SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT December 3 / 6, 2020

Zion Ev. Lutheran Church

6430 Hwy. D Allenton, Wisconsin 53002

Members of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS)

Steven D. Bode, pastor 6438 Hwy. D Allenton, WI

Church Office: 262-629-5914 / website: www.zionallenton.org

Pastor cell phone: 262-483-0407 / e-mail: revsdb@aol.com

Welcome to God’s House Today we remember the forerunner to the Savior, John the Baptist. God

sent John ahead of Jesus to prepare the way for the coming King. As

John did for Israel, today we pray that God prepares our hearts for Christ

to come in Word and Sacrament and come again in glory on the Last Day.

The Common Service

Hymn Hosanna to the Coming Lord CW #21 Hosanna to the coming Lord! Hosanna to the incarnate Word!

To Christ, Creator, Savior, King let earth, let heav’n hosanna sing. O Savior, with protecting care abide in this your house of prayer,

Where we your parting promise claim, assembled in your sacred name. O Advent King, our sins forgive; come in our lives and hearts to live,

And let our humble souls become a temple worthy of your name. Then in the last and dreadful day, when earth and heav’n shall melt away,

Your flock, redeemed from sinful stain,shall swell the sound of praise again.

Invocation M: In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.

C: ♫ Amen.

Confession of Sins M: Beloved in the Lord: let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins to

God our Father, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us

forgiveness.

C: 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.

♫ Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.

M: 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.

Prayer of the Day M: Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the way for your only Son. By his coming

give us strength in our conflicts and shed light on our path through the darkness

of this world; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with

you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: ♫ Amen.

Scripture Reading Isaiah 40:1-11 Comfort, comfort my people,

says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,

and proclaim to her

that her hard service has been completed,

that her sin has been paid for,

that she has received from the Lord’s hand

double for all her sins. 3 A voice of one calling:

“In the wilderness prepare

the way for the Lord;

make straight in the desert

a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up,

every mountain and hill made low;

the rough ground shall become level,

the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,

and all people will see it together.

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 6 A voice says, “Cry out.”

And I said, “What shall I cry?”

“All people are like grass,

and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,

because the breath of the Lord blows on them.

Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,

but the word of our God endures forever.” 9 You who bring good news to Zion,

go up on a high mountain.

You who bring good news to Jerusalem,

lift up your voice with a shout,

lift it up, do not be afraid;

say to the towns of Judah,

“Here is your God!” 10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,

and he rules with a mighty arm.

See, his reward is with him,

and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:

He gathers the lambs in his arms

and carries them close to his heart;

he gently leads those that have young.

Psalm 14

Gospel Mark 1:1-8 After the announcement of the Gospel, the congregation sings:

C: ♫ Glory be to you, O Lord!

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is

written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way”— 3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,

make straight paths for him.’” 4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of

repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the

people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by

him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt

around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message:

“After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not

worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you

with the Holy Spirit.”

After the Gospel, the congregation sings:

C: ♫ Praise be to you, O Christ!

The Apostles’ Creed 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 is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.

From there he will 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 the life everlasting. Amen.

Hymn of the Day On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry #16 On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry announces that the Lord is nigh;

Come, then, and listen, for he brings good news about the King of kings. Then cleansed be ev’ry life from sin and furnished for a guest within,

And let us all our hearts prepare for Christ to come and enter there. We hail you as our Savior, Lord, our refuge and our great reward.

Without your grace we waste away like flow’rs that wither and decay. Stretch forth your hand, our health restore, and lift us up to fall no more.

Oh, make your face on us to shine, and fill the world with love divine. All praise to you, eternal Son, whose advent has our freedom won,

Whom with the Father we adore and Holy Spirit evermore.

Sermon Mark 1:1-8

After the sermon, the congregation sings: C: ♫ Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast

me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with your free

Spirit. Amen.

Offering the offering plates are situated near the exit door

The members of Zion have joined together to do the Lord's work in this community and around the world. If

you are a visitor, please don’t feel obligated to participate in this offering which supports our ministry.

Prayer of the Church

The Lord’s Prayer

The Blessing M: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be

gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and (+) give you peace.

C: ♫ Amen. Amen. Amen.

Closing Hymn Prepare the Royal Highway CWS #702

This Week at Zion

Today: 7:30 / 9:45 a.m. Worship

8:40 a.m. Adult bible study

11:00 a.m. Endowment meeting

4:00 p.m. KML Winter band concert (livestreamed) Tue: 12:30 p.m. Pastors’ circuit meeting Wed: 6:00 p.m. Catechism instructions Thu: 12:00 p.m. Ask the Expert at Christian Family Solutions (cf. below)

7:00 p.m. Worship with Holy Communion Sun: 7:30 / 9:45 a.m. Worship with Holy Communion

8:40 a.m. Adult bible study Transferred to the Church Triumphant Marion Wojtalewicz was called home to

heaven this past Thursday afternoon. Arrangements are pending. May God comfort

all who mourn with Jesus’ sure promise: “Because I live, you also will live.” Christmas Decorating Thanks to the small but dedicated group of people who stayed

last week after church to help decorate for Christmas. You and your work are

appreciated. We thank our accompanists this weekend: Anne Drewa (Thursday) and Bea

Pamperin (Sunday). The flowers on the altar today were placed to God’s glory by Darwin and Kim Schulz

on the occasion of their anniversary. Christmas Schedule Due to having the limited attendance this year, an extra worship

service was added to both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The schedule is as

follows: Christmas Eve (5:30; 7:00; 10 p.m. with the first two identical and 10 p.m.

being the candlelight service); Christmas Day (7:30 & 9:00 a.m. both services are the

same). Christmas cards are still available in the narthex on the cabinets. You’re welcome to

take a look at them. The prices are on the boxes.

Ask the Expert Christian Family Solutions is hosting part 3 in a series of Ask the

Expert wellness presentations this coming Thursday, December 10th. Jeremy Long,

LPC, will be talking about mental health wellness in teenagers, with skills and

strategies to apply in school and at home. Find out more by contacting Bre

Gruenewald at bgruenewald@wlcfs.org or at 262-415-7739. The website address is

www.christianfamilysolutions.org Food Drive Thanks to all who contributed to the fall food drive to benefit the

Kewaskum Community Food Pantry. Meditations A few copies of the new Meditations devotional booklet are still

available. They started last Sunday, but it won’t take long to catch up. Pick one up

today. Advent Devotion Booklets There are still a limited number of Advent devotional

books available on the table near the kitchen. For 2-3 minutes / day you’ll spend time

in God’s Word reviewing a number of Old Testament accounts which led up to the

birth of Jesus, a descendant of King David and David’s father, Jesse, thus the title of

the devotions, “The Jesse Tree.” Again, even though you’ll be 6 days behind, it won’t

take much to catch up. Christmas Concerts Yes, there are still some Christmas concerts taking place this

year. Some are live and in person; others are by sign-up only; still others are

livestreamed.

Dec. 11th at 7 p.m. and Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. at Crown of Life Lutheran; livestream

linked by going to http://crownoflifehubertus.com

Dec. 13th at 3 p.m. at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary livestreamed at

www.livestream.com/WLSLive

Dec. 13th at 3 p.m. at Luther Prep School in person and livestreamed at

www.livestream.com/lps/concerts2021

Dec. 13th at 4 p.m. live at KML; must sign up at www.koinemusic.com