SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2024 2nd SUNDAY IN ADVENT
CHRIST THE KING LUTHERAN CHURCH
PASTOR: Rev. Harry M. Krolus
CHURCH: 410-356-3400 CELL: 410-707-7663
Church email: ctklclcms@yahoo.com
Church Web Site: ctklchurch.org
****************************************
WELCOME to everyone who is worshiping with us today. We are glad that you are here! We pray that your worship experience here at Christ The King is spiritually uplifting and rewarding. If you are visiting, please sign our guest book and introduce yourself to Pastor Harry.
(Please turn off all electronic devices before worship begins; or, if you are using a Bible app to enhance your worship experience or to use PayPal, please enable the do not disturb function on your phone.)
*********************************************************************************
WORDS OF WELCOME
THE HANDSHAKE OF CHRISTIAN PEACE
THE INVOCATION
P. We begin our worship this day in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C. Amen.
THE CALL TO WORSHIP
P. We celebrate your world, Divine Creator.
C. The sun and moon, the live oak and the bird of paradise, the drops of water, the clear sky and the cleansing wind.
P. We celebrate your order, Divine Planner.
C. Summer, winter, spring and fall, night and day, month and year-- a time for everything.
P. We celebrate your truth, Divine Wisdom.
C. Carried by sages, prophets, martyrs and poets, and fully revealed in Jesus of Nazareth.
P. We celebrate your kindness, Divine Friend.
C. Lifting up the fallen, embracing us in our weakness, surrounding us with beauty.
P. We celebrate your presence, Divine Companion.
C. A song in our hearts and hope in our steps, joy in our soul and peace in our words.
OPENING HYMN: 331 “The Advent Of Our King”
THE CONFESSION OF SINS
P. Rejoicing in the knowledge that God seeks to save and not punish, we confess our sins together before God our merciful Father.
ALL: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful, and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good. For this I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity. But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.
P. God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C. Amen.
THE LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT WREATH
P. The second candle lit on the Advent wreath is the Bethlehem candle. It reminds us of the humble birth of our Savior and that he came not to save some, but all.
C. As Bethlehem was prepared to cradle the Christ Child, we prepare our hearts and homes to cradle him now.
(The Bethlehem candle is now lit.)
THE PSALM FOR THE DAY: Psalm 66:1-12
P. Shout with joy to God, all the earth!
C. Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious!
P. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.
C. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name.”
P. Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf!
C. He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot — come, let us rejoice in him.
P. He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations — let not the rebellious rise up against him.
C. Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard;
P. he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.
C. For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.
P. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.
C. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.
OUR CONFESSION OF FAITH
I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
I believe 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 shall 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 life everlasting. Amen.
THE LESSONS FOR THE DAY
THE FIRST LESSON: Malachi 3:1-7
“See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his tem-
ple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.
But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.
He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.
“So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty.
“I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.
“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
THE SECOND LESSON: Philippians 1:2-11
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God.
THE CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
THE GOSPEL LESSON: Luke 3:1-14
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar — when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene — during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’”
John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.”
Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely — be content with your pay.”
SERMON HYMN: 344 “On Jordan’s Bank The Baptist’s Cry”
THE SERMON: “Beyond The Lights And Decorations”
text: Luke 3:3-4
THE OFFERING
AN OFFERING SONG (783)
Take my life, that I may be consecrated, Lord, to thee;
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use every pow’r as thou shalt choose.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYERS
CELEBRATING THE LORD’S SUPPER
We invite to the Lord’s Table all who have been baptized, accept the Bible as God’s authoritative Word, and believe that the body and blood of the risen Christ are really present in the bread and wine; given for the forgiveness of our sins. If you prefer the individual cup, please extend one index finger as your hands are folded on the altar railing. This will alert the communion assistants of your preference. Also, if for some medical reason you are not able to consume alcohol, grape juice is available in the individual cups. The grape juice is “red” while the wine is “white”.
P. Our Lord Jesus has given us a holy supper in which we receive his true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of our faith. In this supper, we celebrate the gift of his redemption, we bear witness to the fellowship we share as confessors of the truth, and we proclaim his death until he returns.
C. Praise to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In love, he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.
THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION
THE WORDS OF INVITATION
P. The gifts of God for the people of God.
C. Amen.
THE DISTRIBUTION
Hymn: 623 “Lord Jesus Christ, We Humbly Pray”
352 “Let The Earth Now Praise The Lord”
350 “Come, Thou Precious Ransom, Come”
A CLOSING PRAYER
We give thanks, Almighty God, that you have refreshed us with this holy supper. We pray that through it you will strengthen our faith in you and increase our love for one another. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
THE BLESSING
P. May our gracious God who has given us rebirth in holy baptism bless you in all that you do, and may he guide you in all of his ways.
C. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN: 332 “Savior Of The Nations, Come” (1,2,6,8)
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
2024 ADVENT/CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE
Sunday, December 8 - 2nd Sunday In Advent
Worship with Communion at 10:30 AM
Family Christmas Dinner at 12:00 PM
Wednesday, December 11
2nd Mid-Week Advent Worship Service at 7:30 PM
Saturday, December 14
Sunday School Dress Rehearsal at 9:00 AM
Sunday, December 15 - 3rd Sunday in Advent
Children’s Christmas Program at 10:30 AM
Christmas Caroling at 5:00 PM
Wednesday, December 18
3rd Mid-Week Advent Worship Service at 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 22 - 4th Sunday In Advent
Worship with Communion at 10:30 AM
Tuesday, December 24 - Christmas Eve
Family Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 7:30 PM
Wednesday, December 25 - Christmas Day
Christmas Day Worship at 10:30 AM
Sunday, December 29 - 1st Sunday After Christmas
Worship with Communion at 10:30 AM
Tuesday, December 31 - New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve Worship at 7:30 PM
