St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

313 4th Street, Manistee, MI 49660

www.StPaulsManistee.com

facebook.com/SPLCManistee

Pastor Dennis J. Himm

November 30, 2025 Advent 1

REVIEWING THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH YEAR

The Christian Church Year is an ever-unfolding drama. It is the story of what God has done and continues to do through Jesus Christ to bring us salvation. In the changing of the colors of the paraments and the progression of the seasons, we see and hear God at work for our benefit. This morning we realize that the story of our salvation was prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament. All of today’s readings are from the Prophet Isaiah who lived more than 700 before Jesus Christ was even born.

WELCOME

CALL TO WORSHIP

M: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship

of the Holy Spirit be with you

C: And also with you.

M: God, our Father, each day is a gift of your grace.

C: Your mercies are new every morning.

M: Guide our steps by the light of your Word.

C: Shield us from harm and keep us from evil.

M: Better than life is your love.

C: Put joy in our hearts and praise on our lips. Alleluia!

PRAYER OF THE DAY

M: Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Protect us by your strength and save us from the threatening dangers of our sins; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: Amen.

FESTIVAL HALF

OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH YEAR

Christ for Me

ADVENT (COMING) PURPLE Isaiah 40:1-5

1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call out to her. Her warfare really is over. Her guilt is fully paid for. Yes, she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice is calling out: In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD. In the wasteland make a level highway for our God. 4Every valley will be raised up,

and every mountain and hill will be made low. The rugged ground will become level, and the rough places will become a plain. 5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh together will see it. Yes, the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

HYMN: 11 (1,2) “Comfort, Comfort All My People”

CHRISTMAS (BIRTH) WHITE Isaiah 9:6,7

6For to us a child is born. To us a son is given. The authority to rule will rest on his shoulders. He will be named: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no limit to his authority and no end to the peace he brings. He will rule on David’s throne and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from now on, into eternity. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.

HYMN 67 (1,2) “What Child Is This”

EPIPHANY (APPEARING) WHITE & GREEN Isaiah 61:1-3

1 The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the afflicted. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for those who are bound, 2to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a cloak of praise instead of a faint spirit, so that they will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD to display his beauty.

HYMN 83 (1,2) “As With Gladness Men of Old”

LENT (SUFFERING & DEATH) PURPLE Isaiah 53:1-9

1 Who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot and like a root from dry ground. He had no attractiveness and no majesty. When we saw him, nothing about his appearance made us desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man who knew grief, who was well acquainted with suffering. Like someone whom people cannot bear to look at, he was despised, and we thought nothing of him. 4Surely he was taking up our weaknesses, and he was carrying our sufferings. We thought it was because of God that he was stricken, smitten, and afflicted, 5but it was because of our rebellion that he was pierced. He was crushed for the guilt our sins deserved. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all have gone astray like sheep. Each of us has turned to his own way, but

the LORD has charged all our guilt to him. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb he was led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent in front of its shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 He was taken away without a fair trial and without justice, and of his generation, who even cared? So, he was cut off from the land of the living. He was struck because of the rebellion of my people. 9 They would have assigned him a grave with the wicked, but he was given a grave with the rich in his death, because he had done no violence, and no deceit was in his mouth.

HYMN 127 (1,3) “Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted”

EASTER (RESURRECTION) WHITE Isaiah 25:6-9

6 On this mountain the Lord of Armies will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of aged wines, with the best cuts of meat, and with the finest wines. 7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that covers all peoples, the burial cloth stretched over all nations. 8 He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face. He will take away the shame of his people throughout the earth. For the Lord has spoken. 9 On that day it will be said, “Look, here is our God! We waited for him, and he saved us! This is the Lord! We waited for him. Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation!”

HYMN 152 (1,7,8) “I Know that My Redeemer Lives”

PENTECOST (SENDING THE HOLY SPIRIT) RED Isaiah 44:1-6

1 But now listen, O Jacob my servant, O Israel, whom I have chosen. 2 This is what the LORD, your Maker, says, the LORD who formed you from the womb, who will help you. Do not be afraid, my servant Jacob, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen, 3because I will pour out water upon a thirsty land, and streams of water upon dry ground. I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. 4 They will spring up like a tree in a grassy meadow, like willows beside flowing streams. 5 One person will say, “I belong to the LORD.” Another will be called by the name of Jacob. Another will write on his hand, “Belonging to the LORD,” and he will take the name of Israel. 6 This is what the LORD, the King of Israel, Israel’s Redeemer, the LORD of Armies, says. I am the first, and I am the last. Except for me, there is no god.

HYMN 182 (1,3) “Holy Spirit, Ever Dwelling”

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

NON-FESTIVAL HALF

OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH YEAR

Christ in Me

TRINITY SUNDAY (GOD IS TRIUNE) WHITE Isaiah 6:1-8

1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two they covered their faces. With two they covered their feet. With two they flew. 3 One called to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory! 4 The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of the one who called, and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said, “I am doomed! I am ruined, because I am a man with unclean lips, and I dwell among a people with unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Armies!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, carrying a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with the coal and said, “Look, this has touched your lips, so your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.” 8 Then I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!”

HYMN 195 (1,2) “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty”

SUNDAYS AFTER PENTECOST GREEN Isaiah 43:1-3a

1 But now this is what the LORD says, the LORD who created you, O Jacob, the LORD who formed you, O Israel. Do not be afraid, because I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine. 2When you cross through the waters, I will be with you. When you cross the rivers, they will not sweep you away. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, and the flame will not set you on fire. 3 Because I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

HYMN 355 (1,2) “Take the World, but Give Me Jesus”

REFORMATION RED Isaiah 1:10-18

10 Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11 What do your many sacrifices mean to me? says the LORD. I have more than enough rams as burnt offerings and enough fat from well-fed animals. I am not pleased with the blood of bulls or the blood of lambs and male goats. 12When you come to appear before me,

who has asked for this from your hands: this trampling on my courts? 13 Stop bringing worthless offerings! Your incense is an abomination to me. I cannot stand your sinful assemblies on the new moons, Sabbaths, and holy days. 14 Deep in my soul I hate your new moons and your appointed feasts. They have become a burden to me. I am tired of putting up with them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Indeed, even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. 16Wash yourselves. Purify yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from my sight. Stop doing evil. 17 Learn to do good. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed. Seek justice for the fatherless. Plead for the widow. 18 Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Though they are as red as crimson, they will be like wool.

HYMN 201 (1,2) “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”

END TIMES

– LAST JUDGMENT, SAINTS TRIUMPHANT, CHRIST THE KING

Isaiah 35:1-4

1 The wilderness and the desert will be glad. The wasteland of the Arabah will rejoice and blossom like a crocus. 2It will bloom lavishly, and there will be great joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it. It will be excellent like Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. 3Strengthen the weak hands and make the shaky knees steady. 4 Tell those who have a fearful heart: Be strong. Do not be afraid. Look! Your God will come with vengeance. With God’s own retribution, he will come and save you.

PRAYER & LORD’S PRAYER

BENEDICTION - page 44

HYMN 214 (1,4) “Jerusalem the Golden”

ANNOUNCEMENTS

THANKOFFERING BASKET BY DOOR

The members of St Paul's & the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) have joined together to do the Lord’s work here and around the world. Our guests may but are not expected to participate in this offering which supports our church’s ministry.

PLEASE SIGN OUR GUEST BOOK IF YOU ARE VISITING.

It’s located in the entryway by the stairs going to the basement.

WE NEED YOUR HELP - Please stay for a few minutes after worship today to help us decorate the sanctuary for the Advent and Christmas seasons. Pizza will be provided once the job is completed.

SLEIGH BELL WEEKEND – We will hold our Annual Open House on Saturday, December 6., from noon – 2 pm. Please let us know if you can help. It’s a great opportunity to invite others to see our historical building and all that we have to offer as you proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the salvation of all.