Rorate Coeli THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT - St. John's ...

Rorate Coeli
THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT
      Divine Service with Holy Communion
         December 19, 2021 T 10:30 AM

 ST. JOHN’S LUTHERAN CHURCH
  Missouri Synod T www.stjohns-mattoon.org
    200 Charleston Avenue, Mattoon, Illinois 61938
    Church (217) 234-4923 T School (217) 234-4911
           Rev. Andrew E. Herzberg, Pastor

St. John’s Lutheran Church is a          The Rev. Andrew E. Herzberg, Pastor
parish of The Lutheran Church—           pastor@stjohns-mattoon.org
Missouri Synod (lcms.org), where
God’s people gather to receive the       Peter J. Eckardt, Cantor
gifts of Jesus Christ in Word and        peckardt@stjls-mattoon.com
Sacrament. Welcome in the name
of the Lord!                             Heather Veach, Church Secretary
                                         churchoffice@stjohns-mattoon.org
We are blessed to have a vibrant
and growing parochial school,
St. John’s Lutheran School               Trent Duckett, Principal
(Preschool & K–8), serving the           tduckett@stjls-mattoon.com
families of the church and the
Mattoon community with a                 Chantel Thompson, Business Manager
Christ-centered education.               cthompson@stjls-mattoon.com
For more information, visit
stjls-mattoon.com, or contact the                  T       T       T
school office at 217-234-4911.

GUESTS, we pray you are comforted by the Gospel and feel welcome
among us. We invite you to introduce yourselves.

OUR TEACHING ON THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION:
Attending communion at our altar indicates agreement with the
doctrine and teachings of Scripture that our Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod confesses. Therefore, only confirmed members of the
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod should come forward without first
speaking to the pastor and being instructed. Thank you.

CHILDREN OF ALL AGES ARE WELCOME in the Divine Service. Restrooms
and a cry room/nursery are located in the narthex.

THE ORDER OF SERVICE with all page numbers for the hymnal,
Lutheran Service Book, is found in this bulletin, as well as each week’s
Propers*. The end of the bulletin contains St. John’s weekly news and
announcements.
*The Propers are the Psalm verses (Introit and Gradual) and Readings that are
appointed for (or “proper to”) the particular Sunday in the Church Year.

The Fourth Sunday in Advent                                         Hymns
Divine Service, Setting Two,                                         346
Lutheran Service Book, page 167                                    357 352
Prelude                                                            351 619
Announcements                                                      356 355

Stand
Opening Hymn: When All the World Was Cursed ....................... 346
Please stand for final stanza.

Confession and Absolution ................................................ page 167

                T SERVICE OF THE WORD T
Introit (sung responsively with cantor) from Ps. 19; antiphon: Isa. 45:8a

Shower, O heavens, | from above,*
  and let the clouds rain down | righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may | bear
fruit;*
  let the earth cause them | both to sprout.
The heavens declare the glo- | ry of God,*
  and the sky above proclaims his | handiwork.
Their measuring line goes out through all the earth, and their words
to the end | of the world.*
  In them he has set a tent | for the sun,
which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his | chamber,*
  and, like a strong man, runs its | course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the | end
of them,*
  and there is nothing hidden | from its heat.
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. (Antiphon is repeated, next page)

Shower, O heavens, | from above,*
  and let the clouds rain down | righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may | bear fruit;*
  let the earth cause them | both to sprout.

Kyrie & Collect of the Day ...................................... pages 168–169
The Gloria in Excelsis is omitted during Advent.

   Collect
   Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might,
   that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your
   grace and mercy; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy
   Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Old Testament Reading                                Deuteronomy 18:15–19
    15
      “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from
among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— 16just
as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the
assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord
my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ 17And the LORD said
to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 18I will raise up for
them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my
words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command
him. 19And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in
my name, I myself will require it of him.’”
P This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.

Gradual (sung responsively with cantor)                         Psalm 145:18, 21

The LORD is near to all who | call on him,*
  to all who call on | him in truth.
My mouth will speak the praise | of the LORD,*
  and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and | ever.

Epistle                                               Philippians 4:4–7
    4
    Rejoice 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.
P This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.

Stand
Alleluia and Verse                                              LSB 173

                             T T T

Holy Gospel                                                John 1:19–28
P The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the first chapter.

    19
       This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and
Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20He confessed,
and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21And they
asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you
the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22So they said to him, “Who are
you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you
say about yourself?” 23He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the
wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah
said.”

24
      (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25They asked him,
“Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah,
nor the Prophet?” 26John answered them, “I baptize with water, but
among you stands one you do not know, 27even he who comes after
me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28These
things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was
baptizing.
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Hymn of the Day: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel .......................... 357

Sermon

Stand
Nicene Creed ........................................................................... page 174

Prayer of the Church

Sit
Offering
Please take this time to fill out the red record of fellowship at the end of the pew.

Stand
Offertory ................................................................................... page 176

T SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT T

Preface, etc. .............................................................................. page 177

Sit
Distribution Hymns (as needed)
 Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord ..................................................352
 Creator of the Stars of Night............................................................ 351
 Thy Body, Given for Me, O Savior ................................................... 619
 The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came.............................................356

Stand
Nunc Dimittis, etc. ................................................................ page 182

Hymn to Depart: O Savior, Rend the Heavens Wide ....................355

Postlude

                                     T          T           T

12/19/2021                        12/26/2021
                    (Fourth Sunday in Advent)   (First Sunday after Christmas)
 Pastor/Celebrant   Rev. Andrew Herzberg        Rev. Andrew Herzberg
 Cantor/Organist    Peter Eckardt               Peter Eckardt
 Head Elder         Kurt Rankin                 Kurt Rankin
 Assisting Elder    Dave Moore                  Dave Moore
 Altar Guild        Janice Mann, Margaret       Janice Mann, Margaret
                    Hagen, Kacie Richey         Hagen, Kacie Richey
 Acolytes           Ava Larson &                Ike Houck &
                    Alaina Por                  Caden Wirth

Those in Need of Comfort, Health, & Recovery
Douglas Blume
Heather Long
Dennis Johnson
Pat Smith
Wanda Hesse
Marge Anderson
Bob Zschau
Connie Harris
Herman Janssen
Jeff Ferree
Shirley Kolbus
Joyce Schmidt
Shoni Anderson
Charles Stodden
Bianca Stodden
Lora Grubbs
Joyce Zschau
Jim Duey
Larry Griffith
Charleen Sedille
Amy Steele & Family

Gathered in Worship Last Week
Total: 168
Church Offering Numbers
Budgeted: $399,050
Received: $362,571

Church Announcements
Portals of Prayer Available! There are copies of the January-March
Portals of Prayer devotional available on the counter outside the
office. There are 3 different sizes to choose from. Please let the office
know if we run out so we can order more.

Epiphany Service: Mark your calendars for January 6, 2022!
Epiphany, the day when we remember the wise men arriving in
Bethlehem, is on January 6 and we will be gathering for worship that
evening at 6:30. More details to come, but don’t miss this final day of
Christmas celebrations!

Ushers are needed each Sunday in the Divine Service. If you would
like to serve as an usher and greeter, see the sign-up sheet on the
bulletin board outside the church office or contact the office.

Church Week: Rural King will be donating 10% of each valid Rural
King receipt’s total after sales tax to a registered Christian
organization of your choice. Please consider supporting us by
bringing your receipts to the school or church office, and we will
enter it for you! Receipts must be dated December 9th-24th.

2021 Giving Envelopes are out! Make sure you pick up your box
outside of the kitchen. If you do not see a box for your family, please
call the church office at 217-234-4923. *Note- Please do not use these
envelopes until January, as several numbers have changed.

Employment Opportunities at St. John’s Lutheran School:
  - Full-time Kindergarten Teacher
  - Part-time Before & After Care
  - Middle School Teacher’s Aide

Adopt-a-Shut In: The Parish Life Committee would like to thank
those of you who so graciously adopted a shut-in! Please make sure
you reach out to your shut-in this Christmas season. If you have
questions, please call Chantel at 217-234-4911 or speak with Kallie.
Harris.

The Sunday School Christmas Service this year will be Friday,
December 24th at 4:30pm. Our last regular practice will be during the
Sunday School hour on December 19th. Final dress rehearsal will be
Thursday, December 23rd at 9:00am.

Pecans: Pecan Halves, Pecan Medium Pieces, and Dark Chocolate
Pecans are available for purchase from the Ladies Aid. Please visit our
table on Sunday mornings to make a purchase or call Karen Stoll,
(217) 246-6133 or Connie Smith, (217) 259-8294 to place an
order. Thank you for supporting our mission projects.

Caroling to shut-ins of St. John’s will take place TONIGHT,
beginning at 4:30pm in the Fellowship Hall for a quick pizza dinner
and to get organized into groups. Come join us! Carolers are invited
to Cantor Eckardt’s house afterward for a Christmas party.
               Schedule for December 19–December 26
Sun   9:20–10:15 am Sunday School/Adult Bible Study
      10:30 am Worship w/Holy Communion (Forth Sunday in Advent)
      12:00 pm Wetzel – Gym
      2:00 pm Stortzum – Gym
      4:30 pm Caroling (meet in Fellowship Hall)
Mon   8:00 am Laborers of Love
      9:30 am 2nd – 8th Grade Christmas Program – EIU (Doudna)
      6:30 pm 2nd – 8th Grade Christmas Program – EIU (Doudna)
Tue   6:30 am Men’s Bible Study @Honey Bee Café
      6:00 pm Adult Choir
Wed   5:15 pm Dinner hosted by Ladies Aid
      6:30 pm Advent Service @St. John’s, Lessons and Carols
Fri   Offices Closed - Christmas Eve
      4:30 pm Chrismas Eve Service
      11:00pm Christmas Eve Service
Sat   9:00 am Christmas Day Service
Sun   9:20–10:15 am Sunday School/Adult Bible Study
      10:30 am Worship w/Holy Communion (First Sunday after
      Christmas)
      12:00 pm Wetzel – Gym
      2:00 pm Stortzum – Gym

Midweek Advent Services Schedule
            Wednesday, December 22, 6:30pm
                   Lessons & Carols Service
 The service will feature the Adult Choir, Youth Choir, and
 guest organist Jonathan Young, Organ Instructor at EIU.
 This year’s theme is German-origin carols. Come join us!
                     Frohe Weihnachten!
 The Ladies Aid will be providing dinner at 5:15pm in the
 Fellowship Hall. The choir will be providing refreshments
                       after the service.

           Christmas Services Schedule
              Friday, December 24, 4:30pm
           Sunday School Christmas Eve Service

             Friday, December 24, 11:00pm
     Christmas Eve Divine Service w/Holy Communion

             Saturday, December 25, 9:00am
     Christmas Day Divine Service w/Holy Communion

St. John’s Lutheran School Christmas Programs
   Monday, December 20, 9:30am & 6:30pm, EIU (Doudna)
            2nd Grade–8th Grade Christmas Program
                    (Rachel Warfel, director)
The 6:30pm program will fill up fast, so we are encouraging
 attendance at the 9:30am program. Located in the Eastern
Illinois University Doudna Fine Arts Center. All guests MUST
                         wear a mask.