Tuesday morning December 4

Wednesday morning
Monday morning

Preparation

Opening response

Lord, open our lips

and our mouth will proclaim your praise.

Reveal among us the light of your presence

that we may behold your power and glory.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God of all,

to you be praise and glory forever.

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.

Blessed be God forever.

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 forever.

Amen.

Hymn

A Thousand Oracles Divine

Charles Wesley

A thousand oracles divine

Their common beams unite,

That sinners may with angels join

To worship God aright.

To praise a Trinity adored

By all the hosts above,

And one thrice-holy God and Lord

Through endless ages love.

Triumphant host! they never cease

To laud and magnify

The triune God of holiness,

Whose glory fills the sky.

Whose glory to this earth extends,

When God himself imparts,

And the whole Trinity descends

Into our faithful hearts.

By faith the upper choir we meet,

And challenge them to sing

Jehovah on his shining seat,

Our maker and our king.

But God made flesh is wholly ours,

And asks our nobler strain;

The Father of celestial powers,

The friend of earthborn man!

Ye seraphs nearest to the throne,

With rapturous amaze

On us, poor ransomed worms look down

For heaven’s superior praise.

The king whose glorious face ye see,

For us his crown resigned;

That fullness of the Deity,

He died for all mankind!

Confession of sin

Come, Holy Spirit of God,

and search our hearts with the light of Christ.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said:

The first commandment is this:

‘Israel, listen! Our God is the one Lord,

and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your being, with all your mind,

and with all your strength.’

The second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’

No other commandment is greater than these.

All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.

Amen. Lord, have mercy.

After a period of reflection

Come, let us return to the Lord and say:

Lord our God,

in our sin we have avoided your call.

Our love for you is like a morning cloud,

like the dew that goes away early.

Have mercy on us;

deliver us from judgment;

bind up our wounds and revive us;

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

cf Hosea 6

May almighty God,

who sent his Son into the world to save sinners,

bring us his pardon and peace, now and forever.

Amen.

The Word of God

Psalm 80

Refrain:

Restore us, God! Make your face shine so that we can be saved!

Shepherd of Israel, listen!

You, the one who leads Joseph as if he were a sheep.

You, who are enthroned upon the winged heavenly creatures.

Show yourself before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh!

Wake up your power!

Come to save us!

Restore us, God!

Make your face shine so that we can be saved!

Lord God of heavenly forces,

how long will you fume against your people’s prayer?

You’ve fed them bread made of tears;

you’ve given them tears to drink three times over!

You’ve put us at odds with our neighbors;

our enemies make fun of us.

Restore us, God of heavenly forces!

Make your face shine so that we can be saved!

You brought a vine out of Egypt.

You drove out the nations and planted it.

You cleared the ground for it;

then it planted its roots deep, filling the land.

The mountains were covered by its shade;

the mighty cedars were covered by its branches.

It sent its branches all the way to the sea;

its shoots went all the way to the Euphrates River.

So why have you now torn down its walls

so that all who come along can pluck its fruit,

so that any boar from the forest can tear it up,

so that the bugs can feed on it?

Please come back, God of heavenly forces!

Look down from heaven and perceive it!

Attend to this vine,

this root that you planted with your strong hand,

this son whom you secured as your very own.

It is burned with fire. It is chopped down.

They die at the rebuke coming from you.

Let your hand be with the one on your right side—

with the one whom you secured as your own—

then we will not turn away from you!

Revive us so that we can call on your name.

Restore us, Lord God of heavenly forces!

Make your face shine so that we can be saved!

Glory to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning is now

and will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:

Restore us, God! Make your face shine so that we can be saved!

Psalm prayer

Faithful shepherd of your people,

as we look for the light of your countenance,

restore in us the image of your glory

and graft us into the risen life of your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 82

Refrain:

Lord God of heavenly forces, hear my prayer.

God takes his stand in the divine council;

he gives judgment among the gods:

“How long will you judge unjustly

by granting favor to the wicked?

Give justice to the lowly and the orphan;

maintain the right of the poor and the destitute!

Rescue the lowly and the needy.

Deliver them from the power of the wicked!

They don’t know; they don’t understand;

they wander around in the dark.

All the earth’s foundations shake.

I hereby declare, “You are gods,

children of the Most High—all of you!

But you will die like mortals;

you will fall down like any prince.”

Rise up, God! Judge the earth

because you hold all nations in your possession!

Glory to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning is now

and will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:

Lord God of heavenly forces, hear my prayer.

Psalm prayer

God our deliverer,

when the foundations are shaken

and justice has departed,

defend the poor and needy

and give your people strength to fight all wrong

in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading
Isaiah 43:1-13

But now, says the Lord—

the one who created you, Jacob,

the one who formed you, Israel:

Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

when through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire, you won’t be scorched

and flame won’t burn you.

I am the Lord your God,

the holy one of Israel, your savior.

I have given Egypt as your ransom,

Cush and Seba in your place.

Because you are precious in my eyes,

you are honored, and I love you.

I give people in your place,

and nations in exchange for your life.

Don’t fear,

I am with you.

From the east I’ll bring your children;

from the west I’ll gather you.

I’ll say to the north, “Give them back!”

and to the south, “Don’t detain them.”

Bring my sons from far away,

and my daughters from the end of the earth,

everyone who is called by my name

and whom I created for my glory,

whom I have formed and made.

Bring out the blind people who have eyes,

the deaf ones who have ears.

All the nations are gathered together;

the peoples are assembled.

Which of them announced this?

Who predicted to us the past events?

Let them bring their witnesses as a defense;

let them hear and say, “It’s true!”

You are my witnesses, says the Lord,

my servant, whom I chose,

so that you would know and believe me

and understand that I am the one.

Before me no god was formed;

after me there has been no other.

I, I am the Lord,

and there is no savior besides me.

I announced, I saved, I proclaimed,

not some stranger among you.

You are my witnesses, says the Lord,

and I am God.

From the dawn of time, I am the one.

No one can escape my power.

I act, and who can undo it?

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading
Revelation 20

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain. He seized the dragon, the old snake, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the abyss, then locked and sealed it over him. This was to keep him from continuing to deceive the nations until the thousand years were over. After this he must be released for a little while.

Then I saw thrones, and people took their seats on them, and judgment was given in their favor. They were the ones who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and God’s word, and those who hadn’t worshipped the beast or its image, who hadn’t received the mark on their forehead or hand. They came to life and ruled with Christ for one thousand years. The rest of the dead didn’t come to life until the thousand years were over. This is the first resurrection. Favored and holy are those who have a share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will rule with him for one thousand years.

When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison. He will go out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog. He will gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea. They came up across the whole earth and surrounded the saints’ camp, the city that God loves. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet also were. There painful suffering will be inflicted upon them day and night, forever and always.

Then I saw a great white throne and the one who is seated on it. Before his face both earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Another scroll was opened too; this is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged on the basis of what was written in the scrolls about what they had done. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and the Grave gave up the dead that were in them, and people were judged by what they had done. Then Death and the Grave were thrown into the fiery lake. This, the fiery lake, is the second death. Then anyone whose name wasn’t found written in the scroll of life was thrown into the fiery lake.

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticle
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Refrain:

You have shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and remembered your holy covenant.

Bless the Lord God of Israel

because he has come to help and has delivered his people.

He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,

just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.

He has brought salvation from our enemies

and from the power of all those who hate us.

He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,

and remembered his holy covenant,

the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.

He has granted that we would be rescued

from the power of our enemies

so that we could serve him without fear,

in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,

for as long as we live.

You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.

You will tell his people how to be saved

through the forgiveness of their sins.

Because of our God’s deep compassion,

the dawn from heaven will break upon us,

to give light to those who are sitting in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

to guide us on the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-79

Glory to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning is now

and will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:

You have shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and remembered your holy covenant.

Brief silence.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Intercession and thanksgiving

Prayers may be offered for:

the day and its tasks

the world and its needs

the church and her life

Prayers may include the following concerns:

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

Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.

Response

Lord, in your mercy

hear our prayer.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Almighty God,

give us grace to cast away the works of darkness

and to put on the armor 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 forever.

Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

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

Our 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 forever.

Amen.

Conclusion

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

Amen.