St. Johns - Weekly Bulletin

Hymn: Prepare the Royal Highway                                      LSB 343
Stand
 

Exhortation (p.184)
Corporate Confession (p.184)

Introit (responsively) Psalm 105:4–8; antiphon: Isaiah 40:3b
P  In the wilderness prepare the way | of the Lord;*
           make straight in the desert a highway | for our God.
C  Seek the Lord | and his strength;*
           seek his presence con- | tinually!
P  Remember the wondrous works that | he has done,*
           his miracles, and the judgments he | uttered,
C  O offspring of Abraham, his | servant,*
           children of Jacob, his | chosen ones!
P  He is the | Lord our God;*
           his judgments are in | all the earth.
C  He remembers his covenant for- | ever,*
           the word that he commanded, for a thousand gener- | ations.
C  Glory be to the Father and | to the Son*
           and to the Holy | Spirit;
      as it was in the be- | ginning,*
           is now, and will be forever. | Amen.
P  In the wilderness prepare the way | of the Lord;*
           make straight in the desert a highway | for our God.

Nine-Fold Kyrie II (p.944)
     Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison.
     Christe eleison. ?Christe eleison. ?Christe eleison.
     Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison.
Text: Traditional;  Tune: Russian Orthodox;  Text and tune: Public domain
 
(The Gloria in Excelsis is omitted during Advent.)
 
Salutation and Collect of the Day
P  The Lord be with you.
C  And with thy spirit.

P  Let us pray.
Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C  Amen.

Sit

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 11:1–10
¹There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
       and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
²And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
       the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
       the Spirit of counsel and might,
       the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
³And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
       or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
⁴but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
       and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
       and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
⁵Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
       and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
⁶The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
       and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
       and a little child shall lead them.
⁷The cow and the bear shall graze;
       their young shall lie down together;
       and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
⁸The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
       and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
⁹They shall not hurt or destroy
       in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
       as the waters cover the sea.
       ¹⁰In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

L  This is the Word of the Lord.
C  Thanks be to God.

Gradual                              Zechariah 9:9; Psalm 118:26, alt.
C   Rejoice greatly, O daughter of | Zion.*
           Shout aloud, O daughter of Je- | rusalem.
       Behold, your king is com- | ing to you;*
           righteous and having sal- | vation.
       Blessèd is he who comes in the name | of the Lord.*
           From the house of the Lord we | bless you.

Epistle Reading: Romans 15:4–13  
       ⁴Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. ⁵May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, ⁶that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁷Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
       ⁸For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, ⁹and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
       and sing to your name.”
¹⁰And again it is said,
       “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
¹¹And again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
       and let all the peoples extol him.”
¹²And again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse will come,
       even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”
¹³May 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.

L  This is the Word of the Lord.
C  Thanks be to God.

Stand
Alleluia (p.190)
 

       ¹In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ²“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” ³For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
            make his paths straight.’”
⁴Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, ⁶and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
       ⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. ⁹And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
       ¹¹“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹²His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

L  This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C  Praise be to Thee, O Christ.

Apostles’ Creed (p.192)    
    
Sit
Hymn: On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry                          LSB 344
Sermon

Stand
Offertory (p.192)
Offering
Prayer of the Church   
Lord’s Prayer (spoken, p. 196)
Concluding Collect
Benediction

Sit
Announcements
Hymn: Let All Together Praise Our God                              LSB 389

Acknowledgments
Divine Service, Setting Three from Lutheran Service Book.  Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®),
copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2025 Concordia Publishing House.

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Prayers – For the home-bound: Doris Vilhauer, Betty Zundel, Charlotte Scepaniak, Ken & Dorothy Maas, Betty Meints, Verdena Dabbert, Lloyd Jerde, Phyllis Lassanske, Maralyn Hoops, Muriel Pigors, Larry & Sandra Grieben, Patty Wiedmeier, Leroy Neuhardt.
For those sick, injured, or recovering: Nathaniel Wendt, Michael Wendt, Phyllis Yeske, Kevin Fehn, Daryl Swanhorst, Tom Hanson, Dorothy Maas, Annikki Marttila, Roger Zastrow, Keith Underberg, Doris Larson, Patty Wiedmeier, Dwight Buntrock, Carol Krumm, Butch Podoll, Russ Brandt, Kathie Lassanske, and Betty Meints.
For the children we sponsor through Mission Haiti: Michelet Voltaire, Michel Djoury, and Orgea Djouna.
For expectant mothers: Sara (Scepaniak) Wieman.
For Skye Schopp, mother and baby are doing well.
For Pastor Andreasen & family, and all our LCMS missionaries.

St. John’s
Ushers: Lyle & Cathi Podoll   
Next Week: Josh & Desa Larson
Thanksgiving: Attendance – 30; Offering – $660 Building Fund
Last Week: Attendance – 25; Offering $1,430

Our Savior
Elders: Douglas Klipfel & Glen Rausch
Altar Guild: Tricia Rausch & Family
Acolytes: Ella Brick & Grace Rausch
Thanksgiving: Attendance - 38
Last Week: Attendance – 99, Sunday School – 23  
Offering – General Fund $2,852; Sunday School $6; Total $2,858
 
Schedule for the Week
Sunday             St. John’s Service of the Word – 8:00 am
                        St. John’s Bible Study – 9:15 am
                        Our Savior Sunday School – 9:00 am             
                        Our Savior Divine Service – 10:45 am
                        with LWML Christmas Stocking Ingathering
                        Our Savior By-laws Review Committee – 2:00 pm
Monday            Mat Ladies – 1:00 pm 
Tuesday           Coffee & Confessions – 6:30 am
                        Senior Potluck Pizza Party – 12:00 pm
                        St. Paul’s/Our Savior Men’s Club – 6:00 pm at St. Paul’s
Wednesday       Catechism Class – 5:00 pm
                        Advent Service at Our Savior – 6:30 pm
Thursday          Blood Drive – 2:00–6:00 pm
                        Our Savior Elders – 5:15 pm
                        Our Savior Council – 6:30 pm
Next Sunday     St. John’s Divine Service – 8:00 am
                        Our Savior Sunday School – 9:00 am
                        Our Savior Voters Meeting – 9:30 am
                        Our Savior Divine Service – 10:45 am
 

Announcements
 

Christmas Pageant – Sunday School will begin at 9:00 am through December 21^st to allow time for practicing the Christmas program.  Dress rehearsal is on Saturday December 20^th from 9:00-11:00, and the final program will be at 4:00 pm on Sunday, December 21^st with a potluck to follow.

Advent Services – There will be three midweek Advent services this year, on December 3, 10, and 17 at 6:30 pm at Our Savior (for both congregations).

Our Savior LWML Stocking Ingathering – Sunday, December 7^th. Christmas stockings with a verse are located in a small box on a table in the narthex. Please take one and bring it to church on Dec. 7^th and place in the basket at the front of the church during the first hymn. The money will be used for missions.  Anyone is welcome to participate.  Thank you for your donation!

The Senior Potluck on Tuesday December 9^th at noon will be a pizza party. We will all chip in on the cost. Feel free to bring a salad, dessert, or other holiday treat if you would like.

St Paul's/Our Savior Men's Club will meet at St. Paul's Tuesday December 9^th at 6:00 pm. We will have taco soup and smoked chicken noodle soup. We will finish up with chapter 4 in the book Man Up! by Jeffery Hemmer. Tell a friend and remember All manly men of all ages are encouraged to attend. I hope to see you all on Tuesday December 9^th.  Please message Shane Jung to be added to the email list. 1-605-216-3784

BLOOD DRIVE – Our quarterly blood drive with Vitalant will be Thursday, December 11^th from 2:00 – 6:00 pm at Our Savior. Help save lives! Call Vicky Baumgartner at 605-216-8967 to schedule.

Saturday Bible Study – There will be no Saturday Bible study in December. We will resume on January 10^th, with the topic “The real presence of Christ in the Old Testament”.

Calendars – The youth group is selling 2026 God’s Creation calendars for $10 each. The calendars should arrive before Christmas, and you can pay when you pick them up. The youth will have a table in the narthex at Our Savior after the service where you can sign up, or you can call or email the office.
  
Christmas Services –
Christmas Eve Candlelight – 5:00 pm at St. John’s
                                               7:00 pm at Our Savior
Christmas Day Divine Service – 9:00 am at Our Savior
Epiphany Divine Service – January 7^th at 6:30 pm at Our Savior

LCMS Stewardship Ministry – Second Sunday in Advent
Matthew 3:1–2 – “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” John prepared the way for Jesus by preaching repentance. Then, when Jesus’ ministry was complete and He was raised from the dead, He sent out His disciples to preach “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 24:47). We never outgrow the need for repentance — for examining our lives, turning away from our sins and turning toward Jesus in faith to receive his forgiveness and strength for a renewed life of godliness.

Building Healthy Families: Trauma, emotional distress, depression, anxiety, or family conflict negatively impact many people, including those within our church fellowship today. When it does, we are often left searching for answers without knowing where to find help, especially help that will share and incorporate the important tenants of our Lutheran Christian faith. Lutheran Family Service offers professional mental health counseling with master’s prepared and licensed therapists who share your faith and world view, now available to all regardless of location through telehealth. Call us…it’s why we’re here!   605-271-1081
Lutheran Family Service  www.LutheranFamilyService.org
info@lutheranfamilyservice.org
                                   

Main Street Living – 10:00 AM- This Is the Life – “Stable Boy” – A manger scene comes to life and tells the story of the first Christmas.  10:30 AM- Rev. Robert Hinckley, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Deadwood, SD, presents the message “Bear Fruit in Keeping with Repentance” based on Matthew 3:7-10. Watch Main Street Living on Sunday mornings on KDLT NBC TV. Past shows are archived at www.mainstreetliving.com.

The Lutheran Hour – God calls believers to trust and follow Jesus— chosen, but chosen for what? Speaker Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler delivers the message “Chosen for What?” based on Romans 15:7. Listen to The Lutheran Hour on Sunday mornings at 9:00 on KAWZ 88.1 FM, or on Sirius-XM Family Talk 131 at 9:00. Sermons are also archived on the website www.lutheranhour.org.

KIDS HAVE QUESTIONS SERIES… Will my dead pets be in heaven? Does everyone have a guardian angel?  What does God think about suicide?  Issues, Etc. is a radio talk show and podcast produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL and hosted by LCMS Pastor Todd Wilken. You can listen to an ongoing Kids Have Questions series with Pastor Jonathan Conner at issuesetc.org/kidshavequestions.