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Cain
Who is the son of Adam? When Adam and Eve held their firstborn son, Cain, in their arms for the first time, perhaps they wondered, “Who is this son?” After all, following their sin, the Lord God promised salvation from Eve’s offspring (Genesis 3:15). Could this baby boy be that Savior from sin and death? Not yet. Instead, Cain becomes the first murderer and spills the blood of his brother, Abel. Thankfully, a greater Son of Adam would fulfill the promise of a Savior. This Son would be held in the arms of another couple—Mary and Joseph. This Son would allow His very own blood to be shed for the salvation of Adam, Eve, and all their descendants.
OPENING HYMN: #338 – Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
INVOCATION
P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES Psalm 146:3–5
P Put not your trust in princes,
C in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
P When his breath departs
C he returns to the earth;
P on that very day
C his plans perish.
P Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
C whose hope is in the Lord his God.
SERVICE OF LIGHT
P The Sprit 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 Son of Man and the Son of God, 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 sent Your only begotten Son not to shed another’s blood out of anger or jealously, but for His own blood to be shed out of compassion and love. Enlighten our darkness by the light of Your Christ; may His Word be a lamp to our feet and a 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.
PSALM 141 LSB, p. 245
C Let my prayer rise before You as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
P O Lord, I call to You; come to me quickly;
hear my voice when I cry to You.
C Let my prayer rise before You as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
P Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord,
and guard the door of my lips.
C Let not my heart incline to any evil thing;
let me not be occupied in wickedness with evildoers.
P 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 Genesis 4:1–16
P A reading from Genesis, the fourth chapter.
1Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5but for Cain and his offering He had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
8Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. 11And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14Behold, You have driven me today away from the ground, and from Your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
P O Lord, have mercy on us.
C Thanks be to God.
SECOND READING Romans 5:12–17
P A reading from Romans, the fifth chapter.
12Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
15But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
P O Lord, have mercy on us.
C Thanks be to God.
THIRD READING Matthew 5:17–26
P A reading from Matthew, the fifth chapter.
17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
21“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”
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: #341 – Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates
SERMON
LITANY
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 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
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.
CLOSING HYMN: #347 – Comfort, Comfort Ye My People
Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series C, Quarter 3. Copyright © 2022 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
