Morning Prayer - December 22, 2022

Today's Readings

Psalm 80:1-19

Isaiah 29:13-24

Revelation 21:22-27,22:1-5

Luke 1:39-48

Advent
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. Isaiah 40:5

Confession of Sin
Most merciful God,
I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry and I humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me; that I may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen

The Invitatory and Psalter
Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise
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

Venite

ⓘ 'Venite' is Latin for 'O Come,' the opening word of Psalm 95: Venite exultemus Domino ('O Come, let us sing to the LORD').

Psalm 95:1 to 7
Come, let us sing to the Lord;
   let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving
   and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God,
   and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth,
   and the heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
   and his hands have molded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee,
   and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
    Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

The Antiphon:

ⓘ A short, reflective sentence recited alongside a psalm to deepen our understanding of the readings.

Our King and Savior now draws near: Come, let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 80

⁽¹⁾ Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!⁽²⁾ Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, Stir up Your strength, And come and save us!⁽³⁾ Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!⁽⁴⁾ O LORD God of hosts, How long will You be angry Against the prayer of Your people?

⁽⁵⁾ You have fed them with the bread of tears, And given them tears to drink in great measure.⁽⁶⁾ You have made us a strife to our neighbors, And our enemies laugh among themselves.⁽⁷⁾ Restore us, O God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!⁽⁸⁾ You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it.

⁽⁹⁾ You prepared room for it, And caused it to take deep root, And it filled the land.⁽¹⁰⁾ The hills were covered with its shadow, And the mighty cedars with its boughs.⁽¹¹⁾ She sent out her boughs to the Sea, And her branches to the River.⁽¹²⁾ Why have You broken down her hedges, So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?

⁽¹³⁾ The boar out of the woods uproots it, And the wild beast of the field devours it.⁽¹⁴⁾ Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; Look down from heaven and see, And visit this vine⁽¹⁵⁾ And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.⁽¹⁶⁾ It is burned with fire, it is cut down; They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.⁽¹⁸⁾ Then we will not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.⁽¹⁹⁾ Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall 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.

Isaiah Chapter 29

⁽¹³⁾ Therefore the LORD said: 'Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,⁽¹⁴⁾ Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.'⁽¹⁵⁾ Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD, And their works are in the dark; They say, 'Who sees us?' and, 'Who knows us?'⁽¹⁶⁾ Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, 'He did not make me'? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, 'He has no understanding'?

⁽¹⁷⁾ Is it not yet a very little while Till Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, And the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest?⁽¹⁸⁾ In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.⁽¹⁹⁾ The humble also shall increase their joy in the LORD, And the poor among men shall rejoice In the Holy One of Israel.⁽²⁰⁾ For the terrible one is brought to nothing, The scornful one is consumed, And all who watch for iniquity are cut off --

⁽²¹⁾ Who make a man an offender by a word, And lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, And turn aside the just by empty words.⁽²²⁾ Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: 'Jacob shall not now be ashamed, Nor shall his face now grow pale;⁽²³⁾ But when he sees his children, The work of My hands, in his midst, They will hallow My name, And hallow the Holy One of Jacob, And fear the God of Israel.⁽²⁴⁾ These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding, And those who complained will learn doctrine.'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Revelation Chapter 21

⁽²²⁾ But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.⁽²³⁾ The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.⁽²⁴⁾ And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.⁽²⁵⁾ Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).

⁽²⁶⁾ And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.⁽²⁷⁾ But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.⁽¹⁾ And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.⁽²⁾ In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.⁽³⁾ And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.⁽⁴⁾ They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.

⁽⁵⁾ There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Luke Chapter 1

⁽³⁹⁾ Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,⁽⁴⁰⁾ and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.⁽⁴¹⁾ And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.⁽⁴²⁾ Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

⁽⁴³⁾ But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?⁽⁴⁴⁾ For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.⁽⁴⁵⁾ Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.'⁽⁴⁶⁾ And Mary said: 'My soul magnifies the Lord,

⁽⁴⁷⁾ And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.⁽⁴⁸⁾ For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Song of Moses Exodus 15:1 to 6, 11 to 13, 17 to 18

I will sing to the Lord, for he is lofty and uplifted;
the horse and its rider has he hurled into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my refuge;
the Lord has become my Savior.
This is my God and I will praise him,
the God of my people and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a mighty warrior;
Yahweh is his Name.
The chariots of Pharoah and his army has he hurled into the sea;
the finest of those who bear armor have been drowned in the Red Sea.
The fathomless deep has overwhelmed them;
they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in might;
your right hand, O Lord, has overthrown the enemy.
Who can be compared with you, O Lord, among the gods?
who is like you, glorious in holiness,
awesome in renown, and worker of wonders?
You stretched forth your right hand;
the earth swallowed them up.
With your constant love you led the people you redeemed;
with your might you brought them in safety to
your holy dwelling.
You will bring them in and plant them
on the mount of your possession,
The resting-place you have made for yourself, O Lord,
the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hand has established.
The Lord shall reign forever and forever.
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.

The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He 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, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He 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.

The Prayers

The Lord's Prayer

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,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.

Suffrages

ⓘ A simple prayer to God for help, mercy, or intercession, rooted in the Latin word for support.

Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us by your Holy Spirit.

Seasonal Collect: Fourth Sunday of Advent
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Personal Prayers and Reflection

This is a time to pause, consider and listen. Pray for yourself and others.

Closing Prayers

Thanksgiving
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory, and, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

Conclude with the following
Let Us Bless the Lord, Thanks be to God

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14