St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
313 4th Street, Manistee, MI 49660
www.StPaulsManistee.com
facebook.com/SPLCManistee
Pastor Dennis Himm (810) 252-5821
December 21, 2025 Advent 4
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM CHRIST(MAS)?
WELCOME
HYMN 8 “Come, O Precious Ransom, Come” (please stand for last stanza)
M: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. M: When God created the world, he made the crown of his creation—the human race—in his image. Perfect people lived in a perfect world in a perfect relationship with God.
C: But mankind rebelled against God, bringing sin into the world and death to all. God declared the wages of sin to be death. We too are guilty, and we confess our sinful thoughts, words, and actions.
M: However, God—who is Love—did not want to be separated from his children forever. He promised a Savior who would bear the punishment for sin, defeat the devil, and break the bonds of death.
C: (Sung) O, come, O, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lowly exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
M: When the time had fully come, God sent his Son. Jesus, our Savior, has paid the ransom for your debt; your sins are forgiven. Though we have not seen Jesus, we love him; and even though we do not see him now, we believe in him.
C: And we are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for we are receiving the end result of our faith, the salvation of our souls.
(Sung) O, come, our Joy, whose love forgives—
Whose death assures that we will live!
Move us to heed the call, “Repent!”
And trust, for your sake, God relent.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
M: In the joy of God we go to the world—to our friends, relatives, acquaintances, and neighbors. We regard no one from a worldly point of view. If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. All this
is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. C: God has committed to us the ministry of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. Jesus, who had no sin, became sin for us; in him we have become the righteousness of God. (Sung) Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
M: Hear our prayers, Lord Jesus Christ, and come with the good news of your mighty deliverance. Drive the darkness from our hearts and fill us with your light; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen.
FIRST LESSON: Isaiah 35:1-10
The season of Advent reminds us that the LORD will make all things new.
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. 5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unplugged. 6 The crippled will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy. Waters will flow in the wilderness, and streams in the wasteland. 7 The burning sand will become a pool, and in the thirsty ground there will be springs of water. There will be grass, reeds, and rushes where the haunts of jackals once lay. 8A highway will be there, a road that will be called the holy way. The impure will not walk there. It will be reserved for those who walk in that holy way. Wicked fools will not wander onto it. 9 No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious animal go up on it. They will not be found there, but only the redeemed will walk there. 10 Then those ransomed by the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with a joyful shout, and everlasting joy will crown their heads. Happiness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
M: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
SECOND LESSON: James 5:7-11
Patience is a Christian virtue as we eagerly await our Savior.
7 Therefore, brothers, be patient until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the valuable harvest from the ground, patiently waiting for it, until it receives the early and late rain. 8 You be patient too. Strengthen your hearts because the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look! The Judge is standing at the doors! 10 Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering with patient endurance. 11 See, we consider those who endured to be blessed. You have heard of the patient endurance of Job and have seen what the Lord did in the end, because the Lord is especially compassionate and merciful.
M: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
VERSE OF THE DAY:
M: Alleluia. I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you. Alleluia.
(Sung) Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
These words are written that we may believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
GOSPEL: Matthew 11:2-11
This question that the imprisoned John the Baptist asks is one that we all need to hear answered.
2While John was in prison, he heard about the things Christ was doing. He sent two of his disciples 3to ask him, “Are you the Coming One or should we wait for someone else?” 4Jesus answered them, “Go, report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the gospel is preached to the poor. 6 Blessed is the one who does not take offense at me.” 7As these two were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the crowds about John. “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8What did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? No, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ 11Amen I tell you: Among those born of women there has not appeared anyone greater than John the Baptist. Yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
P: The Gospel of the Lord.
C: (sung) Praise be to you, O Christ!
HYMN 12 “Hark the Glad Sound! The Savior Comes"
SERMON: Matthew 11:2-11 What Do You Expect From Christ(mas)?
APOSTLES’ CREED - page 41
PRAYER & LORD’S PRAYER (Traditional)
BLESSING C: Amen.
HYMN 6 "Come, O Long-Expected Jesus"
ANNOUNCEMENTS & REFRESHMENTS
THANKOFFERING BASKET BY DOOR
The free-will offering basket is located next to the water dispenser.
Our visitors are not expected to give to help fund our ministry here at St. Paul’s and beyond. CHRISTMAS EVE WORSHIP – 5 PM. Join us at 5 pm on Christmas Eve as we celebrate
our newborn King and Savior. The children will enhance this service with words and song. Please invite family, friends, and neighbors.
There is no Christmas Day service at St. Paul’s. However, you are cordially invited to travel to Redeemer Lutheran Church in Scottville for their 10 am Christmas Day worship service.
PLEASE SIGN OUR GUEST BOOK IF YOU ARE VISITING. It’s located in the entryway by the stairs going to the basement.
Scripture readings are from the Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV) Bible.