Morning Prayer Advent Wednesday, 2 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 5
Refrain:You, O Lord, will bless the righteous.
1Give ear to my words, O Lord; ♦ consider my lamentation.
2Hearken to the voice of my crying, my King and my God, ♦ for to you I make my prayer.
3In the morning, Lord, you will hear my voice; ♦ early in the morning I make my appeal to you, and look up.
4For you are the God who takes no pleasure in wickedness; ♦ no evil can dwell with you. R
5The boastful cannot stand in your sight; ♦ you hate all those that work wickedness.
6You destroy those who speak lies; ♦ the bloodthirsty and deceitful the Lord will abhor.
7But as for me, through the greatness of your mercy, I will come into your house; ♦ I will bow down towards your holy temple in awe of you. R
8Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness, because of my enemies; ♦ make your way straight before my face.
9For there is no truth in their mouth, in their heart is destruction, ♦ their throat is an open sepulchre, and they flatter with their tongue.
10Punish them, O God; ♦ let them fall through their own devices.
11Because of their many transgressions cast them out, ♦ for they have rebelled against you. R
12But let all who take refuge in you be glad; ♦ let them sing out their joy for ever.
13You will shelter them, ♦ so that those who love your name may exult in you.
14For you, O Lord, will bless the righteous; ♦ and with your favour you will defend them as with a shield.
Refrain:You, O Lord, will bless the righteous.
Lord, protect us from the deceit of flattering tongues and lying lips; give us words of life which speak your truth and bless your name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 7
Refrain:Give judgement for me according to my righteousness, O Lord.
1O Lord my God, in you I take refuge; ♦ save me from all who pursue me, and deliver me,
2Lest they rend me like a lion and tear me in pieces ♦ while there is no one to help me.
3O Lord my God, if I have done these things: ♦ if there is any wickedness in my hands,
4If I have repaid my friend with evil, ♦ or plundered my enemy without a cause,
5Then let my enemy pursue me and overtake me, ♦ trample my life to the ground, and lay my honour in the dust. R
6Rise up, O Lord, in your wrath; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies. ♦ Awaken, my God, the judgement that you have commanded.
7Let the assembly of the peoples gather round you; ♦ be seated high above them: O Lord, judge the nations.
8Give judgement for me according to my righteousness, O Lord, ♦ and according to the innocence that is in me.
9Let the malice of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; ♦ for you test the mind and heart, O righteous God. R
10God is my shield that is over me; ♦ he saves the true of heart.
11God is a righteous judge; ♦ he is provoked all day long.
12If they will not repent, God will whet his sword; ♦ he has bent his bow and made it ready.
13He has prepared the weapons of death; ♦ he makes his arrows shafts of fire. R
14Behold those who are in labour with wickedness, ♦ who conceive evil and give birth to lies.
15They dig a pit and make it deep ♦ and fall into the hole that they have made for others.
16Their mischief rebounds on their own head; ♦ their violence falls on their own scalp.
17I will give thanks to the Lord for his righteousness, ♦ and I will make music to the name of the Lord Most High.
Refrain:Give judgement for me according to my righteousness, O Lord.
Lord, your justice turns evil on itself: move us to examine our hearts and repent of all duplicity; for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Judge and righteous Saviour.
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 17
New International Version
The Covenant of Circumcision
17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”
19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. 27 And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.
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.