Advent Midweek 3 12/17
Advent Midweek 3 12.17.25 vespers PDF
MIDWEEK ADVENT WORSHIP
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, WELCOME TO ST. PAUL’S!
VESPERS
7:00 p.m.
✠ ✠ ✠
PRELUDE Veni Emmanuel Setting: Mark Hayes
ENTRANCE VERSE (Stand) LSB 229
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare Your praise.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
make haste to help me, O Lord.
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.
Praise to You, O Christ, King who comes to save us.
ADVENT HYMN O Come, O Come, Emmanuel LSB 357
1 O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear. Refrain
Refrain
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
2 O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who ord’rest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go. Refrain
3 O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the Law
In cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain
4 O come, Thou Branch of Jesse’s tree,
Free them from Satan’s tyranny
That trust Thy mighty pow’r to save,
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave. Refrain
5 O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery. Refrain
6 O come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight. Refrain
7 O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace. Refrain
FIRST READING (Be seated) 1 Samuel 1:1-20
There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put away your wine from you.” But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
RESPONSORY (Stand)
Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a
righteous Branch.
This is the name by which He will be called: The Lord Is Our Righteousness.
In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely.
This is the name by which He will be called: The Lord Is Our Righteousness.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
This is the name by which He will be called: The Lord Is Our Righteousness.
SECOND READING Luke 1:26-38
The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the 1st chapter
Glory to You, O Lord.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, O Christ
SERMON (Be seated)
MAGNIFICAT (Stand) Tell Out, My So the Greatness of the Lord LSB 935
1 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings, give my spirit voice;
Tender to me the promise of His Word;
In God my Savior shall my heart rejoice.
2 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of His name!
Make known His might, the deeds His arm has done;
His mercy sure, from age to age the same;
His holy name, the Lord, the Mighty One.
3 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of His might!
Pow’rs and dominions lay their glory by.
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,
The hungry fed, the humble lifted high.
4 Tell out, my soul, the glories of His Word!
Firm is His promise, and His mercy sure.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
To children’s children and forevermore!
OFFERING (Be seated)
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 (Kneel) LSB 233-234
KYRIE LSB 233
Lord, have mercy;
Christ, have mercy;
Lord, have mercy.
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.
COLLECT FOR PEACE
O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
SENDING HYMN LUTHER’S EVENING PRAYER Setting: John A. Behnke
Choir:
I thank you, my heav’nly Father,
through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son,
that You have kept me this day.
I pray that You forgive me
for all the wrong that I have done this day.
For into Your hands I commend myself,
my body and soul, and all things.
Let Your holy angel be with me,
that the evil foe may have no power over me.
Congregation and Choir:
I thank you, my heav’nly Father,
through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son,
that You have kept me this day.
I pray that You forgive me
for all the wrong that I have done this day.
For into Your hands I commend myself,
my body and soul, and all things.
Let Your holy angel be with me,
that the evil foe may have no power over me.
I thank you, my heav’nly Father
through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son,
that You have kept me this day,
I pray that you forgive me
for all the wrong that I have done this day.
Choir: Keep me this night. Amen.
Those serving:
Greeter: Steve Janssen
Reader: Dede Dixon
AV/Streaming: Richard Irwin
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.
357 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Text: Latin, c. 12th cent.; Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum, 1710, Köln; tr. John Mason Neale, 1818–66, alt. Tune: French, 15th cent. Text and tune: Public domain
935 Tell Out, My Soul, the Greatness of the Lord Text: Timothy Dudley-Smith, 1926–2024 Tune: Walter Greatorex, 1877–1949 Text: © 1962, renewed 1990 Hope Publishing Co. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: © Oxford University Press. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
290 Luther’s Evening Prayer Text: Martin Luther, 1483–1546; Luther’s Small Catechism, alt. Tune: John A. Behnke, b. 1953 Text: © 1986 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: OAR Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: © 2018 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: OAR Hymn License no. 110005326
CHRISTMAS AT ST. PAUL’S
WORSHIP SCHEDULE
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Christmas Eve Worship – Wednesday, December 24
5:00 p.m. Candlelight service for families
7:30 p.m. Pre-service Music
8:00 p.m. Candlelight service with Holy Communion
Christmas Day Worship – Thursday, December 25
10:00 a.m. Celebration of Christ’s Birth with Holy Communion
