Midweek Advent Worship 2025

“We Three Kings of Israel Are”

Solomon, the Son of David …Temple Builder

…and Ancestor of a “Far Greater Temple Builder”

Solomon was the third and last king of the united nation of Israel. The Bible depicts him as a wise and shrewd king…..generally the nation’s most successful monarch. He elevated the role of Israel’s king from Saul’s and David’s more militaristic function to one similar to a traditional middle eastern monarch – a position of power, influence and prestige. In some ways he was the best of Israel’s kings. However, Solomon’s picture isn’t a completely positive one. In fact, though he likely died as a believer (at least that’s what the book of Ecclesiastes would suggest…), spiritually-speaking Solomon had an on-again, off-again, on-again relationship with the LORD God of Israel.

The portrait that Scripture gives us of Solomon is one of a generously blessed, highly intelligent, internationally-renowned sovereign with some profound Spiritual weaknesses that included pride, materialism and a “weakness” for heathen women. Though the LORD gave Him the blessings of unparalleled wisdom, great wealth, power, and peace from his enemies, Solomon was notably unfaithful to His LORD. He married godless women, built temples for their false gods, and even worshiped their pagan deities with them. He let the pursuit of wisdom, as well as his material blessings, and his earthly successes become wedges between God and him. One is reminded of Jesus’ wise words in Luke 12: “For where your treasure is, there you heart will also be.” In his final years, a reflective Solomon admitted that there was an extended period in his life when gave his God-given treasures more attention and affection than the God Who gave him those blessings. It would only be in those last years of his reign that Solomon – by God’s grace – would “come home” to the LORD….a much older, Spiritually-wiser, humbled and repentant man (see Ecclesiastes 12:13).

As Israel’s king, Solomon took the military successes of Saul and David, which had provided the nation with some dominance over its enemies, as well as the territorial control and integrity it needed to be cohesive nation, and used them to “construct” the kingdom of Israel. For example, he built Jerusalem in to an impressively opulent capital city with a magnificent palace for himself, and an enormous, beautiful temple for the LORD God of Israel. He arranged for powerful, well-garrisoned fortresses to be constructed throughout the land in order to provide peace and security for his kingdom. Sadly, Solomon also had 700 wives and over 300 concubines, most of whom were non-Hebrew (in spite of the fact that not only in the Law of Moses [Deuteronomy 7:3] the LORD forbade the Hebrew people from marrying many of their non-Hebrew neighbors because of the Spiritual danger involved in being wed to a heathen individual.) The Bible tells us (I Kings 11:4) that Solomon’s heathen wives eventually turned his heart away from the LORD.

The opulent building projects that Solomon carried out required the importation of valuable products such as gold, copper, and cedar, because they were unavailable in the land of Israel. His need for these foreign commodities meant that Solomon had to heavily tax his subjects. And what he couldn’t pay for through tax revenue, he paid for in land concessions and in trafficking/selling his people. For example, Solomon gave away twenty Israelite towns to neighboring foreign powers, and he paid the Phoenicians for the cedar wood and skills of their craftsman with the currency of slave labor: every three months, 30,000 Hebrews were sent to work as slaves for the King of Tyre. This, it would seem, is some of what Samuel was prophetically referring to when he warned the people that they would end up paying dearly for having to have a king by having to give up their sons and daughters to him (I Samuel 8:10-18).

The books of II Samuel and I Kings provide us with our best information about Solomon’s reign. That he was a materially successful king is undeniable, but how beloved he was in the eyes of his subjects is debatable. The people of Israel literally groaned under the tax and labor burdens that Solomon imposed. In fact many of the people were so passionately discontent that following his death after a 40 year reign (970 to 930 BC), the ten northern tribes eventually revolted. They were not willing to be ruled by Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, when the latter assured them that, rather than ease their burdens, he would be as demanding, or even more demanding than his father had been. Subsequently, those ten tribes successfully seceded and established their own kingdom, calling it the nation of Israel. The people in the south, ruled by Rehoboam and his Davidic successors, would become known as the nation of Judah. The great empire of David and Solomon was gone…..never to be seen again. In its place were two weaker kingdoms which together would eventually lose nearly all the regional territory of David’s once proud and prominent empire within one hundred years of Solomon’s passing. And, as occurred in the days of the Judges, both kingdoms would also see themselves frequently dominated by neighboring nations.

As we study Solomon’s life this evening, one of his accomplishments we will highlight and on which we will elaborate was his construction of the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem. This was something his father David had wanted to personally construct. But being a warrior, with blood on his hands, God denied David the privilege….preferring to allow a man of peace, David’s son, Solomon, to build that temple – known to this day as “Solomon’s Temple.” Tonight we’ll connect Solomon, as David’s son and the builder of Jerusalem’s temple, to the greatest Son of David, our heavenly King, Jesus Christ. 1000 years after Solomon, Jesus would “build” a different and infinitely more important temple…..His resurrected body – as the assurance of our salvation and victory over sin, death and Satan. Three days after His substitutionary death for our sins on the cross, He would conquer death’s power for us through His bodily resurrection, assuring us of our everlasting life in heaven through faith in Him as our God and Savior. That was precisely what Jesus predicted in John 2:19, when He said, “Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Prayer Upon Entering Church

Come, dear Savior. I long for Your appearing! Come to cheer me with Your promises, as You once cheered Your ancient people throughout their long years of waiting and watching for Your first Advent. Come to restore me hope. Rouse me from the slumber of despair, lift my heart from petty, earthbound goals, and direct my eyes above, from where You will soon come to make all things right again. Come and work in me a godly grief and a genuine sorrow over all my sins. Forgive me for the shameful ways I have dishonored You, and the shabby ways I have dealt with my fellow men and women. Through Your mighty Word, stir up in me a relentless yearning to give myself to You and to others, as You have so graciously given Yourself for us all. Come also to rekindle my joy as I prepare to celebrate – in just a few days – Your first coming and birth. Do not permit the frenzied busyness of this season to rob me of Your peace for my mind and soul, or to deprive me of those precious times I need – such as this evening’s worship service – to ponder and to grow in Your Word. Set my heart apart from the secular bustle and the clamor and the jostle of these hectic – yet holy – days. Fill me with the quiet delight of finding my salvation You in the manger, at the cross and at Your open tomb. And, through Your Holy Spirit, keep me ever faithful to You, the Father, and that same Spirit, so that at the end of my life’s journey, through faith in You as the one, true God, I might begin everlasting life in Paradise with You, with Your holy angels and with all heaven’s saints. All this I ask, with confidence, in Your name, dear Savior. Amen.

The portions of God’s Word used in this worship flyer have been taken from The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version

Used with permission. Music and lyrics, as needed, are used with permission via OneLicense.net #A712831

Time for Silent Prayer and Preparation

Pre-Service Music

Introduction to Tonight’s Service

At the Pastor’s invitation, the Congregation will rise

The Invocation

We begin this worship service…..

In the name of the Father,

by Whose word the world was formed

and by Whose power all things are sustained.

And of the Son,

by Whose suffering and death we have been redeemed,

and by Whose resurrection we are assured of heaven.

And of the Holy Spirit,

Who – through the Means of Grace has both brought us to faith

and keeps us in the one true faith.

Amen.

The Evening Prayer

In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen +

We thank You, Heavenly Father, + through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, + that You have graciously kept us throughout this day. + Forgive us all our sins + wherever we have done wrong, + and graciously keep us this night. + We commend our bodies and souls and all things + into Your gracious hands. + Let Your holy angel be with us, + that the wicked Foe may have no power over us. + Amen.

After which the Congregation will be seated for

The Opening Hymn “O Jesus Christ, God’s Only Son”

sung to the melody of “O Tannenbaum”

O Jesus Christ, God’s only Son,

You came to earth from heaven,

Fulfilled the Prophets – every one –

For us and our salvation.

The “Woman’s Seed,” and Abram’s Son,

Yet truly You’re th’ Eternal One,

The righteous Son of David, THE

Messiah, long-awaited.

Lord Jesus, Sole Begotten Son,

Be-lov-ed by the Father,

The miracles that You have done

Affirmed You are none other

Than the True God in human form

Spirit-conceived and Virgin-born.

The perfect Keeper of the Law –

To free us from its burden.

You stood before accusers, mute, Rejected by Your nation

You bled and died, my Substitute You earned for me salvation.

O Lamb of God You took away

The whole world’s sin….Now hear me pray:

May peace and joy fill all this day –

Who trust in You, dear Savior.

O Savior of the nations, Come, In majesty and glory,

Attended by Your angel hosts Complete our earthly story.

As Judge of living and the dead,

Forever You’re the Church’s Head.

By grace, through faith in You — ahead

For us is heavenly glory. Amen

Then the Congregation will rise as

We join in the confession of our sins

Congregation – “O God our Father, + You have set forth the way of life for us in Your Beloved Son, + yet we confess with shame + our slowness to learn of Him, + our failure to always follow

Him, + our reluctance at times to bear the cross for Him. + Forgive us the poverty of our worship, + our frequent neglect of fellowship + and of the Means of Grace, + our hesitating and inconsistent witness for Christ, + our evasion of our responsibilities in Your service, + our imperfect stewardship of Your gifts. + Forgive us also, + that so little of Your love has reached others through us, + and that we have often been thoughtless in our judgments, + hasty in our condemnation, + grudging in forgiving others the way You have forgiven us, + and unwilling to serve our neighbors as we ought. + Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your unfailing love; + according to Your great compassion blot out our transgressions. + Wash away all our iniquity + and cleanse us from our sin. + Create in us pure hearts, O God, + and renew a steadfast spirit within us. + Do not cast us from Your presence + or take Your Holy Spirit from us. + Restore to us the joy of Your salvation, + and grant us a willing spirit to sustain us.

Pastor Upon this, your confession, I, by virtue of my office as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto you all, and in the place of and according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

The Order of Vespers

Pastor O LORD, open my lips.

Congregation (sung)

And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.

Pastor Hasten, O God, to deliver me.

Congregation (sung) Hasten to help me, O Lord

Glory be to the Father and to the Son

And to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning

Is now, and ever shall be

World without end. Amen.

We Share God’s Word

The Evening Psalm Psalm 130

P: Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD;

C: O Lord, hear my voice. + Let Your ears be attentive to my pleas for mercy.

P: If You, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

C: But with You there is forgiveness; + that You may be feared.

P: I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,

C: and in His word I hope.

P: My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning,

C: more than watchmen for the morning.

P: O Israel, hope in the LORD,

for with the LORD is steadfast love + and with Him is plentiful redemption. + And He will redeem Israel from all His iniquities.

after which the Congregation may be seated

The Evening Lesson Luke 1:57-80

57 When the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they were rejoicing with her. 59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. They wanted to call him Zechariah after the name of the father. 60 But his mother answered, “No. He will be called John.”

61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 They made signs to his father, to see what he wanted to name him.

63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.

64 Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened, his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came on all who lived around them. In the entire hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 And everyone who heard this took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” Clearly, the hand of the Lord was with him.

67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

68 Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited us and prepared redemption for His people. 69 He has raised up a Horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, 70 just as He said long ago through the mouth of His holy prophets. 71 He raised up salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, 72 in order to show mercy to our fathers by remembering His holy covenant, 73 the oath which He swore to Abraham our father, 74 to grant deliverance to us from the hand of our enemies, so that we are able to serve Him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, because you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, 77 to give His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of God’s tender mercies, by which the Rising Sun from on high will visit us, 79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

80 The child continued to grow and became strong in spirit. He lived in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

The Sermon Hymn “We Three Kings of Israel Are”

to the Carol “We Three Kings of Orient Are” cwh, 2025

We three Kings of Israel are

Just like you, We’re sinners, by far….

Vain and selfish, stubborn, foolish

Needing God’s grace each hour.

Saul and David, Solomon too

Started well, but each was untrue

To the LORD Who loved, forgave them

As He does me and you.

Solomon began his reign well

Asked for wisdom so he’d excel

Serving God, leading His pe – – ople

In God’s grace he would dwell.

Solomon, the wisest of men,

Blessed by God again and again.

Temple builder, Pow’rful ruler,

David’s enlightened son.

But His blessings went to his head.

And his wives – his heart they misled.

He sought pleasures, earthly treasures.

His faith was nearly dead.

Still the Lord’s grace to him was sure –

Penitent, His faith would endure

In that Promised Son of David

Who His soul would secure.

LORD, like these three, I have failed You.

Yet Your mercy to me is true.

Through Your Spirit, keep me faithful

Now and my whole life through.

The Text for this Evening’s Meditation I Kings 8:12-21

12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that He dwells in thick darkness. 13 I have truly built a majestic house for You, a place for You to dwell forever.”

14 Then the king turned and blessed the whole congregation of Israel, while the whole congregation of Israel was standing there. 15 Then Solomon said:

Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel. What He said with His mouth to my father David, He has fulfilled with His hand.

The Lord said, 16 “From the day I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I did not choose a city from all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house for My Name to be there, nor did I choose any man to be a leader over My people Israel; but now I have chosen Jerusalem for My Name to be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.”

17 It was on my father David’s heart to build a house for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

18 However, the Lord said to my father David, “It was on your heart to build a house for My Name. That was a good thing to desire. 19 But you will not build the house. Your son, who will come from your own body, will build the house for My Name.”

20 So the Lord kept His word which He had spoken, and I arose in the place of my father David. I am seated on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord said. I have built this house for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 I have established a place there for the Ark, which contains the covenant of the Lord, which He made with our fathers when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.

John 2:13-22

13 The Jewish Passover was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

14 In the temple courts He found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers sitting at tables. 15 He made a whip of cords and drove everyone out of the temple courts, along with the sheep and oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those selling doves he said, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning My Father’s house into a place of business!”

17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume Me.”

18 So the Jews responded, “What sign are You going to show us to prove You can do these things?”

19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.”

20 The Jews said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple! And You are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But Jesus was speaking about the Temple of His body. 22 When Jesus was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this. Then they believed the Scripture and what Jesus had said.

Temple-Builder Solomon…

and the True Son of David

Who Built THE Temple

The Blessing

May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One Who calls you is faithful and He will do it. Amen.

We Offer Our Gifts and Prayers to the Lord

We will be passing an offering plate through our chapel at this point. For those unable to worship with us in person, if you would like to participate in this offering, we offer you the following suggestions for providing God with Your thank-offerings through our ministry:

1) You can send a check (no cash) in the mail to Grace Lutheran Church (415 N. 6^th Place, Lowell, AR 72745)

2) Or, go online to our website (www.gracelutherannwa.com) and use the giving option there.

As the offerings are brought forward, the Congregation rises

Give Online

We offer our evening prayers

P: Heavenly Father, we begin our prayers this evening with the plea that, by the working of Your Holy Spirit in their hears and souls, You would enable all pastors and all Christians to be faithful both to all the teachings of Your Word, and to the mission of proclaiming the Gospel which You have entrusted to Your Church on earth.

C: We also pray that the message of Christ + perfect for our holiness, crucified for our forgiveness and raised for our justification + would remain at the center of our lives of faith, + now and always.

P: We further ask that You would bless all our friends and family who do not know Jesus as Savior and Lord by filling their hearts and souls with Holy Spirit, enabling them to leave the darkness of their unbelief, and to live in the light of saving faith in You as the one, true and only God.

C: Please continue to watch over all the Christians throughout the world + who are enduring persecution, + that they + and we + would always be true to the promise we have made to you + to remain steadfast in our faith to the end of our lives, + and to be willing to suffer all, + even death, + rather than fall away from it.

P: We also ask that, for Jesus’ sake, You would continue to send Your Holy Spirit to those who are struggling in their faith with various doubts and other forms of spiritual weakness, as well as those who have wandered from our Christian faith, and also that You might use us to call them to repentance and to strengthened and renewed faith in You – the one true God.

C: For those among us and elsewhere, + who suffer from hunger, homelessness, unemployment, + financial challenges, health difficulties, loneliness, heartache, + and so many other of life’s problems, + we pray, O Lord, that in Your great mercy and love + You would preserve and protect them, + relieving them of their burdens and strengthening them in their faith.

P: We pray for all who already are or will be traveling travel during the coming days of this holiday season, that as Abraham and Sarah were kept in safety in the days of their pilgrimage, and as the children of Israel were led by You through 40 years’ worth of difficulties and dangers of the wilderness, that You, O gracious Lord, would protect and provide Your blessings for all who travel, making their ways safe, their vacations restful, and their homecomings joyful.

C: For those who mourn due to family and personal losses, + dear God we pray that they might look with confidence to You during their sorrow, + faithfully remembering that You have never failed + to work in everything for the good of those who love You.

P: Hear us also, dear Savior-God, as we each take a few moments to silently offer You our personal petitions and praises:

Silent Prayer

P: Finally, O Lord, Heavenly Father, ?Blessed Son, and Ever-present Spirit……..we gratefully remember and give You thanks for the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and for His mission of mercy and sacrifice for our salvation. Rejoicing in His first advent in the flesh in Bethlehem, as we are doing this evening, we want to thank You for the daily assurance of Your complete forgiveness of all our sins and our eternal salvation, which You deliver to us through Your precious Word and in the Sacraments. During this Advent season of repentance and hope, we pray that You will continue to prepare us for His second advent on the Last Day so that we may be ready and eager to eternally dwell in Your glorious presence. We offer this prayer in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You – the Father and the Holy Spirit – as the one true God, now and forever…..and in His name we also pray:

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.

We Leave with the Lord’s Blessing

The Benediction

Pastor The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and the love of God, and

the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

After which the Congregation will be seated for

The Closing Hymn Hymn 592 “All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night”

1 All praise to thee, my God, this night

For all the blessings of the light.

Keep me, oh, keep me, King of kings,

Beneath thine own almighty wings.

Forgive me, Lord, for thy dear Son

The ill that I this day have done,

That with the world, myself, and thee

I, ere I sleep, at peace may be.

2 Teach me to live that I may dread

The grave as little as my bed.

Teach me to die so that I may

Rise glorious at the awe-full day.

Oh, may my soul on thee repose

And may sweet sleep mine eyelids close,

Sleep that shall me more vig’rous make

To serve my God when I awake.

3 When in the night I sleepless lie,

My soul with heav’nly thoughts supply;

Let no ill dreams disturb my rest,

No pow’rs of darkness me distress.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise him, all creatures here below;

Praise him above, ye heav’nly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Silent Prayer

Announcements

Post-Service Music