1st Sunday of Christmas
December
10:30 am Holy Communion Service
Grace Evangelical Lutheran
Guest Pastor: Pastor Thom Longino
Guest Musician: Vaughn Edwards
Welcome to worship at
Grace!
Welcome to long-time Lutherans, Christians from every tradition, and
people new to faith. Welcome to all who have no church home, want to follow
Christ, have doubts, or do not believe. Welcome to new visitors and old
friends. Welcome to people of every age and size, color and culture, every
sexual orientation and gender identity, socio-economic status, marital status,
ability and challenge. Welcome to believers and questioners, and to questioning
believers. This is a place where you are welcome to celebrate and sorrow,
rejoice and recover. This is a place
where lives are made new.
Special Welcome to
Newcomers
Welcome to our small community of
faith. While we are small in numbers, we
have big hearts and a desire to grow. In
order to help you follow along, we have included all the materials you need for
worship in this bulletin.
Please join us for worship any Sunday at
10am that you are able. If you cannot
join us in person, you can also join us online via live stream or by watching
the archives of our worship and Bible Study that Doesn’t Suck anytime during
the week at our website (www.gracesf.com), or on our mobile phone app, Bible Study that Doesn’t Suck, is
available on Google Play and ITunes.
If you have any questions about the service
or about Grace, you can fill out the form in pew to let our pastor know you’d
like to chat. Or you can contact Pastor
Megan Rohrer at pastor@gracesf.com.
Prelude:
Greeting:
Water is poured into the baptismal font.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Gathering
Hymn: Verses 1, 3, 5 and 6
Prayer of the Day:
Loving
God, give us the inquisitive faith of a child.
Embolden us to taste, touch and see you in all the ways you are made
known in our world. Be with us in our
doubt and transform our fear into hope.
Amen.
Welcome
First Reading: Isaiah
61:10-62:3
10I
will greatly rejoice in the God
Most High, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has
clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of
righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride
adorns herself with her jewels. 11For as the earth brings forth its
shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause
righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
62For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s
sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her
salvation like a burning torch. 2The nations shall see your
vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new
name that the mouth of the God
Most High will give. 3You shall be a crown of beauty
in the hand of the God Most
High, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
L Word of hope, word of life. Thanks
be to God
Psalm 148 (read responsively)
1Praise the God
Most High from the heavens; praise God in the highest places! 2Praise
all God’s angels; praise all God’s host!
3Praise God, sun and moon; praise God, all you shining stars!
4Praise God, you highest heavens, and you waters above the
heavens! 5Let them praise the name of the God Most High, for God commanded and
they were created. 6God established them forever and ever; he fixed
their bounds, which cannot be passed. 7Praise
the God Most High
from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, 8fire and hail, snow
and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! 9Mountains and all
hills, fruit trees and all cedars! 10Wild
animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! 11Kings of
the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
12Young men and women alike, old and young together!
13Let them praise the name of the God Most High.
Who alone is exalted in glory above the earth and heaven. 14God has raised up a horn for all
people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are
close to him.
Praise the God Most Height!
Second Reading:
Colossians 3:12-21
12As
God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13Bear with one another
and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the
Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14Above all, clothe
yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And
let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in
the one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in
your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17And
whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
18Wives,
be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19Husbands,
love your wives and never treat them harshly. 20Children, obey your
parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord. 21Fathers,
do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart.
L Word of hope, word of life. Thanks be to God
Anthem: LBW#54 It Came Upon a Midnight Clear Grace Choir
Gospel Reading: Luke 2:22-40
22When
the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they
brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is
written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as
holy to the Lord”), 24and they offered a sacrifice according to what
is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
25Now
there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was
Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation
of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26It
had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before
he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came
into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him
what was customary under the law, 28Simeon took him in his arms and
praised God, saying, 29“Master, now you are dismissing your servant
in peace, according to your word; 30for my eyes have seen your
salvation, 31which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your
people Israel.” 33And the child’s father and mother were amazed at
what was being said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said
to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of
many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35so that the
inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul
too.” 36There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of
the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven
years after her marriage, 37then as a widow to the age of
eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and
prayer night and day. 38At that moment she came, and began to praise
God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39When they had finished everything
required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of
Nazareth. 40The child grew and
became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
P The gospel
of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Silence for reflection
follows the sermon. The assembly stands
to proclaim the word of God in song.
Hymn of the Day: Verses 1,2 and 4
Prayers of Intercession
A During this season of Christmas, we pray
for all who long for a new start, who nurture families or provide hope for the
hopeless, and for the church, the world and all people in their need. A brief
silence.
Creating
God, help us repair broken relationships, to clean up our messes and debts and
to ask for help when we need it. God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Parent
God, bless all who are parents, the family and staff of the Grace Infant Care
Center and all who have created families.
Help us to become better at loving and receiving love from others. God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
God,
you are the highest authority. Help our
civic leaders to bring peace to a war torn world and to care for those who are
vulnerable. Be with our bishops
Elizabeth and Mark, our pastor Megan and all the staff and leaders of our
congregation. Help us to support the
work and hobbies of all who worship with us, so that we may draw closer to God
in all that we do at work and at home.
God in your mercy, hear our
prayer.
Loving
God, help us to have patience, compassion and listening ears for those who
differ from us. Provide healing and hope
for those whose minds, bodies or spirits are in need of care. We pray especially for those who care for the
sick and support those who are aging.
Help us to live and experience as much as we can while we await the day
we will be reunited with those we have lost.
God in your mercy, hear our
prayer.
For
whom and what else do the people of Grace pray?
(Please offer - silently or aloud- petitions
to God. End spoken petitions with “God
in your mercy.”)
P
Our prayers rise like incense and are held by a loving God who yearns for us to
be our best. May we sleep well, worry
less, and live convinced that God is on our side. Amen.
Peace
The presiding minister and the assembly greet each
other in the peace of the risen Christ.
P The peace of Christ be with you always. C
And also with you.
The people may greet one another with the sign of
Christ’s peace, and may say, “Peace be with you” or similar words. Then, the assembly is seated.
Offering
An offering is gathered for
the mission of the church, including the care of those in need. After the offering is gathered, the assembly
stands.
Offertory
Offering Prayer
A Let us
pray. God, bless all that we have to offer. May our financial support
match the generosity of our lives. Help
us to be good stewards of our financial and emotional investments. Amen.
Communion:
P It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,
that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise . . . we
praise your name and join their unending hymn:
P On the night in which he was betrayed, our
Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples,
saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the
remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took
the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new
covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of
sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
The Lord’s
Prayer
C Our Father
in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on
earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we
forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us
from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and
forever. Amen
Blessing
Announcements
Sending Hymn: (see the next page)
Dismissal
A: Go in peace and serve our God.
C: Thanks be to God.
Postlude: "I Know
That My Redeemer Lives" Hymntune:
"Duke Street"
Please join us for coffee
and refreshments downstairs in the Fellowship Hall.
To get to the Fellowship
Hall, exit to the right of the communion railing at the front of the church.
Scripture in this service is
adapted from The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation, by
Priests for Equality. 2009, Sheed
& Ward. Kindle Edition.
The traditional Lutheran liturgy is from Sundays and
Seasons.com. Copyright 2014 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted
by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #28429.
Hymns used with permission for worship and podcast under
OneLicense.net #A-723548.
Verses
1,2 and 4
Announcements
You can find more information and find archived
sermons and worship live streams at our website: www.gracesf.com or on our blog: www.sfgrace.blogspot.com
·
Grace is now able
to have virtual members who fulfill their worship attendance with us via live
stream. If you’re interested in becoming
more connected to Grace and learning about becoming a member email Pastor Megan
at pastor@gracesf.com
·
Pastor Megan will
be out of the country from December 25th – January 10th and
will be journeying from Bejing to London and visiting the Wonders of the World
along the way. You can follow the
pastor’s adventures on Facebook.
Next
week’s Guest Pastor will be Pastor Lyle Beckmen, the Night Minister.
