Prelude

Call to Worship & Greeting

Besides this you know the time,
that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep.
For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.
The night is far gone; the day is at hand.
So come, let us worship God together.
—Romans 13:11-12a

It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”

For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

May 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.
Amen.
—Romans 15:13

Song

The virtual choir that leads us in this beautiful refrain (Dona Nobis Pacem, “Give us peace”) is obviously not our own, but we invite you to join along with the music and lyrics below the video, and pick a part (1, 2, or 3) of the canon if you are able. 

Advent Candle Lighting

Song

Text: Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum, Köln, 1710; tr. Composite, P.D.
Tune (VENI EMMANUEL): French processional, 15th c., P.D.; arr. Evangelical Lutheran Worship
© 2006 Augsburg Fortress; All rights reserved, OneLicense.net 734287-A

Confession & Assurance

Call to Confession

Our call to confession this morning is simple.
When God arrives, confession follows;
when Immanuel comes, we are invited to repent.

Prepare the way of the Lord. Isaiah 40:3
Let us make our confession before almighty God.

Prayer of Confession

O promised Christ:
We are a world at war.

Our peace depends on your coming.
We are a sinful people.
Our pardon depends on your coming.
We are a sinful people.

We are full of good intentions,
but weak at keeping promises.
We are full of beautiful dreams,
but short on faithfulness in the simple things.

Lord Christ, Word made flesh,
our world waits
for your peace,
for your pardon,
for your grace.
Even so: come, Lord Jesus, come.
Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. —based on Isaiah 40:1-2
Your sins are pardoned.
The penalty is paid.
The world is about to turn.

The Peace

The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
And also with you.

Song

Children’s Time: Advent Stories

Parents, if you would like, this is a good place to pull up the video linked here. Each week, Beth Cooke will tell an Advent Story in a creative way, and there will also be a link to a coloring page after the video.

Prayer of Illumination

If you have a child in your home, invite them to lead this prayer:

Immanuel, as we celebrate your coming
and await your return,
help us see your glory, love, and power
through the reading and preaching of your Word.
We pray in your name.
Amen.

Scripture Reading

Luke 1:26-38, 46-55

1 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

46 And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
    For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
    and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
    to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Sermon

Song

Prayers of the People

Using the template below, make these prayers your own by naming specific people and places where invited below.

Prince of peace, as we wait for your coming, we pray fervently: Give us peace.

For all who live with violence and war [specify], we pray: Give us peace.
For all who live with worry and fear [specify], we pray: Give us peace.
For all who live in loneliness and despair [specify], we pray: Give us peace.
For all in our church family, and particularly for [specify], we pray: Give us peace.

For Mitzi Bonzelaar, in her recovery from an infection;
for Don & Henrietta DeKoster, after the recent deaths of Henrietta’s sister, brother-in-law, and nephew;
for Barb Phillips, after the recent death of her sister;
for Tim & Linda Dykstra, as they prepare for Tim’s upcoming surgery;
give them peace.

 For all of us, your children, who long for peace, we pray: Give us peace.
Maranatha: Come, Lord Jesus, come.

And until you do, we pray the prayer you taught us to pray:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.
Amen.

Offering

In addition to our various funds (General, Building, Mission, Benevolence, Christian Education), online giving is also now available for today’s special offerings (Calvin University & Midtown Counseling) through the Give button below.

God’s Parting Words

The hour has come;
salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
We watch. We worship. We trust. We wait.

Now to him who is able to strengthen you
according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery
that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed
and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations,
according to the command of the eternal God,
to bring about the obedience of faith—
to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ!
Amen.
—Romans 16:25-27

Postlude

The choral postlude, “There Shall A Star Come Out of Jacob,” begins at 2:20 of the video below.