Sermons
Dec 06
Nov 30
Nov 26
December 7, 2025
St. Paul Lutheran LCMS
Julesburg, CO
970.474.2592
The Pathlight
Your Word Is A Lamp To My Feet A And
Light To My Path.
Ps 119:105
Zion Lutheran LCMS
Big Springs, NE
308.289.5148
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Shameless
“Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.” Psalm 25:22
As Jesus entered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday the crowds shouted “Hosanna to the Son of
David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Hosanna means
“Lord save us”. Hosanna is heard throughout the Psalms as we wait for God who has made great
promises. Hosanna - let me not be put to shame. Put to shame by the devil, who prowls about like
a lion seeking to devour me. Put to shame by the world, who finds little value in everything I
cherish. Let me not be put to shame by myself, because my hope is in God of whose Law I can’t
keep. Redeem Israel (your faithful people of every age), O God, out of all its troubles. Even when
those troubles are my own. Hosanna.
For the Church, Advent is a season of penitential hope. And those two things are like oil and
water…. hope and shame. Real hope has no shame. The truly penitent are too dejected to hope. But
to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul anyway. Any relief from shame doesn’t come from myself. It’s from
God. God “advented” Himself in the person of Jesus to take away your sins and mine. “Advented”
Himself to bear our shame and promises to return in glory to put right everything shameful that
the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh can do wrong. So, we wait in penitent hope. We won’t
be lost, dwelling in our shame because Jesus “advented” to take it all to the cross. He now
“advents” and meets us at the altar with forgiveness for all of our sins and will “advent” again at
the Last Day and we too will rise.
Hosanna. Advent says God will come to make us right, to be our Redeemer. He invites everyone
with shame, from all you’ve done, all the shame the world has heaped on you, and all the devil
piles on too. Take it all to where Jesus “advents” at His table, and where He feeds you with His
Body and Blood and joins you with the angel host and all the company of heaven who sing and
rejoice because they see you with them at the feast. Freedom from shame isn’t a now perfect life.
Freedom from shame is waiting for our God who takes our shame away. Hosanna! Not a soul who
waits for Jesus will be put to shame.
Come, Thou precious Ransom, come, Only hope for sinful mortals! Come, O Savior of the world! Open
are to Thee all portals. Come, Thy beauty let us see; Anxiously we wait for Thee. (Lutheran Service
Book 350:1)
Pastor Christensen
For now we see in a mirror dimly but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have
been fully known. 1 Cor. 13:12
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Lutheran Service Book
Order of Worship
HYMN # 343 “Prepare the Royal Highway”
LITURGY Divine Service (setting Four) pg. 203 with Communion
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
INTROIT Bulletin Insert
OLD TESTAMENT READING: Isaiah 11:1-10
EPISTLE: Romans 15:4-13
HOLY GOSPEL: Matthew 3:1-12
NICIENE CREED pg. 206
HYMN # 344 “On Jordon’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry”
SERMON
OFFERING
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT pg. 208
HYMN # 642 “O Living Bread from Heaven”
# 359 “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”
NUNC DIMITTIS pg.211
COLLECT
BENEDICTION pg. 212
HYMN # 333“Once He Came in Blessing”
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Servants today
St.Paul
Organist – Gail Nicolaus, Ushers /Greeters- Brad Ehmke/Gerald Orth
Zion
Organist-Gail Nicolaus, Ushers/Greeters-Randy Schlake, Altar Guild-Shelle
& Jodi
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St. Paul
Dec. 10 -5:00PM- Catechism
7:00PM- Advent Service/refreshments after service-at St. Paul
Servants for Worship Service- Craig Nicolaus/Gail Nicolaus
Dec. 14-8:00AM-Bible Study
9:00AM-Worship Service
Servants for Worship Service-Gayle Newth/David Orth/Gail Nicolaus
Zion
Dec. 10-3:30PM-Midweek
7:00PM-Advent Service/refreshments after service- at St. Paul
Dec. 14-10:00AM-Sunday School
11:00AM-Worship Service
Servants for Worship Service- Randy Schlake/Shelle & Jodi/Gail Nicolaus
We share with love and faith that Marion Marquardt entered into the joy of heaven
on November 23. Her life of devotion and kindness touched many, and we give thanks
for the hope we have in Christ’s promise of eternal life. A service of Christian burial will
be held on Saturday, December 6, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church. We invite
all who knew her to gather in remembrance, prayer, and thanksgiving for her life.
MOVIE AND A MEAL AT ZION -Zion and St. Paul members are invited to attend a
Sunday afternoon December 14th 3:00 pm showing of the movie "The Nativity Story".
Following the movie there will be time for singing Christmas hymns and carols before a
soup supper is served. If you can't make the movie, come for the soup at 5:00!
Happy Anniversary……Dec. 11-Pastor & Joline Christensen
12/9-Marla Race
12/11- Ashley Law, Darlene Ford
12/12- Jeanie Boehm
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Second Sunday of Advent bible brain teaser
Advent is about longing, listening, and preparing
Instructions: Solve each clue. Take the first letter of each
answer — it will reveal a hidden Advent message.
1. P: Voice crying in the wilderness, calling people to get ready (person’s
name)
2. R: To turn around and change direction (a call John the Baptist makes)
3. E: What the Lord promises to make in the rough places (Isaiah 40:4)
4. P: Candle theme often associated with Week Two in many
congregations
5. A: The season of waiting and hope before Christmas
6. R: John’s location when he preached (region)
7. E: What God’s people anticipate — God’s faithful _______
8. W: What is made “straight” in the wilderness (image of a road)
9. A: The one Isaiah foretells who prepares the way (role/title)
10. Y: River where John baptized Jesus (proper name)
Answer key
Acrostic answers
1. P: John
2. R: Repent
3. E: Even (as in “every mountain and hill be made low… uneven
ground shall become level”)
4. P: Peace
5. A: Advent
6. R: Wilderness
7. E: Expectation (or “promises”)
8. W: Way
9. A: Messenger
10. Y: Jordan
Hidden message: PREPARE THE WAY
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Peace in the Waiting
Scripture: Isaiah 40:3–5 — “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the
Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”
Years ago, a small town in the Midwest was struck by a terrible blizzard just before
Christmas. Roads were closed, power was out, and families were cut off from one another.
In the middle of the storm, a farmer noticed his neighbor’s lantern flickering across the
field. Despite the snow piling high, he trudged through the drifts to check on her. She was
elderly, alone, and frightened. He stayed with her, stoked her fire, and shared what little
food he had carried.
When the storm finally passed, she told him: “I thought I was forgotten. But when I saw
your light coming through the snow, I knew I wasn’t alone.”
That lantern became more than a source of warmth—it was a symbol of peace in the
waiting, a reminder that even in the wilderness, God sends light.
Advent is a season of waiting, but not passive waiting. It is active, hopeful, peace-filled
waiting. The Second Sunday in Advent reminds us that God’s peace is not the absence of
storms, but His presence in the midst of them.
Like the farmer’s lantern cutting through the blizzard, Christ’s coming brings light into our
wilderness. Isaiah’s words remind us that valleys will be lifted, rough places made smooth,
and peace will come—not because we control the storm, but because God Himself enters
it. Peace is not found in perfect circumstances, but in the promise that Emmanuel—God
with us—is drawing near.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, in this season of Advent, teach us to wait with peace. When storms rage around
us, remind us that Your light is coming, and Your presence is already here. Help us to be
lantern-bearers for others, showing Your peace in the wilderness. Amen.
Takeaway
This week, be intentional about carrying peace into someone else’s “storm.” A phone call,
a visit, or even a small act of kindness can be the lantern that reminds them they are not
forgotten.
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St. Paul Lutheran Church
7th & Maple
PO Box 72
Julesburg, CO 80737