December 31, 2023 10:30 AM
* STAND IF ABLE
PRELUDE
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
CALL TO WORSHIP from Psalm 90
Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and prosper for us the work of our hands.
O prosper the work of our hands! Let us worship God!
*OPENING HYMN (#40 Blue) Joy to the World
1 Joy to the world! the Lord is come:
let earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare him room,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
2 Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns:
let us our songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
3 No more let sins and sorrows grow
nor thorns infest the ground;
he comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.
4 He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.
CALL TO CONFESSION
Scripture tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Scripture also promises us that we are now made right with God by God’s grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Acknowledging this truth about ourselves and with gratitude for the truth about God, let us confess our sins in God’s presence and before one another.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Gracious and loving God, as we stand on the threshold of a new year, we look back and recognize the many ways we have fallen short of your glory: missed opportunities to share your love; times when we were silent when we could have spoken up for what was right; indifference to your claim on our whole lives through Jesus Christ; and a lack of gratitude for your amazing grace by which you save us and call us to be your people. Lord, forgive us.
As we look ahead to a new year, free us from thinking we can save ourselves.
Help us to follow where you lead. Show us how to be your children and your heirs, forgiven and freed to live for our God and for one another in love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Believe the good news: In Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven.
Thanks be to God!
*GLORIA PATRI
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be.
World without end, Amen, Amen.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION and SCRIPTURE
Almighty God, as we hear your Word read and proclaimed, may it not return to you empty. May it accomplish that which you purpose. May it succeed in the thing for which you sent it. Open our ears and hearts to your Word that we may live as your children and heirs. Amen.
Psalm 148 read responsively:
1 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above.
2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created,
6 and he established them for ever and ever; he issued a decree that will never pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,
9 you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings of the earth and all nations,you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women, old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
14 And he has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the Lord!
Epistle reading Galatians 4:4-7
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
Gospel Reading Luke 2:22-40
Jesus Presented in the Temple22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”[b]
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[d] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
SERMON Alpha and Omega Steve VanBuren
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (From a Declaration of Faith) Jesus, the long-expected Savior, came into the world as a child, descended from David, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of Mary, a virgin. He lived as a Jew among Jews. He announced to his people the coming of God’s kingdom of justice and peace on earth. We affirm that Jesus was born of woman as is every child, yet born of God’s power as was no other child.
In the person and work of Jesus, God himself and a human life are united but not confused, distinguished but not separated. The coming of Jesus was itself the coming of God’s promised rule. Through his birth, life, death, and resurrection, he brings about the relationship between God and humanity that God always intended.
Jesus is Lord! He has been Lord from the beginning.
He will be Lord at the end. Even now he is Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.
*HYMN (#142 Blue) All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
1 All hail the power of Jesus' Name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all!
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all!
2 Ye chosen seed of Israel's race,
Ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all!
Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all!
3 Let every kindred, every tribe,
On this terrestrial ball,
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all!
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all!
4 O that with yonder sacred throng
We at His feet may fall!
We'll join the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all!
We'll join the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all!
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
IN OUR PRAYERS
Susan H (MK’s daughter) Bob O, Nancy as caregiver Darwin L, Jeanne as caregiver
Our homebound or in care members: Richard C (Dolores as caregiver), Bob J (Jan as caregiver), Delores K, Rose P, Joyce R, Cliff R, Dee W (Please reach out and call)
Prayer Families: Nelda H, Dennis H & Carolyn C, MK H
Those who mourn: The Barnett and Goodale families and all who have lost loved ones.
OFFERING and*DOXOLOGY
Call for the offering
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. Let us give thanks to the Lord as we continue our worship and bring our tithes and offerings.
Prayer of dedication
Gracious and giving God, we give thanks to you for you are good. Your steadfast love endures forever. We thank you for the blessings of the past year and for how you have stood with us and guided us in difficult times. We give thanks that you will stand with us and guide us in the year to come. Bless these offerings that they may be used to your glory and in service to others in the name of your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Help us to have grateful hearts and to live as the joyful people of God; through Jesus Christ, the greatest gift of all. Amen.
*CLOSING HYMN (#540 Blue) God be with you ‘til we meet again
1 God be with you till we meet again;
Loving counsels guide, uphold you,
With a Shepherd's care enfold you:
God be with you till we meet again.
2 God be with you till we meet again;
Unseen wings protecting hide you,
Daily manna still provide you:
God be with you till we meet again.
3 God be with you till we meet again;
When life's perils thick confound you;
Put unfailing arms around you:
God be with you till we meet again.
4 God be with you till we meet again;
Keep love's banner floating o'er you,
Smite death's threatening wave before you:
God be with you till we meet again.
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
As we leave the old year and enter the new, go with these assurances:
The risen Lord says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. Amen.
POSTLUDE
* STAND IF ABLE
PRELUDE
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
- TUESDAY MORNING COFFEE GROUP 9:30ish AM at First Lutheran Mission Coffee House
- PIECES AND PRAYERS will meet on Tuesday at 1:30 PM at the FPC Quilting Room
- THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY at 9:30 AM in the FPC Center Meeting Room (Jan. 4 start new study on Exodus)
- THANK YOU! …for your Holiday donations resulting in a $500 donation to Feeding Brookings. …for signing cards on December 17th- 86 cards were delivered to ULC! …for delivering 10 sack lunches to Habitat for Humanity. …for donating $254.73 worth of toys to Brookings Project Joy.
CALL TO WORSHIP from Psalm 90
Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and prosper for us the work of our hands.
O prosper the work of our hands! Let us worship God!
*OPENING HYMN (#40 Blue) Joy to the World
1 Joy to the world! the Lord is come:
let earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare him room,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
2 Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns:
let us our songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
3 No more let sins and sorrows grow
nor thorns infest the ground;
he comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.
4 He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.
CALL TO CONFESSION
Scripture tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Scripture also promises us that we are now made right with God by God’s grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Acknowledging this truth about ourselves and with gratitude for the truth about God, let us confess our sins in God’s presence and before one another.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Gracious and loving God, as we stand on the threshold of a new year, we look back and recognize the many ways we have fallen short of your glory: missed opportunities to share your love; times when we were silent when we could have spoken up for what was right; indifference to your claim on our whole lives through Jesus Christ; and a lack of gratitude for your amazing grace by which you save us and call us to be your people. Lord, forgive us.
As we look ahead to a new year, free us from thinking we can save ourselves.
Help us to follow where you lead. Show us how to be your children and your heirs, forgiven and freed to live for our God and for one another in love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Believe the good news: In Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven.
Thanks be to God!
*GLORIA PATRI
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be.
World without end, Amen, Amen.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION and SCRIPTURE
Almighty God, as we hear your Word read and proclaimed, may it not return to you empty. May it accomplish that which you purpose. May it succeed in the thing for which you sent it. Open our ears and hearts to your Word that we may live as your children and heirs. Amen.
Psalm 148 read responsively:
1 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above.
2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created,
6 and he established them for ever and ever; he issued a decree that will never pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,
9 you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings of the earth and all nations,you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women, old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
14 And he has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the Lord!
Epistle reading Galatians 4:4-7
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
Gospel Reading Luke 2:22-40
Jesus Presented in the Temple22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”[b]
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[d] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
SERMON Alpha and Omega Steve VanBuren
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (From a Declaration of Faith) Jesus, the long-expected Savior, came into the world as a child, descended from David, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of Mary, a virgin. He lived as a Jew among Jews. He announced to his people the coming of God’s kingdom of justice and peace on earth. We affirm that Jesus was born of woman as is every child, yet born of God’s power as was no other child.
In the person and work of Jesus, God himself and a human life are united but not confused, distinguished but not separated. The coming of Jesus was itself the coming of God’s promised rule. Through his birth, life, death, and resurrection, he brings about the relationship between God and humanity that God always intended.
Jesus is Lord! He has been Lord from the beginning.
He will be Lord at the end. Even now he is Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.
*HYMN (#142 Blue) All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
1 All hail the power of Jesus' Name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all!
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all!
2 Ye chosen seed of Israel's race,
Ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all!
Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all!
3 Let every kindred, every tribe,
On this terrestrial ball,
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all!
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all!
4 O that with yonder sacred throng
We at His feet may fall!
We'll join the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all!
We'll join the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all!
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
IN OUR PRAYERS
Susan H (MK’s daughter) Bob O, Nancy as caregiver Darwin L, Jeanne as caregiver
Our homebound or in care members: Richard C (Dolores as caregiver), Bob J (Jan as caregiver), Delores K, Rose P, Joyce R, Cliff R, Dee W (Please reach out and call)
Prayer Families: Nelda H, Dennis H & Carolyn C, MK H
Those who mourn: The Barnett and Goodale families and all who have lost loved ones.
OFFERING and*DOXOLOGY
Call for the offering
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. Let us give thanks to the Lord as we continue our worship and bring our tithes and offerings.
Prayer of dedication
Gracious and giving God, we give thanks to you for you are good. Your steadfast love endures forever. We thank you for the blessings of the past year and for how you have stood with us and guided us in difficult times. We give thanks that you will stand with us and guide us in the year to come. Bless these offerings that they may be used to your glory and in service to others in the name of your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Help us to have grateful hearts and to live as the joyful people of God; through Jesus Christ, the greatest gift of all. Amen.
*CLOSING HYMN (#540 Blue) God be with you ‘til we meet again
1 God be with you till we meet again;
Loving counsels guide, uphold you,
With a Shepherd's care enfold you:
God be with you till we meet again.
2 God be with you till we meet again;
Unseen wings protecting hide you,
Daily manna still provide you:
God be with you till we meet again.
3 God be with you till we meet again;
When life's perils thick confound you;
Put unfailing arms around you:
God be with you till we meet again.
4 God be with you till we meet again;
Keep love's banner floating o'er you,
Smite death's threatening wave before you:
God be with you till we meet again.
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
As we leave the old year and enter the new, go with these assurances:
The risen Lord says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. Amen.
POSTLUDE