Fourth Sunday of Advent December 20, 2020

18920 4th Ave. NE 7968 Finch Road NE Poulsbo WA 98370 Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 (360) 779-2622 (206) 842-4241 poulsbofirstlutheran.org bethanyofbainbridge.org welcome@pflc.org info@bethanyofbainbridge.org

“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” ~Galatians 3:28

http://pflc.org/http://bethanyofbainbridge.org/mailto:welcome@pflc.orgmailto:info@bethanyofbainbridge.org

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ORDER OF WORSHIP GOD GATHERS US FOR WORSHIP

PRELUDE Wachet Auf Sylvia Cauter J. S. Bach

WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS We do a land acknowledgment as a step toward healing for promises broken over the years. 

P: Here on the shores of the Salish Sea, on the traditional lands of the Suquamish and Port Gamble S’Klallam people, God gathers us in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen

CANDLE LIGHTING Isaiah 40:1-5 Scarlett Jett and Jon Madamba Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 2Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. 3A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

These long nights can make us blue, can turn our grief into despair, can challenge our resolve, can exact a penalty on our hope. Yet, into this soulful wilderness, our Lord speaks and our Lord gives us voice in the promise that our God will make those rough places a space for healing and comfort.

CANDLE-LIGHTING HYMN O Come, O Come Emmanuel (v. 8) #257 Thomas Helmore

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS P: God of all mercy and consolation, come to the help of your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your Holy Spirit that we may confess our sin, receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. C: Amen P: Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another. SILENCE FOR REFLECTION AND SELF-EXAMINATION P: Gracious God, C: have mercy on us. We confess that we have turned from you and given

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ourselves into the power of sin. We are truly sorry and humbly repent. In your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things we have done and things we have failed to do. Turn us again to you, and uphold us by your Spirit, so that we may live and serve you in newness of life through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen P: God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts through faith. C: Amen

OPENING HYMN My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness #251

APOSTOLIC GREETING P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. C: And also with you.

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HYMN OF PRAISE

PRAYER OF THE DAY P: Let us pray… C: Amen

GOD SPEAKS TO US IN THE WORD THE ALLELUIA VERSE

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BIBLE READING Luke 1:26-56 26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. 39In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” 46And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” 56And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. P: The Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God.

CHILDREN’S SERMON Paul Davis

SERMON Pastor Alison Shane PRAYERS

After each portion of the prayers: P: Lord, in your mercy, C: hear our prayer. The prayers conclude: P: In Jesus’ name. C: Amen

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OFFERING INTRODUCTION P: “He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” The Lord has indeed done great things for us: blessed us in the knowledge of his love through Jesus, showered us with grace upon grace, and promised us an eternal home. But we are also, by no virtue of our own, placed in a position of power in this world. So God calls us to lay it all down, to fill the hungry with good things, to set aside the power for the sake of those who have none. To answer God’s call to give for the sake of others, go to another browser tab and head over to your faith home’s online giving portal, or write a check and send it via USPS to your faith home.

Poulsbo First Lutheran: PFLC online offering Bethany Lutheran, Bainbridge Island: Bethany online offering

SPECIAL MUSIC Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus Doug Love Charles Wesley, W. Walker

GOD HEALS THE COMMUNITY IN THE MEAL THE GREAT THANKSGIVING P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. P: Lift up your hearts. C: We lift them to the Lord. P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. C: It is right to give our thanks and praise. P: In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat: this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me. Again, after supper he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

LORD’S PRAYER C: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen

THE DISTRIBUTION We are gathered virtually today as the Body of Christ. As we sing the “Lamb of God,” please gather your bread and wine, and then we will commune together.

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THE VIRTUAL ASSEMBLY COMMUNES TOGETHER P: The body of Christ, given for you. (eat the bread) The blood of Christ, shed for you. (drink the wine) When the congregation has been united in the meal, the pastor will say the table blessing:

P: The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace. C: Amen

POST-COMMUNION CANTICLE

POST-COMMUNION PRAYER P: God for whom we wait, in this meal you give us a foretaste of that day when the hungry will be fed with good things. Send us forth to make known your deeds and to proclaim the greatness of your name, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. C: Amen

GOD SENDS US OUT TO SERVE

BENEDICTION P: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. C: Amen

SENDING HYMN Joy to the World #267

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SENDING P: Go and bring God’s mercy, God’s justice, and God’s healing to those around you. C: Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.

PFLC VISION STATEMENT

People gathered and sent in the love of Christ.

PFLC GUIDING PRINCIPLE

How can we best demonstrate the love of Christ?

PFLC CORE VALUES

Jesus is Lord – Worship – Compassion – Service Readings: New Revised Standard Version ©1996 by Oxford University Press, Inc.198 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016 Liturgy is reprinted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, ©2006, by permission of Augsburg Fortress, License #SB160801.

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” Text ©1997 Augsburg Fortress; “My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness” Text ©1995 Augsburg Fortress; “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” Tune: ©1978, Augsburg Fortress. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission OneLicense.net License #A-708751.

Permission to podcast/stream the liturgy and music in this service obtained from Augsburg Fortress, License #SB160801; OneLicense.net, License #A-708751; and CCLI, License #20550586.

Cover art: PFLC

YOUR SERVANT LEADERS TODAY Worship Assistants: Pastor Kent Shane, Poulsbo First Lutheran Pastor Paul Stumme-Diers, Bethany Lutheran, Bainbridge Island Producer: Jonathan McClung, Perceptico Reading for next week: Luke 2:1-14 [15-20]; Luke 2:8-20; Luke 2:21-38