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+Service of the Word+
The First Sunday in Advent
December 1, 2019

Introit Psalm 118:25–28; antiphon: Zechariah 9:9b, alt.
Behold, your king is com- | ing to you;*
righteous and having sal- | vation.
Save us, we pray, | O LORD!*
O LORD, we pray, give | us success!
Blessèd is he who comes in the name | of the LORD!*
We bless you from the house | of the LORD.
The LORD is God, and he has made his light to shine up- | on us.*
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the | altar!
You are my God, and I will give | thanks to you;*
you are my God; I will ex- | tol you.
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.
Behold, your king is com- | ing to you;*
righteous and having sal- | vation.

Gradual Zechariah 9:9; Psalm 118:26, alt.
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.

Old Testament Reading Isaiah 2:1–5
1The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the LORD
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
3and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go the law,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
5O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the LORD.

Epistle Romans 13:8–14
8Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Holy Gospel Matthew 24:36–44
36[Jesus said:] “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Alleluia and Verse Psalm 24:7
Alleluia. Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Alleluia.

Collect of the Day
Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Prayer of the Church
First Sunday in Advent
1 December 2019

Knowing that we are now nearer to the day of salvation than before, let us come with even greater urgency and plead on behalf of all of God’s people and everyone according to their needs.

O Lord, You have made us glad to enter into Your presence to hear the good news of our Savior and to receive Your gifts. Preserve Your Church against all her enemies, and lead us to walk in Your ways and to follow Your paths, that when Jesus returns in His glory we may welcome Him with glad hosannas. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Eternal Lord, You have raised up the prophets to prepare the way of the Lord and given pastors to Your Church who preach Your Gospel faithfully. Continue to bless us with those who bring to us Your Word and Sacraments, and give us ears to hear and hearts to believe the good news of our Savior and to give bold witness throughout the world. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Merciful God, You have appointed times and seasons and mark the rhythm of our lives through our worship on the Lord’s Day and the Church Year. Guide us through this calendar to know You with joy and to mark the days as they move toward Your appointed consummation when our Lord will return in all His glory as Lord and Judge of all. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Mighty Lord, You hold in Your hand all the might of man. Bless those who have the responsibility of leadership within our government, that they may be guided by Your Law and work in accordance with Your will and purpose. Grant to us the gift of peace, an end to violence and deliverance from terror and threat. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Holy Lord, You have clothed us with Christ’s righteousness in our Baptism. Grant to us Your Spirit, that we may have both the will and the desire to seek that which is good, right, holy and good and to resist temptation to evil. Help us to bear in our daily lives the good fruit of Your Spirit and so glorify You in all we do and say. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Loving Lord, You have given to us Your Son to bear the burdens of our sin and to grant us healing and hope. Hear us on behalf of those in great need, those afflicted with physical and mental ills, those whose hearts are touched by grief, and those in their last days on earth. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Gracious God, You give to us all good gifts and all things needful for this body and life. Give to us grateful hearts, that we may receive Your gifts with thanksgiving and wisdom and use all things wisely and well. Accept now the tithes and offerings we bring as part of our song of praise and the worship of our lives. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Everlasting God, Your Son has given us a place at His table and the food of His own flesh and blood given for the life of the world. Grant us faith to recognize His body in this bread and His blood in this cup and to receive this blessed communion with joy and thanksgiving. Unite Your people, that we may confess with one voice the truth of Your Word and live together in love and anticipation for that day when Christ shall return in triumph. Bring us with all the saints into Your eternal presence and to the marriage feast of the Lamb without end. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Holy and mighty God, You have shown to us more mercy than we deserve, and in Your great love You have redeemed us from all our sins. Make glad the hearts of Your people, that we who know Your salvation may live in peace and quietness all our days. All these things and all other things which we need, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends."