Welcome to worship at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church!
PRELUDE He
Is Born! Arr.
Larson
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
All may make the sign of the cross, the sign marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.
Blessed be
the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
who was in
the beginning,
who makes a
dwelling among us,
who covers
us with justice and mercy.
Amen.
Let us
confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Silence
is kept for reflection.
God of goodness
and lovingkindness,
we confess
that we have sinned against you
and our
neighbors.
We have
turned away from your invitation to new life.
We have
turned away from the lowly and downtrodden.
In your
abundant mercy, forgive us our sins,
those we
know and those known only to you,
for the sake
of the one who came to live among us,
Jesus
Christ, our Savior. Amen.
Hear the
good news of peace and salvation!
God forgives
us all our sins,
not through
our own work,
but through ☩ Jesus
Christ, made known to all people.
With all who
come to the manger,
rejoice in
this amazing gift of grace.
Amen.
HYMN O
Come All Ye Faithful #283
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 Once in Royal David’s City #269
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Children's message
FIRST READING: Isaiah 60:1-6
1Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the
glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
2For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick
darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you,
and his
glory will appear over you.
3Nations shall come to your light,
and kings
to the brightness of your dawn.
4Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all
gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your
daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms.
5Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart
shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth
of the nations shall come to you.
6A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young
camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those
from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall
proclaim the praise of the LORD.
PSALM: Psalm
72:1-7, 10-14
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.
10May the kings of Tarshish and of the | isles pay
tribute,
and the
kings of Sheba and Seba | offer gifts.
11May all kings bow | down before him,
and all the
nations | do him service.
12For the king delivers the poor who cry out | in
distress,
the
oppressed, and those who | have no helper.
13He has compassion on the low- | ly and poor,
and
preserves the lives | of the needy.
14From oppression and violence he re- | deems their
lives,
and
precious is their blood | in his sight.
SECOND READING: Ephesians
3:1-12
1This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—2for surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given me for you, 3and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, 4a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.
5In
former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now
been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6that
is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and
sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7Of
this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God's grace that
was given me by the working of his power. 8Although I am the very
least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles
the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9and to make everyone
see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all
things; 10so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich
variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly
places. 11This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he
has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have access
to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.
GOSPEL: Matthew
2:1-12
1In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage."
3When
King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and
calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired
of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, "In
Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6'And
you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are
by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from
you shall come a ruler
who
is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
7Then
Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time
when the star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying,
"Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him,
bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." 9When
they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star
that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the
child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were
overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child
with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening
their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they
left for their own country by another road.
The
Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to
you, O Christ.
SERMON
HYMN Bright and Glorius is the Sky #301
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
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
BLESSING
HYMN As with Gladness Men of Old #302
DISMISSAL
POSTLUDE Let Our Gladness Have No End Beck
Liturgy and hymns printed and streamed
with permission through OneLicense. A-710659
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