Prelude: Organ Voluntary
Please stand as you are able.
The Processional Hymn: 76, On Jordan’s Bank, Bulletin, Page 18
The Lighting of the Advent Candles
The Advent candles will be lit by Okafor Family..
Today is the Third Sunday of Advent and we light the Candle of Love. We also light the candles of hope and peace, that, when combined with love, help us to remember that Christ’s love transforms all.
(Light the 1st, 2nd and then the 3rd candle)
Lord God, may we, your people, who look forward to the birthday of Christ experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with love and thanksgiving. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Opening Acclamation
The Collect of the Day
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever
Amen.
The Kyries: Schubert
The Liturgy of the Word
Please be seated for the lessons.
The First Lesson: Zephaniah 3: 14-20
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Canticle: The First Song of Isaiah: Ecce Deus, Canticle 9
Surely, it is /God who /saves me; * I will trust in /him and /not be a-/fraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold and my /sure de-/fense, * and /he will /be my /Savior.
Therefore you shall draw /water with re-/joicing * --/from the /springs of sal-/vation.
And on that day /you shall /say, * Give thanks to the Lord and /call up-/on His /Name;
Make his deeds known a-/mong the /peoples; *
see that they re-/member that His /Name is ex-/alted.
Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has /done great /things, *
and this is /known in /all the /world.
Part B
Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring /out your /joy, * for the great one in the midst of you is the /Holy /One of/ Israel.
The Second Lesson: Philippians 4: 4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Sequence Hymn: 73, The King Shall Come, Bulletin, Page 19
Please stand as you are able.
The Gospel: Luke 3: 7-18
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
Please be seated.
The Sermon: The Rev. Hank Tuell
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, Eternally begotten of the Father.
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
In peace, we pray to you Lord God.
Silence
For all people in their daily life and work;
For our families, friends, and neighbors, and for those who are alone.
For this community, the nations, and the world;
For all who work for justice, freedom and peace.
For the just and proper use of your creation;
For the victims of hunger, fear, injustice and oppression.
For all who are in danger, sorrow, or any kind of trouble;
For those who minister to the sick, the friendless and the needy.
For the peace and unity of the Church of God;
For all who proclaim the Gospel, and all who seek the Truth.
For the special needs and concerns of this congregation, especially we pray for Dice Grigg, Lillie Johnson, Pauline Johnson, Shirley Kline, Robert Lane, Patrick Maher, Eric Miller, and Brian Orlick.
Silence
Hear us, Lord;
For your mercy is great.
We thank you for all the blessing of this life, today we especially give thanks for all who support St. John's with their time, treasure, and talents.
Silence
We will exalt you, O God our King;
And praise your Name for ever and ever.
We pray for all who have died, that they may have a place in your eternal kingdom;
Silence
Lord, let your loving-kindness be upon them;
Who put their trust in you.
Silence
The Concluding Collect
Almighty and eternal God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully accept the prayers of your people, and strengthen us to do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Confession
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life.
Amen.
The Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
Please be seated for the announcements.
The Announcements
Please stand, as you are able.
Offertory Hymn: 539, O, Zion haste, Bulletin, Page 20-21
The Great Thanksgiving - B
The Sursum Corda
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and every- where to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
Here a Proper Preface is sung or said on all Sundays, and on other occasions as appointed.
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:
The Sanctus & Benedictus: S-130, Schubert
Please kneel, as you are able.
We give thanks to you, O God, for the goodness and love which you have made known to us in creation; in the calling of Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus, your Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.
On the night before he died for us, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."
After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, "Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."
Therefore, according to his command, O Father,
We remember his death,
We proclaim his resurrection,
We await his coming in glory;
And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, O Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine.
We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts that they may be the Sacrament of the Body of Christ and his Blood of the new Covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we may be acceptable through him, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In the fullness of time, put all things in subjection under your Christ, and bring us to that heavenly country where, with John and all your saints, we may enter the everlasting heritage of your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation.
By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever
Amen.
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
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, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread
The Presider breaks the consecrated Bread. A period of silence is kept.
The Fraction Anthem: S-164, Schubert
The Invitation
The gifts of God for the people of God.
The Communion
Note: As mandated by The Bishop, only the Celebrant will administer Communion (Bread Only). The Clergy’s hands have been properly washed and sanitized. Please wait to be directed.
Communion Hymn: 314, Humbly, I adore thee, Bulletin, Page 22
The Post Communion Prayer
Let us pray.
Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Blessing
The Presider gives a blessing. At the conclusion, the people respond Amen.
Recessional: 296, We know that Christ is raised, Bulletin, Page 23
The Dismissal
Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
Thanks be to God.
The Postlude: Organ Voluntary