Morning Prayer Advent Wednesday, 16 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 75

Refrain:God alone is judge.

1We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, ♦ for your name is near, as your wonderful deeds declare.

2‘I will seize the appointed time; ♦ I, the Lord, will judge with equity.

3‘Though the earth reels and all that dwell in her, ♦ it is I that hold her pillars steady.

4‘To the boasters I say, “Boast no longer,” ♦ and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horn.

5‘ “Do not lift up your horn on high; ♦ do not speak with a stiff neck.” ’ R

6For neither from the east nor from the west, ♦ nor yet from the wilderness comes exaltation.

7But God alone is judge; ♦ he puts down one and raises up another.

8For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, ♦ well mixed and full of foaming wine.

9He pours it out for all the wicked of the earth; ♦ they shall drink it, and drain the dregs. R

10But I will rejoice for ever ♦ and make music to the God of Jacob.

11All the horns of the wicked will I break, ♦ but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

Refrain:God alone is judge.

Judge of all the earth, restrain the ambition of the proud and establish among us the reign of the Messiah, who drained for us the cup of judgement and is alive with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Psalm 96

Refrain:O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

1Sing to the Lord a new song; ♦ sing to the Lord, all the earth.

2Sing to the Lord and bless his name; ♦ tell out his salvation from day to day.

3Declare his glory among the nations ♦ and his wonders among all peoples. R

4For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; ♦ he is more to be feared than all gods.

5For all the gods of the nations are but idols; ♦ it is the Lord who made the heavens.

6Honour and majesty are before him; ♦ power and splendour are in his sanctuary. R

7Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; ♦ ascribe to the Lord honour and strength.

8Ascribe to the Lord the honour due to his name; ♦ bring offerings and come into his courts.

9O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; ♦ let the whole earth tremble before him.

10Tell it out among the nations that the Lord is king. ♦ He has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity. R

11Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad; ♦ let the sea thunder and all that is in it;

12Let the fields be joyful and all that is in them; ♦ let all the trees of the wood shout for joy before the Lord.

13For he comes, he comes to judge the earth; ♦ with righteousness he will judge the world and the peoples with his truth.

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

Luke 1:5-19 New International Version

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.

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 and everlasting God, who stooped to raise fallen humanity through the child-bearing of blessed Mary: grant that we, who have seen your glory revealed in our human nature and your love made perfect in our weakness, may daily be renewed in your image and conformed to the pattern of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. AllAmen.

Prayer for Advent Candle

Blessed are you, sovereign Lord, compassionate and gentle: to you be praise and glory for ever. Your light has shone in our dark world through Mary’s acceptance to be the mother of Jesus. We ask that we who have seen your glory may daily be renewed in your image and prepared like her for the coming of your Son, who is the Lord and Saviour of all.

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.