Preparation

Opening response

Lord, open our lips

and our mouth will proclaim your praise.

Your light springs up for the righteous

and all the peoples have seen your glory.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God,

king of the nations,

to you be praise and glory forever.

From the rising of the sun to its setting

your name is proclaimed in all the world.

As the Sun of Righteousness dawns in our hearts

anoint our lips with the seal of your Spirit

that we may witness to your gospel

and sing your praise in all the earth.

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

Baptized into thy name, mysterious one in three

Charles Wesley

Baptized into thy name,

Mysterious One in Three,

Our souls and bodies claim,

A sacrifice to thee;

And let us live our faith to prove,

The faith which works by humble love.

O that our light may shine,

And all our lives express

The character divine,

The real holiness;

And then receive us up, to adore

The triune God forevermore.

Confession of sin

Seek the Lord when he can still be found;

call him while he is yet near.

Let the wicked abandon their ways

and the sinful their schemes.

Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy on them,

to our God, because he is generous with forgiveness.

cf Isaiah 55

A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.

Lord God,

we have sinned against you;

we have committed evil in your sight.

We are sorry and repent.

Have mercy on us according to your faithful love.

Wash us completely clean of our guilt; purify us from our sin.

Put a new, faithful spirit deep inside us,

and return the joy of your salvation to us

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

cf Psalm 51

May the Father of all mercies

cleanse us from our sins,

and restore us in his image

to the praise and glory of his name,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Bless the Lord,

because he has listened to our request for mercy.

Therefore our hearts will rejoice

and we will thank him with our song.

cf Psalm 28:7,9

The Word of God

Psalm 97

Refrain:

You, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.

The Lord rules! Let the earth rejoice!

Let all the islands celebrate!

Clouds and thick darkness surround God.

His throne is built on righteousness and justice.

Fire proceeds before him,

burning up his enemies on every side.

His lightning lights up the world;

the earth sees it and trembles!

The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,

before the Lord of the whole world!

Heaven has proclaimed God’s righteousness,

and all nations have seen his glory.

All those who worship images,

those who are proud of idols,

are put to shame.

All gods bow down to the Lord!

Zion has heard and celebrates,

the towns of Judah rejoice,

because of your acts of justice, Lord,

because you, Lord, are the Most High

over all the earth,

because you are so superior to all other gods.

Those of you who love the Lord, hate evil!

God guards the lives of his faithful ones,

delivering them from the power of the wicked.

Light is planted like seed for the righteous person;

joy too for those whose heart is right.

Rejoice in the Lord, righteous ones!

Give thanks to his holy name!

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, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.

Psalm prayer

Most high and holy God,

enthroned in fire and light,

burn away the dross of our lives

and kindle in us the fire of your love,

that our lives may reveal the light and life

we find in your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 149

Refrain:

Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth!

How lovely is your dwelling place,

Lord of heavenly forces!

My very being longs, even yearns,

for the Lord’s courtyards.

My heart and my body

will rejoice out loud to the living God!

Yes, the sparrow too has found a home there;

the swallow has found herself a nest

where she can lay her young beside your altars,

Lord of heavenly forces, my king, my God!

Those who live in your house are truly happy;

they praise you constantly.

Those who put their strength in you are truly happy;

pilgrimage is in their hearts.

As they pass through the Baca Valley,

they make it a spring of water.

Yes, the early rain covers it with blessings.

They go from strength to strength,

until they see the supreme God in Zion.

Lord God of heavenly forces,

hear my prayer;

listen closely, Jacob’s God!

Look at our shield, God;

pay close attention to the face of your anointed one!

Better is a single day in your courtyards

than a thousand days anywhere else!

I would prefer to stand outside the entrance of my God’s house

than live comfortably in the tents of the wicked!

The Lord is a sun and shield;

God is favor and glory.

The Lord gives—doesn’t withhold!—good things

to those who walk with integrity.

Lord of heavenly forces,

those who trust in you are truly happy!

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:

Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth!

Psalm prayer

Glorious and redeeming God,

give us hearts to praise you all our days

and wills to reject the world’s deceits,

that we may bind the evils of our age

and proclaim the good news of salvation

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading

Isaiah 65:17-25

Look! I’m creating a new heaven and a new earth:

past events won’t be remembered;

they won’t come to mind.

Be glad and rejoice forever

in what I’m creating,

because I’m creating Jerusalem as a joy

and her people as a source of gladness.

I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad about my people.

No one will ever hear the sound of weeping or crying in it again.

No more will babies live only a few days,

or the old fail to live out their days.

The one who dies at a hundred will be like a young person,

and the one falling short of a hundred will seem cursed.

They will build houses and live in them;

they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

They won’t build for others to live in,

nor plant for others to eat.

Like the days of a tree will be the days of my people;

my chosen will make full use of their handiwork.

They won’t labor in vain,

nor bear children to a world of horrors,

because they will be people blessed by the Lord,

they along with their descendants.

Before they call, I will answer;

while they are still speaking, I will hear.

Wolf and lamb will graze together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox,

but the snake—its food will be dust.

They won’t hurt or destroy at any place on my holy mountain,

says the Lord.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

1 John 5:13-21

I write these things to you who believe in the name of God’s Son so that you can know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence that we have in our relationship with God: If we ask for anything in agreement with his will, he listens to us. If we know that he listens to whatever we ask, we know that we have received what we asked from him. If anyone sees a brother or sister committing a sin that does not result in death, they should pray, and God will give life to them—that is, to those who commit sins that don’t result in death. There is a sin that results in death—I’m not saying that you should pray about that. Every unrighteous action is sin, but there is a sin that does not result in death.

We know that everyone born from God does not sin, but the ones born from God guard themselves, and the evil one cannot touch them. We know we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. We know that God’s Son has come and has given us understanding to know the one who is true. We are in the one who is true by being in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols!

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticle

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Refrain:

This is the Christ, the Chosen of God, the one who will bring healing to the nations.

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:

This is the Christ, the Chosen of God, the one who will bring healing to the nations.

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 unity of the church

The peace of the world

The healing of the sick

The revelation of Christ to those from whom his glory is hidden

All who travel

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

Response

Father, hear our prayer,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

O God,

who by the leading of a star

manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:

mercifully grant that we,

who know you now by faith,

may at last behold your glory face to face;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Believing the promises of God, 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 Christ, who sends us to the nations, give us the power of his Spirit.

Amen.