Author: Julie Raffa

Introit Psalm 110, 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,
1The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my | right hand,* until I make your enemies your | footstool.”
2The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty | scepter.* Rule in the midst of your | enemies! 3Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy | garments;* from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth | will be yours. 4The Lord has sworn and will not | change his mind,* “You are a priest forever after the order of Mel- | chizedek.”
5The Lord is at your | right hand;* he will shatter kings on the day | of his wrath. 6He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with | corpses;* he will shatter chiefs over the | wide earth. 7He will drink from the brook | by the way;* therefore he will lift | up his head.
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
Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Old Testament Reading 2 Samuel 18:24–33
24Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. 25The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he drew nearer and nearer. 26The watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, “See, another man running alone!” The king said, “He also brings news.” 27The watchman said, “I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “He is a good man and comes with good news.”
28Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “All is well.” And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.” 29And the king said, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was.” 30And the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.
31And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “Good news for my lord the king! For the Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you.” 32The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man.” 33 And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
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 Ephesians 5:1–10
1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not associate with them; 8for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
Holy Gospel Matthew 22:41–46
41Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,
44“‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’?
45If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Announcements
Ladies Guild Christmas Party will be held on Tuesday, December 20 at 12:00 p.m..
PLEASE REMEMBER: There will NOT be Thursday services on December 22 and December 29.
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

Advent Midweek Three: Absalom
Divine Service
Lutheran Service Book: Page:
Liturgy: Setting 2 Nicene Creed 167
Hymn of Praise is omitted in Advent
Litany for Prayers of the Church 288
Hymns:
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming 359
The Only Son From Heaven 402
Communion Hymns:
Hark the Glad Sound 349
Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty 341
The Gifts Christ Freely Gives 602
See, the Lord Ascends in Triumph 494
Scripture Readings:
Old Testament: 2 Samuel 18:24-33
Epistle: Ephesians 5:1-10
Gospel: Matthew 22:41-46
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:
Rev. John Wille, 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.
Preacher: Rev. Joseph Fisher
Liturgist: Rev. Christopher Raffa
Elder: Dennis E., Dan S.
Organists: Kathy Greve, Ben Grosskreuz

Coming Up at Pilgrim
Sunday, December 18:
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 19:
Tuesday, December 20:
12:00 p.m. Ladies Guild Christmas Party
Wednesday, December 21:
Thursday, December 22:
NO Divine Service
Friday, December 23: Office Closed
Saturday, December 24:
7:00 a.m. Men’s Breakfast & Bible Study
6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Divine Service
10:00 p.m. Service of Lessons & Carols
Sunday, December 25:
9:00 a.m. Christmas Day Divine Service
Saturday, December 31:
6:00 p.m. New Year’s Eve Divine Service
Sunday, January 1, 2023:
9:00 a.m. New Year’s Day Divine Service

Midweek Advent Three: Absalom
December 15, 2022
1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2
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