St. Johns - Weekly Bulletin

Hymn: When All the World Was Cursed                         LSB 346
 

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

Introit (responsively by whole verse)        Ps. 81:8, 10–11, 13; antiphon: Luke 3:4b
The voice of one crying in the | wilderness:*
    “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his | paths straight.”
Hear, O my people, while I ad- | monish you!*
   O Israel, if you would but lis- | ten to me!
I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of | Egypt.*
    Open your mouth wide, and I will | fill it.
But my people did not listen | to my voice;*
   Israel would not sub- | mit to me.
Oh, that my people would lis- | ten to me,*
    that Israel would walk | in my ways!
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.
The voice of one crying in the | wilderness:*
    “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his | paths straight.”

Nine-Fold Kyrie (LSB 944)

(The Gloria in Excelsis is omitted during Advent)

Collect of the Day
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.
 
Old Testament Reading: Malachi 3:1–7b
          ¹“Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. ²But 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. ³He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. ⁴Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
          ⁵“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
          ⁶“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. ⁷From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them.”

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

Gradual                                        Zechariah 9:9; Psalm 118:26, alt.
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: Philippians 1:2–11
          ²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
          ³I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, ⁴always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, ⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.  ⁶And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. ⁷It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. ⁸For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. ⁹And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

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

Stand
Alleluia (p.190)
 

          ¹In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ²during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
         make his paths straight.
⁵Every valley shall be filled,
         and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
         and the rough places shall become level ways,
⁶and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
          ⁷He said therefore 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? ⁸Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin 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. ⁹Even 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.”
          ¹⁰And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” ¹¹And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” ¹²Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” ¹³And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” ¹⁴Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
          ¹⁵As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, ¹⁶John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹⁷His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
          ¹⁸So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. ¹⁹But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, ²⁰added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.

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

Nicene Creed (p.191)

Sit
Hymn of the Day: On Jordan’s Bank                                  LSB 344

Sermon

Stand
Offertory (p.192)
Prayer of the Church

Preface (p.194)
Sanctus (p.195)
The Lord’s Prayer (spoken)
The Words of Institution (p.197)
Pax Domini
Agnus Dei (p.198)

Sit
Distribution of the Sacrament                            

Distribution hymns
Comfort, Comfort Ye My People                                         LSB 347
Hark! A Thrilling Voice Is Sounding                                    LSB 345
Herald, Sound the Note of Judgment                                   LSB 511

Stand
Nunc Dimittis (p.199)
Post Communion Collect (p.201)
Benedicamus & Benediction (p.201)
Sit
Announcements
Hymn: Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus                             LSB 338
 
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 © 2024 Concordia Publishing House.

Prayers – For the home-bound: St. John’s – Alfred Larson; Our Savior – Charlotte Scepaniak, Doris Vilhauer, Betty Zundel, Vi Schnaidt, Ken & Dorothy Maas, Loretta Podoll, Betty Meints, Verdena Dabbert, Lorraine Krage, Ray Schnabel, and Lloyd Jerde. For the children we sponsor through Mission Haiti: Michelet Voltaire, Michel Djoury, and Orgea Djouna; For Nathaniel Wendt, Michael Wendt, Lloyd Dennert, Phyllis Yeske, Butch Podoll, and Kevin Fehn.

St. John’s
Organist: SOS
Ushers: John Bisbee & Lucas Daggett
Next Week: Karl & Val Eichler
Thanksgiving: Attendance – 30; Offering – $633 Building Fund
Last Week: Attendance – 38; Offering – $2,690
Door Offering for Rev. Sailer – $110

Our Savior
Organist: SOS
Elders: Douglas Klipfel & Don Hoops
Altar Guild: Amy Johnson & Ally Johnson
Acolytes: Ella Brick & Tucker Brick
Thanksgiving Eve: Attendance – 56
Last Week: Attendance – 95; Sunday School – 21;
Offering: General Fund $3,469.43; Sunday School $17;
Door Offering for Rev. Sailer $35; Memorial – Evelyn Grieben – $25; Total $3,546.43

Schedule for the Week
Sunday             St. John’s Divine Service – 8:15 am
                        Sunday School Program Practice – 9:00 am
                        Our Savior Voters Meeting – 9:30 am
                        Our Savior Divine Service – 10:45 am
                        Nursery Circle – 12:00 pm
                        Our Savior Ushers Meeting – 12:00 pm
                        Christmas Caroling – 12:00 pm
Monday            Mat Ladies – 1:00 pm
                        Deacons – 3:30 pm
Tuesday            Coffee & Confessions – 6:30 am
                        Senior Potluck Pizza Party – 12:00 pm
Wednesday       Catechism Class – 5:00 pm
                        Advent Service at Our Savior – 6:30 pm
Saturday           Christmas Program Dress Rehearsal – 9:00-11:00 am
                        Board of Education – Candy Sacking – 9:00 am
Next Sunday     St. John’s Service of the Word – 8:15 am
                        St. John’s Bible Study – 9:30 am
                        Sunday School Program Practice – 9:00 am                  
                        Our Savior Divine Service – 10:45 am
                        Christmas Program – 4:00 pm, with Potluck afterward
 

 
Our Savior –
Ushers will have a meeting today, December 8^th, after the service to discuss duties.

Caroling – Anyone who would like to do some Christmas caroling, meet in the fellowship hall after the service today, December 8^th. After caroling we will come back to the fellowship hall for food and drinks. Then the youth will make gift bows that will be sold as a fundraiser.

The Senior Potluck will be Tuesday, December 10^th at 12:00 pm. We will have a pizza party and all chip in on the cost. You may bring a salad or dessert if you wish.

Sunday School Christmas Program Practice – Starting December 1^st through the 15^th, Sunday School will begin at 9:00 am instead of 9:30 to allow time for practicing the Christmas Program. There will be a dress rehearsal on Saturday, December 14^th from 9:00-11:00 am.

The Christmas program will be on Sunday, December 15^th at 4:00 pm, with a potluck afterward. All are welcome!

For All –
December Newsletters have been sent out, or are in the narthex for those who pick it up at church.

Midweek Advent Services – There will be three mid-week Advent services at Our Savior (for both congregations), on Wednesdays December 4, 11, and 18^th at 6:30 pm.

Poinsettias – This year you will again be able to order a poinsettia in honor or memory of someone, to make our sanctuary beautiful for the Christmas services, and as a reminder of the birth of our Savior. The memory/honor list will be printed in the Christmas Eve bulletins. Order forms will be in the Sunday bulletin and in the narthex; December 15^th is the last day we can accept orders. The cost this year is $10 per poinsettia. You can take your poinsettias home after the Christmas services.

Christmas Services:
Christmas Eve Candlelight Services: St. John’s at 5:00 pm
                                                           Our Savior at 7:00 pm
Christmas Day Divine Service: Our Savior at 9:00 am
New Year’s Day Divine Service: Our Savior at 10:00 am
 
Higher Things Youth Conference:  We plan to take the high school aged youth from both congregations to the Higher Things conference at Concordia University Nebraska (CUNE) in Seward, NE next summer.  The dates are July 7-12 (including travel).  We will need to register our youth and chaparones by January 31 to get the early bird discount of $565/person.  If interested, speak to Eric Johnson or Pastor Schopp.  Check out higherthings.org

Rev. Dr. Scott Sailer has been serving as President of the South Dakota District LCMS for 10 years. He will be retiring after the February 2025 District Convention. The SD District Board of Directors would like to recognize his service to Christ’s Church and the SD District with some thank you notes and gifts. If you’d like to write a letter or note of thanks, please bring it to the church office by January 1^st. They will all be taken to the convention to be presented to the Sailers.
The SD District Board of Directors is also hoping to honor his years of service by sending Rev. Scott and Sarah Sailer on a trip (to be determined). Thank you for the donations that were given to support this gift.

LCMS Stewardship Ministry – Advent 2
Luke 3:4 – “As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” God makes long-range plans: Isaiah lived more than seven hundred years before St. John the Baptist preached by the Jordan River. Obviously, God sees farther into the future than we do! That’s yet another reason to trust Him when it comes to how He tells us to live our lives: He knows what’s coming and we don’t.

Building Healthy Families: As you prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth with your family, remember those who struggle. Lutheran Family Service is here as a uniquely Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod mission to help those in need as an extension of our church’s ministry all year long. No government dollars are used, in order to keep its Christ-centered focus. Your partnership gift given before December 31 through the “We’re All in this Together” year-end giving appeal will make it possible for someone to receive help regardless of their ability to cover the cost of the care they need. Make your gift today online at https://lutheranfamilyservice.networkforgood.com/ or by mail to your closest LFS office or the LFS administrative office at 409 Kenyon Road, Suite C, Fort Dodge, IA 50501. We’re In This Together!
Lutheran Family Service  www.LutheranFamilyService.org.

Main Street Living – 10:00 AM- “Red Boots for Christmas” – A shoemaker learns the true meaning of Christmas.  10:30 AM- Rev. Thomas Penrod, pastor at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, SD, presents the message “Preparing for Christ’s Arrival,” based on Luke 3:3. Watch Main Street Living on Sunday mornings on KDLT NBC TV. The worship segment also airs on Saturdays at 5:00 pm. Past shows are archived at www.mainstreetliving.com.   

The Lutheran Hour – Everyone has a story to tell and yours can be one through which Jesus is working to make the world new again. Speaker Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler delivers the message "Completely Ordinary Human,” based on Malachi 3:7. 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 am. Sermons are also archived on the website www.lutheranhour.org.

CHRISTIANITY & OTHER WORLD RELIGIONS… Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hinduism, Buddhism, Atheism, Scientology.  Issues, Etc., a radio talk show and podcast produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL, is doing a World Religions 101 series with Dr. Adam Francisco of Concordia University Chicago.  You can listen to this multi-part series at issuesetc.org/worldreligions.
 

The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod’s Statement on Close Communion:
 The Lord’s Supper is celebrated at this congregation in the confession and glad confidence that, as He says, Our Lord gives into our mouths not only bread and wine but His very body and blood to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins and to strengthen our union with Him and with one another. Our Lord invites to His table those who trust in His words, repent of all sin, and set aside any refusal to forgive and love as He forgives and loves us, that they may show forth His death until He comes.
 
Because those who eat and drink our Lord’s body and blood unworthily do so to their great harm and because Holy Communion is a confession of the faith which is confessed at this altar, any who are not yet instructed, in doubt, or who hold a confession differing from that of this congregation and the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and yet desire to receive the Sacrament, are asked to first speak with the Pastor.