Author: Julie Raffa

Introit Psalm 71:14–18; antiphon: Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord | always;* again I will say, | Rejoice. I will hope con- | tinually* and will praise you yet | more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation | all the day,* for their number is past my | knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God | I will come;* I will remind them of your righteousness, | yours alone. O God, from my youth you have | taught me,* and I still proclaim your | wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not for- | sake me,* until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all | those to come. 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. Rejoice in the Lord | always;* again I will say, | Rejoice.
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 Isaiah 35:1–10
1The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; 2it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. 3Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” 5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 8And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 10And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
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 James 5:7–11
7Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
Holy Gospel Matthew 11:2–15
2When John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
7As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10This is he of whom it is written,
“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’
11Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 13For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
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.
Ladies Guild Christmas Party will be held on Tuesday, December 20 at 12:00 p.m..
Thank you to those who directed their Choice Dollars to Pilgrim. We have received $109 from this program.
Please remember that the Choice Dollars need to be renewed each year. Please see the Pilgrim Herald for more information on the Giving Matters page.
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

Third Sunday in advent
Divine Service
Lutheran Service Book: Page:
Liturgy: Setting 4 Nicene Creed 203
Gloria in Excelsis is omitted in Advent
Hymns:
Rejoice, Rejoice Believers 515
Hark! A Thrilling Voice is Sounding 345
Communion Hymns:
Once He Came in Blessing 333
Praise the Almighty 797
Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices 811
Come, Thou Precious Ransom, Come 350
Hark the Glad Sound 349
Scripture Readings:
Old Testament: Isaiah 35:1-10
Epistle: James 5:7-11
Gospel: Matthew 11:2-15
X X X
In our prayers, we remember:
XKen Frank and family on the death of Ellen .
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 struggling with health issues:
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. Christopher Raffa
Liturgist: Rev. Joseph Fisher
Elder: Tanner Schmidt, Dan Schmidt
Cantor: Tanner Schmidt
Organist: Ben Grosskreuz

Coming Up at Pilgrim
Saturday, December 10:
7:00 a.m. Men’s Breakfast & Bible Study
11:00 a.m. Ladies Guild to pack Cookies
Sunday, Date:
8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Divine Service
Ladies Guild Cookie Sale
9:15 a.m. Sunday School: Bible Studies
9:30 a.m. Adult Class: Small Catechism
12:00 p.m. Chili Luncheon
2:00 p.m. Congregational Christmas Program
Monday, December 12:
5:30 p.m. Trustees Meeting
7:00 p.m. Church Council Meeting
Tuesday, December 13:
2:00 p.m. Chapel @ Auxiliary Court
Wednesday, December 14:
4:00 p.m. Youth Catechesis
6:30 p.m. Adult Class: 1st & 2nd Kings
Thursday, December 15:
1:00 p.m. Advent Midweek Divine Service
7:00 p.m. Advent Midweek Divine Service
Friday, December 16: Office Closed
Tuesday, December 20:
12:00 p.m. Ladies Guild Christmas Party
Thursday, December 22:
NO Divine Services
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

Third Sunday in Advent
December 11, 2022
7Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
James 5:7
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