07 Dec Bulletin – Sunday, December 7, 2025
WELCOME to MESSIAH & ST. PETER LUTHERAN CHURCHES
The Reverend Nancy Brody, Pastor
Greta Wright, Organist
Sunday, December 7, 2025
Second Sunday of Advent
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE
LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT CANDLE
Holy are you, God of righteousness and peace; you wait with patience for all to come to repentance after sending your prophet to prepare the way of the Lord. As we light these candles, open our ears to hear you speak tenderly to us and open our hearts to welcome you as a shepherd gently leading his flock. Comfort not only us, O God, but the entire hurting world.
Reveal your glory and speak to us, O holy God, of righteousness and peace. Amen.
With hope when we might have given up; we pray, O Lord,
stir up our hearts and come.
With love when we might turn cold or hard; we pray, O Lord,
stir up our hearts and come.
With thankfulness when we might simply complain, we pray, O Lord,
stir up our hearts and come.
To action when we might simply watch, we pray, O Lord,
stir up our hearts and come.
For joy when we are tired and forgiveness when we are hurt; we pray, O Lord,
stir up our hearts and come.
ORDER OF CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Long-expected God, we confess that we look to ourselves for the peace and security only you can provide. We reach for weapons of technology and harmful policies, reluctant to release our grip on ways of power and war. We become impatient while waiting and weary of keeping awake. Free us from self-reliance, and teach us to live in harmony with our neighbors. Increase our trust in God’s timing, and awaken us to your advent among us, that we may abound in the hope you have promised. Amen.
God judges us not as we deserve, but according to God’s own righteousness. ☩ You are freed and forgiven, saved by grace, and ready to welcome the Savior.
Amen.
GATHERING HYMN
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus #30
APOSTOLIC GREETING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
KYRIE
🎶In peace let us pray to the Lord.
🎶Lord have mercy.
🎶For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
🎶Lord have mercy.
🎶For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
🎶Lord have mercy.
🎶For this holy house, and for all who offer here and online their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
🎶Lord have mercy.
🎶Help, save, comfort, and defend us gracious Lord.
🎶Amen.
HYMN OF PRAISE
🎶Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
🎶Lord God, heavenly king, almighty God and Father: we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God: You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us. You are seated at the right hand of the Father; receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
🎶The Lord be with you.
🎶And Also with you.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son. By his coming nurture our growth as people of repentance and peace; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
FIRST READING ISAIAH 11:1-10
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb; the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion will feed together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
PSALM 72:1-7, 18-19
Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the king’s son;
that he may rule your people righteously and the poor with justice;
that the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, and the hills, in righteousness.
Let him defend the needy among the people, rescue the poor, and crush the oppressor.
May he live as long as the sun and moon endure, from one generation to another.
Let him come down like rain upon the mown field, like showers that water the earth.
In his time may the righteous flourish; and let there be an abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.
Blessed are you, Lord God, the God of Israel; you alone do wondrous deeds!
And blessed be your glorious name forever, and may all the earth be filled with your glory. Amen. Amen.
SPECIAL MUSIC Tanner Wright
Mary, Did You Know?
SECOND READING ROMANS 15:4-13
Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the ancestors and that the gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will confess you among the gentiles and sing praises to your name”; and again he says, “Rejoice, O gentiles, with his people;” and again, “Praise the Lord, all you gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him”; and again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the gentiles; in him the gentiles shall hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
🎶Alleluia, Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia. Alleluia.
The Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew, the 3rd chapter.
🎶Glory to you, O Lord.
GOSPEL MATTHEW 3:1-12
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance, and do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
🎶Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON
HYMN of the DAY
On Jordan’s Banks the Baptist’s Cry #36
PROFESSION OF FAITH The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He decended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again 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
In our waiting and watching, we come to you in prayer, O God, trusting your promise to renew the church, the nations, and the whole creation. A brief silence.
With wisdom and understanding, inspire the world to be united in heart and mind to address poverty, access to housing, and equity among peoples. Blessed be your name forever, in your righteousness, please answer our prayer.
With counsel and might, move us to care for creation. As we dream of the day when all creatures flourish alongside one another, guide us in ways of mutual thriving. Blessed be your name forever, in your righteousness, please answer our prayer.
With your peace, encourage nations to live in harmony. Assist goodwill efforts, partnerships and the shared missions of Lutheran World Relief and Lutheran Disaster Response. Blessed be your name forever, in your righteousness, please answer our prayer.
With steadfastness and encouragement, strengthen those who have lost hope in the face of grief, depression, or disease (especially those on our prayer list). Renew the spirits of those recovering from surgery and medical procedures. Blessed be your name forever, in your righteousness, please answer our prayer.
With hospitality toward all, equip us to repent, reconcile, and repair relationships. Help everyone answer the call of John the Baptist and prepare for Christ’s coming. Blessed be your name forever, in your righteousness, please answer our prayer.
With joy we remember our ancestors in the faith. Fill us with hope that we will all be remembered for eternity. Blessed be your name forever, in your righteousness, please answer our prayer.
O God, as we commend all for whom we pray, you have drawn near and reassured us that we can trust in your mercy and rely on your grace, through Jesus Christ, our God with us, forever and ever. Amen.
EXCHANGE of PEACE
OFFERING
OFFERTORY
🎶Let the vineyards be fruitful, Lord and fill to the brim our cup of blessing. Gather a harvest of the seeds that were sown, that we may be fed with the bread of life. Gather the hopes and the dreams of all; unite them with the prayer we offer now. Grace our table with your presence, and give us a foretaste of the feast to come.
PRAYER
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts. With them we offer ourselves to your service and dedicate our lives to the care and redemption of all that you have made, for the sake of him who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
LITURGY OF HOLY COMMUNION
🎶The Lord be with you.
🎶And also with you.
🎶Lift up your hearts.
🎶We lift them to the Lord.
🎶Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
🎶It is right to give him thanks and praise.
🎶It is indeed right and salutary….we praise your name and join their unending hymn.
🎶Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might; heaven and earth are full of your glory, Hosana, Hosana, Hosana in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosana in the highest.
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 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.
INVITATION
Come to the table of grace. Receive the gift of new life.
POST-COMMUNION CANTICLE
🎶Thank the Lord and sing his praise; tell everyone what he has done. Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear his name. He recalls his promises and leads his people forth in joy with shouts of thanksgiving. Aleluia, Aleluia.
POST-COMMUNION PRAYER
BLESSING
CLOSING HYMN
What Child Is This #40
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE