Last Week's Bulletin

Hymn: The Only Son from Heaven                                     LSB 402

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

Introit (responsively by whole verse)  Ps. 146:5–8; antiphon: Phil. 4:4
P   Rejoice in the Lord | always;*
           again I will say, | Rejoice.
C   Blessèd is he whose help is the God of | Jacob,*
           whose hope is in the | Lord his God,
P    who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is | in them,*
           who keeps faith for- | ever;
C    who executes justice for | the oppressed,*
           who gives food to the | hungry.
P    The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes | of
        the blind.*
            The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves
            the | righteous.
C    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.
P     Rejoice in the Lord | always;*
            again I will say, | Rejoice.

Nine-Fold Kyrie (LSB 944)

(The Gloria in Excelsis is omitted during Advent)

Collect of the Day
P  Let us pray.
Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C  Amen.
 
Old Testament Reading: Zephaniah 3:14–20
¹⁴Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
       shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
       O daughter of Jerusalem!
¹⁵The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
       he has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
       you shall never again fear evil.
¹⁶On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
       let not your hands grow weak.
¹⁷The Lord your God is in your midst,
       a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
       he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
¹⁸I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival,
       so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
¹⁹Behold, at that time I will deal
       with all your oppressors.
And I will save the lame
       and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
       and renown in all the earth.
²⁰At that time I will bring you in,
       at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
       among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
       before your eyes,” says the Lord.

L  This is the Word of the Lord.
C  Thanks be to God.
 
Gradual                                       Zechariah 9:9; Psalm 118:26, alt.
C   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 4:4–7
          ⁴Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. ⁵Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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

Stand
Alleluia (p.190)

          ¹⁸The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, ¹⁹calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” ²⁰And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” ²¹In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. ²²And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. ²³And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
            ²⁴When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. ²⁶What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷This is he of whom it is written,
“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
       who will prepare your way before you.’
²⁸I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

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

Nicene Creed (p.191)

Sit
Hymn of the Day: Once He Came in Blessing                    LSB 333
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
The Gifts Christ Freely Gives                                                LSB 602
Arise, O Christian People                                                     LSB 354
Now That the Daylight Fills the Sky                                     LSB 870

Stand
Nunc Dimittis (p.199)
Post Communion Collect (p.201)
Benedicamus & Benediction (p.201)
Sit
Announcements
Hymn: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee                                  LSB 803
 
 
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: Karl & Val Eichler
Next Week: Mike & Molly Ringgenberg
Last Week: Attendance – 28; Offering – $1,175

Our Savior
Organist: SOS
Elders: Douglas Klipfel & Don Hoops
Ushers: David Johnson & Glen Rausch
 Altar Guild: Amy Johnson & Ally Johnson
Acolytes: Cashlyn Angerhofer & Tristan Tschappat
Last Week: Attendance – 119;  
Offering: General Fund $3,965.65; Sunday School $11.02;
Total $3,976.67

Schedule for the Week
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
Monday           Mat Ladies – 1:00 pm
                       Deacons – 3:30 pm
Tuesday          Coffee & Confessions – 6:30 am
                       Circuit Pastors’ Meeting at Our Savior – 9:00 am
Wednesday      Catechism Class – 5:00 pm
                       Advent Service at Our Savior – 6:30 pm
Saturday          Bible Study at Our Savior – 9:00-11:00 am
Next Sunday    St. John’s Divine Service – 8:15 am
                       Our Savior Bible Study – 9:45 am
                       Our Savior Divine Service – 10:45 am
 

 
Our Savior –
Christmas Break – There will be no Sunday School on December 22^nd or 29^th. There will be no Wednesday night activities on January 1^st.

Youth Fundraiser – The youth are selling hand-made gift bows for free-will donations. The bows are on a long table in the fellowship hall, and will be available until after Christmas.

The LWML Christmas Stocking Ingathering raised $201.81 for our missions. Thank you for your donations!

For All –
The Christmas program will be today, December 15^th at 4:00 pm at Our Savior, with a potluck afterward. All are welcome!

Circuit Pastors’ Meeting will be at Our Savior on Tuesday, December 17^th. Anyone is welcome to join the Divine Service with them at 9:30 am.

Midweek Advent Service – There is one more mid-week Advent service at Our Savior on Wednesday December 18^th at 6:30 pm.

Saturday Bible Study – December 21^st at Our Savior 9:00-11:00 am
Israel and the Church – Today’s end-times sensationalists teach that God has a special plan for the geopolitical nation of Israel, a plan that is being fulfilled by current events. What does Scripture really teach about Israel? Is the church just a parenthesis in God’s plan for national Israel? Or is God’s plan for the descendants of Israel fulfilled in the church? These questions will be examined from a biblical and Lutheran view.

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
 
Lutheran Witness – The December issue of LW is available in the narthex. Featured articles include “The Gift of the Holy Family” and “The Family of the Last Adam”. What does it mean for the church to be a “family”? And how can congregations work to operate like one? LW is full of excellent information from a confessional Lutheran perspective, and includes the insert about our own South Dakota District. Pick one up today!

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 3
Philippians 4:5–6 – “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Wouldn’t you like to be free from worry and anxiety? Isn’t it worry and anxiety that often keep us from living the generous life God has called us to? St. Paul contrasts anxiety with prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving in making our requests known to God. In other words, when you are tempted to anxiety and worry, pray to the Lord with a thankful heart and pour out your supplications before Him.

Building Healthy Families: This time of the year finds many of us so busy shopping, wrapping, baking, hosting parties, attending concerts…you know the list! While these activities aren’t bad, let this be your friendly reminder to slow down, be still, and not miss the reason we celebrate. Refocus if you need to! “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
Lutheran Family Service  www.LutheranFamilyService.org.                                    
  
Main Street Living – 10:00 AM- “Christmas Is” – The shepherd in a Christmas play learns the importance of Christmas.  10:30 AM- Rev. James Travis, pastor at Calvary Lutheran Church in Sioux City, IA, presents the message “Flag on the Play,” based on Philippians 4:2-7. 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 – The church welcomes people, but does it also welcome their problems? Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler says the church should be a place that makes room for both joy and sorrow, in his message "Sorrow Welcomed Here,” based on Zephaniah 3:14-20. 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.

TRUTH, GOODNESS & BEAUTY… Issues, Etc. is a radio talk show and podcast produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL and hosted by LCMS Pastor Todd Wilken.  This week's topics include: The Movie “Gladiator II,” The Hymn “May God Bestow on Us His Grace,” Roman Catholicism & Indulgences, Mary Visits Elizabeth, The Testimony of John the Baptist and more.  You can listen on-demand at issuesetc.org, the LPR mobile app, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomePod, TuneIn or a podcast provider.
 
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.
(CTCR, Admission to the Lord’s Supper, Nov 1999)