The First Sunday after Christmas
A Rod has come forth from the stem of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1-5), the Seed of David whose kingdom shall be established forever (2 Samuel 7:1-16). In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son Jesus to redeem us from the judgment of the Law (Galatians 4:1-7). Now He is presented in the temple in fulfillment of the Law and revealed to be “a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of the people of Israel” (Luke 2:22-40). Christ has enlightened us in baptism, giving us to be adopted as sons of God and heirs of eternal life. Receiving the holy Sacrament of His body and blood, we are prepared to depart this world in peace, for our eyes have seen the salvation of God in Him.
Introit: (Psalm 93:1, 3-4; antiphon: Psalm 93:5, 2)Pastor: Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits Your house, O Lord, forevermore.
Congregation: Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.
P: The Lord reigns; He is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; He has put on strength as His belt.
C: Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
P: The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.
C: Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!
All: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, Is now, and will be forever. Amen.
P: Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits Your house, O Lord, forevermore.
C: Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.
Collect for the Day
O God, our Maker and Redeemer, You wonderfully created us and in the incarnation of Your Son yet more wondrously restored our human nature. Grant that we may ever be alive in Him who made Himself to be like us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
- Isaiah 11:1-5 +
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.
Gradual: (Psalm 45:2a, 1)
You are the most handsome of the | sons of men; *
grace is poured up- | on your lips;
I address my verses | to the king; *
my tongue is like the pen of a | ready scribe.
- Galatians 4:1-7 +
I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, (2) but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. (3) In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. (4) But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, (5) to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (6) And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (7) So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.Lutheran Confessions Responsive Reading: The Augsburg Confession (1530)
P: What do we believe, teach, and confess of “The Son of God (Art. III)?
C: Our churches teach that the Word, that is, the Son of God [John 1:14], assumed the human nature in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. So there are two natures—the divine and the human—inseparably joined in one person. There is one Christ, true God and true man, who was born of the Virgin Mary, truly suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried. He did this to reconcile the Father to us and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for all actual sins of mankind [John 1:29].
P: He also descended into hell, and truly rose again on the third day. Afterward, He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. There He forever reigns and has dominion over all creatures. He sanctifies those who believe in Him, by sending the Holy Spirit into their hearts to rule, comfort, and make them alive. He defends them against the devil and the power of sin.
C: The same Christ will openly come again to judge the living and the dead, and so forth, according to the Apostles’ Creed.
Verse: (Psalm 93:1)
P: Alleluia! The Lord reigns; He is robed in majesty;
C: the Lord is robed; He has put on strength as His belt. Alleluia!
- Luke 2:22-40 +
(22) And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (23) 〈as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”〉, (24) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” (25) Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. (26) And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. (27) And he came by the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law, (28) he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said, (29) “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; (30) for my eyes have seen Your salvation (31) that You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, (32) a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” (33) And His father and His mother marveled at what was said about Him. (34) And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (35) 〈and a sword will pierce through your own soul also〉, so that thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (36) And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, (37) and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. (38) And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. (39) And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. (40) And the Child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon Him.