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“The crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
Luke 3:5-6
Serving Today
Officiant: Pastor Paul Winterstein
First Reading: Ron Stephens
Second Reading: Maria Roy
Assisting Minister: Ron Stephens
Musician: Anita Tucker
December 5, 2021
Second Sunday in Advent
WELCOME to our worship service! Christ is coming again. We wait with eager anticipation.
The Word of God keeps us focused.
Scripture Theme: How do we prepare for the second coming of Christ? We look to the way God, according to our Scripture readings, led people to prepare when Jesus first came: Malachi promised a messenger to help “refine” the people. John the Baptizer came to be that messenger. St. Paul reminded his readers that God comes to us and makes us ready.
The Eucharist: All baptized Christians who believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in the bread and wine of the Holy Communion are welcome at the Lord’s Table. Those at home may use bread or cracker and some wine.
In the Name of Jesus
Directions: P – Pastor, C – Congregation, AM – Assisting Minister, R − Reader
Gathering
Welcome
Confession and Forgiveness
P: Blessed be the Holy Trinity, ✝ one God, who alone does wonders, who lifts up the lowly, who fills the hungry with good things.
C: Amen.
P: Let us confess our sin, trusting in the tender mercy of our God.
Silence for reflection
God, for whom we wait,
C: in the presence of one another, we confess our sin before you. We fail in believing that your good news is for us. We falter in our call to tend your creation. We find our sense of self in material wealth. We fear those different from ourselves. We forget that we are your children and turn away from your love. Forgive us, Blessed One, and assure us again of your saving grace.
Amen.
P: God, in Christ Jesus, has looked with favor upon you! Through the power of the Holy Spirit, ✝ your sins are forgiven. You are children of the Most High, inheritors of the eternal promise, and recipients of divine mercy. God strengthens you anew to follow the way of peace.
C: Amen.
Hymn: He Came Down TFF 37
Words and music: Cameroon traditional
He came down that we may have love;
he came down that we may have love;
he came down that we may have love;
hallelujah forevermore.
He came down that we may have light;
he came down that we may have light;
he came down that we may have light;
hallelujah forevermore.
He came down that we may have peace;
he came down that we may have peace;
he came down that we may have peace;
hallelujah forevermore.
He came down that we may have joy;
he came down that we may have joy;
he came down that we may have joy;
hallelujah forevermore.
Greeting
P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the refining fire of the Holy Spirit, and the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, be with you all.
C: And also with you.
Blessing of the Advent Wreath
P: We praise you, O God, for this circle of light that marks our days in preparation for Christ’s advent. As we light the candles on this wreath, kindle within us the fire of your Spirit, that we may be light shining in the darkness. Enlighten us with your grace, that we may welcome others as you have welcomed us. Grant this through Christ our Lord, whose coming is certain and whose day draws near.
C: Amen.
Light two candles
Prayer of the Day
P: Let us pray. Stir up our hearts, Lord God,
C: to prepare the way of your only Son. By his coming give to all the people of the world knowledge of your salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Word
First Reading: Malachi 3:1-4
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight – indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; 3 he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
R: The Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
Pause to contemplate the Word
Psalm of Response: Luke 1:68-79
P: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.
C: He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David,
P: as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
C: that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
P: Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
C: to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
P: And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
C: to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins.
P: By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us,
C: to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
Second Reading Philippians 1:3-11
3 I thank my God every time I remember you, 4 constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5 because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with know-ledge and full insight 10 to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
R: The Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
Pause to contemplate the Word
In preparation for the Gospel we sing:
Gospel Acclamation: Wait for the Lord ELW 262
Words: Taizé Community
Music: Wait for the Lord, Jacques Berthier, 1923-1994
Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord, be strong, take heart!
Repeat two times
Gospel: Introduced as follows:
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the 3rd chapter.
C: Glory to you, O Lord!
Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"
P: The Gospel of our Lord
C: Praise to you, O Christ!
Sermon
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Pause for reflection
Hymn of the Day: Come by Here TFF 42
Music: Kum ba yah, Traditional
Come by here, Lord, come by here;
Come by here, Lord, come by here;
Come by here, Lord, come by here.
O Lord, come by here.
Someone needs you, Lord, come by here;
Someone needs you, Lord, come by here;
Someone needs you, Lord, come by here.
O Lord, come by here.
Send a blessing, Lord, come by here;
Send a blessing, Lord, come by here;
Send a blessing, Lord, come by here.
O Lord, come by here.
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord. He 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. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Prayers of the Congregation
P: We come to you, Lord Christ, as you came to us, without pretense, asking for your help for those in need.
Silence
John prepared for your coming by reminding us that Isaiah promised you would level the high and low and rough places in our lives.
C: Come, Lord Jesus. The rough places still need smoothing.
P: Valleys of depression threaten to swallow us.
C: Come, Lord Jesus, and calm our disturbed lives.
P: For some, storms, hurricanes, fire, or drought, have left them homeless; others are without home, food, and clothing because of their economic circumstances; still others took a wrong turn, made bad choices, and now find themselves trapped in a morass.
C: Come, Lord Jesus. Uphold those who struggle to find their way to a more stable life.
P: In this particularly busy time of year help us to keep our eyes focused on the way through the wilderness places in our lives.
C: Come, Lord Jesus. Shine the light of your life into our lives so that we may see to follow you, and wait with anticipation for your coming.
P: Where hills have been marred by bad mining practices, and where land, rivers, steams, and air have been polluted with toxic chemicals,
C: come, Lord Jesus, and help us find ways to respect the world you created and came to inhabit.
P: Our national Congress deals with its own rough places. Each party is convinced that its way is the only way to resolve the problem.
C: Come, Lord Jesus. Come and bring the light of your wisdom to our legislators, and guide them into the way of peace.
P: Come, Lord Jesus, and for all who experience the upset of our world by way of sickness, especially for Wanda, Jerelene, Joy, Caryee, Ruby, Sharee, Orelia, Rosa, Nike, and Ella in our own church family, come, and be with those who suffer.
C: Come, Lord Jesus! Come, and bring new life and hope to their lives.
P: For what else do the people of God pray?
After the petitions:
Lord, in your mercy,
C: hear our prayer.
P: Bless us with your presence, Lord Jesus, and hear our prayers.
C: Amen.
Meal
Peace
P: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C: And also with you.
(If there are others with you, greet one another with: Peace be with you.)
Great Thanksgiving
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Lift up your hearts.
C: We lift them to the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
P: It is indeed right and beneficial that we should at all times and in all places offer thanks and praise to you, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everliving God. You comforted your people with the promise of the Redeemer, through whom you will also make all things new in the day when he comes again to judge the world in righteousness. And so with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Hymn: Hosanna to the Living Lord
Words: Reginald Heber, 1811
Music: vom himmel hoch, Geistliche Lieder, 1539
Hosanna to the living Lord!
Hosanna to th’ Incarnate Word!
To Christ, Creator, Savior, King,
let earth, let heav’n, hosanna sing!
P: Holy God, mighty Lord, gracious Father: Endless is your mercy and eternal is your reign.
C: You have filled all creation with light and life; heaven and earth are full of your glory.
P: We praise you for the grace shown to your people in every age: the promise to Israel, the rescue from Egypt, the gift of the promised land, the words of the prophets;
C: and, at this end of all the ages, the gift of your Son, who proclaimed the good news in word and deed and was obedient in your will, even to giving his life.
P: In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
For as often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
C: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
P: Therefore, O God, with this bread and cup we remember the life our Lord offered for us. And, believing the witness of his resurrection, we await his coming in power to share with us the great and promised feast.
C: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
P: Send now, we pray, your Holy Spirit, that we who share in Christ’s body and blood may live to the praise of your glory and receive our inheritance with all your saints in light.
C: Amen. Come, Holy Spirit.
P: Join our prayers with those of your servants of every time and every place; and unite them with the ceaseless petitions of our great high priest until he comes as victorious Lord of all. Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, now and forever.
C: Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
P: Let us pray with confidence in the words our Savior gave us:
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. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
Communion Hymn: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel ELW 257
Words: Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum, Köln, 1710 tr. composite
Music: veni emmanuel, French Processional 15th cent.
O come, O Branch of Jesse, free
your own from Satan’s tyranny;
from depths of hell your people save,
and give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
Communion
P: Come to Christ’s banquet. Feast on God’s gifts of grace.
(We share the body and blood of Christ.)
After all have communed. . .
P: The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
C: Amen.
Prayer
P: Let us pray. Most High God,
C: you have come among us at this table. By the Spirit’s power, form us to be bearers of your word, sharing gifts of mercy and grace with all, through Christ Jesus, our host and our guest.
Amen.
Sending
Blessing
P: The God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing so that we may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit, through Christ Jesus for whom we wait.
C: Amen.
Sending Hymn: Let Justice Flow like Streams
Words: Jane Parker Huber, b. 1926
Music: St. Thomas, Aaron Williams, 1731-1776
Let justice flow like streams of sparkling water, pure,
enabling growth, refreshing life, abundant, cleansing, sure.
Let righteousness roll on as others’ cares we heed,
an ever-flowing stream of faith translated into deed.
So may God’s plumb line, straight, define our measure true,
and justice, right and peace pervade
this world our whole life through.
Announcements of Our Life Together
Dismissal
P: Go in peace. Christ is near.
C: Thanks be to God!
To God Alone Be Glory
Acknowledgements: The Confession and Forgiveness, Prayer after Communion, Blessing, and the Prayer for Lighting the Advent Wreath, are from pp. 26-27, Sundays & Seasons copyright © 2021 Augsburg Fortress. The Great Thanksgiving is from p. 199, of Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Leader’s Desk Edition copyright © 2006, Augsburg Fortress publishers. The hymns, Wait for the Lord, copyright © 1984 Les Presses de Taizé; and Let Justice Flow like Streams, copyright © 1984 Jane Parker Huber, admin. Westminster John Knox Press; are reprinted with permission under One License. Net # A-738102. All Scripture passages are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education. the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States.
Announcements
To help us prepare for worship, the Readings for next Sunday, are:
Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18.
Bible Study Wednesday 10:30 call in 667-770-1249 participant code 287179
Advent Services - Wednesday mid-week services will be held December 1st, 8th, and 15th.
Shared services with Trinity and Lamb of God, on Zoom.
Phone number to dial in: +1 253 215 8782
Zoom ID and Passcode:
Meeting ID: 884 7586 1354 Passcode 1031
Sunday worship services are held in the church building on the first Sunday of each month. We continue to worship on zoom every Sunday.
Happy Birthday to our December babies: John Hancock 13th, Anita Tucker 14th, Cynthia Simmons 20th, and Will Langston 24th. God’s continued blessings as you celebrate your special day and always.
Thank you, Good Shepherd: Thank you for your kindness at a time when it is greatly appreciated. We are forever grateful. from the family of Alcine Wyatt.
Support to Refugees and Asylum Seekers. It was decided at the October 31st Voters’ Assembly that Good Shepherd would give financial support to the refugees and asylumseekers by collecting donations from members November through January. Checks can bemailed to the church, be sure and note on your check that it is for the refugees. Good Shepherd will match the donations amount which will be forwarded to Lutheran Community Services Northwest.
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) Mite boxes are being collected. The money collected through mite boxes are used to support missions. Donations can be made at the church on the first Sundays for the next few months, or you can mail your donation to the church noting it is for LWML mites. Our donation will be sent to LWML in January. Contact Martha or Anita for more information.
Stewardship: Offerings and Donations $4,275 Attendance NA Afghan Refugee $250
Sick and Shut-In Members
Please remember in your prayers;
Wanda Allen 222 25th Ave. 98122
Joy Bauer 1061 Shelton Ave. NE Renton 98056
Orelia Jarrow 3621 33rd S. #335 98144
Rosa McFollie 1103 Tacoma Ave. NE Renton
Ella Smith 4831 35th Ave. SW 98126
Ruby Buxton 315 31st Ave. 98122
Sharee Daniels 6731 N 17th Street Tacoma 98406
Jerelene Armstead 5145 S. Fountain 98178
Caryee Bryant 3621 33rd Ave. S. #433 98144
Nike Slaughter 6415 46th Ave. S. 98118
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Our Mission Statement
Led by the Holy Spirit,
the mission of the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd is to give glory to God
for the building of His Kingdom by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
worshipping the Triune God, and reaching out in love to the community.