[Sunday's Worship Service and Scripture Readings]

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First Sunday in Advent 11-30-25

Behold, your king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation.

Who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?

Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;

steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Blessèd are the people who know the festal shout,

who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,

who exult in your name all the day

and in your righteousness are exalted.

For our shield belongs to the LORD,

our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Behold, your king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation.

 

Collect 

Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 

 

[Jeremiah 33:14-16]  "The day will come, says the LORD, when I will do for Israel and Judah all the good I have promised them.  15 At that time I will bring to the throne of David a righteous descendant, and he will do what is just and right throughout the land.  16 In that day Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And their motto will be 'The LORD is our righteousness!'

 

[1 Thessalonians 3:9-13]   How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy in the presence of God.  10 Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill up anything that may still be missing in your faith.  11 May God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus make it possible for us to come to you very soon.  12 And may the Lord make your love grow and overflow to each other and to everyone else, just as our love overflows toward you.  13 As a result, Christ will make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy when you stand before God our Father on that day when our Lord Jesus comes with all those who belong to him.

 

[Luke 1:5-25]   It all begins with a Jewish priest, Zechariah, who lived when Herod was king of Judea. Zechariah was a member of the priestly order of Abijah. His wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God's eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord's commandments and regulations.  7 They had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and now they were both very old.  8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week.  9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary and burn incense in the Lord's presence.  10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.  11 Zechariah was in the sanctuary when an angel of the Lord appeared, standing to the right of the incense altar.  12 Zechariah was overwhelmed with fear.  13 But the angel said, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John.  14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice with you at his birth,  15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or hard liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.1  16 And he will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom." 

18 Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I know this will happen? I'm an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years."  19 Then the angel said, "I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 And now, since you didn't believe what I said, you won't be able to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly come true at the proper time." 21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out, wondering why he was taking so long. 22 When he finally did come out, he couldn't speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures that he must have seen a vision in the Temple sanctuary.  23 He stayed at the Temple until his term of service was over, and then he returned home.  24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months.  25 "How kind the Lord is!" she exclaimed. "He has taken away my disgrace of having no children!" 

 

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