Announcements
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty Savior,
Prince of Peace.
Amen.
Trusting in God’s steadfast love and faithfulness,
let us confess our sin.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Reconciling God,
we yearn for your presence to transform
our grief, pain, and despair.
We confess that we have not always prepared
room in our hearts for your love;
we have not always recognized
your presence among us;
we have not always embraced your message of peace.
We cry out, weary with the burden of violence,
oppression, and fear.
We confess our failure to make room
for those seeking refuge;
our participation in violent systems
that harm your innocent ones;
our reluctance to embody your good news.
Be born in us today
and teach us to sing the joyful song of your salvation.
Amen.
God’s grace upon grace flows over you.
☩ Christ’s presence redeems the whole creation.
Your sins are forgiven. Let the earth rejoice and be glad!
Amen.
Opening Hymn
ELW 821 - Shout to the Lord
Greeting
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, you have filled all the earth with the light of your incarnate Word. By your grace empower us to reflect your light in all that we do, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
First Reading:Jeremiah 31:7-14
7 Thus says the Lord:
Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say,
“Save, O Lord, your people,
the remnant of Israel.”
8 See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north
and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the blind and the lame,
those with child and those in labor together;
a great company, they shall return here.
9 With weeping they shall come,
and with consolations I will lead them back;
I will let them walk by brooks of water,
in a straight path where they shall not stumble,
for I have become a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my firstborn.
10 Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
and declare it in the coastlands far away;
say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him
and will keep him as a shepherd does a flock.”
11 For the Lord has ransomed Jacob
and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall become like a watered garden,
and they shall never languish again.
13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
and the young men and the old shall be merry.
I will turn their mourning into joy;
I will comfort them and give them gladness for sorrow.
14 I will give the priests their fill of fatness,
and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty,
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 147
Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. (Ps. 147:12)
12 Worship the Lord, | O Jerusalem;
praise your | God, O Zion,
13 who has strengthened the bars | of your gates
and has blessed your chil- | dren within you.
14 God has established peace | on your borders
and satisfies you with the | finest wheat.
15 God sends out a command | to the earth,
a word that runs | very swiftly. R
16 God gives | snow like wool,
scattering | frost like ashes.
17 God scatters | hail like bread crumbs.
Who can stand a- | gainst God’s cold?
18 The Lord sends forth the | word and melts them;
the wind blows, and the | waters flow.
19 God declares the | word to Jacob,
statutes and judg- | ments to Israel.
20 The Lord has not done so to any | other nation;
they do not know God’s judgments. | Hallelujah! R
Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight 9 he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; 14 this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation
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Gospel: John 1: 10-18
This is the holy gospel according to John the 1st chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”) 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Hymn of the Day
ELW 287 - Let All Together Praise Our God (vs. 1, 2, 4)
The Nicene Creed
Prayers of Intercession
Empowered by the news of Christ’s birth, let us pray boldly for the church, creation, and all who are in need.
A brief silence.
O God, you reveal yourself wherever two or three are gathered in your name. Be with us now, not only in the infant Jesus and resurrected Christ, but in the beloved people of this assembly. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You reveal yourself in the waters of the womb; in brooks, ponds, and oceans; and in the waters of baptism. Grant us wisdom to tenderly care for the earth as a garden watered by your grace. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You reveal yourself in blessed diversity. Help us to look for you in people near and far, in bodies of all kinds, and in kindred young and old. Let us seek you in many places, praising you in many tongues. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You reveal yourself in new life. Support those beginning a new job, a new relationship, or a new living situation, especially those displaced because of tragedy or loss. Be with all others who need your life-giving touch this day (especially). Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You reveal yourself in holy communion. Sustain all who provide food and fellowship in this congregation and in the wider community. Make our tables signs of your welcoming presence among us. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
You promise to turn mourning into joy and to comfort those who weep. We remember those who have died and look to being united with them in your glory. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
With the joy of Christ’s birth in our hearts, we commend our prayers to you, O God, trusting in your boundless mercy and eternal love; through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.
The Passing of Peace
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.
Anthem
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Offertory Hymn
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Offertory Prayer
God of glory,
great are your wonders among us
and many are the blessings you bestow.
Use us and these your gifts for the needs of the world,
that all the ends of the earth may rejoice in your saving grace,
through Christ our Savior.
Amen.
The Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all
times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty
and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ. Fulfilling the
promise of the resurrection, you pour out the fire of your Spirit,
uniting in one body people of every nation and tongue.
And so, with Mary Magdalene and Peter and all the witnesses of
the resurrection, with earth and sea and all their creatures, and
with angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, we praise
your name and join their unending hymn:
WOV Setting 8
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of pow’r and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory, full of your glory.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Thanksgiving at the Table
Holy God, our Maker, Redeemer, and Healer, in the harmonious
world of your creation, the plants and animals, the seas and stars
were whole and well in your praise.
When sin had scarred the world, you sent your Son to heal our ills
and to form us again into one.
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.
Remembering, therefore, his acts of healing, his body given up,
and his victory over death, we await that day when all the
peoples of the earth will come to the river to enjoy the tree of
life.
Send your Spirit upon us and this meal: as grains scattered on
the hillside become one bread, so let your Church be gathered
from the ends of the earth, that all may be fed with the Bread of
life, your Son.
Through him all glory and honor is yours, Almighty Father,
with the Holy Spirit, in your holy Church, both now and forever.Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Lord remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray:
Our Father, Who art in heaven,
Hollowed by 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.
God feeds us with tender mercy.
Come to the table.
Lamb of God
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Communion Hymns
CCLI - Amazing Grace / Alleluia
The Table Blessing
God is now in flesh appearing.
Come to the feast of joy!
Post Communion
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Prayer After Communion
Incarnate God, you are among us at this table.
May we treasure this gift and ponder in our hearts
the mystery of your presence.
Move us to discover the wonders of your love
in the everyday moments of our lives,
through Christ born in us.
Amen.
Blessing
The triune God,
glorious Mystery,
holy Incarnate One,
abiding Comforter,
☩ bless you with endless grace, peace, and joy.
Amen.
Sending Hymn
CCLI - Your Grace is Enough
Dismissal
Glory to God in the highest!
And peace to God’s people on earth!
Go in joy. Embody God’s redeeming grace.
Thanks be to God.
Photo by Erika Giraud on Unsplash
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