Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CALL TO CONFESSION
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for
the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in
vain. Deut 5:11
For I have bent Judah as my bow;
PRAYER OF CONFESSION I have made Ephraim its arrow.
Lord Jesus Christ, we have broken your third commandment I will stir up your sons, O Zion,
which says, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your against your sons, O Greece,
God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes and wield you like a warrior's sword.
his name in vain.” We have not held your name, titles, Then the Lord will appear over them,
attributes, words, sacraments, actions in a high and reverent and his arrow will go forth like lightning;
manner as we should. We have abused your name by using it the Lord God will sound the trumpet
in careless, ignorant, superstitious, ambiguous, and wicked and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south.
ways. By neglecting and misinterpreting your words to us in The Lord of hosts will protect them,
Scripture, we have attributed to your name those desires and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones,
which are sinful and should only be ascribed to our twisted and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine,
hearts. We have lightly and falsely taken your name upon and be full like a bowl,
ourselves as Christians. In our unfaithfulness, we have been drenched like the corners of the altar.
unfit representatives of you and your commands. On that day the Lord their God will save them,
We pray that you would forgive us, by the blood of Christ, for as the flock of his people;
our sins, allowing us to escape the curse of this for like the jewels of a crown
commandment. O Lord, cause our hearts to treasure, above they shall shine on his land.
all others, your most wonderful name. For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!
Grain shall make the young men flourish,
DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS and new wine the young women.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his Zechariah 9:9-17
mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came PRAYER
together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to Hearing God’s Word: Exodus 2:23-25
put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he 23
During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the
considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried
appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.
not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is 24
And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God
and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people saw the people of Israel—and God knew.
from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had
spoken by the prophet: This is the Word of the Lord
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, Thanks be to God.
and they shall call his name Immanuel” Sermon - Kruger
(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep,
he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his Song 3: Come Behold the Wondrous mystery
wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And (page 12, CWC songbook)
he called his name Jesus.
Matthew 1:18-25 The Lord Communes With Us
PRAYER The Lord’s Supper - Matthew 26
including
Song 2: Great is thy Faithfulness (page 15, CWC songbook) The Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
The Lord Consecrates Us By His Word Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
born of the Virgin Mary,
Behold, your king is coming to you;
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
righteous and having salvation is he,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
humble and mounted on a donkey,
He descended into hell.
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
The third day he rose again from the dead;
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
he ascended into heaven,
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
From there he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
and he shall speak peace to the nations;
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
the holy catholic Church,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
the communion of saints,
As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with
the forgiveness of sins,
you,
the resurrection of the body,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
today I declare that I will restore to you double.