The View from the Middle

Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Service outline for Sunday, December 14, 2025

Welcome to worship at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church!

PRELUDE “Prepare the Royal Highway” Robert B. Farlee

CONFESSION AND FORGIVNESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God,

whose home is heaven and earth,

whose salvation is sure.

Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God

and of one another.

Long-expected God,

we confess that we look to ourselves

for the peace and security only you can provide.

We reach for swords and spears,

reluctant to release our grip on the ways of war.

We become impatient while waiting

and weary of keeping awake.

Free us from self-reliance,

and teach us to live in harmony with our neighbors.

Increase our trust in God’s timing,

and awaken us to your advent among us,

that we may abound in the hope you have promised.

Amen.

God judges us not as we deserve,

but according to God’s own righteousness.

You are freed and forgiven,

saved by grace,

and ready to welcome the Savior.

Amen.

HYMN Awake! Awake, and Greet the New Morn #242

GREETING

The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

KYRIE

HYMN OF PRAISE “Light One Candle, Watch for Messiah” #240 v. 1-3

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Children's message

First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-10

1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus 2 it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and shouting.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.]]

3 Strengthen the weak hands
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.”

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf shall be opened;
6 then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp;
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

8 A highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,
but it shall be for God’s people;
no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.
9 No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Psalm: Psalm 146:5-10

5 Happy are they who have the God of Jacob | for their help,

whose hope is in the | Lord their God;
6 who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that | is in them;
who keeps promis- | es forever;
7 who gives justice to those who are oppressed, and food to | those who hunger.
The Lord sets the | captive free.
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord lifts up those who | are bowed down;
the Lord | loves the righteous. R
9 The Lord cares | for the stranger;
the Lord sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way | of the wicked.
10 The Lord shall | reign forever,
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. | Hallelujah! R

Second Reading: James 5:7-10

7 Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Brothers and sisters, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Gospel: Matthew 11:2-11

2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 4 Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What, then, did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9 What, then, did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’
11 “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

SERMON

HYMN People, Look East #248

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

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE, PEACE, OFFERING

GREAT THANKSGIVING

SANCTUS

COMMUNION PRAYER

LORD'S PRAYER

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, forever and ever. Amen

DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION

HYMN My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness #251

A sheet music with text on it

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

POST COMMUNION PROCLAMATION AND PRAYER

BLESSING

HYMN Savior of the Nations, Come #263

DISMISSAL

POSTLUDE “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones” David Paxton

Liturgy and hymns printed and streamed with permission through OneLicense. A-710659

Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Servioce Outline for Sunday, December 7, 2025

Welcome to worship at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church!

PRELUDE “Wake, Awake!” F. Mendelssohn

CONFESSION AND FORGIVNESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God,

whose home is heaven and earth,

whose salvation is sure.

Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God

and of one another.

Long-expected God,

we confess that we look to ourselves

for the peace and security only you can provide.

We reach for swords and spears,

reluctant to release our grip on the ways of war.

We become impatient while waiting

and weary of keeping awake.

Free us from self-reliance,

and teach us to live in harmony with our neighbors.

Increase our trust in God’s timing,

and awaken us to your advent among us,

that we may abound in the hope you have promised.

Amen.

God judges us not as we deserve,

but according to God’s own righteousness.

You are freed and forgiven,

saved by grace,

and ready to welcome the Savior.

Amen.

HYMN Prepare the Royal Highway #264

GREETING

The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

KYRIE

HYMN OF PRAISE “Light One Candle, Watch for Messiah” #240 v. 1,2

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Children's message

First Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10

¹ A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
² The 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.
³ His 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,
⁴ but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor
and decide with equity for the oppressed 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.
⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

⁶ The wolf shall live with the lamb;
the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the lion will feed together,
and a little child shall lead them.
⁷ The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
⁹ They 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.

¹⁰ On 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.

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

¹ Give the king your jus- ^| tice, O God,
and your righteousness to ^| the king’s son;
² that he may rule your ^| people righteously
and the ^| poor with justice;
³ that the mountains may bring prosperity ^| to the people,
and the ^| hills, in righteousness.
⁴ Let him defend the needy a- ^| mong the people,
rescue the poor, and crush ^| the oppressor. R
⁵ May he live as long as the sun and ^| moon endure,
from one generation ^| to another.
⁶ Let him come down like rain upon ^| the mown field,
like showers that wa- ^| ter the earth.
⁷ In his time may the ^| righteous flourish;
and let there be an abundance of peace till the moon shall ^| be no more.
¹⁸ Blessed are you, Lord God, the ^| God of Israel;
you alone do ^| wondrous deeds!
¹⁹ And blessed be your glorious ^| name forever,
and may all the earth be filled with your glory. A- ^| men. Amen. R

Second Reading: Romans 15:4-13

⁴ Whatever 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. ⁵ May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, ⁶ so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷ Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. ⁸ For 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 ancestors ⁹ and 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”;
¹⁰ and again he says,
“Rejoice, O gentiles, with his people”;
¹¹ and again,
“Praise the Lord, all you gentiles,
and let all the peoples praise him”;
¹² and again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse shall come,
the one who rises to rule the gentiles;
in him the gentiles shall hope.”
¹³ May 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.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12

¹ In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ² “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³ This 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.’ ”
⁴ Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him, ⁶ and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.
⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance, ⁹ and do 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. ¹⁰ Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
¹¹ “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His 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.”

SERMON

HYMN On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist Cry #249

APOSTLES CREED

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

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

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE, PEACE, OFFERING

GREAT THANKSGIVING

SANCTUS