Morning Prayer - December 23, 2022

Today's Readings

Psalm 93:1-5

Psalm 96:1-13

Isaiah 33:17-22

Revelation 22:6-11,18-20

Luke 1:57-66

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 93

⁽¹⁾ The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The LORD is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.⁽²⁾ Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.⁽³⁾ The floods have lifted up, O LORD, The floods have lifted up their voice; The floods lift up their waves.⁽⁴⁾ The LORD on high is mightier Than the noise of many waters, Than the mighty waves of the sea.

⁽⁵⁾ Your testimonies are very sure; Holiness adorns Your house, O LORD, 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.

Psalm 96

⁽¹⁾ Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth.⁽²⁾ Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.⁽³⁾ Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.⁽⁴⁾ For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.

⁽⁵⁾ For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens.⁽⁶⁾ Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.⁽⁷⁾ Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength.⁽⁸⁾ Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts.

⁽⁹⁾ Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.⁽¹⁰⁾ Say among the nations, 'The LORD reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.'⁽¹¹⁾ Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;⁽¹²⁾ Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the LORD.

⁽¹³⁾ For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.

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 33

⁽¹⁷⁾ Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will see the land that is very far off.⁽¹⁸⁾ Your heart will meditate on terror: 'Where is the scribe? Where is he who weighs? Where is he who counts the towers?'⁽¹⁹⁾ You will not see a fierce people, A people of obscure speech, beyond perception, Of a stammering tongue that you cannot understand.⁽²⁰⁾ Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet home, A tabernacle that will not be taken down; Not one of its stakes will ever be removed, Nor will any of its cords be broken.

⁽²¹⁾ But there the majestic LORD will be for us A place of broad rivers and streams, In which no galley with oars will sail, Nor majestic ships pass by⁽²²⁾ (For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King; He will save us);

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Revelation Chapter 22

⁽⁶⁾ Then he said to me, 'These words are faithful and true.' And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.⁽⁷⁾ Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.'⁽⁸⁾ Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.⁽⁹⁾ Then he said to me, 'See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.'

⁽¹⁰⁾ And he said to me, 'Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.⁽¹¹⁾ He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.'⁽¹⁸⁾ For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;⁽¹⁹⁾ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.⁽²⁰⁾ He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Luke Chapter 1

⁽⁵⁷⁾ Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son.⁽⁵⁸⁾ When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.⁽⁵⁹⁾ So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias.⁽⁶⁰⁾ His mother answered and said, 'No; he shall be called John.'

⁽⁶¹⁾ But they said to her, 'There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.'⁽⁶²⁾ So they made signs to his father -- what he would have him called.⁽⁶³⁾ And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, 'His name is John.' So they all marveled.⁽⁶⁴⁾ Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God.

⁽⁶⁵⁾ Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea.⁽⁶⁶⁾ And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, 'What kind of child will this be?' And the hand of the Lord was with him.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Second Song of Isaiah Isaiah 55:6 to 11

Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the evil ones their thoughts;
And let them turn to the Lord, and he will have compassion,
and to our God, for he will richly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as rain and snow fall from the heavens
and return not again, but water the earth,
Bringing forth life and giving growth,
seed for sowing and bread for eating,
So is my word that goes forth from my mouth;
it will not return to me empty;
But it will accomplish that which I have purposed,
and prosper in that for which I sent it.
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: Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Romans 15:13