Hold Us Together
Your Name
WELCOME
AND
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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.
LITANY
P: With war and poverty, violence and destruction all
around us
C: We cry out, “How long, O Lord?”
P: God replies, “Watch and wait, the Answer is already
coming.”
C: The powers of the world are destroying us,
P: “For such a time as this,” says God, “I have called
you.”
C: Take us by the hand, Lord, and protect us,
P: “I will give you a light for all nations,” promises God.
C: Save us, dear Lord
P: God says, “I will give you My Son.”
C: We will call Him, “Immanuel”
P: God is with us, now and forever!
PRAYER OF THE DAY
P: Let us pray, God of justice,
C: you sent your servant Esther into a life of
privilege so that those without would be
taken care of. In our privilege, show us
how to advocate for those who have less,
so that your world might be peaceful and
just. We pray these things in the name of
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
“Seek Ye First”
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God,
And His righteousness
And all these things
shall be added unto you,
Allelu, Alleluia
Ask and it shall be given unto you,
Seek and ye shall find,
Knock and the door shall
be opened unto you,
Allelu, Alleluia
Man does not live by bread alone,
but by every word,
That proceeds from the
mouth of God,
Allelu, Alleluia
Seek ye first the
Kingdom of God,
And His righteousness
And all these things shall be
added unto you,
Allelu, Alleluia
Allelu, Alleluia
“Seek Ye First”, Karen Lafferty, Maranatha Music, CCLI #1724248
Esther 4:1-17
L:
The word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Children’s Sermon
LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT CANDLE
ELW Hymn No. 240
“Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah”
vss 1 & 2
Mighty to Save
Ev’ryone needs compassion,
Love that’s never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Ev’ryone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Savior
The Hope of nations
Savior, He can move the
mountains
My God is mighty to save,
He is mighty to save.
Forever, Author of Salvation
He rose and conquered the
grave Jesus conquered the
grave
So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow,
Ev’rything I believe in
Now I surrender
Yes I surrender
Savior, He can move the
mountains
My God is mighty to save,
He is mighty to save.
Forever, Author of
Salvation
He rose and conquered
the grave Jesus
conquered the grave
Shine your light and
Let the whole world see
We’re singing
For the glory of the risen
King
JesusShine your light and
Let the whole world see
We’re singing
For the glory of the risen
King
Savior, He can move the
mountains
My God is mighty to save,
He is mighty to save.
Forever, Author of
Salvation
He rose and conquered
the grave Jesus
conquered the grave
He’s my Savior,
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save,
He is mighty to save.
Forever, Author of
Salvation
He rose and conquered the
grave Jesus conquered the
grave
Shine your light and
Let the whole world see
We’re singing
For the glory of the risen
King
JesusShine your light and
Let the whole world see
We’re singing
For the glory of the risen
King
CCLI song# 4591782 Copyright 2006 Hillsong Publishing
(Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
APOSTLE’S CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of
heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the
dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended
into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the
Father, and he will come to judge the living and the
dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic
church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of
sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life
everlasting. Amen.
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
P: Lord, in your mercy,
C: hear our prayer.
SHARING THE PEACE
P: The peace of Christ be with you always.
C: And also with you.
OFFERING
“Nothing Without You”
Take these hands
And lift them up
For I have not the strength
To praise You near enough
See I have nothing
I have nothing without you
And take my voice
And pour it out
Let it sing the songs of mercy
I have found
For I have nothing
I have nothing without You
And all my soul needs
Is all Your love to cover me
So all the world
Will see
That I have nothing
Without You
Take my body
And build it up
May it be broken as
An offering of love
For I have nothing
I have nothing without You
And all my soul needs
Is all Your love to cover me
So all the world
Will see
That I have nothing
But I love You yeah
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
And all the strength
That I can find
Take my time here
On this earth
And let it glorify all that
You are worth
For I am nothing
I am nothing without You
CCLI song# 4442453 Copyright 2004 New Spring/Appstreet Music/Rotten Banana Music
OFFERTORY PRAYER
P: Let us Pray. Holy God, gracious and merciful, you
bring forth food from the earth and nourish your
whole creation.
C: Turn our hearts toward those who hunger
in any way, that all may know your care;
and prepare us now to feast on the bread
of life, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
CONFESSION & FORGIVENESS
All may make the sign of the cross, the sign marked at
baptism, as the presiding minister begins.
P: In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of
the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
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 is kept for reflection. You are invited to kneel,
sit, or stand as you wish.
P: Most merciful God,
C: we confess that we are captive to sin and
cannot free ourselves. We have sinned
against you in thought, word, and deed, by
what we have done and by what we have
left undone. We have not loved you with
our whole heart; we have not loved our
neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of
your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.
Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that
we may delight in your will and walk in your
ways, to the glory of your holy name.
Amen.
P: In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was
given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us
all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the
church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore
declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins,
in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of
the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Holy Communion is open to all who are
baptized, confess Jesus as Lord, and believe
that Jesus is present in the Bread and Wine. If
you desire gluten-free wafers, let the pastor
know at the time of distribution. Glasses of
white grape juice are available in each tray for
those who do not wish to receive wine.
WORDS OF
INSTITUTION
THE LORD’S PRAYER
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.
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
P: Taste and see that the Lord is good.
“My Faith Looks Up to Thee”
ELW No. 759
(Holly Reyner-Violin)
My faith looks up to thee,
thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray, take all my
guilt away, oh, let me from this day
be wholly thine!
May thy rich grace impart
strength to my fainting heart,
my zeal inspire;
as thou hast died for me,
oh, may my love to thee
pure, warm, and changeless be,
a living fire!
While life's dark maze I tread
and griefs around me spread,
be thou my guide;
bid darkness turn to day,
wipe sorrow's tears away,
nor let me ever stray
from thee aside.
When ends life's transient dream,
when death's cold, sullen stream
shall o'er me roll;
blest Savior, then, in love
fear and distrust remove;
oh, bear me safe above,
a ransomed soul!
POST-COMMUNION BLESSING
P: The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
C: Amen.
POST-COMMUNION PRAYER
P: Let us pray. We give you thanks, almighty God, that
you have refreshed us through the healing power of
this gift of life.
C: In your mercy, strengthen us through this
gift, in faith toward you and in fervent love
toward one another; for the sake of Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
BLESSING
P: Almighty God, Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit, bless
you now and forever.
C: Amen.
“Lord Reign in Me”
Over all the earth You
reign on high,
every mountain stream, every
sunset sky.
But my one request,
Lord, my only aim
Is that You’d reign in me again.
Lord reign in me, reign in
Your power,
over all my dreams, in my
darkest hour;
You are the Lord of all I am.
So won’t You reign in me again?
Over every thought,
over every word,
May my life reflect the
beauty of my Lord.
‘Cause You mean more to me
than any earthly thing.
So won’t You reign in me again.
Lord reign in me, reign in
Your power,
over all my dreams, in my
darkest hour;
You are the Lord of all I am.
So won’t You reign in me again?
Over all the earth You
reign on high,
every mountain stream, every
sunset sky.
But my one request, Lord, my
only aim
Is that You’d reign in me again.
Lord reign in me, reign in
Your power,
over all my dreams, in my
darkest hour;
You are the Lord of all I am.
So won’t You reign in me again?
Lord reign in me, reign in
Your power,
over all my dreams, in my
darkest hour;
You are the Lord of all I am.
So won’t You reign in me again?
So won’t You reign in me again?
So won’t You reign in me again?
“Lord Reign in Me”, Brenton Brown, 1998, Vineyard Songs, CCLI # 1724248
SENDING
P: Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
P: And all God’s children said…
C: AMEN!
From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2014
Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by
permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual
License #22611.From www.workingpreacher.org © 2014
Luther Seminary. Scripture quotations are from the New
Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of
Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches
of Christ in the United States of America. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.