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PINNACLE LUTHERAN CHURCH
Advent Midweek 2
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Jesus, the Root of Jesse’s Tree
+ As We Gather +
“The land of Moriah.” Our first impression may be that this geographic location in the Middle East does not have much meaning for us today. Yet, it does. A mountain in Moriah is the place that the Lord instructs Abraham to travel to in order to sacrifice his son Isaac. As the pair ascend the mountain and come to where God led them, the Lord intervenes and spares Isaac’s life, providing a ram as the offering. In the New Testament, “the land of Moriah” has even greater significance for us. This is where Jerusalem and the temple are built. This land is where Jesus will ascend Mount Calvary. God, however, will not spare the life of His only begotten Son; instead, He will allow Him to die for you. This sacrifice for you is what Jesus was born to do. Worthy is the Lamb whose death makes me His own!
+ Preparation +
OPENING HYMN: #332 – Savior of the Nations, Come
INVOCATION
P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES Isaiah 11:1; Genesis 22:17b–18; Hebrews 11:17a
P There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
C and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
P And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,
C and in your offspring
P shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,
C because you have obeyed My voice.
P By faith Abraham, when he was tested,
C offered up Isaac.
SERVICE OF LIGHT
P The Spirit and the Church cry out:
C Come, Lord Jesus.
P All those who await His appearance pray:
C Come, Lord Jesus.
P The whole creation pleads:
C Come, Lord Jesus.
P Awaiting the shoot from the stump of Jesse, we implore:
C Come, Lord Jesus.
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 Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who provided Abraham with offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as many as the sand that is on the seashore, that in his offspring all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Enlighten our darkness by the light of Your Christ; may His Word be a lamp to our feet and light to our path; for You are merciful, and You love Your whole creation and we, Your creatures, glorify You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
+ Word +
PSALM
P Let my prayer rise before You as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
O Lord, I call to You; come to me quickly;
hear my voice when I cry to You.
Let my prayer rise before You as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord, and guard the door of my lips.
Let not my heart incline to any evil thing;
let me not be occupied in wickedness with evildoers.
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.
FIRST READING Hebrews 11:17–22
P A reading from Hebrews, the eleventh chapter.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.
P This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
SECOND READING Genesis 22:1–18
P A reading from Genesis, the twenty-second chapter.
1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
P This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
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.
THE LITANY
P In peace let us pray to the Lord:
C Lord, have mercy.
P For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord:
C Lord, have mercy.
P 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.
P For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord:
C Lord, have mercy.
After each petition:
P … let us pray to the Lord:
C Lord, have mercy.
The prayers then continue:
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 all the saints, let us commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to Christ, our Lord:
C To You, O Lord.
P O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You 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.
SERMON HYMN: #350 – Come, Thou Precious Ransom, Come
SERMON
Prayers, Benediction, and Dismissal
PRAYER
P Lord God, You have called Your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C Amen.
BLESSING
P There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
C and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
P The almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, the T Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless you and keep you.
C Amen.
CLOSING HYMN: #347 – Comfort, Comfort Ye My People
“Comfort, comfort ye My people,
Speak ye peace,” thus saith our God;
“Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Mourning ’neath their sorrows’ load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them;
Tell her that her sins I cover
And her warfare now is over.”
Hark, the herald’s voice is crying
In the desert far and near,
Calling sinners to repentance,
Since the Kingdom now is here.
O that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way;
Let the valleys rise to meet Him
And the hills bow down to greet Him.
Make ye straight what long was crooked;
Make the rougher places plain.
Let your hearts be true and humble,
As befits His holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord
Now o’er earth is shed abroad,
And all flesh shall see the token
That His Word is never broken.
Text: Public domain – Acknowledgments – 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.
