St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
313 4th St, Manistee, MI 49660-2901
website: stpaulsmanistee.com
facebook.com/SPLCManistee
Telephone: 231-299-1022
December 18, 2022 - Advent 4 Behold
Prayer Before Worship - Lord, today we pause to behold You who came into our world to be our Savior. Keep us beholding You all the time in our lives so we stay connected with You forever.
Hymn 23
Common Service, front of hymnal, page 15
Prayer: Stir up Your power, O Lord, & come. Take away the burden of our sins/ & make us ready for the celebration of Your birth,/ that we may receive You in joy & serve You always; for You live & reign with the Father & the Holy Spirit,/ one God, now & forever. (sing) Amen.
Epistle: Romans 1:1-7
Jesus is true man, descendant of David, born of Mary, yet proven to be the Son of God by the resurrection. He came & was born to live & die & rise so we might be saved by grace.
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are
among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse: Alleluia! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel. Alleluia! (Sing) Alleluia! x3 pg 18
Gospel: Matthew 1: 18-25
Mary fulfills the sign given through Isaiah. Joseph’s example urges us to live in obedient faith.
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Apostles Creed, front of hymnal, page 19
Hymn 24
Sermon Text: Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 7:10-14
The Lord’s gracious sign that the virgin will be with child, given to unbelieving Ahaz underscores God’s grace to sinners.
10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test.” 13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Theme: A sign to show how God deals with us sinners
(2 Ki 16:5) Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. {6}At that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram by driving out the men of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.
{Is7:2}Now the house of David was told, "Aram has allied itself with Ephraim"; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.
{3}Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman's Field. {4}Say to him, 'Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood--because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. {5}Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah's son have plotted your ruin, saying, {6}"Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it." {7}Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'It will not take place, it will not happen, {8}for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. {9}The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.'"
{10}Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, {11}"Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights."
{2 Kings 16:7}Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, "I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me." {8}And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria. {9}The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir and put Rezin to death.
(Sing) “Create in me…., front of hymnal, page 20
Thankoffering The members of St. Paul's have joined together to do the Lord’s work in this area & around the world. Visitors need not feel obligated to participate in this offering which supports our church’s ministry.
Prayer of the church, front of hymnal, page 123
Special prayers; Lord’s Prayer, front of hymnal, page 20
Hymn 36; Continue on page 25, front of hymnal
Hymn 47, verse 5