First Sunday of Advent 11/30/25
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
NOVEMBER 30, 2025
ST. PAUL’S LUTHERAN CHURCH, FALLS CHURCH, VA
✠ ✠ ✠
PRELUDE Savior of the Nations, Come BWV 659 JS Bach
ENTRANCE HYMN (Stand) Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying LSB 516
1 “Wake, awake, for night is flying,”
The watchmen on the heights are crying;
“Awake, Jerusalem, arise!”
Midnight hears the welcome voices
And at the thrilling cry rejoices:
“Oh, where are ye, ye virgins wise?
The Bridegroom comes, awake!
Your lamps with gladness take!
Alleluia!
With bridal care
Yourselves prepare
To meet the Bridegroom, who is near.”
2 Zion hears the watchmen singing,
And all her heart with joy is springing;
She wakes, she rises from her gloom.
For her Lord comes down all-glorious,
The strong in grace, in truth victorious;
Her star is ris’n, her light is come.
Now come, Thou Blessèd One,
Lord Jesus, God’s own Son,
Hail! Hosanna!
We enter all
The wedding hall
To eat the Supper at Thy call.
3 Now let all the heav’ns adore Thee,
Let saints and angels sing before Thee
With harp and cymbals’ clearest tone.
Of one pearl each shining portal,
Where, joining with the choir immortal,
We gather round Thy radiant throne.
No eye has seen the light,
No ear has heard the might
Of Thy glory;
Therefore will we
Eternally
Sing hymns of praise and joy to Thee!
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sin, be our advocate in heaven, and bring us to eternal life. Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith, resolved to keep God’s commandments and to live in love and peace with all.
(We kneel)
Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
we confess that we have sinned against You and against our neighbor in thought, word and deed; through negligence, through weakness, and through our own deliberate fault. We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, who died for us on the cross, forgive us all that is past, and grant that we may serve You in newness of life, to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son ✠ and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
KYRIE (Kyrie eleison means “Lord have mercy”) (Stand) LSB 943
Kyrie, Kyrie eleison. Kyrie, Kyrie eleison.
For peace in our hearts as we gather for worship, and for the peace of the whole world and the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord:
Kyrie, Kyrie eleison. Kyrie, Kyrie eleison.
For the proclamation of the Gospel in this and every place and for the calling of all to faith, let us pray to the Lord:
Kyrie, Kyrie eleison. Kyrie, Kyrie eleison.
For grace to await our Lord’s coming again in glory, and for the joyful anticipation of his coming into our hearts today, let us pray to the Lord:
Kyrie, Kyrie eleison. Kyrie, Kyrie eleison.
HYMN OF PRAISE (omitted during this penitential season)
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. 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. Amen.
✠ ✠ ✠
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST LESSON (Be seated) Isaiah 2:1-5 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
It 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,
and 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.
He 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.
O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 122 (Sung responsively)
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
Our feet have been standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem!
Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together,
to which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
There thrones for judgment were set,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
“May they be secure who love you!
Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers!”
For my brothers and companions’ sake
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
SECOND LESSON Romans 13:8-14
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The 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.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Besides 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. The 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. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
(10:30) CHILDREN’S SERMON
GOSPEL VERSE (Stand) LSB 349
1 Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes,
The Savior promised long;
Let ev’ry heart prepare a throne
And ev’ry voice a song.
GOSPEL Matthew 24:36-44
The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew the 24th chapter.
Glory to You, O Lord.
[Jesus said:] “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For 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, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But 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. 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.
Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus. Amen. Dear friends in Christ:
Happy New Year! Today is the start of the new church year. We begin it, as always, with the season of Advent.
In this new year we will begin a new cycle of readings. Like many other churches, ours follows a three-year cycle. This year’s cycle – “year A” – is built around readings from the Gospel of Matthew.
Advent is a season of waiting, watchfulness, and preparation. And what are we waiting for? Christmas, of course! Our Savior once took on human flesh and entered our world, and Christmas recalls the day of his birth.
But Christmas isn’t the only thing we’re waiting for. On this First Sunday of Advent, we also think about waiting, watching and preparing for Christ Jesus to return, as he said he would.
In the Gospel lesson just read, Jesus addresses this subject directly. The words we heard are part of a lengthy discourse of his given near the end of his ministry in which he both reveals his return and urges his disciples to be prepared for it. We read a different section of this discourse two Sundays ago, as recorded by Luke.
In today’s section, Jesus uses three illustrations to make his points. First, he makes a connection to the days of Noah – those days way back in the beginning of the Old Testament. Next, he speaks about pairs of unnamed workers, where one is suddenly gone and the other remains. After this, he describes a scenario in which a thief breaks into a house when the homeowner is asleep.
For today’s sermon we’ll work with each of these illustrations to not only find the points Jesus wants us to know but also to see how they help us recognize certain challenges to our readiness. Jesus has obviously taken extra steps to get our attention here. And this shows us how important our readiness is.
Regarding the illustration from the days of Noah, Jesus’ main point is that people won’t know the day of his coming. It will be a surprise. It will be just like Noah’s day, in which the people were busy doing their everyday things and had no idea God was sending a great flood. This message of Jesus illustrates what he had just said directly: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”
An interesting side question here is how the Son doesn’t know the day of his own return. You would think Jesus might know such a thing, since scripture makes clear that Jesus is fully God. But scripture also tells us that Jesus submits himself to the will of the Father and that in coming to earth he lowered himself by taking on the form of a servant. The fact of Jesus not knowing the day of his return reinforces the submissive servant position which he has taken.
In the days of Noah, the people were going about their normal routines when suddenly the flood waters rose and they were swept away. Floods can come about quickly, as we know from our day too.
About this lack of awareness, weren’t the people moved by Noah building a huge ark right down the street from them? Didn’t that catch their attention? And what about when all those animals showed up, two by two?
The Bible doesn’t say anything about other people seeing Noah constructing his ark. So maybe he didn’t live right down the street. Maybe he was off on his own in an isolated place.
Or, maybe his work was very visible to others and they just didn’t care what he was doing or didn’t believe his story. That’s a possibility too.
When Jesus comes again, there will be signs that announce his coming. That’s what he told us. And these signs are ones that everyone will easily see.
Our Lutheran view is that these signs are occurring right now. We know that there is certainly “war and rumors of war” going on in our world, as Jesus said there would be. And “nation [has risen] against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there [have been] famines and earthquakes in various places (24:7).” These signs described by Jesus are clearly taking place.
Interestingly, that last verse I just referenced is from Matthew 24 verse 7. And the things described here have been taking place “24-7,” as they say.
Some have suggested that maybe there will be an uptick of these things signs Jesus describes when he is ready to return, and that this uptick will be noticeable. That could very well be the case.
But at the same time, Jesus makes it clear that his return will be a surprise. “No one knows the day or hour,” he said.
As we’ve noted, Jesus mentions “the days of Noah” because he wants us to be forewarned about this surprise. That’s message one. But we get the feeling that Jesus wants us to make other connections too. The story of Noah is a powerful one. What else might it convey to us?
When Jesus describes the people as “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,” he suggests that they were too busy with life’s basic needs and desires to give heed to what God had wanted. And this brings to mind the many people of our day who spend their time pursuing these same basic things without ever considering the higher things of God. They don’t know the Bible. They don’t go to church. And they don’t worship or pray.
Of course, before we point too many fingers at those others out there, we ought to be examining ourselves as well. Do we make time to read, hear and meditate upon God’s Holy Word? And have we studied it to the point where we know its messages well? Are we growing in our faith, or are we satisfied with basic knowledge and a grade-school understanding?
Let’s consider, too, that with his illustration about Noah, Jesus might be wanting us to think about one more thing as well. The scriptures tell us that the days of Noah were some of the worst days the world has ever seen. The description given is stronger than any other which I recall scripture giving. Genesis 6:5 tells us that “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all of the time.”
God may have sent the rainbow after the flood and promised to never start humanity over again like he did at that time, but that doesn’t mean he will tolerate evil which is out of control. The flood story is a strong statement of God’s judgment against evil. God sent the flood to do something about the evil he saw. And knowing this, could it be that the timing of Christ’s return might be decided by the same reason?
Let’s move now to the second illustration in today’s reading. This one also describes the surprise of Jesus’ return. He says: “Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.” And here we have another illustration that not only reinforces what has previously been said but also gets us thinking about other things as well.
When Jesus says that some of the people in the illustration are “taken,” this causes us to wonder what exactly Jesus means. The word “taken” is a general word but also implies a decisive act. At the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, we’re told that an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (1:20). Joseph was at a point of decision. And the angel suggests a course of action.
In the same way, those who are “taken” in Jesus’ illustration are taken by an action of God. God is sovereign. And he decides the number of days a person will live.
It could be that the “taking” here is a taking into heaven at that time when Jesus appears on the last day. That would make this an illustration of how some people’s salvation will be made evident on the last day while other people will be “left behind.”
And as I use that phrase, Iet me also add that this understanding of “left behind” doesn’t imply a “rapture” scenario, as some Christians believe it does. It just says that some are saved and some aren’t. The Rapture makes for entertaining books and movies, but it doesn’t fit with the full witness of scripture.
Here we should consider that the “taking” Jesus mentions could also simply mean the day of one’s death. We all know that being at work – like the men working in the field and the women working at the mill – involves certain risks. The heart can give out suddenly through exertion. And there can be accidents too. Death can happen outside of work too, of course. In fact, it can come at any time.
Hearing the illustration in this way, we’re then reminded that the “day of Christ’s coming” might be the day of our death. For when a person dies, their time for turning to Christ has ended.
And this understanding then moves us to make sure we are prepared for our death. And that’s what Jesus addresses next, for he says: “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”
This thought leads into Jesus’ third and final illustration. There he says: “But 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. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Once again, Jesus reminds us that his return will be unexpected. But he also gives us a specific course of action to take. In fact, he gives it twice. Jesus says that we are to “stay awake.”
On the face of it, “staying awake” doesn’t sound like much of an action. Staying awake doesn’t take the same kind of effort that more active things do. But this is actually a very appropriate fact. For when it comes to our readiness for Christ’s return, our part is very small.
Jesus is the one who has taken the much greater action. He lived a perfect life so that he could be the perfect sacrifice for our sin. And he died an awful death as part of that perfect sacrifice.
Christ Jesus earned our salvation. He took action, by coming to earth and doing what we could not do on our own.
Even so, “staying awake” does involve some effort on our part. It doesn’t just happen automatically. We are called to action too.
“Staying awake” means taking steps to maintain our faith. These steps include listening to God’s Word, repenting of our sins, receiving his sacraments, and turning to God in prayer.
When we do these things, we know that God will build our faith and keep us in a state of readiness. He has given us these means for that very purpose. And he will not fail.
For even when our efforts flag, God takes steps to call us back. He encourages us, disciplines us, and works to catch our attention. Like a master teacher, God knows how to keep us awake.
The season of Advent seeks to focus us on these messages grom God. It urges us to be watchful, calls us to repentance and faith, and teaches us to endure in our times of waiting.
But most importantly of all, Advent leads us to Christ. It focuses our attention on the one who embodied God’s mercy and grace by his coming into our world, and who continues to live and reign among us. Advent leads us to our Savior.
May God then keep us awake in this true faith, until that day when he comes again in glory. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY (Stand) Savior of the Nations, Come LSB 332
1 Savior of the nations, come,
Virgin’s Son, make here Your home!
Marvel now, O heav’n and earth,
That the Lord chose such a birth.
2 Not by human flesh and blood,
By the Spirit of our God,
Was the Word of God made flesh—
Woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.
3 Here a maid was found with child,
Yet remained a virgin mild.
In her womb this truth was shown:
God was there upon His throne.
4 Then stepped forth the Lord of all
From His pure and kingly hall;
God of God, yet fully man,
His heroic course began.
5 God the Father was His source,
Back to God He ran His course.
Into hell His road went down,
Back then to His throne and crown.
6 For You are the Father’s Son
Who in flesh the vict’ry won.
By Your mighty pow’r make whole
All our ills of flesh and soul.
7 From the manger newborn light
Shines in glory through the night.
Darkness there no more resides;
In this light faith now abides.
8 Glory to the Father sing,
Glory to the Son, our king,
Glory to the Spirit be
Now and through eternity.
APOSTLES’ CREED Hymnal, back cover
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.
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.
OFFERING
Offerings support the church’s mission work – both here and through our many partners. Offerings may be placed in the box at the sanctuary entrance or sent to the church through our website or the mail. Fellowship Cards help us welcome new people and track participation. Please fill one out and place it in the offering box following the service.
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH (Stand)
OFFERTORY (Stand) LSB 621
1 Let all mortal flesh keep silence
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly-minded,
For with blessing in His hand
Christ our God to earth descending
Comes our homage to demand.
2 King of kings yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords in human vesture,
In the body and the blood,
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heav’nly food.
✠ ✠ ✠
THE LITURGY OF HOLY COMMUNION
PREFACE TO 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 truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, whose way John the Baptist prepared, proclaiming Him the promised Messiah, the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and calling sinners to repentance that they might escape from the wrath to be revealed when He comes again in glory. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:
HYMN LSB 208
1 Lift up your heads, you everlasting doors,
And weep no more!
O Zion’s daughter, sing,
To greet your coming King;
Now wave the victor’s palm
And sing the ancient psalm:
“Lift up your heads, you everlasting gates!”
Your King awaits!
4 “Worthy is Christ!” The Lamb who once was slain
Now lives to reign.
He rules our earthly ways
As Lord of Ancient Days—
O join the endless song
Sung by the ransomed throng:
“Worthy is Christ!” The Lamb be praised again!
Amen! Amen!
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
Holy God, mighty Lord, gracious Father:
Endless is Your mercy and eternal your reign.
You have filled all creation with light and life;
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Through Abraham you promised to bless all nations.
You rescued Israel, your chosen people.
Through the prophets you renewed your promise;
And, at this the end of all ages, you sent your Son,
Who in words and deeds proclaimed your kingdom
and was obedient to your will, even to giving his life.
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD
PROCLAMATION OF CHRIST
As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Therefore, gracious Father; with this bread and cup
We remember the life our Lord offered for us.
And believing the witness of his resurrection
We await his coming in power to share with us
The great and promised feast.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Join our prayers with those of your servants of every time and place,
And unite them with the ceaseless petitions of our great high priest
Until he comes as victorious Lord of all.
Amen.
THE 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 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.
PAX DOMINI
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
Amen.
AGNUS DEI LSB 963
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;
grant us Your peace,
grant us Your peace.
DISTRIBUTION (Be seated)
Those wishing to commune at the foot of the steps should come forward first. Those wishing to commune at the altar rail should come forward after these, front rows first, from both sides of the aisle. After receiving, all should return to their seats. A common dismissal will be given at the end.
DISTRIBTION HYMNS Once He Came in Blessing LSB 333
1 Once He came in blessing,
All our sins redressing;
Came in likeness lowly,
Son of God most holy;
Bore the cross to save us;
Hope and freedom gave us.
2 Now He gently leads us;
With Himself He feeds us
Precious food from heaven,
Pledge of peace here given,
Manna that will nourish
Souls that they may flourish.
3 Soon will come that hour
When with mighty power
Christ will come in splendor
And will judgment render,
With the faithful sharing
Joy beyond comparing.
4 Come, then, O Lord Jesus,
From our sins release us.
Keep our hearts believing,
That we, grace receiving,
Ever may confess You
Till in heav’n we bless You.
O Lord, How Shall I Meet You LSB 334
1 O Lord, how shall I meet You,
How welcome You aright?
Your people long to greet You,
My hope, my heart’s delight!
O kindle, Lord most holy,
Your lamp within my breast
To do in spirit lowly
All that may please You best.
2 Your Zion strews before You
Green boughs and fairest palms;
And I too will adore You
With joyous songs and psalms.
My heart shall bloom forever
For You with praises new
And from Your name shall never
Withhold the honor due.
3 I lay in fetters, groaning;
You came to set me free.
I stood, my shame bemoaning;
You came to honor me.
A glorious crown You give me,
A treasure safe on high
That will not fail or leave me
As earthly riches fly.
4 Love caused Your incarnation;
Love brought You down to me.
Your thirst for my salvation
Procured my liberty.
Oh, love beyond all telling,
That led You to embrace
In love, all love excelling,
Our lost and fallen race.
5 Sin’s debt, that fearful burden,
Cannot His love erase;
Your guilt the Lord will pardon
And cover by His grace.
He comes, for you procuring
The peace of sin forgiv’n,
His children thus securing
Eternal life in heav’n.
6 He comes to judge the nations,
A terror to His foes,
A light of consolations
And blessèd hope to those
Who love the Lord’s appearing.
O glorious Sun, now come,
Send forth Your beams so cheering,
And guide us safely home.
BENEDICTICUS Sing Praise to the God of Israel Sts. 1, 4 LSB 936
1 Sing praise to the God of Israel!
Sing praise for His visitation!
Redeeming His people from their sin,
Accomplishing their salvation,
Upraising a mighty horn within
The house of His servant David!
4 O bright, rising Sun, now shine on us
In need of illumination;
Come scatter the shades of sin and death
And shatter their domination.
Be guiding our footsteps on the path
Of peace, in Your presence dawning!
POST-COMMUNION COLLECT (Stand)
BENEDICTION
SENDING HYMN Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending LSB 336
1 Lo! He comes with clouds descending,
Once for ev’ry sinner slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of His train:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Christ the Lord returns to reign.
2 Ev’ry eye shall now behold Him
Robed in glorious majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold Him,
Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
Shall their true Messiah see.
3 Those dear tokens of His passion
Still His dazzling body bears,
Cause of endless exultation
To His ransomed worshipers.
With what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture
Gaze we on those glorious scars!
4 Yea, amen, let all adore Thee,
High on Thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the pow’r and glory,
Claim the kingdom as Thine own.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Thou shalt reign, and Thou alone!
ANNOUNCEMENTS (Be seated)
DISMISSAL
POSTLUDE Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending Setting: Timothy Shaw
FELLOWSHIP: Board of Education
Those serving:
8:00 a.m.
Greeter: Steve Berg
Comm. assist: Jim Easterly
Reader: Dave Oaks
10:30 a.m.
Greeter: Jason Starck
Comm. assist: Dede Dixon
Reader: Dan Buuck
Acolyte: Noah Starck
AV Assistants: Hannes Buuck, Andreas Buuck
Acknowledgments
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2025 Concordia Publishing House.
943 Kyrie — I Text: Traditional Tune: Jacques Berthier, 1923–94 Text: Public domain Tune: © 1978, 1980, 1981 Ateliers et Presses de Taizé, Taizé Community, France, admin. GIA Publications, Inc. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
349 Hark the Glad Sound Text: Philip Doddridge, 1702–51 Tune: Thomas Haweis, 1734–1820 Text and tune: Public domain
621 Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence Text: Liturgy of St. James, 5th cent.; tr. Gerard Moultrie, 1829–85, alt. Tune: French, 17th cent. Text and tune: Public domain
339 Lift Up Your Heads, You Everlasting Doors Text: Stephen P. Starke, 1955 Tune: Paul Liljestrand, 1931–2011 Text: © 2003 Stephen P. Starke, admin. Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: © 1970 The Hymn Society, admin. Hope Publishing Co. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
963 Agnus Dei — II Text: Traditional; tr. International Consultation on English Texts, alt. Tune: Jeffrey N. Blersch, 1967 Text: © 1975 International Consultation on English Texts. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: © 2001 Jeffrey N. Blersch. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
936 Sing Praise to the God of Israel Text: Stephen P. Starke, 1955 Tune: Christoph E. F. Weyse, 1774–1842 Text: © 1992 Stephen P. Starke, admin. Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: Public domain
516 Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying Text: tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–78, alt. Text and tune: Philipp Nicolai, 1556–1608 Text and tune: Public domain
332 Savior of the Nations, Come Text: attr. Ambrose of Milan, 340–397; German version, Martin Luther, 1483–1546; (sts. 1–2): tr. William M. Reynolds, 1812–76; (sts. 3, 6): tr. Lutheran Service Book, 2006; (sts. 4–5, 8): tr. F. Samuel Janzow, 1913–2001; (st. 7): tr. Gifford A. Grobien, 1973 Tune: Geystliche gesangk Buchleyn, 1524, Wittenberg, ed. Johann Walter Text (sts. 3, 6–7): © 2006
Concordia Publishing House; (sts. 4–5, 8): © 1978 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Text (sts. 1–2) and tune: Public domain
333 Once He Came in Blessing Text: Johann Horn, c. 1490–1547; (sts. 1, 4): tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–78, alt.; (sts. 2–3): tr. Lutheran Service Book, 2006 Tune: Michael Weisse, c. 1480–1534 Text (sts. 2–3): © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Text (sts. 1, 4) and tune: Public domain
334 O Lord, How Shall I Meet You Text: Paul Gerhardt, 1607–76; tr. The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941, alt. Tune: Johann Crüger, 1598–1662 Text and tune: Public domain
336 Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending Text: Charles Wesley, 1707–88, alt. Tune: Thomas Olivers, 1725–99 Text and tune: Public domain
