First Service
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Bear Fruit in Keeping with Repentance
December 7, 2025
AS WE GATHER
The problem with good works is not that we should do them but why. Our works reflect what it is we believe and hold dear. Works are the fruit of repentance and faith and do not add to what Christ has done in His mighty work of redemption. The call to bear the good fruit of repentance is not to work harder to be saved but to manifest in our everyday lives that we are saved, that we belong to the Lord, and that He has accomplished all things for our salvation. John faced a generation impressed with their works and empty of faith in God’s mercy. We should know that doing works is not a choice. Hearts of faith will produce the good fruits of repentance. This is the calling of Christians and the mark of the work of the Spirit in our lives.
+ PREPARATION +
(Two candles on the Advent wreath are lit after the altar candles as the hymn is sung.)
HYMN Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty
Open now Thy gates of beauty, Zion, let me enter there,
Where my soul in joyful duty Waits for Him who answers prayer.
Oh, how blessed is this place, Filled with solace, light, and grace!
Lord, my God, I come before Thee, Come Thou also unto me;
Where we find Thee and adore Thee, There a heaven on earth must be.
To my heart, oh, enter Thou, Let it be Thy temple now!
Here Thy praise is gladly chanted, Here Thy seed is duly sown;
Let my soul, where it is planted, Bring forth precious sheaves alone,
So that all I hear may be Fruitful unto life in me.
Thou my faith increase and quicken, Let me keep Thy gift divine,
Howsoe'er temptations thicken; May Thy Word still o'er me shine
As my guiding star through life, As my comfort in my strife.
Speak, O God, and I will hear Thee, Let Thy will be done indeed;
May I undisturbed draw near Thee While Thou dost Thy people feed.
Here of life the fountain flows, Here is balm for all our woes.
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Pastor: May God judge His people with righteousness and justice.
People: May He defend the poor, deliver the needy, and crush the oppressor.
Silence for self-examination.
Pastor: Holy and gracious God,
People: I confess that I have sinned against You this day. Some of my sin I know—the thoughts and words and deeds of which I am ashamed—but some is known only to You. In the name of Jesus Christ I ask forgiveness. Deliver and restore me that I may rest in peace.
Pastor: Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
Pastor: He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
People: Amen.
+ WORD +
HYMN OF PRAISE Hosanna to the Living Lord TLH 70
Hosanna to the living Lord! Hosanna to the Incarnate Word!
To Christ, Creator, Savior, King, Let earth, let heaven, hosanna sing.
O Savior, with protecting care Abide in this Thy house of prayer,
Where we Thy parting promise claim,
Assembled in Thy sacred name.
But, chiefest, in our cleansed breast Eternal, bid Thy Spirit rest
And make our secret soul to be A temple pure and worthy Thee.
So in the last and dreadful Day,
When earth and heaven shall melt away,
Thy flock, redeemed from sinful stain,
Shall swell the sound of praise again.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: Let us pray. Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Isaiah 11:1–10 (“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse.”)
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. 6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
EPISTLE Romans 15:4–13 (“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.”)
4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” 10 And again it says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” 12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 3:1–12 (“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord.’”)
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” 4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
HYMN On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry TLH 63
On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry Announces that the Lord is nigh;
Come, then, and hearken, for he brings
Glad tidings from the King of kings.
Then cleansed be every Christian breast
And furnished for so great a Guest.
Yea, let us each our hearts prepare For Christ to come and enter there.
For Thou art our Salvation, Lord, Our Refuge, and our great Reward.
Without Thy grace our souls must fade
And wither like a flower decayed.
Lay on the sick Thy healing hand
And make the fallen strong to stand;
Show us the glory of Thy face
Till beauty springs in every place.
All praise, eternal Son, to Thee
Whose advent sets Thy people free,
Whom, with the Father, we adore
And Holy Ghost forevermore.
SERMON
NICENE CREED
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made: who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And he will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
GREETING/ANNOUNCEMENTS
OFFERING
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: In peace, let us pray to the Lord:
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For grace to acknowledge the Lord, who made all things for Himself, and for faith to trust in His mercy incarnate in Jesus Christ, His Son, let us pray to the Lord:
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For the church established by Christ and sustained by Him through the means of grace, for boldness to call a world to repentance, and for faithfulness to proclaim His Gospel without fear, let us pray to the Lord:
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For all the nations and peoples of the earth and for those who lead them, but especially for this nation, our president, governor, legislators, and magistrates, let us pray to the Lord:
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For grateful hearts to receive the good fruits of the earth with thanksgiving and for wisdom that we might bear the good fruit of repentance in our lives, let us pray to the Lord:
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For all godly and noble vocations, for marriages and children, for the single and the retired, let us pray to the Lord:
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For an end to poverty and need and for compassion that we may manifest charity for all those in need, let us pray to the Lord:
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For the sick, the suffering, the dying, and those who attend to them, [especially . . .], let us pray to the Lord:
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For all needs of body and soul, and for courage that we may not depart the way of Christ, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Amen.