Today we worship with a special service of:
LESSONS & CAROLS
There will be nine lessons of prophecy to prepare us to welcome our Savior. Each
prophecy will be followed by a corresponding carol.
May the Messiah himself bless you in your worship of him today!
Immanuel
Evangelical Lutheran Church
December 18, 2016
PRESERVICE musical offering/bell/welcome
RESPONSIVE prayer
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Jesus Christ, you are the light of the world,
the light no darkness can overcome.
Stay with us for evening comes,
and the day turns to night.
Be our light and scatter the darkness,
and hear our hymns of prayer and praise.
HYMN of prayer and praise ..................................... O Gracious Light, Lord Jesus Christ
to the tune of Christian Worship 5
All:
O gracious Light, Lord Jesus Christ, in you the Father’s glory shone.
Immortal, holy, blest is he, and blest are you, his only Son.
RESPONSIVE reading
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while organist softly introduces stanzas 2 & 3
We light four Advent candles remembering Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Mary. He
came to share our humanity.
We remember Jesus, whose name means Savior. He came to save his people from
their sins.
We hear his call to give him a place in our hearts.
We light four Advent candles as a sign of our joy and hope.
Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest.
Through your Word and Spirit may our souls be blessed.
please stand. Four Advent candles are lit while we sing stanzas 2 & 3
All:
Soon sunset comes, but light shines forth; the lamps are lit to pierce the night.
Praise Father, Son, and Spirit God who dwells in the eternal light.
Worthy are you of endless praise, O Son of God, life-giving Lord;
Wherefore you are through all the earth and in the highest heav’n adored.
please be seated
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EXHORTATION and prayer
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Dear people of God, in the season of Advent, it is our responsibility and joy to prepare
ourselves to hear again the message of the angels, to go to Bethlehem and see the
Son of God lying in a manger. Let us hear and heed in Holy Scripture the story of
God’s loving purpose from the time of our rebellion against him until the glorious
redemption brought to us by his holy child, Jesus, and let us look forward to the
yearly remembrance of his birth with hymns and songs of praise.
But first, let us pray for the needs of his whole world, for peace and justice on earth,
for the unity and mission of the Church for which he died, for the people in our
country and in this community, and especially for our brothers and sisters in our
synod and in our own congregation. And because he particularly loves them, let us
remember in his name the poor and helpless, the cold, the hungry, and the
oppressed, the sick and those who mourn, the lonely and unloved, and the aged and
the little children as well as all those who do not know the love of the Lord Jesus.
Finally, let us praise God for the faith of Mary, mother of our Lord, and that whole
multitude which no one can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and
with whom, in Jesus, we are one forevermore.
To sum up all these petitions, let us pray as Christ himself taught us.
please stand
All:
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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.
The almighty God bless us with his grace, Christ give us the joys of everlasting life,
and may the King of angels bring us all to the fellowship of the citizens above.
Amen.
please be seated
The service today is an adaptation of the Advent Carol Service traditionally held at
King’s College, Cambridge, England.
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LESSONS and carols
FIRST LESSON – Genesis 2:4-9, 15-25 – The Lord God creates Adam and Eve
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This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the Lord God
made the earth and the heavens— 5and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and
no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and
there was no man to work the ground, 6but streams came up from the earth and watered the
whole surface of the ground— 7the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8Now the Lord
God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9And
the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the
eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil…15The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden
to work it and take care of it. 16And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat
from any tree in the garden; 17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” 18The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man
to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19Now the Lord God had formed out of the
ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see
what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its
name. 20So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the
field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21So the Lord God caused the man to fall into
a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place
with flesh. 22Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and
he brought her to the man. 23The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my
flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24For this reason a man will
leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25The
man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
FIRST CAROL – Songs of Praise the Angels Sang ...................Christian Worship 222 (st. 1, 5, 6)
Songs of praise the angels sang, heav'n with alleluias rang,
When creation was begun, when God spoke and it was done.
Saints below, with heart and voice, still in songs of praise rejoice,
Learning here, by faith and love, songs of praise to sing above.
Whispered with their final breath, songs of praise shall conquer death.
Then, amidst eternal joy, songs of praise their pow'rs employ.
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SECOND LESSON – Genesis 3:1-24 – Adam and Eve disobey God
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Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said
to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2The
woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3but God did say,
‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch
it, or you will die.’ ” 4“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5“For God knows
that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and
evil.” 6When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the
eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her
husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and
they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for
themselves. 8Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in
the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the
garden. 9But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10He answered, “I heard you in
the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11And he said, “Who told you that
you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12The
man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate
it.” 13Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said,
“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have
done this, “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on
your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15And I will put enmity between you and
the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike
his heel.” 16To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain
you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
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To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I
commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through
painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field. 19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until
you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will
return.” 20Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.
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The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22And the Lord
God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be
allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23So
the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had
been taken. 24After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden
cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
SECOND CAROL – In Adam We Have All Been One................ Christian Worship 396 (st. 1, 2, 3)
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In Adam we have all been one, one huge rebellious man;
We all have fled that evening voice that sought us as we ran.
We fled our God, and, losing him, we lost our brother, too.
Each singly sought and claimed his own; each man his brother slew.
But your strong love, it sought us still and sent your only Son
That we might hear his shepherd-voice and, hearing him, be one.
THIRD LESSON – Isaiah 40:1-11 – God urges his people to prepare for their redemption
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Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to
her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has
received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. 3A voice of one calling: “In the desert
prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 4Every
valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become
level, the rugged places a plain. 5And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind
together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 6A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said,
“What shall I cry?” “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 7The
grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the
people are grass. 8The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands
forever.” 9You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good
tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns
of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for
him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 11He tends his flock like
a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently
leads those that have young.
THIRD CAROL – Comfort, Comfort All My People ........................ Christian Worship 11 (st. 1, 2)
"Comfort, comfort all my people; speak of peace," so says our God.
"Comfort those who sit in darkness, groaning from their sorrows' load.
Speak to all Jerusalem of the peace that waits for them;
Tell them that their sins I cover, that their warfare now is over."
All their sins our God will pardon, blotting out each dark misdeed;
All that well deserve his anger he no more will see or heed.
They have suffered many a day; now their griefs have passed away.
God will change their aching sadness into ever-springing gladness.
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FOURTH LESSON – Jeremiah 23:5, 6 – God will raise up for David a righteous Branch
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“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a
King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6In his days Judah will be
saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our
Righteousness.
FOURTH CAROL – sung by Emily Weber ..................................Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant
I have travelled many moonless nights cold and weary with a babe inside.
And I wonder what I've done. Holy Father,
you have come and chosen me now to carry your son.
I am waiting in a silent prayer. I am frightened by the load I bear.
In a world as cold as stone must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now. Be with me now.
Breath of heaven, hold me together, be forever near me, breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven, light up my darkness, pour over me your holiness, for you are holy.
Breath of heaven, do you wonder as you watch my face
if a wiser one should have had my place?
But I offer all I am for the mercy of your plan.
Help me be strong. Help me be. Help me.
FIFTH LESSON – Jeremiah 31:31-34 – God promises a new covenant
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“The time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel and with the house of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant I made with their
forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my
covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33“This is the covenant I will
make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their
minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34No longer
will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will
all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their
wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
FIFTH CAROL – Come, O Long-Expected Jesus ............................. Christian Worship 6 (st. 1, 2)
Come, O long-expected Jesus, born to set your people free;
From our sins and fears release us by your death on Calvary.
Israel's Strength and Consolation, hope to all the earth impart,
Dear Desire of ev'ry nation, Joy of ev'ry longing heart.
Born your people to deliver, born a child and yet a king,
Born to reign in us forever, now your gracious kingdom bring.
By your own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone;
By your all-sufficient merit raise us to your glorious throne.
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SIXTH LESSON – Isaiah 64:1-9 – God is called upon to come among us and deliver us
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Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble
before you! 2As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your
name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! 3For when you did
awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before
you. 4Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God
besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. 5You come to the help of those who
gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you
were angry. How then can we be saved? 6All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all
our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins
sweep us away. 7No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden
your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins. 8Yet, O Lord, you are our
Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9Do not be angry
beyond measure, O Lord; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look upon us, we pray, for we
are all your people.
SIXTH CAROL – O Savior, Rend the Heavens Wide ................. Christian Worship 22 (st. 1, 2, 4)
O Savior, rend the heavens wide; come down, come down with mighty stride;
Unlock the gates, the doors break down; unbar the way to heaven's crown.
O Morning Star, O radiant Dawn, when will we sing your morning song?
Come, Son of God! Without your light we grope in dread and gloom of night.
There shall we all our praises bring and sing to you, our Savior King;
There shall we laud you and adore forever and forevermore.
SEVENTH LESSON – Isaiah 35:1-10 – God will prepare a way in the wilderness for his people
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The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the
crocus, 2it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon
will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the
splendor of our God. 3Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4say to
those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with
vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” 5Then will the eyes of the blind be
opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute
tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 7The
burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where
jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. 8And a highway will be there; it will be
called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in
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that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast
get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, 10and the
ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown
their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
SEVENTH CAROL – Arise, O Christian People .............................. Christian Worship 14 (st. 1-3)
Arise, O Christian people! Prepare yourselves today.
Prepare to greet the Savior, who takes your sins away.
To us by grace alone the truth and light was given;
The promised Lord from heaven to all the world is shown.
Prepare the way before him; prepare for him the best.
Cast out what would offend him, this great, this heav'nly guest.
Make straight, make plain the way: the lowly valleys raising,
The heights of pride abasing, his path all even lay.
The humble heart and lowly God raises up on high;
Beneath his feet in terror the haughty soul shall lie.
The heart sincere and right, that heeds God's invitation
And makes true preparation – it is the Lord's delight.
EIGHTH LESSON – Isaiah 7:10-15 – The Lord promises a Son, Immanuel
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Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11“Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest
depths or in the highest heights.” 12But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the
test.” 13Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of
men? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15He will eat
curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right.
EIGHTH CAROL – Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel ................... Christian Worship 23 (st. 1, 2)
Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, O Root of Jesse, free your own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell your people save, and bring them vict'ry o'er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!
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NINTH LESSON – Micah 5:2-4 – The One who will be ruler will be born in Bethlehem
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“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you
will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient
times.” 3Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth
and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. 4He will stand and shepherd his flock in
the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live
securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
NINTH CAROL – Lift Up Your Heads, You Mighty Gates ............... Christian Worship 3 (st. 1, 5)
Redeemer, come! I open wide my heart to you; here, Lord, abide!
Oh, enter with your saving grace; show me your kind and friendly face.
Your Holy Spirit guide us on until our glorious goal is won.
Eternal praise and fame we offer to your name.
Lift up your heads, you mighty gates! Behold, the King of glory waits.
The King of kings is drawing near; the Savior of the world is here.
Life and salvation he will bring; therefore rejoice and gladly sing.
To God the Father raise your joyful songs of praise.
THANK offering
please stand
Thank you for giving us the privilege of returning a small
portion of what you so generously shower upon us, dear
Father. Please use what we bring that others may hear
about the greatest GIFT you’ve given the world.
THANK offering prayer
THE LORD’S Supper (spoken)
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Our Lord Jesus has given us a holy supper in which we receive his true body and blood
for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. In this supper we
celebrate the gift of his redemption, we bear witness to the fellowship we share as
confessors of the truth, and we proclaim his death until he returns.
Prepare our hearts for this gift, Lord Jesus.
O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; grant us your peace.
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WORDS of institution
please be seated
DISTRIBUTION
Holy Communion is the highest expression of
fellowship we have the privilege to participate in.
We ask, therefore, that only confirmed members in
our fellowship (WELS or ELS) commune at this time.
Consider a prayer BEFORE and AFTER reception
from page 11 in Christian Worship.
please stand
PRAYER
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Gracious Father, thank you for giving your Son to be our Savior. Thank you for giving
him to be the perfect sacrifice for us. And thank you for giving us his body and blood
for our forgiveness. Make us rejoice with the expectation of the coming of your one
and only Son in the manger. Grant that we, who with joy receive him as our Savior,
may without fear behold him when he will come to be our judge, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen. (spoken)
BLESSING
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Go forth into the world in peace, be of good courage, hold fast to that which is good,
render to no one evil for evil, strengthen the fainthearted, support the weak, help the
afflicted, honor all people, love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy
Spirit.
And the blessing of God Almighty—the Father, the Son, † and the Holy Spirit—be
upon you and remain with you forever.
Amen. (spoken)
please remain standing
CLOSING hymn ............................................................. to the tune of Christian Worship 21
Almighty Father, bless the Word which through your grace we now have heard.
Oh, may the precious seed take root, spring up, and bear abundant fruit.
We praise you for the means of grace as homeward now our steps we trace.
Grant, Lord, that we who worshiped here may all at last in heav’n appear.
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Announcing…
Dec 24 4:00 pm Children’s Christmas Eve Service
Everyone is invited to come worship our newborn King on Christmas Eve as our Sunday
School and Catechism Class students share the news of his birth.
Dec 24 7:00 pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Do you find yourself worn down and weary following all the preparations for Christmas?
Want to leave all that behind and just bow in simple wonder and amazement at the
manger of your newborn KING? Come to this special candlelight service, and just
worship! In a powerful, more subdued setting, worship HIM in Word and song!
Dec 25 9:00 am Christmas Day Service
Everyone is invited to come worship the greatest Gift given to humanity in a completely
different worship service on Christmas Day. Come! Worship him who’s changed our
lives!
Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church
(WELS)
W4095 County Rd B
Johnson Creek, WI 53038
(920) 699-2283
www.immanuelinfarmington.com
Pastor Paul Burk
Assistant Pastor Reuben Schmitz
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