This page looks best if you turn your mobile device sideways (landscape view)
December 14, 2022
Worship Theme: “Sons of Advent” – Judah the “Praise-Filled” Son
“Sons of Advent” is our midweek Advent Service theme. Tonight, we focus our hearts and thoughts on Jesus as we hear about a son for whom there would be much to praise the Lord.
Pastor Frick’s Welcome
Invocation
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
The Word – Psalm 48
Arise, O Christian people!
Prepare yourselves today;
prepare to greet the Savior,
Who takes your sins away.
To us by grace alone
The truth and light were given;
the promised Lord from heaven
To all the world is shown.
Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.
Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
Prepare the way before him,
Prepare for him the best;
Cast out what would offend him,
This great, this heav’nly guest.
Make straight, make plain the way:
The lowly valleys raising,
The heights of pride abasing,
His path all even lay.
Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.
The humble heart and lowly
God raises up on high;
Beneath his feet in terror
The haughty soul shall lie.
The heart sincere and right,
That heeds God’s invitation
And makes true preparation –
It is the Lord’s delight.
For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even to the end.
Prepare my heart, Lord Jesus;
Turn not from me aside,
And help me to receive you
This blessèd Advent-tide.
From stall and manger low
Come now to dwell within me;
I’ll sing your praises gladly
And forth your glory show.
Prayer of the Day
Let us pray.
Come, O long expected Jesus,
Born to set your people free;
From our sins and fears release us
By your death on Calvary.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope to all the earth impart,
Dear desire of ev’ry nation,
Joy of ev’ry longing heart.
Born your people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a king,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now your gracious kingdom bring.
By your own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By your all-sufficient merit
Raise us to your glorious throne.
Reading – Son of Advent: Judah
Judah was the fourth son born to Leah, one of Jacob’s two wives. It was never Jacob’s intention to marry Leah. Jacob had been deceived by Leah’s father into marrying Leah. Jacob wanted to marry Leah’s younger sister, Rachel. About a week after marrying Leah, Jacob married Rachel, but it cost him another seven years of working for Laban. Jacob loved Rachel more than he loved Leah.
When Leah saw Jacob loved Rachel more than her, she hoped the sons she gave birth to would cause Jacob to love her. When she gave birth to her fourth son she said,
“This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.
Leah praised the LORD for yet another son. She praised the Lord because after four sons surely her husband would have to love her now. Four sons were not enough. Rachel would remain Jacob’s favorite.
The next time we hear of Judah, he was at a well encouraging his brothers to sell Joseph to a traveling caravan instead of killing him. Judah said to his brothers,
“What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.
Not long after that, Judah left his brothers and family. Perhaps he was trying to put the sale of Joseph into slavery behind him. Judah would marry and have children of his own.
Some time later, Judah returned home to be with his father Jacob and his brothers. Judah went with his brothers to go and buy grain in Egypt because of a famine. There they met their brother Joseph whom they had sold into slavery.
When Joseph devised a plan to reveal himself to his brothers and lead them to repentance it was Judah who spoke up on behalf of the brothers.
“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves.”
After Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, Judah, his father Israel and the rest of his brothers would live in the land of Goshen. When Israel’s death was near, Israel blessed Judah with these words,
Judah, your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.
You are a lion’s cub, O Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness – who dares to rouse him?
The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs
and the obedience of the nations is his.
He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.
Judah, the one whose name sounds like praise, would be a son in the line of the Savior. Praise the Lord!
For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah.
Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of King David.
The scepter will not depart from Judah. Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations.
Praise the Lord!
The God of Abraham Praise – CW 613
Sermon – Genesis 29:35; 49:8-10
Judah: The “Praise-Filled” Son
She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.”
So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.
“Judah, your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.
You are a lion’s cub, O Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness – who dares to rouse him?
The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs
and the obedience of the nations is his.”
Offering
Adult Choir – The Angel Gabriel
The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
with wings as drifted snow, with eyes as flame:
“All hail to thee, O lowly maiden Mary,
most highly favored maiden.” Gloria!
“For know a blessed mother thou shalt be,
all generations laud and honor thee;
Thy son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold,
most highly favored maiden.” Gloria!
Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head;
“To me be as it pleaseth God,” she said.
“My soul shall laud and magnify God’s holy name.”
Most highly favored maiden. Gloria!
Of her Emmanuel, the Christ was born
in Bethlehem all on a Christmas morn,
and Christian folk throughout the world will ever say:
“Most highly favored maiden.” Gloria! Gloria!
Lord, Have Mercy
Lord Jesus, you came to gather the nations into the peace of God’s kingdom.
Lord, have mercy.
You come in Word and Sacrament to forgive our sins and to strengthen us in holiness.
Christ, have mercy.
You will come in glory with salvation for your people.
Lord, have mercy.
O almighty God, have mercy on us, forgive our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
Prayer
Lord God, our refuge and fortress, your faithfulness has protected us through this day. Now send your holy angels to guard us from danger through this night. Give us peaceful rest, free from fear, that we may wake refreshed to serve you, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.
Amen.
I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have graciously kept me this day. Forgive me all my sins, and graciously keep me this night. Into your hands I commend my body and soul and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Blessing
In Judah God is known;
his name is great in Israel.
His tent is in Salem,
his dwelling place in Zion.
He breaks the spirit of rulers;
he is feared by the kings of the earth.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.
Amen.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel – CW 327
