Fourth Sunday in Advent	December 22, 2013

PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD
PREPARE THE WAY. IMMANUEL COMES!

EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

W

elcome! Thank you for joining us for worship this morning. In our service  we  gather  before  our  almighty  God  to  offer  him  our worship and praise. We also gather to strengthen ourselves through the
study of God’s holy and powerful word.

 Restrooms are located in the hallway directly opposite the entrance to the sanctuary.

 Cry-room. If you have a young child or nursing infant and are in need of a cry-room, you will find it to the right as soon as you exit the sanctuary. A speaker there allows you to hear the service.

 Staffed nursery. We offer a staffed nursery for ages 2 to 5 and special needs children. It is located to the left of the entry foyer, near the kitchen window.

 Connection cards are found inside each worship folder. We ask that before worship or during the offering, you fill those out, front and back. You can return the card either in the offering plate or in the connection card basket you will find at the exit of the church after worship.

Summerville campus
720 Old Trolley Road  Summerville, SC 29485 843.873.5522
bselc.office@gmail.com
Moncks Corner campus
Foxbank Plantation Road  Moncks Corner, SC 29461 843.826.4057

Staff
Kyle Burmeister, Pastor		262.365.7123 (cell) pastorburmeister@gmail.com
Jonathan Hein, Pastor		843.860.1838 (cell) pastorhein@gmail.com
Jonathan Quinn, Pastor	843.826.4057 (home)
revjquinn@gmail.com
Nathan Loersch, Vicar		920.342.4723  (cell) vicarloersch@gmail.com

www.ourbeautifulsavior.com

WORSHIP NOTES

THE SEASON OF ADVENT
Advent is a Latin word that means “coming.” The season of Advent is the four week period before Christmas that the Church uses to remember the “coming” of the Christ. We celebrate that he came once as a baby in Bethlehem, and that he will come again at the end of time.
OUR WORSHIP SERIES
This is a busy time of year. There is much to do to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. However, more important than celebrating Jesus’ first coming is being prepared for his second coming on the Last Day. Christmas is only important because of what it means for us at the end of time. In this worship series, we make the connection between Christ’s first coming as Savior and his second coming as Judge. Our worship follows this pattern.

 PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD	
First Sunday in Advent	Prepare, for the Lord will come again unexpectedly	
Second Sunday in Advent	Prepare the way with sincere repentance	
Third Sunday in Advent	Prepare the way by proclaiming good news	
Fourth Sunday in Advent	Prepare the way.  Immanuel comes!	

OUR THEME FOR TODAY
Prepare the way. Immanuel comes! Today, when a baby is born, we tend to choose a name either because we like the sound or it or because it is the name of a family member we wish to honor. But in the Bible, names always have meaning.  In the book of Isaiah, the prophet foretold that the coming Messiah would be named “Immanuel.” That name means “God is with us.” How meaningful! It describes perfectly what we find in Bethlehem’s manger: God, wrapped in flesh, that he might dwell with us in our home. And because of what Immanuel did in his death and resurrection, we can joyfully look forward to the day when we will go to dwell with him in his home.

Order of Service for
THE SEASON OF ADVENT

AWAKE, O SLEEPER
Minister:	Refrain
Congregation:   Refrain

	The Gathering	

M: Land that is parched shall bloom and rejoice. The desert shall break into song.
Coming in splendor is Jesus the Lord, the one for whom we long.
C:  Refrain
M: See how the farmer who nurtures the soil patiently waits for its yield. Wait for the Lord with all of your heart; God’s face shall be revealed.
C:  Refrain
M: Go and proclaim what you see and you hear: the dead have been raised to new life.
Great are the deeds of our wonderful Lord, the God of pow’r and might.
C:  Refrain

INVOCATION
M: In the name of the Father and of the Son  and of the Holy Spirit.
C:  Amen.
M: Look! Christ is coming with the clouds.
C:  Every eye will see him, even those who pierced him.	Revelation 1:7

CONFESSION OF SINS
M: Lest that Day surprise us unprepared, let us make confession of our sins, imploring our heavenly Father to have mercy on us for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Silence for personal confession
M: You came to call us from darkness into light:  Lord have mercy.
C:   
M:  You came to visit your people with peace:  Christ have mercy.
C:   
M: You will return and our joy will be full:  Lord have mercy.
C:   

M: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

C:

ABSOLUTION
M: God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son  and of the Holy Spirit.
C:  Amen!
The Rite of Holy Baptism may take place here.
M: In the peace of forgiveness, let us praise the Lord.
C:  Final Refrain

PRAYER OF THE DAY

	The Word	

M: Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Take away the burden of our sins and make us ready for the celebration of your birth, that we may receive you in joy and serve you always; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C:  Amen.

FIRST LESSON	Isaiah  7:1-17
1 When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.
2 Now the house of David was told, "Aram has allied itself with Ephraim"; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.
3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out, you and your son Shear- Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the
road to the Washerman's Field. 4 Say to him, 'Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of
Remaliah. 5 Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah's son have plotted your ruin, saying, 6 "Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it." 7 Yet this is what the
Sovereign LORD says:
" 'It will not take place, it will not happen,
8 for the head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.' "
10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11 "Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights."
12 But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test."
13 Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?
14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
15 He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong
and choose the right. 16 But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. 17 The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria."

LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT WREATH
To introduce the song, the refrain and verse play. At this time, four candles are lit. The congregation then sings the refrain, then the four verses all in a row, and then the refrain again.  During the final re- frain, the children may come forward for the children’s message.

CHILDREN’S  MESSAGE

SECOND LESSON	Romans 1:1-7
1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

VERSE OF THE DAY	Isaiah  7:14
M: Refrain
C:  Refrain

M: The virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel, Emmanuel.
C:  Refrain

GOSPEL	Matthew  1:18-25
18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream
and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
22All this took place to fulfill what the
Lord had said through the prophet: 23"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"— which means, "God with us."
24When Joseph woke up, he did what the
angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

M: This is the Gospel of our Lord.
C:  Praise be to you, O Christ!

HYMN 23	Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel

SERMON

CONFESSION OF FAITH	The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
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 is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

THANK OFFERING

 The Prayers  
THE PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Prayers and petitions are offered on behalf of the Church.
M: Hear us, Lord, as we bring you our private petitions.
Silent prayer
M: Into your hands we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C:  Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
M: Lord, remember us in your kingdom, and teach us to pray:
C:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.  Amen.

THE BLESSING
M: Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another. Serve the Lord with gladness.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and give  you peace.
C:  Amen.

HYMN 26	Jesus Came, the Heavens Adoring

16

All music is either public domain or  reprinted under put your license info here if necessary

Awake, O Sleeper: Advent Gathering Rite
Text and Tune: Francis Patrick O’Brien © 2001 GIA Publications, Inc.

Advent Wreath Song
Text and Tune: Paul Inwood  © 2005 GIA Publications, Inc.

Advent Gospel Acclamation
Music: Andrew Wright © 1999 Andrew Wright.   Published by OCP.

Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel
Text:  Latin Hymn
Tune: Plainsong melody, 15th century

Jesus Came, the Heavens Adoring
Text:  Godfrey Thring Tune: Geistreiches Gesang-Buch

www.ourbeautifulsavior.com