11.26.23 Bulletin & Announcements
PRAYER REQUESTS- Elaine Mitchell, Melvin Anderson, Pastor Phil Larsen and family, Trudy Torgerson, Carol Malone, Bonnie Plath, Arlene Haux, Garret Fenner & family, Tanya Ausk, Shirley Berg, and Erickson family. Please pray for our elders.
Thank you everyone for the KAMA Thanksgiving Food Basket donations!
Happy 95th Birthday to Arelene Haux on November 29th!
December Worship Times
Norman 9am and Sunday School during Worship 9:15am (Christmas Program Practice)
Davenport Lutheran 11am and Sunday School during Worship 11:15am (Christmas Program Practice)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
*Giving Tree items due back to Norman Lutheran on Today, Nov 26th. Items will go to Youth Works. Thanks Owen!
*Advent begins Dec 3. If you and your family would like to share in the Advent readings and lighting of the Advent Candles during Sunday Worship, please sign up on the signup genius link.
*Parish Council Meeting ote date change* Monday, December 4th 7pm at Davenport.
*Youth Bible study Dec 10 during Worship 9:15am with Josiah Bjertness.
*Dec 10th youth lefse making. More info to come!!
*Christmas Poinsettias order by Dec 10th. If you would like to purchase a poinsettia in memory of or in honor of a loved one for the Christmas season. Please text Sue Boreen at 701-730-4744 (Norman) or text Carol Johnson 701.238.5419 (Davenport). $20 each -pay at either church or Venmo@NormanLutheran with name and church in the memo line. Loved ones names will be listed in the bulletin on Christmas Eve.
*Thursday, Dec 14 BINGO 7-8:30pm @ Davenport Supper Club
*Christmas Programs Dec 17th during Worship. Norman 9am : brunch following program and gingerbread manger scene making also! Signup for meal items on signup genius. Davenport 11am : potluck meal to follow along with gingerbread manger scene making.
*Youth Group/Confirmation students & Families will be ringing the Salvation Army Bell on Dec 18 & 19. There are a few time spots available for Ringing the Bell on Dec 19th. See the signup genius at the ndparish.net website
*Three Christmas Eve Worship options- Sunday, Dec 24 Contemporary Parish Family Worship at Norman Lutheran @ 9 am
Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship at Davenport Lutheran @ 3 pm
Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship at Norman Lutheran @ 5pm
*KAMA Christmas Food Basket Items
-Davenport 27 boxes of cake mixes and 4 hams. -Norman 27 cans of frosting and 4 hams (signup on the website under "Connect & Serve Signups") Please have items to church by Dec 17th.
*Norman November Coffee Hour Offering- any offering during coffee hour at Norman now through the end of November will be donated locally to Churches United for the Homeless.
*Mark your calendars-
Night@The Game Dec 11. Join the community pep band and choir for this special night at KHS 6pm! Soup supper also!
*Dec 3 Concordia Christmas Concert 2pm
*Dec 9th Santa coming to Davenport 1-3pm Davenport Senior Center
*Dec 16 & 18 Storytime at Kindred Library 10am
*Dec 17th Santa coming to Kindred 1-3pm at High School
*Davenport Fire Dept BINGO Dec 28 7pm at Supper Club
Kindred Area Food Pantry is in need of supplies. Items can be dropped off at Kindred Lutheran or bring items to our church & we can deliver to pantry.
**Just a reminder that we are updating the Parish directory. please send a family photo and any information needed to be updated (phone disconnected, new email or phone #, change of address, birthdays/anniversary etc...) to normandavenportparish@hotmail.com. There is a beautiful fall photo booth area set up at either church for you to use if you would like, today after worship or any time that is convenient for you! You may also send in a recent family photo from this summer if you would like.
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Norman Davenport Lutheran Worship
Sunday, November 26th, 2023
Christ the King Sunday
The Crowning of the Year
Lessons & Carols
PRELUDE/BELLS
WELCOME / ANNOUNCEMENTS – Good morning!
A note about today’s worship
Christ the King Sunday is the final Sunday of the church year. We gather this day to celebrate the reign of Christ and his victory over death while still awaiting the fulfillment of all things yet to come. Christ is merciful and we go out so that his love may be known in our loving words and deeds.
Christians affirm that Christ comes not only in a past event but also in our present life and the world’s unfolding future. The word Advent means “coming”, and we pray that God will continually come to bring life to a dying world.
Advent is a time to meditate on the meaning of life and what is in our hearts and to pray for God’s salvation and wholeness for creation.
Advent is about more than anticipating the birth of Jesus. It celebrates the many times Jesus comes to us, including as a baby in Bethlehem, as a victor at the end of time, and each time we gather as a community around the Word and Sacrament.
The church year is circular- there is no ending and no beginning. We begin by looking to the end.
CALL TO WORSHIP:
P: This is the day the Lord has made!
C: This is the crowning of the year!
P: The life of Christ is the model of our own, and he shapes all we say and do.
C: The Lord reigns over all our day.
HYMN: Lift High the Cross (ELW 660)
CHILDREN’S MOMENT
HOLY COMMUNION
LORD’S PRAYER
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.
Advent: A Season of Preparation
God has always been present with God’s people. Amidst the changing days of this world, amidst flood, fire, and famine; amidst death, life, and new life, God’s presence has sustained us.
For generations, women and men longed for that presence to be more real.
They waited for God to step in and make God’s presence known. And so, in Advent we too stop and wait, remembering that God comes among us in Christ to make all things new. In the midst of the waiting, God speaks in the voice of the prophet Isaiah to give comfort and call the people to prepare the way for something new:
Isaiah 40:1-11
1 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." 6 A voice says, "Cry out!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. 9 Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" 10 See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.
HYMN: O Come, O Come Emmanuel (ELW 257) vs. 3 & 5
ChristmasEmmanuel, God-with-Us
In Jesus Christ, God steps into our world. In Jesus, God became human, Emmanuel, God-with-us. At Christmas, we remember how he was born of Mary, how his lowly birth shows us that God stands with the poor and powerless, how he feels for all our sadness and shares in all our gladness. And so we hear again the story of his birth, according to Luke:
Luke 2:1-20 1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" 15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
HYMN: Away in a Manger (277)
Epiphany: The Light Shines in the Darkness
In Christ, light broke through into our weary world,
shining the brightness of God into all brokenness,
into all pain and sorrow and suffering and sighing,
into every uncertainty and anxiety and hopeless place.
At Epiphany, we remember how the light of Christ
shines into our hearts and our lives,
transforms us into the people God intends for us to be,
and compels even those from far away to journey to see the light.
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 60:1-6
1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms. 5Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
HYMN: Joyous Light of Heavenly Glory (ELW 561)
Lent: Penitence and Preparation
Early in his ministry, Jesus endured a time of testing and trial.
Mark describes it this way:
Mark 1:12-13
12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
So remembering all the trials of Jesus’ life and seeking to deepen our own faithfulness alongside his, we celebrate Lent:
forty days of penitence and preparation,
forty days of setting aside the things that keep us from
right relationship with God and our neighbor,
forty days of taking up a new way that can bring us closer to God in Christ.
Hymn: Be Thou my Vision (ELW 793)
Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday God’s Love Revealed
Jesus lived a faithful life, teaching the people and his disciples more about who God is
and how God is at work in the world. He healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, and called people to repentance. He proclaimed the coming of the kingdom of God.
But not everyone agreed with him. His words threatened the powerful and challenged the status quo. When the time came for him to face the authorities, he was abandoned by those who loved him. Even amidst his innocence, he was condemned to death,
hung on a cross and left to die. The gospel according to Mark tells us the sad story:
Mark 15:25-41
25 It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The inscription of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews." 27 And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. 28 29 Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!" 31 In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also taunted him. 33 When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 35 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "Listen, he is calling for Elijah." 36 And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down." 37 Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was God's Son!" 40 There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.
HYMN: Christ Is the King (ELW 662)
Easter: The Lord Is Risen!
Mark 16:1-8 1 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." 8So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Even amidst their terror and amazement, Jesus was not there—he was raised!
And so every Sunday we celebrate the resurrection once again.
HYMN: Jesus Christ Is Risen Today (ELW 365) vs. 1, 2, 4
Pentecost
The Holy Spirit Comes Among Us
In the days after his resurrection, the risen Jesus appeared to his disciples
and made it clear that he was not just a ghost but a real man, living once again.
He told his friends that he would not be able to be among them forever,
but he did promise that God would send them the Holy Spirit to journey with them.
God kept God’s promise.
On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came among the people with great power and glory.
The book of Acts tells it like this:
Reading: Acts 2:1-13
1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound, the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"
And so even now, every year on Pentecost
we celebrate the presence of the Holy Spirit among us.
We remember how the Spirit inspires us to believe the good news of the gospel, how the Spirit opens us to new relationships with God and one another, how the Spirit helps us to join in God’s work of making all things new.
HYMN: Spirit of Gentleness (ELW 396)
APOSTLE’S CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the dead.*
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Ordinary Time for the Living of Our Days
While we have seen God at work in the movement of the life of Jesus,
we also see how God is working in us too to make all things new.
God’s presence is real even in the most ordinary moments of life and living.
Even amidst the struggles of the day to day,
we know that God journeys with us everywhere we go
and shows us how to trust the fullness of God’s grace amidst all of time and space.
The writer of Ecclesiastes put it well:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (read responsively)
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
Amidst all the time of our lives, may we know the God who reigns over all our days.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Let us turn our hearts to God, our breath and life, as we pray for the church, the world, and all who are in need.
A brief silence.
Holy God, from Christ we receive our call to feed, clothe, and welcome. Direct your church to respond to this call with faithfulness and generous love. We pray for the work of ELCA World Hunger and partnerships with global feeding ministries. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
In Christ, the rock of our salvation, we are brought into union with all of creation. With mountains, seas, dry lands, and animals of the field, we seek your guidance and protection. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
In Christ we know merciful judgment. Guide rulers of every nation in ways of humble leadership and wise decision-making. Allow aid to come to all who are underserved and care to any who are neglected. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
In Christ we feel the depth of your love and care toward us. Nourish all who hunger, connect any who are isolated, and surround all who experience rejection or abuse. We pray for those who suffer. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
In Christ we are made the people of his pasture. Inspire the outreach and social ministries of this congregation. We pray for all people who serve and attend to the needs of others. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Holy God, in Christ we are welcomed home. We praise you for the faithful witness of those who have served you and extended your welcome and love to us . Unite us with them as one body of Christ. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
We offer our spoken prayers and those held in our hearts trusting in your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
OFFERING
The Reign of Christ: Already and Not Yet
Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
He reigns over us and all our world with justice, mercy, and peace.
BENEDICTION:
As this church year comes to an end and a new one begins,
may the Lord bless you and keep you;may the Lord’s face shine on you and be gracious to you;may the Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. Amen.
Now let us join with all creation and sing our praises to God, who was and is and who is to come.
HYMN: For the Beauty of the Earth (ELW 879)
DISMISSAL: Go in peace to Love and Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God!
