November 30, 2025 11 A.M.
Welcome!
Introduction
The new church year begins with a wake-up call: Christ is coming soon! In today’s readings both Paul and Jesus challenge us to wake from sleep, for we know neither the day nor hour of the Lord’s coming. Isaiah proclaims the day when God will gather all people on the holy mountain and there will be no more war or suffering. Though we vigilantly watch for the promised day of salvation, we wait for what we already have: Christ comes among us this day as the word and meal that strengthens our faith in the promises of God.
Lighting of the Advent Candle
P: Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent means “coming” and in this season we prepare for the coming of Christ. One of the ways we prepare for his coming is by making an Advent wreath and lighting its candles to remind us of the gifts Christ brings to the world.
D: The Advent wreath includes many symbols to help us think about Christ and his gifts. The wreath itself is in the shape of a circle. A circle has no beginning and no end. This reminds us that there is no beginning and no end to God and that God’s love and caring are forever.
P: The light from the candles – which grows stronger each Sunday in Advent, reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world.
D: Today we light the candle of hope. The people of Israel hoped in God’s promises and were not disappointed. Again and again God delivered Israel from its enemies. We too have the same experience of salvation. That is why we believe in God’s promise to send Jesus to us once again to judge the world and establish his kingdom forever upon the earth.
(We light the first candle)
P: Hope is like a light shining in a dark place. As we look at the light of this candle, we celebrate the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
Advent Prayer
P: Thank you, God, for the hope you give us. We ask that as we wait for all your promises to come true, and for Christ to come again, that you would remain present with us. Help us today, and every day to worship you, to hear your word, and to do your will by sharing your hope with each other. We ask it in the name of the one who was born on Bethlehem. Amen.
(please stand for our opening song)
We Sing: My Lord, What a Morning ELW 438
Confession and Forgiveness
P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, whose home is heaven and earth,
whose salvation is sure.
C: Amen.
P: Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Silence is kept for reflection.
P: God of mercy,
C: we confess that we look to ourselves for the peace and security only you can provide. We reach for swords and spears, reluctant to release our grip on the ways of 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.
P: Long-expected God, 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.
C: Amen.
Prayer of the Day
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. By your merciful protection save us from the threatening dangers of our sins and enlighten our walk in the way of your salvation, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
(Please be seated for the readings)
First Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5
The visionary message presented in this reading focuses on a future day when God establishes a universal reign of peace. Divine decisions will make war obsolete, and the worshiping community responds: “Let us walk in the light of that Lord now!”
R: 1 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it.
3 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 forth instruction and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations and shall arbitrate for many peoples; 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 any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
14 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
Psalmody: Psalm 122
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” (Ps. 122:1)
1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
2 Now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is built as a city that is at unity with itself;
4 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, the assembly of Israel, to praise the name of the Lord.
5 For there are the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls and quietness within your towers.
8 For the sake of my kindred and companions, I pray for your prosperity.
9 Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek to do you good.”
Second Reading: Romans 13:11-14
Paul compares the advent of Christ to the coming of dawn. We live our lives today in light of Christ’s coming in the future.
R: 11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is already the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone; the day is near. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us walk decently as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in illicit sex and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
Gospel: Matthew 24:36-44
C: <sung>
Sing: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!
Jesus describes his second coming as a sudden, turbulent event that will bring about deep change to our normal, day-to-day lives. Therefore, he urges people to stay awake, be aware, and wait expectantly, because the Son of Man will come unannounced.
D: [Jesus said to the disciples,] 36 “About that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so, too, will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken, and one will be left. 42 Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But understand this: if the owner 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. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
…This is the Gospel of the Lord
C: Praise to you, oh Christ
We Sing: “The Advent of Our God”
with Pastor Jerry leFeber
Apostles’ Creed
C: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day, he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen
(please be seated)
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.
God of the people, we come seeking wisdom and instruction. Uphold and strengthen lay leaders, teachers, deacons, pastors, and bishops. Teach us your ways and lead us in your paths. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
God of the earth, we seek your goodness in the grandeur of creation. Empower us to care for forests and oceans, as we see you in the world around us. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
God of the nations, grant wisdom to leaders, judges, and mediators. Cast out words of hate and transform them into words for building up community. Remake implements of war to sow peace. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
God of healing, bring comfort and strength. We pray for our kindred and companions who are ill or despairing (especially). Surround all with care and consolation. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
God of new possibilities, when addiction wounds, jealousy tears down, and relationships fray, show us how to journey with one another. Nurture therapists, counselors, and sponsors in their care for others. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
God of all time, build up our lives that we would reflect your grace. At the last, bring us with all the saints to your holy city where peace and goodness make a home. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Draw near to us, O God, as we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy through Jesus Christ, Emmanuel.
Amen.
(stand)
The Sharing of the Peace:
P: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C: And also with you.
P: We Greet one another with the Peace of Christ
Hymn: “What Feast of Love” #701 WOV
Offering Prayer
P: Nourishing God, you are water in the wilderness and streams in the desert. Through this meal, satisfy our parched places, that we may rejoice and be for the world signs of your kingdom come.
C: Amen.
Communion
P: Lord Jesus, our portion and our cup, you offered yourself in love for the world, and in this meal, you nourish us with your life. Fill us with your abundance, that we may feed the hungry and welcome the stranger, trusting in your name.
C: Amen.
P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you.
P: Rejoice before your Lord. C: We lift them to the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to our God. C: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
P: It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ. You comforted your people with the promise of the Redeemer, through whom you will also make all things new in the day when he comes to judge the world in righteousness. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, 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.
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
P: In 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.
P: 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.
P: For as often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
C: Christ has died: Christ is risen: Christ will come again.
P: With this bread and cup, we remember your Word dwelling among us, full of grace and truth. We remember our new birth in his death and resurrection. We look with hope for his coming.
C: Come, Lord Jesus.
P: Holy God, we long for your Spirit. Come among us. Bless this meal. May your Word take flesh in us. Awaken your people. Fill us with your light. Bring the gift of peace on earth.
C: Come, Holy Spirit.
P: All praise and glory are yours, Holy One of Israel, Word of God incarnate, Power of the Most High, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
P: We pray as Jesus taught us:
C: 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.
Invitation to Communion
P: Here is life. God is with us. Come, receive what God has promised.
(sit)
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Prayer after Communion
P: God our host, at this table you have fed us with joy and gladness. Send us forth, eager to share the feast, welcome the stranger, and bear good fruit in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Blessing
P: May God who comes among us, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, grant you patience in waiting, peace in the darkness, and good news to share today and always.
Amen.
Announcements
| Birthdays December 1 – Ron Wolf December 2 – Patty Vesotski, Marjorie Walsh December 6 – Rachael Schultz | Weekly Calendar Wednesday – 10am – Bible study at Immanuel 6 pm – Prayer Gathering Thursday – 9 am – Quilting |
December 3 – Midweek advent service at 7pm
December 14 – Yearly congregational meeting & Luncheon
We Sing: The King of Glory W&P 136
Dismissal
P: Go in peace. Keep awake.
C: Thanks be to God.
