SECOND SUNDAY in Advent

Use the scroll bar on the right side of the window below to read along with the service.

December 4, 2022

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

“John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent’” (Matt. 3:1–2). His preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins prepared people for the coming of Christ into the world. St. John’s work was historically complete with the incarnate advent of Jesus, but his vital ministry continues in preaching Law and Gospel. The Son of God has come in the flesh, “a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots” (Is. 11:1), and continues to bear the fruits of righteousness. His good tree of the cross is “a signal for the peoples” (Is. 11:10), by which He calls the nations to repentance. “With the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips” (Is. 11:4), He slays the wicked and brings the dead to life, making sons of Abraham out of lifeless stones. So also the “root of Jesse” comes to us, “even he who arises to rule the Gentiles” (Rom. 15:12), that “we might have hope” and be filled “with all joy and peace in believing” (Rom. 15:4, 13).

+ Preparation +

OPENING HYMN: #338 – Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

INVOCATION

Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.

People: Amen.

OPENING SENTENCES Psalm 80:1, 3, 14a, 17; 40:1, 3a

Pastor: Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.

People: Restore us, O God; let Your face shine, that we may be saved!

Pastor: Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see.

People: But let Your hand be on the man of Your right hand, the son of man whom You have made strong for Yourself!

Pastor: I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry.

People: He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

Pastor: O God, our Father, You have set forth the way of life for us in Your beloved Son. We confess with shame our slowness to learn of Him, our failure to follow Him, and our reluctance to bear the cross.

People: Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your steadfast love. We acknowledge our sinful nature and confess our sinful thoughts, words, and deed. Create in us clean hearts, O God, and put a new and right spirit within us.

Pastor: Upon this your confession and by the command of our Lord, I, a called and ordained servant of Christ, forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.

People: Amen.

Pastor: Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it. Go in X peace.

People: Amen.

WORD

INTROIT Psalm 105:4–8; antiphon: Isaiah 40:3

In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
            make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Seek the Lord and his strength;
            seek his presence continually!
Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
            his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
O offspring of Abraham, his servant,
            children of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He is the Lord our God;
            his judgments are in all the earth.
He remembers his covenant forever,
            the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations.
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.
In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
            make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Kyrie

Pastor: In peace let us pray to the Lord:

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord:

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: 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:

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord:

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

People: Amen.

SALUTATION and PRAYER OF THE DAY

Pastor: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Pastor: Let us pray.
Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come to us with Your presence. Restore to us the joy of Your salvation and grant us a deep and abiding peace for all of our days. By the working of the Holy Spirit, lead us to share that joy we now know as Your gift. Keep us in true faith until the coming of Your everlasting kingdom where You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

People: Amen.

OLD TESTAMENT READING Isaiah 11:1–10

(A shoot shall come forth from the stump of Jesse.)

¹There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
     and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
²And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
     the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
     the Spirit of counsel and might,
     the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
³And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
     or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
⁴but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
     and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
     and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
⁵Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
     and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
⁶The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
     and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
     and a little child shall lead them.
⁷The cow and the bear shall graze;
     their young shall lie down together;
     and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
⁸The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
     and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
⁹They shall not hurt or destroy
     in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
     as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁰In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

GRADUAL Zechariah 9:9; Psalm 118:26

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem.

Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation.

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

From the house of the Lord we bless You.

EPISTLE Romans 15:4–13

(Paul points to Christ as the source of hope.)

⁴Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. ⁵May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, ⁶that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁷Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

⁸For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, ⁹and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name.”

¹⁰And again it is said,

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”

¹¹And again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him.”

¹²And again Isaiah says,

“The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”

¹³May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.

People: Amen.

ALLELUIA and VERSE Luke 3:4b, 6

Alleluia. Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight; all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Alleluia.

HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 3:1–12

(John the Baptist preached in the wilderness.)

Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the third chapter.

People: Glory to You, O Lord.

¹In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ²“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” ³For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”

⁴Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, ⁶and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. ⁹And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

¹¹“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹²His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to You, O Christ.

HYMN OF THE DAY: #344 – On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry

SERMON – Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign

APOSTLES’ CREED The Second Article

Pastor: In the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed, echoing the proclamation of John the Baptist, we confess Jesus to be the Savior, the One who fulfills God’s promises.

People: I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

Pastor: What does this mean?

People: I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord,

who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, 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,

that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness,

just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

After each petition:

Pastor: … With hope we pray:

People: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

At conclusion:

Pastor: Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

People: Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER Matthew 6:9–13

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.

CLOSING PRAYER

Pastor: Let us pray.
Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

People: Amen.

BENEDICAMUS and BENEDICTION

Pastor: Let us bless the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

Pastor: The blessing of almighty God, the Father, the X Son, and the Holy Spirit be and remain with you always.

People: Amen.

DISMISSAL

Pastor: Go in peace as you serve the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God!

SECOND SUNDAY in Advent – Online Church at Home Service Bulletin