Morning Prayer
Advent Sunday, 22 December 2024
The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
All and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Reveal among us the light of your presence
All that we may behold your power and glory.
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.
All Blessed be God for ever.
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.’
All Glory 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.
All Amen.
The Word of God
Psalmody
Psalm 80:1-8
Prayer for Israel’s Restoration
To the leader: on Lilies, a Covenant. Of Asaph. A Psalm.
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2 before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
4 O Lord God of hosts,
how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears,
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 You make us the scorna]">] of our neighbours;
our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
Old Testament Reading
Micah 5:2-5
The Ruler from Bethlehem
2 But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labour has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;
5 and he shall be the one of peace.
If the Assyrians come into our land
and tread upon our soil,
we will raise against them seven shepherds
and eight installed as rulers.
Canticle
A Song of the Wilderness
Refrain:
All Lift 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
All Glory 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.
All Lift up your voice with strength,
O herald of good tidings.
New Testament Reading
Hebrews 10:5-10
5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body you have prepared for me;
6 in burnt-offerings and sin-offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7 Then I said, “See, God, I have come to do your will, O God”
(in the scroll of the book[ it is written of me).’
8 When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt-offerings and sin-offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, ‘See, I have come to do your will.’ He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. 10 And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Gospel Reading
Luke 1:39-45
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
Mary’s Song of Praise
46 And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
48 for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
56 And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home.
All Like the sun in the morning sky,
the Saviour of the world will dawn;
like rain upon the meadows,
the Christ will come down upon us.
Prayers
Silence may be kept.
The Collect of the day is said
God our redeemer,
who prepared the Blessed Virgin Mary
to be the mother of your Son:
grant that, as she looked for his coming as our saviour,
so we may be ready to greet him
when he comes again as our judge;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
All Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer is said
Awaiting his coming in glory,
let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
All 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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Conclusion
May the Lord, when he comes,
find us watching and waiting.
All Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.