Welcome to ICYMI Worship!  ICYMI stands for In Case You Missed It; our ICYMI series gives a brief snapshot of worship each week so that you can worship in your home, on the road, or wherever life takes you.

At Cross of Christ, our basic worship order is based on worship patterns from Hebrew traditions and biblical accounts of the earliest Christians:
We GATHER with songs and prayer,
We HEAR God’s word,
We SHARE a meal of bread and wine,
We are SENT into the world to love and serve.

Let us know how this format works for you.

Today is the Second Sunday of Advent.

ADVENT LITANY

Unto us. We prepare each Advent to hear these words once more. Unto us.
Unto us a child.
Not just any child. The only begotten child of the Father. The ever-existing Son of God, who was, and is, and is to come.
Unto us a child is born.
Born of the Holy Spirit and a human mother, Mary. Born to be one of us.
Born to be with us.
Unto us a son is given.
The Christ Child for whom we prepare our hearts this season of Advent is indeed the Son of God. The promised one. The long-awaited Messiah.
And his name shall be called…
…Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
This is the One! The One and only. The One we await to welcome anew. The One we prepare to celebrate once more. As we make our Advent journey, let us get ready to worship the One in whose name we gather, worship, live, and love.
Jesus Christ, our Lord! Amen!

Our Gathering song is Prepare the Royal Highway (ELW 264)

Prayer of the Day

In this Advent of preparation
stir in us minds of alertness,
that we may be attentive
to the work of your kingdom.
In this Advent of preparation
stir in us hearts of compassion,
that we would welcome
all who come into our church
and into our lives.
In this Advent of preparation
stir in us lives of adoration,
that we may live by faith,
be known by love,
and be a voice of hope.
These things we pray in the name of Jesus Christ your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

This week’s readings are from Isaiah 40:28-31, Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13, and 1 Corinthians 1:18-24

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

¹You have been gracious to your | land, O Lord;
you have restored the good for- | tune of Jacob.
²You have forgiven the iniquity | of your people
and blotted out | all their sins.
⁸I will listen to what the Lord | God is saying;
for you speak peace to your faithful people and to those who turn their | hearts to you.
⁹Truly, your salvation is very near to | those who fear you,
that your glory may dwell | in our land.
¹⁰Steadfast love and faithfulness have | met together;
righteousness and peace have | kissed each other.
¹¹Faithfulness shall spring up | from the earth,
and righteousness shall look | down from heaven.
¹²The Lord will indeed | grant prosperity,
and our land will | yield its increase.
¹³Righteousness shall go be- | fore the Lord
and shall prepare for | God a pathway.

1 Corinthians 1:18-24

¹⁸ For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written,

²⁰ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. ²² For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, ²³ but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

This week’s Gospel text is from Mark 1:1-8

¹ The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
² As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way;
³ the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
    ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
    make his paths straight,’”

⁴ John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁶ Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. ⁸ I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Pastor Judy’s Sermon Snapshot: “His Name Shall Be Called Mighty God “

We continue our Advent series, “And His Name Shall Be Called…” based on the foretelling of the coming of Messiah in Isaiah 9:6.  Each week during Advent we will focus on one of the “names” of Jesus from that verse. This week – Mighty God. Welcome to Advent worship!

The Hymn of the Day in our Traditional service is On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry (ELW 249)

Prayers of the People – 12/10/17

Preparing both to celebrate again Christ’s first coming and to receive our Lord with joy when he comes again as he has promised to do, let us pray for the church, the world, and all people according to their needs. Each petition will conclude, “Come, Lord Jesus” to which the congregational response is “Hear our prayers.”  We observe a time of silence for reflection and preparation.

Give light to your people, Lord. We long to see your glory. Prepare our hearts for your arrival by healing divisions in your church and blessing those who work for reconciliation within it. Bless our partners in sharing your gospel.  Especially we pray for our ELCA, Northwest Washington Synod, East King County Cluster congregation, Mount Si Lutheran Church of North Bend, as they welcome their recently called new Pastor, Krista Mendoza. Come, Lord Jesus,

hear our prayer.

Restore your creation, Lord. Bring renewal to open spaces, parks, forests, mountains, farms, and ranch lands. Restore creatures and lands that are damaged or destroyed. We lift to you all who have been impacted by the ongoing wildfire crisis in Southern California, and those working to protect people and property in bringing these blazes under control. Come, Lord Jesus,

hear our prayer.

Bring peace to the nations, Lord. Keep us alert to injustice, give us courage to cry out for what is right, and guide world leaders toward fairness and prosperity for all. Provide places of welcome for people fleeing violence. Protect the innocent victims of war and oppression, and encourage us to be peacemakers and providers for those in need. Come, Lord Jesus,

hear our prayer.

Heal and be near all who suffer, Lord. We pray especially for members of this community who have asked for public prayers: Anna Bero, Heidi Fine, Phyllis Hahn, Claire Huehnerhoff, Vernette Rae, Corinne Riemer and Marilyn Van Brero. We lift to you Vijay and his wife as they await the birth of their child.  We continue to pray for healing for Joshua Nelson, grandson of Wanda, recovering from injuries he sustained in a vehicular accident while serving the church in Zambia, Africa. Come, Lord Jesus,

hear our prayer.

Comfort those who mourn, Lord. Give us faith as we entrust our loved ones into your eternal care. Continue to bless David and family and all who grieve the death of Mary Mehlum. May the promise of Immanuel – God with us – bring consolation and hope to us in our time of sorrow. Come, Lord Jesus,

Hear our prayer.

 We raise our prayers in the name of the one who is, who was, and who is to come, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Communion song at our Traditional service is Wait for the Lord (ELW 262)

On the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me. Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

All are welcome to receive Christ’s Body and Blood in the Bread and Wine of the Eucharist.

And because there’s always something going on, the Announcements!

ANNUAL ADVENT SMORGASBORD TODAY! – Join us at 11:30 in the Fellowship Hall for a delicious meal and warm fellowship after todays’ single, combined worship service at 10 am. All are welcome – we look forward to sharing this special event with everyone.

 WHAT’S NEW FOR ADVENT? – The Sanctuary and grounds are sporting the first of the Advent decorations, including both our indoor and outdoor Advent Wreaths, wreaths and greenery, and our Advent banner. The Altar railing has returned and will remain in place through Maundy Thursday in late March, as we offer communion there. Be watching each week for even more seasonal decoration for Advent and Christmas. Thanks to all who help beautify our worship space!

MIDWEEK ADVENT CONCERTS AND WORSHIP – Also new this year, Midweek Advent worship is designed to provide a little spiritual retreat and re-centering space in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the season. The Wednesday services begin at 6:30 pm with about 20 minutes of special music followed by 20 minutes of simple worship featuring readings, prayers, a communal art project, and an Advent message in drama, all under the theme of “Making Time for Christmas.” This week’s drama is titled “Making Room for Joy.”  Members of the Bellevue Boyschoir are our musical guests.

ADULT FAITH FORMATION – Is on break until January 7 to make space for all the special events of this season, including today’s Advent Smorgasbord luncheon.

CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL – for children ages 4-10, in the Youth Room.  Join us at 10:15 for fun learning experiences. See Kristie Walker to learn more.

TIME TO HELP NEIGHBOR CHILDREN THROUGH THE HOPELINK GIVING TREE -Please pick a tag or two to help make the holidays happy and bright for children in need. Bring back a new unwrapped gift to place under the tree and help make Christmas special for a disadvantaged child.  However, please not that gifts must be returned by noon tomorrow! Your generosity has brightened Christmas for countless girls and boys over the years. Thanks for supporting this important mission again this year.

WILL THE WINNER OF THE REFORMATION 500 CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT – that you won at our Oktoberfest please connect with Pastor Dave? Your prize has arrived (and he may or may not have forgotten to whom it rightly belongs!).

 WREATHS ARE HERE – If you pre-ordered a wreath from Cub Scout Pack 673 and did not pick your order up last week, please do so today. Look for the helpful Cub Scouts who will gladly carry your order to your car! If you have not already done so, please pay for your greenery order before you pick it up. Questions? Contact Laurie Beck, 425-417-8359. The Cub Scouts thank Cross of Christ for supporting Pack 673!

PLEASE CHECK LOST AND FOUND AND WILL CALL – It’s that time of year again when we prepare to donate unclaimed items. Please take a look through the Lost and Found and Will Call drawers in the Information Desk in the Narthex for items belonging to you. At the end of the year, all unclaimed items will be donated or discarded. Thank you.

CofC MEMBER IN CAST OF “ELF THE MUSICAL – JR.” – Our own Marie Schott invites you to see her and her theater friends with the Redmond Academy of Theatre Art in this delightful production based on the modern cinema classic, “Elf.”  It’s the sweet and hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts one Christmas Eve. Discovered when St. Nick returns to the North Pole, Buddy is adopted and raised by elves, but returns to the land of humans when he’s all grown up. Performance dates are Thursday through Sunday, December 14-17, at 7 pm, with an additional 2 pm matinee on Saturday, at Redmond High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets will be available at the doors, which open for seating 30 minutes prior, or in advance at www.goldstar.com.

SUPPORT THE SOPHIA WAY HOLIDAY INITIATIVE – by donating Safeway $10 or $25 gift cards. The Sophia Way is dedicated to helping end homelessness for single adult women in King County, helping them transition from homelessness to stable independent living by offering them critical resources that they need to start a new life — shelter, safety and stability. Contact Dorinda Otto at md.otto@hotmail.com to learn more.

DECEMBER 22 LARKS EVENT CANCELLED. There was not sufficient interest in the “Festival of Lessons and Carols” at Benaroya Hall on Friday, December 22 to receive special group rate.  If you are still interested in attending please make your own arrangements for tickets.

WINTER SHELTER MEALS  – If you would like to provide a meal for one of the local emergency shelters for women or families please sign up at: http://signup.com/go/tMaKqVQ. The Women’s Shelter is currently at Lakeside Christian Church in Kirkland and moves to Holy Cross Lutheran in Factoria on Feb. 1. The Family Shelter moves to St. Peters in Bellevue (17222 NE 8th St) on Dec. 30 and will be there until end of February.  If you have questions about signing up visit the Sophia Way website or contact Dorinda Otto at md.otto@hotmail.com

Our sending song in our Traditional service is Hark, the Glad Sound (ELW 239)

By God’s grace, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, we are called to

Worship God
Grow in Faith
Share the Gospel
Serve others, and
Welcome all.

Thanks be to God!