Service outline for Sunday, December 24, 2023

                                                 St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

Alliance, Ohio

Sunday, December 24, 2023

9:30 AM

 

PRELUDE                       Listen for His coming                       arr. M. Hayes

 

 Confession and Forgiveness

 Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, who opens the heavens and draws near to us with salvation. Amen.

God is patient and merciful, desiring all to come to repentance.

Trusting this promise of grace, let us confess our sin.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Everlasting God,

you love justice and you hate wrongdoing. We confess the fear, greed, and self-centeredness that make us reluctant to work against oppression. We are complicit in systems of exploitation. We choose comfort over courage. We are careless with creation’s bounty. Look upon us with mercy. Turn our hearts again to you. Make us glad to do your will and to walk in your ways

for the sake of our waiting world.

Amen.

Hear these words of assurance: God clothes you with garments of salvation and covers you with robes of righteousness. In the tender compassion of Jesus Christ,

your sins are forgiven. God’s covenant is eternal, and God’s blessing rests upon us all.

Amen.

 

HYMN          Come Thou Long Expected Jesus               #254

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 to Watch for Messiah     #240 v.1-4

PRAYER OF THE DAY, CHIldren’s Sermon

First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

¹Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, ²the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” ³Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.”
 ⁴But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ⁵Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? ⁶I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. ⁷Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ⁸Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; ⁹and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. ¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, ¹¹from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. ¹⁶Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.                                   The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Psalm: Luke 1:46b-55

 ^46bMy soul proclaims the greatness ^| of the Lord, ⁷my spirit rejoices in ^| God my Savior,
 ⁴⁸for you, Lord, have looked with favor on your ^| lowly servant.
    From this day all generations will ^| call me blessed:
 ⁴⁹you, the Almighty, have done great ^| things for me and holy ^| is your name.
 ⁵⁰You have mercy on ^| those who fear you, from generation to ^| generation. 
 ⁵¹You have shown strength ^| with your arm and scattered the proud in ^| their conceit,
 ⁵²casting down the mighty ^| from their thrones and lifting ^| up the lowly.
 ⁵³You have filled the hungry ^| with good things and sent the rich ^| away empty.
 ⁵⁴You have come to the aid of your ^| servant Israel, to remember the promise of mercy,
 ⁵⁵the promise made ^| to our forebears, to Abraham and his chil- ^| dren forever. 

Second Reading: Romans 16:25-27

²⁵Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages ²⁶but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—²⁷to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen. The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

 

Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

The Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke the 26th chapter.  Glory to you, O Lord.  

²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³²He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. ³⁶And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. ³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

The Gospel of the Lord.  Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON

HYMN       The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came         #265

 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 Intercession, PEACE, OFFERING, special music

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                    Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming                        #272

PRAYER, BLESSING

HYMN                 Joy to the World                 #267

 

DISMISSAL 

POSTLUDE              O Day of Peace                      M. Sedio

 

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