes 1:2-4

L:

Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What do people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. …

This is the Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God. please stand

P: C: P:

Your Word is a Lamp to my feet.

The Holy Gospel

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

The Gospel reading is from John chapter 1:1-18 Glory to you, O Christ!

(from John 1:9)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to 5

the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known. …This is the Gospel of the Lord C: Glory to you, O Christ! please be seated Sermon please stand to sing

6

AM: We stand to declare our faith in God. C: We believe in God the Father: Creator of all we see, and all we don't see. He is Ruler of the universe: Source of all creation!

We believe in God the Son, Jesus Christ born in a manger, God from God, Light from Light, true God and true human. He is one with the Creator; the Word made flesh, our Messiah: Savior of all creation!

We believe in God the Holy Spirit, Breath of God moving among us; Who is one with the Creator; one with the Christ; our Comforter and our Guide: Mentor of all creation!

(adapted from Lisa Frenz)

The Prayers of the People (sit) 7

With hope and expectation, we offer our prayers for the church, the world, and all who await God’s day of restoration.

A brief silence.

AM: God our fortress, we pray for the whole church. We come in gratitude for the New England Synod AntiRacism Board, working to break down the barriers of racism in the church. We ask your blessing on Bishop Burk, Bishop Eaton, Bishop Hazelwood, Pastor Derek, and others leading us to live in hopeful expectation as you come among us and make all things new. Lord, in your mercy C: Hear our prayer.

AM: Creator God, you are the ground of all being: darkness and light, evening and dawn. We thank you for the world you have given us. We pray world leaders at the global climate summit this week will make decisions that will heal this damaged earth. Lord, in your mercy C: Hear our prayer.

AM: Sovereign God, we pray for peace. We ask you to inspire world leaders to seek peace through negotiation to end violence in Ukraine and Russia, Palestine and Israel, Sudan, and all other wartorn places. We pray for President Biden and the legislature and courts of this country to make decisions that promote justice and equity for all people. We pray for our enemies. Lord, in your mercy C: Hear our prayer.

AM: Merciful God, we pray we will have unending compassion for people who are homeless and hungry as the weather grows cold. We pray for kindness and understanding for refugees escaping danger in their homelands for the safety of this and other countries. We ask you to stay close to those who are ill or in distress, especially our friends Mike, Tommy, Jeanne, Lori, Deanna, Karen, Bob, Paul, Al, John, Kelly, Pat, Carol, Tina, Amanda, Judy, Prudence, Peter, and those we now name out loud or in the silence of our hearts. Pause. We pray for those who have no one to pray for them. Lord, in your mercy C: Hear our prayer.

AM: Gracious God, we glorify your name. You come to us in the word, the sacrament, and in the sufferings of our time. We thank you for Christ, the light you sent to the world that shows us how to live in love and service to the most vulnerable in our society. We pray for our neighbors in need and ask you to lead us to share with them when we have more than enough. We ask your blessing on our children. Lord, in your mercy C: Hear our prayer.

AM: Eternal God, you have gathered your faithful people from every time and place, calling them into one fellowship of saints. Bless the witness of those who dwell in your eternal presence. Place your loving spirit on all who mourn. Lord, in your mercy C: Hear our prayer.

P:

Listen to these and all our prayers, O God of hosts, and restore us with your great and everlasting mercy.

Amen.

The Peace P: The peace of the Light of the World be with you.

C: And also with you. Amen!

8

We Greet one another with the Peace of Christ The Children’s collection will be donated to Lutheran Disaster Relief; If you have a gift for the church please place it in the plate in the Narthex, not the kid’s baskets.

The Holy Eucharist

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 & praise.

P: Great is the majesty of your glory, Father. You so loved the world that you gave your only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.

C: We give you thanks for his coming into the world to fulfill for us your holy will and to

accomplish all things for our salvation.

9

P: In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body + , given for you.

P: After supper, he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant + in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.

P: We give thanks to you, O Lord God Almighty, not as we ought, but as we are able.

C: Mercifully accept our praise and thanksgiving.

P: Bless these gifts of bread and wine, so that we, and all who share in the body and blood of Christ, may be filled with heavenly blessing and grace.

C: Amen.

P: We join in praying as Jesus taught us: C: 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.

Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

10

AM: The light of Christ is a beacon welcoming all people to his table.

C: As we follows him, we have the light of life.” (from John 8:12) You may be seated If you have need of gluten free bread please come first to receive Please form a “circle” on the transition between the two shades of carpet The wine is offered both for intinction (dipping), or in a common chalice for drinking.

You are welcome to light a candle in the middle window after you have received Communion.

11

Prayer after Communion P: May this true Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, strengthen you steadfast in the true faith until life everlasting.

C: Amen.

AM: We give you thanks, O God, for sustaining us with this holy meal. May we always receive your love, with joyful faith and eternal hope.

C: Lord, you have welcomed us, restored us, and fed us. Now send us out to be your light.

Amen.

Benediction P: Our great God protect you; The Son of Mary be near your heart + ; & The Holy Spirit be within your soul, flowing with each breath you take.

C: Amen.

12

AM: Depart to shine the Light of Christ.

C: Thanks be to God!

13

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ First Lutheran Church 1663 Main St W Barnstable, MA 02668 office@firstcapecod.org Pastor: Rev Dr Derek J Cheek Music Minister: Eric Williams Office Administrator: Laurie Fogel Sexton: Chuck Fillian One License # A728-108 If you wish to support the ministry of following QR code:

First Lutheran Church, you can use the

Please note our services are both live streamed and video recorded, your image may be appear online.

14