December 11, 2024 | Advent Mid-Week Two
A word used in many of the hymns of the Advent and Christmas season is “glory.” Both people and angels give glory to God in response to the fulfillment of the promised birth of the Savior. Glory is associated with the presence of God throughout the Scriptures. In Exodus, Moses records, “The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it”
PINNACLE LUTHERAN CHURCH | The Light of Redemption
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OPENING HYMN: #344 vs. 1-3
HYMN: #825 vs. 1 & 2 Rise, Shine, You People
HYMN: 345 – Hark! A Thrilling Voice Is Sounding
PINNACLE LUTHERAN CHURCH
Advent Mid-Week Two
December 11th, 2024
+ AS WE GATHER +
A word used in many of the hymns of the Advent and Christmas season is “glory.” Both people and angels give glory to God in response to the fulfillment of the promised birth of the Savior. Glory is associated with the presence of God throughout the Scriptures. In Exodus, Moses records, “The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it” (Exodus 24:16) and in the Book of Revelation, a vision of the heavenly Jerusalem is shared with these words: “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23). God has great glory and continues to share it with His people—including us! In his Advent hymn text “Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers,” Laurentius Laurenti, a noted Danish-German musical educator born in 1660, calls God’s people His “heirs of glory” who are finally to be gathered “around the throne of glory” in God’s eternal kingdom (LSB 515:2–3). Filled with hope and expectation, we respond to that Advent call!
OPENING HYMN: #344 vs. 1-3
On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry
INVOCATION
P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES PSALM 108: 1-6
P My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being!
C Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!
P I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations.
C For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
P Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth!
C That Your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by Your right hand and answer me!
SERVICE OF LIGHT
L Jesus Christ is the Light of the world,
C the light no darkness can overcome.
L Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening,
C and the day is almost over.
L Let Your light scatter the darkness
C and illumine Your Church.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
P Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
P Let us pray.
O Jesus, Sun of Righteousness, may Your divine glory enlighten us with the brightness of Your coming. Teach us Your ways, O Lord, that we may grow in true wisdom and may reflect Your glory into our darkened world until that day when, by Your grace, we come to the glorious inheritance that You have prepared for those who love You. In Your blessed name we pray.
C Amen.
PSALM 141
P Let my prayer rise before You as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
C O Lord, I call to You; come to me quickly;
hear my voice when I cry to You.
P Let my prayer rise before You as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
C Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord,
and guard the door of my lips.
P Let not my heart incline to any evil thing;
let me not be occupied in wickedness with evildoers.
C But my eyes are turned to You, O God;
in You I take refuge.
Strip me not of my life.
C Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Let my prayer rise before You as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
FIRST READING Isaiah 9:2-7
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.3You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil4For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.5For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.6For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.7Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
P O Lord, have mercy on us.
C Thanks be to God.
SECOND READING 1 Peter 4:7-11
7The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
P O Lord, have mercy on us.
C Thanks be to God.
THIRD READING Luke 1:39-45
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 O Lord, have mercy on us.
C Thanks be to God.
READINGS RESPONSE
P In many and various ways, God spoke to His people of old by the prophets.
C But now in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.
HYMN: #825 vs. 1 & 2 Rise, Shine, You People
SERMON: The Light of Redeemption – Isaiah 9:2-7
OFFERING: Silent Night – Lehigh Station Bones
OFFERTORY LSB 159
LITANY
After each petition:
P …let us pray to the Lord:
C Lord, have mercy.
P For the faithful who have gone before us and are with Christ, let us give thanks to the Lord:
C Alleluia.
P Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Silence for individual prayer may follow.
P Rejoicing in the fellowship of the saints, let us commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to Christ, our Lord:
C To You, O Lord.
CLOSING COLLECT
P Let us pray.
Almighty God, Judge and King, You sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for Your coming. Come, Lord Jesus, with Your grace, and fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Inhabit our lives and our dreams so that we may live as Your people in the world; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
P Lord, remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:
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.
PRAYER
P During this season of Advent, we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus.” True Son of Adam,
C come, Lord Jesus.
P True Son of Abraham,
C come, Lord Jesus.
P True Son of David,
C come, Lord Jesus.
P True Son of God,
C come, Lord Jesus.
P True Son of Man,
C come, Lord Jesus.
P That we might receive adoption as sons,
C come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
BENEDICTION Psalm 146:5
P Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
C whose hope is in the Lord his God.
P The almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, the T Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve you.
C Amen.
HYMN: #345 – Hark! A Thrilling Voice Is Sounding
Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series C, Quarter 3. Copyright © 2022 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
