HOLY CROSS LUTHERAN CHURCH
SECOND SUNDAY OF CHRISTMAS
Sunday, January 2, 2021, 8:00 a.m.

Prelude

Greeting And Moment Of Fellowship

Entrance Hymn
Please stand for the last verse of the hymn.

As with Gladness Men of Old

Tune and text: Public domain

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

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.

Silence for reflection on God’s Word and for self-examination.

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.
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.
Service of the Word

Introit	
P Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have established strength because of your foes,
C to still the enemy and the avenger.
P O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
C You have set your glory above the heavens.
P What is man that you are mindful of him,
C and the son of man that you care for him?
P Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
C and crowned him with glory and honor.
P You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
C you have put all things under his feet.
P Glory be to the Father and to the Son
C and to the Holy Spirit;
P as it was in the beginning,
C is now, and will be forever. Amen.
P Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have established strength because of your foes,
C to still the enemy and the avenger.

Kyrie	
A	In peace let us pray to the Lord.
C	Lord, have mercy.
A	For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.
C	Lord, have mercy.
A	For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord.
C	Lord, have mercy.
A	For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.
C	Lord, have mercy.
A	Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
C	Amen.

Gloria in Excelsis	
A	Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people on earth.

Salutation and Collect of the Day	
P	The Lord be with you.
C	And also with you.

P	Let us pray.
Almighty God, You have poured into our hearts the true Light of Your incarnate Word. Grant that this Light may shine forth in our lives; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C	Amen.

Sit

Old Testament Reading	Genesis 46:1–7
	1So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here am I.” 3Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. 4I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”
	5Then Jacob set out from Beersheba. The sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6They also took their livestock and their goods, which they had gained in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him, 7his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters. All his offspring he brought with him into Egypt.

A	This is the Word of the Lord.
C	Thanks be to God.

Epistle	1 Peter 4:12–19
	12Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
	what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
19Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

A	This is the Word of the Lord.
C	Thanks be to God.

Stand

Alleluia and Verse	

Holy Gospel	Matthew 2:13–23
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.”
	19But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

P	This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Sit

Brightest and Best of the Stars of the Morning

Tune and text: Public domain

Sermon     Pastor Chris Johnson

Stand

Apostles’ Creed
C	I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
     maker of heaven and earth.
And 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.
I 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 T everlasting. Amen.

Prayer of the Church
Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
After each portion of the prayers:
P	 Lord, in your mercy,
C	 hear our prayer.
The prayers conclude:
P	 Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C	Amen

Sit

Offering

Stand

Offertory	

Service of the Sacrament

Preface	
P	The Lord be with you.
C	And also with you.

P	Lift up your hearts.
C	We lift them to the Lord.

P	Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C	It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

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, through Jesus Christ, our Lord; for in the mystery of the Word made flesh You have given us a new revelation of Your glory that, seeing You in the person of Your Son, we may know and love those things which are not seen. 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	

Prayer of Thanksgiving	
P	Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have had mercy on those whom You created and sent Your only-begotten Son into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior. With repentant joy we receive the salvation accomplished for us by the all-availing sacrifice of His body and His blood on the cross.

Gathered in the name and the remembrance of Jesus, we beg You, O Lord, to forgive, renew, and strengthen us with Your Word and Spirit. Grant us faithfully to eat His body and drink His blood as He bids us do in His own testament. Gather us together, we pray, from the ends of the earth to celebrate with all the faithful the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end. Graciously receive our prayers; deliver and preserve us. To You alone, O Father, be all glory, honor, and worship, with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C	Amen.

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.”

Proclamation of Christ
P	As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
C	Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
P	O Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, in giving us Your body and blood to eat and to drink, You lead us to remember and confess Your holy cross and passion, Your blessed death, Your rest in the tomb, Your resurrection from the dead, Your ascension into heaven, and Your coming for the final judgment. So remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:

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.

Pax Domini	
P	The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C	Amen.

Agnus Dei	

Sit

Communion Distribution
Holy Cross believes that the Lord’s Supper is a gift of Jesus to His church. The apostle Paul wrote, “Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.” (I Corinthians 11:28-29). Out of loving concern for those that commune and from our understanding of the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions, we request that those who commune here:
1. Be baptized Christians
2. Should have received special instruction on the essence and significance of the Lord’s Supper.
3. Are mature enough to examine themselves,  recognizing their sin and their need for God’s grace through this special means.
4. Profess the “real presence” of Christ in this sacrament, that is, confessing the true presence of Jesus’ body in the bread and His blood in the wine.
We request that all that come to the Lord’s Supper join us in acknowledging the preceding affirmations of our understanding of communion. Non-communing children may join their parents. They are asked to fold their hands for a blessing. If you have any questions, please feel free to speak with the pastor after the service.

If you are unable to drink wine, the inner tray has alcohol free wine. If you are in need of gluten free bread, please speak with one of the pastors.

Stand

P	The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen and preserve you in body and soul to life everlasting. Depart T in peace.
C	Amen.

Thank the Lord	

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.
C	Amen.

Benediction	
P	The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and T give you peace.
C	Amen.

Songs of Thankfulness and Praise

Text and tune: Public domain

Words of Departure
P	  Go in peace and serve the Lord!
C	 Thanks be to God!

Psalm     Psalm 77:11–20
11I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
	yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12I will ponder all your work,
	and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13Your way, O God, is holy.
	What god is great like our God?
14You are the God who works wonders;
	you have made known your might among the peoples.
15You with your arm redeemed your people,
	the children of Jacob and Joseph.
16When the waters saw you, O God,
	when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
	indeed, the deep trembled.
17The clouds poured out water;
	the skies gave forth thunder;
	your arrows flashed on every side.
18The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
	your lightnings lighted up the world;
	the earth trembled and shook.
19Your way was through the sea,
	your path through the great waters;
	yet your footprints were unseen.
20You led your people like a flock
	by the hand of Moses and Aaron.