Author: Julie Raffa

Introit Psalm 9:1–12; antiphon Psalm 146:3, 5
3Put not your trust in | princes,* in a son of man, in whom there is no sal- | vation.
5Blessèd is he whose help is the God of | Jacob,* whose hope is in the | Lord his God,
1I will give thanks to the Lord with my | whole heart;* I will recount all of your won- | derful deeds. 2I will be glad and ex- | ult in you;* I will sing praise to your name, | O Most High. 3When my enemies | turn back,* they stumble and perish before your | presence. 4For you have maintained my | just cause;* you have sat on the throne, giving righteous | judgment. 5You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked | perish;* you have blotted out their name forever and | ever. 6The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you | rooted out;* the very memory of them has | perished. 7But the Lord sits enthroned for- | ever;* he has established his throne for | justice, 8and he judges the world with | righteousness;* he judges the peoples with up- | rightness. 9The Lord is a stronghold for | the oppressed,* a stronghold in times of | trouble. 10And those who know your name put their | trust in you,* for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who | seek you. 11Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in | Zion!* Tell among the peoples | his deeds! 12For he who avenges blood is mind- | ful of them;* he does not forget the cry of the af- | flicted.
Glory be to the Father and | to the Son*
and to the Holy | Spirit;
as it was in the be- | ginning, *
is now, and will be forever. | Amen.
3Put not your trust in | princes,* in a son of man, in whom there is no sal- | vation.
5Blessèd is he whose help is the God of | Jacob,* whose hope is in the | Lord his God,
Collect of the Day
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.
Old Testament Reading Genesis 4:1–16
1Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
8Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. 11And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Gradual Zechariah 9:9; Psalm 118:26, alt.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation. Blessèd is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.
Epistle Romans 5:12–17
12Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
15But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Holy Gospel Matthew 5:17–26
17[Jesus said:] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
21“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”
Announcements
Congregational Children’s Christmas Program and Chili Lunch—This year the Congregational Christmas Program will be held on December 11th. Following the late service, we will have a Chili lunch in the new fellowship hall beginning around 12:00 and ending at 1:30. The program will begin at 2:00 p.m. I must again reiterate that this is not primarily for the parents whose children are in the program, but for our entire Pilgrim family—an opportunity to celebrate the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus centered around Christmas hymns and readings from Holy Scripture. I pray that all of you will take the time to come, not only to support the small voices that announce to us our Lord’s nativity, but also a time for you to prepare and envelope your heart and mind in joyous words and hymns that the Word of God has become flesh, and dwells among you for your salvation—Pastor Raffa.
Sunday afternoon 2nd Samuel Bible Class—The Bible Class will take a break from November 20th to January 1st. It will resume on January 8th with 2nd Samuel chapter 13.
Thursday morning 2nd Samuel Bible Class is on a break from classes until
Thursday, January 12, 2023.
SWD Teacher of the Year nomination information is on bulletin board in the Narthex.

Advent first Midweek: Cain
Divine Service
Lutheran Service Book: Page:
Liturgy: Setting 4 Nicene Creed 204
Gloria in Excelsis is omitted in Advent
Litany for Prayers of the Church 288
Hymns:
What Hope! An Eden Prophesied 342
O Lord, How Shall I Meet You 334
Communion Hymns:
I lay My Sins on Jesus 606
Draw Near and Take the Body 637
Comfort, Comfort Ye My People 347
In the Shattered Bliss of Eden 572
Scripture Readings:
Old Testament: Genesis 4:1-16
Epistle: Romans 5:12-17
Gospel: Matthew 5:17-26
X X X
In our prayers, we remember:
X all who live under the flag of our nation,
X our government and judicial officials,
X law enforcement officers, military personnel, and their families,
X those isolated from family and friends,
X those struggling with health issues:
Ellen Frank, Phyllis Laabs-Darkow, George Muth, Steve Spalda Jr., Rev. Joel Kotila, Joyce Virchow, Rev Donald & Carolyn Bren, Jerry Sullivan, Russell & Jeanette Guillaume, Richard Lewandowski, Mark Selzler, Ethan Tinlin, Sheryl Pajewski, Paul Lierman, Judy Clark Louise Kreis, Betty Steely, Inez Schwoch, Ruth Mertz, Elaine Kuenzel, Diane Behrens
X pastors, missionaries, and those who serve God’s people with the gifts of Christ,
X Christians persecuted for the confession of the faith, and especially we remember
X all who have forsaken the faith, that they may be restored to gladness of heart and be made wise to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
X X X
Preacher: Rev. Joseph Fisher
Liturgist: Rev. Christopher Raffa
Elder: Dennis Engmann, Dave Fellenz
Organists: Kathy Greve. Ben Grosskreuz

Coming Up at Pilgrim
Sunday, December 4:
8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Divine Service
9:15 a.m. Sunday School: Bible Studies
9:30 a.m. Adult Class: Small Catechism
Monday, December 5:
6:30 p.m. Elders Meeting
Tuesday, December 6:
2:00 p.m. Chapel @ Auxiliary Court
Wednesday, December 7:
4:00 p.m. Youth Catechesis
6:30 p.m. Adult Class: 1st & 2nd Kings
Thursday, December 8:
1:00 p.m. Advent Midweek Divine Service
7:00 p.m. Advent Midweek Divine Service
Friday, December 9: Office Closed
Saturday, December 10:
7:00 a.m. Men’s Breakfast & Bible Study
11:00 a.m. Ladies guild Cookie Packing
Sunday, December 11
Ladies Guild Cookie Sale
11:30 am. Chili Luncheon
2:00 p.m. Congregational Christmas Program
Saturday, December 24
6:00 p.m. Christmas Divine Service
10:00 p.m. Service of Lessons & Carols
Sunday, December 25:
9:00 a. m. Christmas Divine Service

Cable Worship Schedule Pilgrim’s Sunday 8:00 a.m. Divine Service is broadcast on WB 987 and AT&T Uverse 99 multiple times during the week: Sundays: 6:00 a.m. Mondays: 4:00 p.m. Tuesdays: 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays: 9:00 a.m. Wednesdays: 4:00 p.m. Bible Study, Thursdays: 4:00 p.m. This service is also live streamed and archived on the church’s YouTube channel:
Pilgrim Lutheran Church- West Bend, WI

Pilgrim is accepting offerings by PayPal. The link for this is available on the Pilgrim website at : www.pilgrimlutheran-westbend.org
on the bottom of the page.

Advent Midweek One: Cain
December 1, 2022
15But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
Romans 5:15
Welcome and blessings to you through our Lord Jesus Christ!
We welcome all who gather with us around the Altar and Pulpit to hear the Word of God. If you are visiting, we are happy that you could join us today. Please sign the guest book in the narthex and fill out one of the pew cards and pass it in with the offering plate to leave a record of your visit.
Communion Statement: By the design and specific warning of our Lord Jesus Christ in His Word, the precious gift of the Lord’s Body and Blood is to be shared with His blessing only with those prepared to take it rightly. (1 Cor 11:23-32) At the first communion our Lord did not commune all believers, but only those who had been instructed by Him daily for three years. The custom of our church is to offer the Sacrament only to confirmed members of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. So that our pastors would faithfully fulfill their obligations, (1 Cor 4:1; Heb 13:17; 1 Cor 11:27), all first-time visitors should speak to one of the pastors prior to communing. Our pastors are eager and available to provide instruction leading to a right and salutary reception our Lord’s holy Body and Blood, so that in the future you may join us in the blessing of this sacrament.

Pilgrim Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession
The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod
462 Meadowbrook Drive, West Bend, WI 53090
(262) 334-0375 www.pilgrimlutheran-westbend.org