Second Sunday in Advent
Holy Communion at 8:30 and 11am


Prayer of the Day
Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son. By his coming strengthen us to serve you with purified lives; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Scripture readings
Isaiah 40:1-11
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13
2 Peter 3:8-15a
Mark 1:1-8

Sermon 
"Where the Wild Things Are"
Mark 1:1-8
The voices cry out in the wilderness. The voice of the prophet is echoed by the voice of the baptist. Their voices call to us this day, for we are wandering in the wilderness, too. We are lost in the wild places of holiday preparations, not to mention the desolate places of sin and suffering, grief and death. But in these wild places, God comes to meet us. Indeed, God won’t let anything get in the way. Mountains and valleys, crooked roads and human sin? No matter. The Lord is coming, and it will all get straightened out. Yes, we are in wild places, but God is here, too.

Hymns

In our prayers we remember Walther Christian Academy High School.

Between services, at 9:45am

Children and youth

Sunday School students (grade 1–4) meet in the third-floor school commons for opening worship. Preschool and kindergarten students meet in the JK classroom on the lower level. Pre-Confirmation  students meet in their classrooms.  Confirmation students (gr. 7–8) meet in the 8th grade classroom at 9:45am. The group will move to the Youth Room with Pastor Lauren to join Teen Talk students for a special service project and breakfast treats.

Adult Education

Making Social Sense of the Christian Faith: God con Carne
Pastor Dave Wegner
Seminar Room
Today the Incarnation seems about as scandalous as fruitcake, but in the fourth and fifth centuries, no issue more divided Christians than the assertion that almighty God had been joined to frail and fickle human flesh. By probing three early objections to the Incarnation we can better understand its startling assertions about the scandalous lengths to which God will go to redeem us.

The Sunday morning Bible study group meets in the lower-level conference room.

The Grace Church Library is open and staffed on Sundays from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Look for books related to Adult Ed topics as well as many other subjects. The library is also open for self-service during the week.

Download the 2017-2018 Sunday School and Confirmation Schedule.
Download the Fall 2017 Adult Education Schedule.