FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT December 21, 2025

Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church

Wisconsin Synod

Pastor Rev. Christopher Oehlke Pastor’s Phone: 1-262-909-7827

Organist Mindy Kane, Karen Davis, Church Telephone 763-682-4573

Lorraine Roush Email pastor@myimmanuel.org

WELCOME, VISITORS:     We are glad you could be with us and we welcome you back any time. Please sign our “Welcome” card found in the pew holders or sign the guest book in the narthex/entry.

Before Communing

Dear Savior, at your gracious invitation I come to your table to eat and drink your holy body and blood. Let me find favor in your eyes to receive this holy Sacrament in faith for the salvation of my soul and to the glory of your holy name; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

THE COMMON SERVICE

HYMN (#36) “A Great and Mighty Wonder”

M: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C: (Sung) Amen.

CONFESSION OF SINS

M: Beloved in the Lord: let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins to God our Father, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.

C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and

actions. I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good.

For this I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity.

But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior

Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

LORD, HAVE MERCY

C: (Sung) Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us.

M: God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C: (Sung) Amen.

LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT CANDLES

M: We light four Advent candles remembering Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Mary. He came to share our humanity.

C: We remember Jesus, whose name means Savior. He came to save his people from their sins.

M: We hear his call to give him a place in our hearts.

C: We light four Advent candles as a sign of our joy and hope.

M: Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest.

C: Through your Word and Spirit may our souls be blessed.

Four Advent candles are lit.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

M: The Lord be with you.

C: (Sung) And also with you.

M: Let us pray. Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Take away the burden of our sins, and make us ready for the celebration of your birth, that we may receive you in joy and serve you always; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C:     (Sung) Amen.

THE WORD

FIRST LESSON Isaiah 7:10-14

¹⁰ The Lord spoke to Ahaz again. He said, ¹¹ “Ask for a sign from the Lord your God. Ask for it either in the depths below or in the heights above.” ¹² But Ahaz responded, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.”

¹³ So Isaiah said: Listen now, you house of David. Is it not enough for you to test the patience of men? Will you test the patience of my God as well? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give a sign for all of you. Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and name him Immanuel.              (EHV)

M: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

PSALM OF THE DAY (Sung) Psalm 89 (page 98)

SECOND LESSON Romans 1:1-7

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ² which he promised in advance through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. ³ This gospel is about his Son—who in the flesh was born a descendant of David, ⁴ who in the spirit of holiness was declared to be God’s powerful Son by his resurrection from the dead—Jesus Christ, our Lord. ⁵ Through him we received grace and the call to be an apostle on behalf of his name, to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, ⁶ including you, who were called by Jesus Christ. ⁷ To all those loved by God who are in Rome, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.       (EHV)

M: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

VERSE OF THE DAY

M: Alleluia. The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel. Alleluia. (Matthew 1:23)

C: (Sung) Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! 

STAND

GOSPEL Matthew 1:18-25 

After the announcement of the gospel, the congregation sings:

C: (Sung) Glory be to you, O Lord!

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. His mother, Mary, was pledged in marriage to Joseph. Before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her. So he decided to divorce her privately. ²⁰ But as he was considering these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ²³ “Look, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son. And they will name him Immanuel,” which means, “God with us.” ²⁴ When Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. He took Mary home as his wife, ²⁵ but he was not intimate with her until she gave birth to her firstborn son. And he named him Jesus.           (EHV)

M: The Gospel of the Lord.

C: (Sung) Praise be to you, O Christ!

BE SEATED

NICENE CREED

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth, 

of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,

eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,

begotten, not made,

of one being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven,

was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,

and became fully human.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.

He suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,

and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead 

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

BE SEATED

HYMN (#23) “Oh, Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel ”

SERMON TEXT Matthew 1:18-25

SERMON THEME “Immanuel—God With Us”

After the sermon, the congregation stands and sings:

C: (Sung) Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with your free Spirit. Amen.

OFFERING – Please leave offering in the plate as you depart.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

O God, You have kept Your Word and delivered to us Your own Son by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin. Guide us so that we may rejoice in the Word made flesh and in the redemption He has won by His holy life, life-giving death and resurrection. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Holy Lord, You promised the virgin-born Son to reluctant King Ahaz, and in the fullness of time the Word became flesh. Open our hearts and strengthen our faith gladly to receive Your Son in the signs where He is present: not in signs of our own choosing, but in the Holy Word and Sacraments. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, You raised up Joseph, a man honorable and just, to be the guardian and earthly father to Your Son. Give all earthly fathers wisdom, patience, pride of duty and, above all, faith and loyalty to Your Word, that knowing Your true Guardianship, they may head their households with godly forbearance. Lord, in Your mercy, 

hear our prayer.

You are the giver of every good gift, O Lord, and You care for us in all our needs of body, mind and spirit. Give healing to the sick, relief to the suffering, peace to the dying and comfort to those who mourn. According to Your gracious will, sustain them all by Your grace, and give them patience and courage as they await the unfolding of Your healing grace. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Grant, Holy Father, that all who eat today of this feast of joy may find in the Savior’s body and blood a blessed foretaste of the feast to come, for the strengthening of their faith and the growth of their love. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord God, heavenly Father, we give You thanks for Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, who is the Dayspring from on high and the splendor of light everlasting. By His coming in the flesh and by His blessed Word, enlighten our hearts with the Gospel, enlighten the hearts of those who sit in the darkness of unbelief with the light of saving faith, and enlighten those who dwell in the shadow of death with the certain hope of the resurrection through Him. Grant that, as we recall with thanksgiving His advent in the flesh, we may always confess Him and remain watchful for His advent in glory at the Last Day; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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.                 -7-

THE SACRAMENT

PREFACE

M: The Lord be with you.

C: (Sung) And also with you.

M: Lift up your hearts.

C: (Sung) We lift them up unto the Lord.

M: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.

C: (Sung) It is good and right so to do.

M: It is truly good and right that we should at all times and in all places give you thanks, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, whose way John the Baptist prepared when he called people to repentance and pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Therefore, with all the saints on earth and hosts of heaven, we praise your holy name and join their glorious song:

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY

C: (Sung) Holy, holy, holy Lord God of heavenly hosts: 

heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he, blessed is he, blessed is he 

who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

WORDS OF INSTITUTION

M: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, 

which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 

M: The peace of the Lord be with you always.

C: (Sung) Amen

O CHRIST, LAMB OF GOD

C: (Sung) O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; 

have mercy on us.

O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; 

have mercy on us.

O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; 

grant us your peace. Amen.

DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION HYMN (#47) “Behold, a Branch is Growing” (#707S) “Peace Came to Earth”

THANKSGIVING

SONG OF SIMEON

C: (Sung) Lord, now you let your servant depart in peace according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel. 

M: O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. 

C: (Sung) And his mercy endures forever.

M: O God the Father, source of all goodness, in your loving kindness you sent your Son to share our humanity. We thank you that through him you have given us pardon and peace in this sacrament. We also pray that you will not forsake us but will rule our hearts and minds by your Holy Spirit so that we willingly serve you day after day, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: (Sung) Amen.

M: The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look on you with favor and (+) give you peace.

C: (Sung) Amen. Amen. Amen.

HYMN (#333) “Abide, O Dearest Jesus”

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT December 21, 2025

Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church
​

​THE SCHEDULE    

Tues., Dec. 23 NO Choir Practice

Wed., Dec. 24 7 p.m., Children’s Christmas Eve Service

Thurs., Dec. 25 9:30 a.m., Christmas Day Song Service

Next Sunday, Dec. 28, Greeters: Vernetta & Loren Weese

OUR FATHER’S BUSINESS

CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE: Wednesday, Dec. 24, 7 p.m., Children’s Christmas Eve Service, “Tell Me Again About Bethlehem;” 

Thursday, Dec. 25, 9:30 a.m., Christmas Day Song Service with Communion.

AREA NEW YEAR’S EVE SERVICES Anchored in Christ (Cross-Rockford), 6 p.m., New Year’s Eve Service.

ENVELOPES: Offering envelopes for 2026 are available in the narthex. If you don’t see yours, ask Julie Gutknecht or Pastor Oehlke.

ATTENDANCE AT THE LORD’S HOUSE: 

    Sunday, Dec.14 40

FOR THE LORD’S WORK: Dec. 14: General Fund-$988; Salem-$2. (Note to consider: General Fund needs about $2,600 per week.)

VERSE OF THE DAY:

During the week memorize and think about this verse of the day:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, 

and they will call him Immanuel.

(Matthew 1:23)