Author: Julie Raffa

Introit Psalm 146:5–8; antiphon: Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord | always;* again I will say, | Rejoice. Blessèd is he whose help is the God of | Jacob,* whose hope is in the | Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is | in them,* who keeps faith for- | ever; who executes justice for | the oppressed,* who gives food to the | hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes | of the blind.* The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the | righteous. 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.
Salutation and 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 Zephaniah 3:14–20
14Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 15The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. 16On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. 17The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. 18I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. 19Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. 20At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.
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 Philippians 4:4–7
4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Holy Gospel Luke 7:18–35
18The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, 19calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 20And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” 21In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. 22And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
24When John’s messengers had gone, 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? 25What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. 26What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27This is he of whom it is written,
“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’
28I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29(When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, 30but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)
31“To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,
“‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’
33For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”
Announcements
The Children's Christmas Service will be held on Sunday, December 12 at 4:00 p.m. with a Chili supper will be served after the service. There will be a rehearsal held on Saturday, December 11 from 9 - 10:30 a.m.
Thank you to those who participate in the Thrivent Choice Program. We have received $10.00.
Ladies Guild Cookie Sale will be held on Sunday, December 12 between and after services. The cookies will be sold for $8 for a 1 lb. box. Money raised will go to Seminarian Austin Meier and Missionary Micah Wildauer.
Please have your double batch of Christmas cookies to the kitchen by 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 11.
Holiday Services are as listed:
Thursday, December 23: No Services
Friday, December 24: 6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Divine Service
10:00 p.m. Service of Lessons & Carols
Saturday, December 25: 9:00 a.m. Christmas Day Divine Service
Sunday December 26: 8 & 10:30 a.m. Divine Service
Thursday, December 30: No Services
Friday, December 31: 6:00 p.m. New Year’s Eve Divine Service
Saturday, January 1, 2022: 9:00 a.m. New Year’s Day Divine Service
Sunday, January 2: 8 & 10:30 a.m. 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

Third Sunday in Advent
Divine Service
Lutheran Service Book: Page:
Liturgy: Setting 1 151
(Hymn of Praise is omitted in Advent)
Hymns:
Once He Came in Blessing 333
Hark! A Thrilling Voice is Sounding 345
Communion Hymns:
O Lord, We Praise Thee 617
Comfort, Comfort, Ye My 347 Oh, That I had a Thousand 811
Soul Adorn yourself with 636
Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers 515
Scripture Readings:
Old Testament: Zephaniah 3:14-20
Epistle: Philippians 4:4-7
Gospel: Luke 7:18-35
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:
Sheryl Pajewski, Bob Mayer, Jess Doughty, Carl Pritzlaff, Janet Meisenheimer, Mark Selzler, Paul Lierman, Sherry Cullen, Judy Clark, Carolyn Bren, Ron & Joyce Virchow Sr., Louise Kreis, Betty Steely, Inez Schwoch, Sue Zell, Ruth Mertz, Jerry & Gert Sullivan, Kandie Darmody, June Fry, 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: Tanner Schmidt, Gary Jenovai
Cantor: Samuel Boehlke
Organists: Kathy Greve

Coming Up at Pilgrim
Sunday, December 12:
8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Divine Service
9:15 a.m. Sunday School: Bible Studies
9:30 a.m. Adult Class: Life of Christ
12:30 p.m. Bible Study: 1st Samuel
4:00 p.m. Congregational Children’s Christ
mas Program
5:00 p.m. Chili Supper
Monday, December 13:
5:30 p.m. Board of Trustees
7:00 p.m. Church Council Meeting
Tuesday, December 14:
2:00 p.m. Chapel @ Auxiliary Court
Wednesday, December 15:
4:30 p.m. Youth Catechesis
6:30 p.m. Adult Class: Lutheran Difference on Worship
Thursday, December 16:
9:00 a.m. Galatians Bible Class
1 & 7:00 p.m. Divine Service
Friday, December 17: Office Closed
Friday, Date: Office Closed
Saturday, January 8, 2022:
7:00 a.m. Men’s Breakfast & Bible Study
** Please Note: Men’s Breakfast will not be meeting on December 18, 2021**

Third Sunday in Advent
December 12, 2021
7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
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