Christ the King – Series A November 26, 2017

DIVINE GRACE EV. LUTHERAN CHURCH SCHOOL PRESCHOOL

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod 3000 S. Lapeer Road Orion, MI 48359-1317

(248) 391-1131 www.divinegrace.net

King of Love

JESUS

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Welcome to Divine Grace Lutheran Church

We welcome you in the name of our Savior! We are anxious to share with you the blessings of the Gospel, and pray that you will leave us this morning spiritually nourished for the week to come and return again to worship with us next Sunday. If you are looking for a church home, please speak with Pastor Voss. We welcome your questions about our teachings and practices. If you are a visitor, we kindly ask that you sign the Guest Register in the church entryway.

Theme: On this last Sunday of the church year, we rejoice in the fulfillment of God’s plan for our salvation through Christ our King. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords!

Liturgy: Morning Praise II (printed in bulletin) Opening Hymn All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name | CW 370

Scripture Lesson: Matthew 27:27-31 Jesus is indeed the King of kings. Unlike other kings, our Savior is a King who conquers by allowing himself to be conquered. 27Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the

whole cohort of soldiers around him. 28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on

him. 29They twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They put a

staff in his right hand, knelt in front of him, and mocked him by saying, “Hail, King of

the Jews!” 30They spit on him, took the staff, and hit him repeatedly on his head. 31After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him.

Then they led him away to crucify him.

Hymn of the Day The Head that Once Was Crowned | CW 217

Sermon Text: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 23-24 11For this is what the LORD God says: I myself will seek the welfare of my flock and

examine them carefully. 12As a shepherd examines his flock when he is with his

sheep that have been scattered, so I will examine my flock and rescue them from all

the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13I will

bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them

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to their own land. I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys, and in all

the settlements of the land. 14I will pasture them in good pasture, and their grazing land will

be on the high mountains of Israel. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and they

will pasture on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15I myself will shepherd my flock,

and I myself will let them lie down, declares the LORD God. 16I will seek the lost. I will bring

back the strays. I will bind up the injured. I will strengthen the weak. I will destroy the fat

and the strong, and I will shepherd them in justice. 23Then I will raise up over them one

Shepherd, and he will tend them, my servant David. He will tend them, and he will be their

Shepherd. 24I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David will be the Prince among

them. I, the LORD, have spoken.

All scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage VersionTM (EHVTM) copyright © 2016 The Wartburg Project. All rights reserved. www.wartburgproject.org

Sermon (Ezekiel 34:11-16, 23-24)

Our Shepherd Is The King Of Love! Offering Our congregation’s members willingly give offerings to support the Lord’s work here and around the world out of their love for Christ. If you are a guest or visitor today, please do not feel obligated to give an offering.

LORD’S PRAYER

C: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

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Here are the Scripture lessons for next week.

Feel free to look them up and start giving them some thought as you prepare yourself for worship.

Matthew 27:27-31, Ezekiel 34:11-16, 23-24

PRAYER OF THE DAY PRAYER FOR GRACE O Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to this new day. Defend us with your mighty power, and grant that this day we neither fall into sin nor run into any kind of danger; and in all we do, direct us to what is right in your sight, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. THE BLESSING Closing Hymn Crown Him with Many Crowns | CW 341

+ + + We thank our Service Participants: Preacher: Pastor Mark Voss Organist: Mrs. Marie Sazy Sunday Ushers: 8:00 am – A. Reinhold, R. Jorgenson, N. Reinhold 10:45 am – E. Nordlie, N. Nordlie, M. Armstrong, M. Nordlie

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AT A GLANCE…

1st Advent Midweek Service – December 6 at 7 pm

Advent by Candlelight – December 10 - Noon

Our Week with the Savior: November 26-December 3 This Sunday

8:00 & 10:45 am 9:30 am

Worship Services Adult Bible Class, Youth Group, Children’s Sunday School

Monday 5:30 pm 7:00 pm

Confirmation Class Church Council Meeting

Tuesday 3:45 pm 6:30 pm

Faculty Meeting Bible Information Class (BIC)

Wednesday 9:00 am 9:30 am 7:00 pm

School Chapel Bible Class Congregation Care Committee Meeting

Thursday 8:30 am 6:30-7:15 pm

Scrip Order Due Choir Practice

Next Sunday

8:00 & 10:45 am 9:30 am 9:30 am

Worship Services with the Lord’s Supper Adult Bible Class, Youth Group, Sunday School for Preschoolers K-8 Children’s Christmas Practice

Parish News…

Altar Flowers: The flowers that beautify our service today were given to God’s glory by the Reinhold family in honor of Beth’s birthday.

Choir: Our Divine Grace Choir is going to sing, "An Advent Alleluia" in the services on Sunday, December 10th. Since it's a piece that we have sung once before, we will only have two rehearsals on consecutive Thursdays (November 30th and December 7th) from 6:30-7:15 p.m. Any confirmed member of Divine Grace is welcome to come and join us - we'd love to have you! If you have any questions, please speak with Pastor.

Church Christmas Decorating: On Wednesday, December 6th, starting at 10:30 am, we will begin decorating the church in preparation for the Christmas season. If you are available, please consider participating. Many hands make light work! Reminder- Bible Class is held in the church nursery every Wednesday morning from 9:30-10:30 am. Everyone is welcome to attend. Church decorating will follow the Bible Study. Join us!

Children’s Christmas Service for all member children preschool through grade 8 will be at 7:00 pm on Friday, December 22nd. Practices for K-8 are Sundays Dec. 3, 10, and 17 in church, 9:30-10:30 am, and also December 21 and 22 at 9:30 am. Preschool children do not need to attend practices, but will be invited to come forward to sing during the service.

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Called Worker Gifts: Each year, a special effort is made to collect / distribute a special monetary Christmas gift from our members to our seven full time staff to say “thank you” for their committed service, show our appreciation, and “wish them a very Merry Christmas.” They are: Pastor Voss, Jesse Nofftz, Charlotte Huebner, Kristi Coffin, Barb Musinski, Debbie Baker, Deanna Pentis. If you would like to participate in this monetary gift for our full time workers, please place your gift (check payable to “Art Reinhold” or Cash) into the specially marked box in the Narthex or hand it directly to Council President Art Reinhold. These anonymous gifts will be totaled after services Sunday December 16th and distributed to the staff as directed by the Church Council. Thank you in advance for your warm and caring generosity, Art Reinhold.

Meditations: New Meditations devotion booklets are now available. Daily devotions in this issue begin with Sunday, December 3. Pick up a copy as you leave service today.

Midweek Advent Dinner: On Wednesday, December 6th, Women Serving Christ will be hosting the first of our three Advent dinners. Ladies, a sign-up sheet is on the WSC bulletin board with slots to sign up for items for the meal, and also to help with the clean-up.

Poinsettias: Traditionally we decorate our altar with Poinsettias during the month of December. If you would like to help pay for these flowers for the altar, please sign up on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall. The cost is $22 per plant payable to “Divine Grace”. Please place payment into the Pentis church mailbox.

WELS Marriage Enrichment: Routine maintenance pays off.  You change oil in your car to keep it running longer.  Give your marriage the attention it needs to flourish and run all the way to the end.  Let an upcoming WELS Marriage Enrichment and Get-Away Weekend help you.  Spend the weekend growing closer to your Savior and each other at the Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth, MI, February 9-11. See the poster and brochures in the Fellowship Hall or visit www.wels.net/adult-discipleship.

Giving Tree: This year Divine Grace School has adopted six needy children for Christmas. You may pick one or more of the tags from the Christmas Giving Tree located in the school lobby. Each tag has the age and gender of the child and an item from their wish list. The children have been selected through Oxford/Orion FISH, a local organization that provides emergency aid in the form of food and agency referrals

(oxfordorionfish.org). Along with running their food pantry, FISH offers Thanksgiving dinners, Easter dinners, and AngelFISH Christmas gifts for children. Please return gifts unwrapped with the tag attached by Sunday, December 3. Thank you!

Plan Ahead: On Sunday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) there will be only one morning service at 9:00 am. The Candlelight Service will be held at 5:00 pm.

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Advent Services Dec. 6, 13, 20

Advent: Wednesday night services for the season of Advent will begin on December 6, at 7:00 pm. Come get ready to make your Christmas celebration a truly meaningful one! We will be serving meals prior to these services, starting at 5:30 pm. Please plan on joining us on Wednesday evenings during Advent!

Advent by Candlelight Sunday, December 10

Sunday, December 10th, Women Serving Christ will be hosting Advent by Candlelight in the Fellowship Hall, starting at 12:00 pm. All women of the congregation are invited! There are extra invitations available on the credenza in the church entryway. This year we will be asking everyone to bring a dish to pass. Please sign up on the WSC bulletin board if you plan to attend. The luncheon will conclude with a brief program that will focus our hearts on God’s precious gift, Jesus. Please invite your family and friends!

Night Angels: Women Serving Christ will be sponsoring a congregational giving opportunity for Christmas that will be focused on The Night Angels. Member Jessica Wainwright and her parents work with the program. Night Angels is a Christian based non-profit organization operating primarily on the streets of Detroit, focusing on outreach efforts to victims of human trafficking. Their core values include: heightening awareness of the problem of human trafficking, providing outreach and assistance to human trafficking victims, advocacy for these victims, and apostleship of teams, providing these awareness and outreach efforts locally, and nationally. Look for additional information to come.

MLC Basketball Games: Here’s a chance to cheer on our WELS college of ministry’s basketball teams as they make a rare appearance here in Michigan! The MLC Knights will be playing at Calvin College in Grand Rapids on Friday, December 1st (women’s game at 5:30 p.m. and men’s game at 7:30 p.m.) and then will be playing at Great Lakes Christian College in Lansing on Saturday, December 2nd (women’s game at 2:00 p.m. and men’s game at 4:00 p.m.). Go Knights!

Lions Game: Once again this year Lucas Schroeder, a member at Crown of Life in Warren, has arranged for a WELS Day at Ford Field on Saturday, December 16 at 4:30 p.m. as the Detroit Lions take on the Chicago Bears. Tickets this year may only be purchased through a special website set up just for this event at www.detroitlions.com/wels. Discount prices are being given, and all those ordering tickets through that website will receive a free pair of Lions sunglasses and carrying case.

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AmazonSmile: When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases. (You use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile.) On your first visit to AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), you need to select “Divine Grace Lutheran Church.” We recently received a donation of $39.09. Thank you!

Attendance: Sunday 11/19 8:00 am Worship: 62 Communion: 51

10:45 am Worship: 98 Communion: 77 Sunday Adult Bible Class: 48

Bible Study (totals for the week): Adults - Teens - 4 Children - 4

Christmas Service Schedule

Friday, December 22 7:00 pm- Children’s Service

Sunday, December 24 - Christmas Eve 9:00 am – Sunday Worship Service (no Sunday School or Bible Class)

5:00 pm- Candlelight Service Monday, December 25 - Christmas Day

9:00 am- Christmas Service Sunday, December 31 - New Year’s Eve

8:00 & 10:45 am- Service with Lord’s Supper (no evening service)

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Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod www.wels.net

Pastor Mark Voss Cell Phone: (248) 462-1390 Email: mvoss@divinegrace.net Principal Jesse Nofftz Cell Phone: (608) 498-2105 Email: jnofftz@divinegrace.net

Preschool Director Barb Musinski Email: bmusinski@divinegrace.net

Divine Grace Worship Services – Sundays, 8:00 & 10:45 am Children’s Sunday School – Sundays, 9:30 am

Bible Classes – Sundays, 9:30 am – Adult Bible Class Tuesdays, 6:30 pm – Bible Information Class

Wednesdays, 9:30 am – Mid-Week Bible Class Visit our website – divinegrace.net

facebook.com/divinegracelutheranchurch www.twitter.com/DivineGraceWELS

Email – office@divinegrace.net

Volunteers for Next Week:

12/2 Church Cleaning : not needed

12/3 8:00 am Sunday Service: 12/3 10:45 am Sunday Service: Communion Setup – volunteer needed 8:00 Ushers– K. Miskowski, K. Krueger,

C. Moran 10:45 Ushers– B. Pagels, B. Kohler,

C. Wainwright Communion Support – J. Nofftz Communion Support – K. Uhlig Fellowship Snack – Uhlig Communion Cleanup – Gooch

Upcoming Birthdays:

11/27 Amy Thorsen 11/28 Joshua Teller 11/29 Philip Luedtke 12/1 Devin Baker 12/2 Suzanne Butler

12/4 Renae Woiak 12/7 Andrew Kobs 12/8 Megan Wood 12/9 Paul Merritt