Holy Innocents and Martyrs Sunday ~ 2024

 

Today's Service Leader - Rev. Michael W. Mohr, Associate Pastor Holy Cross Lutheran Church & CID President

 

December 28-29, 2024

 

Today's liturgy is the Divine Service, Setting One, LSB pages 151ff.

 

Holy Baptism: Alternate Form Based on Luther’s Baptism Rite

 

605 Father Welcomes

Text and tune: Robin Mann, 1949
Text and tune: © 1986 Kevin Mayhew Ltd. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518

 

Baptism

 

When candidates are unable to speak for themselves, the sponsors answer the questions on their behalf.

 

Stand

 

Invocation

P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

 

Baptismal Address

P Dearly beloved, Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In the last chapter of Mark our Lord promises, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” And the apostle Peter has written, “Baptism now saves you.”

The Word of God also teaches that we are all conceived and born sinful and are under the power of the devil until Christ claims us as His own. We would be lost forever unless delivered from sin, death, and everlasting condemnation. But the Father of all mercy and grace has sent His Son Jesus Christ, who atoned for the sin of the whole world, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

 

The pastor addresses each candidate:

 

Naming of the Candidate

P How are you named?

R [Name]

 

The pastor makes the sign of the holy cross upon the forehead and heart of each candidate while saying:

 

Sign of the Cross

P [Name], receive the sign of the holy cross both upon your T forehead and upon your T heart to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified.

 

The Flood Prayer

P Let us pray.

Almighty and eternal God, according to Your strict judgment You condemned the unbelieving world through the flood, yet according to Your great mercy You preserved believing Noah and his family, eight souls in all. You drowned hard-hearted Pharaoh and all his host in the Red Sea, yet led Your people Israel through the water on dry ground, foreshadowing this washing of Your Holy Baptism. Through the Baptism in the Jordan of Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, You sanctified and instituted all waters to be a blessed flood and a lavish washing away of sin.

We pray that You would behold [name(s)] according to Your boundless mercy and bless [him/her/them] with true faith by the Holy Spirit, that through this saving flood all sin in [him/her/them], which has been inherited from Adam and which [he himself / she herself / they themselves] [has/have] committed since, would be drowned and die. Grant that [he/she/they] be kept safe and secure in the holy ark of the Christian Church, being separated from the multitude of unbelievers and serving Your name at all times with a fervent spirit and a joyful hope, so that, with all believers in Your promise, [he/she/they] would be declared worthy of eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C Amen.

 

Address to Sponsors LSB 269

P From ancient times the Church has observed the custom of appointing sponsors for baptismal candidates and catechumens. In the Evangelical Lutheran Church sponsors are to confess the faith expressed in the Apostles’ Creed and taught in the Small Catechism. They are, whenever possible, to witness the Baptism of those they sponsor. They are to pray for them, support them in their ongoing instruction and nurture in the Christian faith, and encourage them toward the faithful reception of the Lord’s Supper. They are at all times to be examples to them of the holy life of faith in Christ and love for the neighbor.

P Is it your intention to serve [name of candidate(s)] as sponsors in the Christian faith?

R Yes, with the help of God.

P God enable you both to will and to do this faithful and loving work and with His grace fulfill what we are unable to do.

C Amen.

 

Holy Gospel for Baptism Psalm 27:1

¹The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

 

The pastor places his hands on the head(s) of the candidate(s), and the congregation joins in praying:

 

Lord’s Prayer

C Our Father who art in heaven,

     hallowed be Thy name,

     Thy kingdom come,

     Thy will be done on earth

          as it is in heaven;

     give us this day our daily bread;

     and forgive us our trespasses

          as we forgive those

          who trespass against us;

     and lead us not into temptation,

     but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom

     and the power and the glory

     forever and ever. Amen.

 

If the baptismal party has stood at the entrance of the nave to this point, they now move to the font.

 

Blessing

P The Lord preserve your coming in and your going out from this time forth and even T forevermore.

C Amen.

 

Sit

 

The pastor addresses the candidate(s) and asks the following questions:

 

Renunciation

P [Name(s)], do you renounce the devil?

R Yes, I renounce him.

P Do you renounce all his works?

R Yes, I renounce them.

P Do you renounce all his ways?

R Yes, I renounce them.

 

Profession of Faith

P Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth?

R Yes, I believe.

P Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He will come to judge the living and the dead?

R Yes, I believe.

P Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting?

R Yes, I believe.

P [Name], do you desire to be baptized?

R Yes, I do.

 

The pastor pours water three times on the head of each candidate while saying:

 

The Baptism

P [Name], I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

 

The pastor places his hands on the head of the newly baptized while saying:

 

Blessing of the Newly Baptized

P The almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given you the new birth of water and of the Spirit and has forgiven you all your sins, strengthen you with His grace to life T everlasting.

C Amen.

 

The pastor may light a baptismal candle from the paschal candle and give it to the newly baptized while saying:

 

Presentation of the Baptismal Candle

P Receive this burning light to show that you have received Christ who is the Light of the world. Live always in the light of Christ, and be ever watchful for His coming, that you may meet Him with joy and enter with Him into the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which shall have no end.

 

The newly baptized may be welcomed with the following:

 

The Welcome

A In Holy Baptism God the Father has made you [a member / members] of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and [an heir / heirs] with us of all the treasures of heaven in the one holy Christian and apostolic Church. We receive you in Jesus’ name as our [brother(s)/sister(s)] in Christ, that together we might hear His Word, receive His gifts, and proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

C Amen. We welcome you in the name of the Lord.

 

Stand

 

Collect for the newly baptized

P Let us pray.

Almighty and most merciful God and Father, we thank and praise You that You graciously preserve and enlarge Your family and have granted [name(s)] the new birth in Holy Baptism and made [him/her/them] [a member / members] of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and [an heir / heirs] of Your heavenly kingdom. We humbly implore You that, as [he/she/they] [has/have] now become Your [child/children], You would keep [him/her/them] in [his/her/their] baptismal grace, that according to Your good pleasure [he/she/they] may faithfully grow to lead a godly life to the praise and honor of Your holy name and finally, with all Your saints, obtain the promised inheritance in heaven; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C Amen.

 

For parents

P Lord and Giver of life, look with kindness upon the father(s) and mother(s) of [this child / these children] and upon all our parents. Let them ever rejoice in the gift You have given them. Enable them to be teachers and examples of righteousness for their children. Strengthen them in their own Baptism that they may share eternally with their children the salvation You have given them; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C Amen.

 

For the Church and her members

P Almighty and everlasting God, since You govern and sanctify the whole Christian Church by Your Holy Spirit, hear our prayers for all her members, and mercifully grant that by Your grace we may serve You in true faith; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C Amen.

 

The Peace

P Peace T be with you.

C Amen.

 

All return to their places.

 

351 Creator of the Stars of Night

 

5 O Thou, whose coming is with dread
To judge the living and the dead,
Preserve us from the ancient foe
While still we dwell on earth below.

 

D 6 To God the Father and the Son
And Holy Spirit, Three in One,
Praise, honor, might, and glory be
From age to age eternally. Amen.

Text: Latin, c. 5th–10th cent.; tr. John Mason Neale, 1818–66, alt.
Tune: Sarum plainsong, c. 9th cent., mode IV
Text and tune: Public domain

 

Please Stand

 

The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.

 

Invocation Matthew 28:19b; 18:20

P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

 

Exhortation LSB 151

P If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

C But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

"Silent Reflection before Confession"

 

Confession of Sins LSB 151

P Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.

C Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

 

Absolution LSB 151

P 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 T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

 

Introit Psalm 31:1, 3, 5; antiphon: Revelation 7:14b

These are the ones coming out of the great tribu- | lation.*
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood | of the Lamb.
In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be | put to shame;*
in your righteousness de- | liver me.
For you are my rock and my | fortress;*
and for your name’s sake you lead me and | guide me.
Into your hand I commit my | spirit;*
you have redeemed me, O Lord, | faithful God.
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.
These are the ones coming out of the great tribu- | lation.*
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood | of the Lamb.

 

Kyrie LSB 152

 

Gloria in Excelsis LSB 154

 

Salutation and Collect of the Day

P Let us pray.

Almighty God, the martyred innocents of Bethlehem showed forth Your praise not by speaking but by dying. Put to death in us all that is in conflict with Your will that our lives may bear witness to the faith we profess with our lips; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

Please be Seated

 

Old Testament Reading Jeremiah 31:15–17

¹⁵Thus says the Lord:
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
she refuses to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more.”

¹⁶Thus says the Lord:
“Keep your voice from weeping,
and your eyes from tears,
for there is a reward for your work,
declares the Lord,
and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
¹⁷There is hope for your future,
declares the Lord,
and your children shall come back to their own country.”

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

 

###Select the same chant tone as the Introit, with the congregation chanting the entire Gradual.###

 

Gradual Psalm 71:4a, 5a, 6a, b, 8

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the | wicked.*
For you, O Lord, | are my hope.
Upon you have I leaned from be- | fore my birth;*
you are he who took me from my | mother’s womb.
My mouth is filled | with your praise,*
and with your glory | all the day.

 

Epistle Revelation 14:1–5

¹Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. ²And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, ³and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, ⁵and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

 

Please Stand

 

Alleluia and Verse LSB 156

 

Holy Gospel Matthew 2:13–18

P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the second chapter.

¹³When [the wise men] had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

¹⁶Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. ¹⁷Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

¹⁸“A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

 

Please be Seated

 

969 Sweet Flowerets of the Martyr Band

Text: Aurelius Prudentius Clemens, 348–c. 413; tr. Henry W. Baker, 1821–77, alt.
Tune: Daniel Vetter, d. 1721
Text and tune: Public domain

 

Sermon - More Than Just Sentiment - Jeremiah 31:15-17 - Rev. Michael W. Mohr, Associate Pastor

 

Please Stand

 

Nicene Creed

C 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 the Son together is worshiped and glorified,

     who spoke by the prophets.

     And I believe in 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 T of the world to come. Amen.

 

Prayer of the Church

 

Please be Seated

 

Offering

 

Offering Hymn ~ By All Your Saints in Warfare LSB 517 (vs. 1, 9, 3)

Text: Horatio Bolton Nelson, 1823–1913, alt.
Tune: English; coll. and arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1872–1958
Text: Public domain
Tune: Public domain

 

The offering is presented on the last stanza

 

Please Stand

 

Offertory LSB 159

 

Preface LSB 160

 

Proper Preface (Full)

P It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God. In the communion of all Your saints gathered into the one body of Your Son, You have surrounded us with so great a cloud of witnesses that we, encouraged by their faith and strengthened by their fellowship, may run with perseverance the race that is set before us and, together with them, receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:

 

Sanctus LSB 161

 

The Words of Our Lord

P Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My T body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My T blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

 

Pax Domini LSB 163

 

The following hymn stanzas, which also address our Truly Present Christ come to us in this Sacrament, are substituted for the Agnus Dei - our usual hymn adoring Christ's true presence in the Sacrament of the Altar.

 

358 From Heaven Above to Earth I Come

Text: Martin Luther, 1483–1546; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–78, alt.
Tune: Geistliche lieder, Leipzig, 1539, ed. Valten Schumann
Text and tune: Public domain

 

Please be Seated

 

Distribution Hymns

 

624 The Infant Priest Was Holy Born

 

5 The veil is torn, our Priest we see,
As at the rail on bended knee
Our hungry mouths from Him receive
The bread of immortality.

 

6 The body of God’s Lamb we eat,
A priestly food and priestly meat;
On sin-parched lips the chalice pours
His quenching blood that life restores.

 

7 With cherubim and seraphim
Our voices join the endless hymn,
And “Holy, holy, holy” sing
To Christ, God’s Lamb, our Priest and King.

Text: Chad L. Bird, 1970
Tune: Second Supplement to Psalmody in Miniature, 1778, London; adapt. Edward Miller, 1731–1807
Text: © 1997, 2003 Chad L. Bird. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518
Tune: Public domain

 

374 Gentle Mary Laid Her Child

Text: Joseph Simpson Cook, 1859–1933
Tune: Piae Cantiones Ecclesiasticae, 1582, Griefswald
Text and tune: Public domain

 

LSB 666 O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe

Text: Jacob Fabricius, 1593–1654; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–78, alt.
Tune: German, 1534, Nürnberg
Text and tune: Public domain

 

LSB 764 When Aimless Violence Takes Those We Love

Text: Joy F. Patterson, 1931
Tune: Alfred M. Smith, 1879–1971
Text: © 1994, 1997 Hope Publishing Co. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518
Tune: © 1990 Church of the Ascension, Atlantic City, N.J. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110001518

 

Please Stand

 

Nunc Dimittis LSB 165

 

Post-Communion Collect

A Let us pray.

We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we implore You that of Your mercy You would strengthen us through the same in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one another; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

Benediction LSB 166

 

Please be seated.

 

386 Now Sing We, Now Rejoice

Text: Latin and German, 14th cent.; tr. Arthur T. Russell, 1806–74, alt.
Tune: German, 14th cent.
Text and tune: Public domain

 

Acknowledgments

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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