Second Sunday of Advent

December 4, 2022

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the house of the God of Jacob;

that he may teach us his ways

and that we may walk in his paths.

~ Isaiah 2:3

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Welcome to worship!

We worship each Sunday in person at 9:30 am.

Masks are optional in our building for worship and all activities. Masks will still be available at our entrance, and anyone who is more comfortable wearing a mask is encouraged to do so.

We livestream worship each week at 9:30 am, and the service is available to view anytime afterwards. You may access the link to Sunday Worship in a variety of ways:

• A link is posted on Immanuel's website, www.immanuelwebster.org or by clicking the link at the top of this email.
• Go to www.YouTube.com and search Immanuel Webster. You will find all of our past worship services there as well.
• A link is posted each Sunday morning on Immanuel's Facebook page.
• Click the link above on Sunday morning at 9:30 or anytime afterwards.

Prelude

Lighting the Advent Wreath

In this season of Advent, we are here to watch and wait and pray for the coming of light into the world.

We long for the day when the wolf shall live with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid. 

Two candles are lit.

Let us pray. Praise to you, O God, who gives us courage to start again. You fasten righteousness around your waist and baptize with the Holy Spirit’s fire. Bless us as we mirror your mighty fire in these simple flames, and teach us to mirror your justice in the paths we prepare. We ask that peace abound, until none hurt or destroy over all the earth.

Amen.

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.

Hymn of Praise

Prayer of the Day

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray. Let us pray. Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. By your merciful protection save us from the threatening dangers of our sins, and enlighten our walk in the way of your salvation, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

~ Word ~

Children's Moment

First Reading Isaiah 2:1-5

 ¹A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

 ²The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,

the spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the spirit of counsel and might,

the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

 ³His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

 He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide by what his ears hear;

 ⁴but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

 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 around his waist,

and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

 ⁶The wolf shall live with the lamb,

the leopard shall lie down with the kid,

 the calf and the lion and the fatling 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 asp,

and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.

 ⁹They will not hurt or destroy

on all my holy mountain;

 for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.

 ¹⁰On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling

shall be glorious.

Word of God. Word of life.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 Sung responsively

¹Give the king your jus- ^| tice, O God,

and your righteousness to ^| the king’s son;

²that he may rule your ^| people righteously

and the ^| poor with justice;

³that the mountains may bring prosperity ^| to the people,

and the ^| hills, in righteousness.

⁴Let him defend the needy a- ^| mong the people,

rescue the poor, and crush ^| the oppressor. 

⁵May he live as long as the sun and ^| moon endure,

from one generation ^| to another.

⁶Let him come down like rain upon ^| the mown field,

like showers that wa- ^| ter the earth.

⁷In his time may the ^| righteous flourish;

and let there be an abundance of peace till the moon shall ^| be no more.

¹⁸Blessed are you, Lord God, the ^| God of Israel;

you alone do ^| wondrous deeds!

¹⁹And blessed be your glorious ^| name forever,

and may all the earth be filled with your glory. A- ^| men. Amen. 

Second Reading   Romans 15:4-13

⁴Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. ⁵May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, ⁶so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 ⁷Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. ⁸For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might 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 confess you among the Gentiles,

and sing praises to your name”;

¹⁰and again he says,

 “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people”;

¹¹and again,

 “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,

and let all the peoples praise him”;

¹²and again Isaiah says,

 “The root of Jesse shall come,

the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;

 in him the Gentiles shall hope.”

¹³May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  

Word of God. Word of life.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel   Matthew 3:1-12

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew.

Glory to you, O Lord.

¹In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ²“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,

 “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

 ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight.’ ”

⁴Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, ⁶and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

 ⁷But when he saw many 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 worthy of repentance. ⁹Do not presume 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. ¹⁰Even 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.

 ¹¹“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹²His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. 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 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.

Confession and Forgiveness

Beloved, now is the time to wake from sleep. Let us confess our sins to the one who is merciful and just.

Silence is kept for reflection.

God of new beginnings,

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.

People of God, a new thing is growing in our midst, a tender branch, a living sign. By water and the Spirit you are joined to this wonder. You have put on ☩ Christ, and your sins have been washed away. Rejoice in the way of the Lord.

Amen.

Prayers of the People

Each petition ends:

Hear us, O God,

your mercy is great.

Peace

The peace of Christ be with you always.

And also with you.

Anthem

Offertory Prayer

Eternal God,

you make the desert bloom and send springs of water to thirsty ground. Receive these simple gifts of bread, wine, and money, and make us messengers of your mercy and love for all in need of your healing and justice. We ask this through Christ our Savior. Amen.

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…   join their unending hymn:

Invitation

God comes to us in this meal of hope for all.

Thanks be to God.

Communion

All are invited to come forward at the direction of an usher. You may receive the bread from Pastor, then pick up a cup from the tray, and return to your seat by the side aisle, depositing your cup in the basket at the end of the pew. Gluten free bread is available by asking Pastor. White grape juice is also available.

Post Communion Blessing and Prayer

The body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.

Amen.

Let us pray. Faithful God, in this meal you have remembered your mercy, bringing heaven to earth in the body and blood of Christ. As we wait for the day when all your promises will be fulfilled, sustain us and strengthen us by this holy mystery. Guide us toward your promised future, coming to birth in Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

~ Sending ~

Blessing

Deck the Halls

Today after Worship

Join the fun Sunday after worship as we decorate our beautiful Christmas tree, a gift of Harold and Carol Dittberner. What a fun way to share in this wonderful season of Advent preparation as we deck the halls - or the sanctuary - for our celebration of God breaking into the world!

Sunday School for All Ages

Today at 10:45

Sunday School for all ages meets in the Fellowship Hall today.  Kids age 3 through grade 6 are learning about this wonderful season of Advent and the story of Jesus' birth.

Over the four Sundays in Advent, the Adult Class will consider familiar texts from the Hebrew Scriptures through the lens of gifts. You may also join Adult Sunday School on Zoom by going to www.zoom.us and entering the log-in information, or by clicking the link below:

Meeting ID: 849 5197 3602

Passcode: 219846

Come grow in God's grace!

Advent Celebration

Today at 3 pm



It’s time to begin preparing for Jesus’ birth! Help get ready by attending the Advent Celebration for all ages This Afternoon. At 3 pm we will begin with projects for adults and youth to celebrate the Advent Season. After working hard on your preparations, enjoy dinner at 5 pm. Dinner (different soups, make yourself a sandwich, and dessert) is a great time to share fellowship with other members of the congregation. Can’t wait to see you there!

Calling all singers and ringers!

(and anyone in between)

Hello! Christmastime is just around the corner! I hope you all have been enjoying the music our choirs have been working on this fall. The sense of community and the joy for music we share really shines in our rehearsals. No prior choir experience is needed to join! I would be more than happy to work with you individually if you have no experience reading music or are unsure of your current skills.

I am also looking for people who play instruments, especially strings and woodwinds. We will begin working on Christmas music the week of November 28. Bell choir meets from 6:30-8:00pm on Tuesdays and Senior choir meets from 7:00-8:30pm on Wednesdays. Christmas music will be worked on for the first 30-45 minutes of rehearsals. If you are interested in singing with the choir, ringing bells, or sharing your instrumental gifts for Christmas Eve please email music@immanuelwebster.org.



ELCA Good Gifts

You will have the opportunity to grow the church, fight hunger, and change the world. Pretty tall order but Sunday mornings in the Library lounge members of Service Ministry will have ELCA Good Gifts available to purchase. This is a great way to give a gift that supports others. These gifts will provide items for a self-sustaining life. Items as simple as bees, chickens, ducks, pigs, cows, to items supporting education and health are available. If you want to see a complete listing you can visit ELCA.org/ good gifts. Visit the display December.4,11,18. Also this year pastor Joanne will be donating mugs she has made. You won't want to miss this. 

Order Your Poinsettias by

December 11

It’s time once again to order Poinsettias to beautify our sanctuary for our Christmas Eve Services. We will be ordering from Kittelberger Florist, at $15.00 each. The plants will be in 6” pots, wrapped in foil. Please fill out the form found in the Open Door or at church and return it in the offering plate on Sunday or to the church office, or call the church office and provide the following information:

• Your name
• Quantity of red, white or pink
• How you would like your gift to appear in the bulletin (in memory, in honor, or other)
• Whether you will pick up your plant on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, or if you would like it to be delivered to one of our homebound members

Checks should be made out to Immanuel Lutheran Church with a notation that it is for POINSETTIAS. Orders must be received by Sunday, December 11th.

One Night Only

Monday, December 12 at 7 on Zoom

One Night Only is a wonderful opportunity to come together online to learn and discuss a new topic each month! It's a wonderful way to connect with others as we find ways to grow together in many different areas! We will gather on Zoom

December is the month of Waiting and Watching…. As we celebrate the beautiful season of Advent, we reflect on what it is to watch for the coming of Christ. We reflect with those who 2000 years ago waited for God to send a messiah. Ancient prophets put the hope and wonder of God's promises into beautiful poetry and colorful images: dead stumps with green branches still growing, dry desserts filled with flowers, God taking on the darkness of the world with a new light. These are words of abundant hope and expectant joy! Join the conversation as we dig into the beauty of Isaiah's words and reflect how they are still hope and joy and wonder for us. 

Bible Study This Wednesday

Join in the fun each Wednesday morning at 9:00 when we talk about the upcoming lessons for Sunday, digging more deeply into God’s story of love and grace. No prior bible study experience is necessary. Our mornings are filled with conversation, laughter, questions, and fun. Plan to be a part of this wonderful way to grow in our faith! We meet on Zoom.

Meeting ID: 863 5628 3748

Passcode: 358139

or click the link below:

Awake, Awake, and Greet the New Morn, © 1983, GIA Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission under OneLicense #A-714459.

Prepare the Royal Highway, Text © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship, admin. Augsburg Fortress  Reprinted by permission under OneLicense #A-714459.

Gospel Acclamation, music © 1985 Fintan O'Carroll and Christopher Walker, admin. OCP Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission under OneLicense #A-714459.

Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2021 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #23581.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.