Morning Prayer Advent Thursday, 3 December 2020

O Lord, open our lips Alland our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Reveal among us the light of your presence Allthat we may behold your power and glory.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

this or another prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God of all, to you be praise and glory for ever. In your tender compassion the dawn from on high is breaking upon us to dispel the lingering shadows of night. As we look for your coming among us this day, open our eyes to behold your presence and strengthen our hands to do your will, that the world may rejoice and give you praise. Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. AllBlessed be God for ever.

a suitable hymn, or A Song of the King’s Glory

1The earth is the Lord’s and all that fills it, ♦ the compass of the world and all who dwell therein.

2For he has founded it upon the seas ♦ and set it firm upon the rivers of the deep.

3‘Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord, ♦ or who can rise up in his holy place?’

4‘Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, ♦ who have not lifted up their soul to an idol, nor sworn an oath to a lie;

5‘They shall receive a blessing from the Lord, ♦ a just reward from the God of their salvation.’

6Such is the company of those who seek him, ♦ of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob.

7Lift up your heads, O gates; be lifted up, you everlasting doors; ♦ and the King of glory shall come in.

8‘Who is the King of glory?’ ♦ ‘The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord who is mighty in battle.’

9Lift up your heads, O gates; be lifted up, you everlasting doors; ♦ and the King of glory shall come in.

10‘Who is this King of glory?’ ♦ ‘The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.’

Psalm 24

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.

This opening prayer may be said

The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and for ever. AllAmen.

The Word of God

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 42

1As the deer longs for the water brooks, ♦ so longs my soul for you, O God.

2My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God; ♦ when shall I come before the presence of God?

3My tears have been my bread day and night, ♦ while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is now your God?’

4Now when I think on these things, I pour out my soul: ♦ how I went with the multitude and led the procession to the house of God,

5With the voice of praise and thanksgiving, ♦ among those who kept holy day.

6Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, ♦ and why are you so disquieted within me?

7O put your trust in God; ♦ for I will yet give him thanks, who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

8My soul is heavy within me; ♦ therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan, and from Hermon and the hill of Mizar.

9Deep calls to deep in the thunder of your waterfalls; ♦ all your breakers and waves have gone over me.

10The Lord will grant his loving-kindness in the daytime; ♦ through the night his song will be with me, a prayer to the God of my life.

11I say to God my rock, ‘Why have you forgotten me, ♦ and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me?’

12As they crush my bones, my enemies mock me; ♦ while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is now your God?’

13Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul? ♦ and why are you so disquieted within me?

14O put your trust in God; ♦ for I will yet give him thanks, who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

Come, creator Spirit, source of life; sustain us when our hearts are heavy and our wells have run dry, for you are the Father’s gift, with him who is our living water, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 43

1Give judgement for me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people; ♦ deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked.

2For you are the God of my refuge; why have you cast me from you, ♦ and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me?

3O send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, ♦ and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling,

4That I may go to the altar of God, to the God of my joy and gladness; ♦ and on the lyre I will give thanks to you, O God my God.

5Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, ♦ and why are you so disquieted within me?

6O put your trust in God; ♦ for I will yet give him thanks, who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

Come, creator Spirit, light and truth; bring us to the altar of life and renew our joy and gladness in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Each psalm or group of psalms may end with

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.

Canticle

A Song of the Wilderness, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 30 (page 581) or number 49 (page 601), may be said

Refrain:

AllLift up your voice with strength, O herald of good tidings.

1The wilderness and the dry land shall rejoice, ♦ the desert shall blossom and burst into song.

2They shall see the glory of the Lord, ♦ the majesty of our God.

3Strengthen the weary hands, ♦ and make firm the feeble knees.

4Say to the anxious, ‘Be strong, fear not, your God is coming with judgement, ♦ coming with judgement to save you.’

5Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, ♦ and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

6Then shall the lame leap like a hart, ♦ and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy.

7For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, ♦ and streams in the desert;

8The ransomed of the Lord shall return with singing, ♦ with everlasting joy upon their heads.

9Joy and gladness shall be theirs, ♦ and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah 35.1, 2b-4a, 4c-6, 10

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.

AllLift up your voice with strength, O herald of good tidings.

Scripture Reading

Genesis 22:1-14

New International Version

Abraham Tested

22 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow

Now it is time to awake out of sleep, Allfor the night is far spent and the day is at hand. Now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed, Allfor the night is far spent. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light, Allfor the day is at hand. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, Allfor the night is far spent and the day is at hand.

from Romans 13

Gospel Canticle

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said, or A Song of Redemption (page 620) may be said

Refrain:

AllLook towards the east, O Jerusalem, and see the glory that is coming from God.

1Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, ♦ who has come to his people and set them free.

2He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour, ♦ born of the house of his servant David.

3Through his holy prophets God promised of old ♦ to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all that hate us,

4To show mercy to our ancestors, ♦ and to remember his holy covenant.

5This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham: ♦ to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

6Free to worship him without fear, ♦ holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

7And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, ♦ for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

8To give his people knowledge of salvation ♦ by the forgiveness of all their sins.

9In the tender compassion of our God ♦ the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

10To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, ♦ and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 1.68-79

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.

Refrain:

AllLook towards the east, O Jerusalem, and see the glory that is coming from God.

Prayers

Intercessions are offered ¶ for the day and its tasks ¶ for the world and its needs ¶ for the Church and her life

Prayers may include the following concerns from the cycle on pages 364–365

¶ The Church, that she may be ready for the coming of Christ ¶ The leaders of the Church ¶ The nations, that they may be subject to the rule of God ¶ Those who are working for justice in the world ¶ The broken, that they may find God’s healing

A form of prayer found on page 377 may be used.

These responses may be used

Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer

(or)

Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

Silence may be kept.

The Collect of the day is said

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility; that on the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. AllAmen.

The prayer for the lighting of the first candle of Advent, the Candle of Hope and Promise:

Blessed are you, sovereign Lord, the God of our ancestors: to you be praise and glory for ever. You called Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to live by the light of faith and to journey in the hope of your promises fulfilled. May we obey your call and be ready and watchful to receive Jesus into our lives as a lamp to our feet and a light in the darkness.

The Lord’s Prayer is said

Awaiting his coming in glory, as our Saviour taught us, so we pray

AllOur 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 for ever. Amen.

(or)

Awaiting his coming in glory, let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

AllOur 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, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Conclusion

May the Lord, when he comes, find us watching and waiting. AllAmen.

Let us bless the Lord. AllThanks be to God.