Shane Raynor 12/17/23 Shane Raynor 12/17/23

Sunday evening December 17

Monday evening
Saturday evening

Opening response

Make haste, O God, to deliver us.
Hurry, O LORD, to help us.

Reveal among us the light of your presence
that we may behold your power and glory.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
creator of light and darkness,
to you be glory and praise forever.
As evening falls, you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
May your word be a lantern to our feet
and a light upon our path
that we may behold your coming among us.
Strengthen us in our stumbling weakness
and free our tongues to sing your praise.
Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God forever.

That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful,
let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and forever.
Amen.

Hymn

Light of Life, Seraphic Fire

Charles Wesley

Light of life, seraphic fire,
Love divine, thyself impart;
Every fainting soul inspire,
Shine in every drooping heart.

Every mournful sinner cheer,
Scatter all our guilty gloom,
Son of God, appear, appear!
To thy human temples come.

Come in this accepted hour,
Bring thy heavenly kingdom in;
Fill us with thy glorious power,
Rooting out the seeds of sin.

Nothing more can we require,
We will covet nothing less;
Be thou all our hearts’ desire,
All our joy and all our peace.

Whom but thee have we in heaven?
Whom have we on earth but thee?
Only thou to us be given,
All beside is vanity.

Grant us love, we ask no more;
Every other gift remove;
Pleasure, fame, and wealth, and power,
Still we all enjoy in love.

Confession of sin

When we cry out to the LORD in our trouble,
he will bring us out of our distress.

God will bring us out of darkness
and out of the shadow of death.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

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

May the Father forgive us
by the death of his Son
and strengthen us
to live in the power of the Spirit
all our days.
Amen.

Let us give thanks to the LORD for his loving devotion,
and his wonders to the sons of men.

Let us offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and declare God’s works with rejoicing.

cf Psalm 107

Psalm 68:1-20

𝙍: Sing to God! Sing praises to His name.

God arises. His enemies are scattered,
and those who hate Him flee His presence.
As smoke is blown away,
You will drive them out;
as wax melts before the fire,
the wicked will perish in the presence of God.
But the righteous will be glad
and rejoice before God;
they will celebrate with joy.

Sing to God!
Sing praises to His name.
Exalt Him who rides on the clouds —
His name is the LORD—
and rejoice before Him.
A father of the fatherless,
and a defender of the widows,
is God in His holy habitation.
God settles the lonely in families;
He leads the prisoners out to prosperity,
but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land. 𝙍

O God, when You went out before Your people,
when You marched through the wasteland,
the earth shook and the heavens poured down rain
before God, the One on Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
You sent abundant rain, O God;
You refreshed Your weary inheritance.
Your flock settled therein;
O God, from Your bounty You provided for the poor. 𝙍

The Lord gives the command;
a great company of women proclaim it:
“Kings and their armies flee in haste;
she who waits at home divides the plunder.
Though you lie down among the sheepfolds,
the wings of the dove are covered with silver,
and her feathers with shimmering gold.”
When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land,
it was like the snow falling on Zalmon. 𝙍

A mountain of God is Mount Bashan;
a mountain of many peaks is Mount Bashan.
Why do you gaze in envy, O mountains of many peaks?
This is the mountain God chose for His dwelling,
where the LORD will surely dwell forever.

The chariots of God are tens of thousands—
thousands of thousands are they;
the Lord is in His sanctuary
as He was at Sinai.
You have ascended on high;
You have led captives away.
You have received gifts from men,
even from the rebellious,
that the LORD God may dwell there.
Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears our burden,
the God of our salvation.

Our God is a God of deliverance;
the Lord GOD is our rescuer from death.

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.

𝙍: Sing to God! Sing praises to His name.

Psalm prayer

Blessed are you, gracious God;
you make your home among the weak,
you deliver us from death,
you bring us joy beyond our imagining
to the praise of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Silence may be kept.

Old Testament reading

Malachi 3:1-4; 4

“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.

But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.

And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.

Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in days of old and years gone by.

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”

“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall. Then you will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says the LORD of Hosts.

“Remember the law of My servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him for all Israel at Horeb.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be apparent to all. The Lord is near.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Silence may be kept.

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

Luke 1:46-55

𝙍: Lord Jesus, you are the one who is to come, the one whom we await with longing hearts.

My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One has done great things for me.
Holy is His name.
His mercy extends to those who fear Him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who are proud
in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
but has exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful,
as He promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his descendants 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.

𝙍: Lord Jesus, you are the one who is to come, the one whom we await with longing hearts.

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.

Thanksgiving and intercession

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered
for peace
for individuals and their needs

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

In faith we pray
We pray to you, our God.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

O Lord Jesus Christ,
who at your first coming sent your messenger
to prepare your way before you:
grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries
may likewise so prepare and make ready your way
by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
that at your second coming to judge the world
we may be found an acceptable people in your sight;
for you are alive and reign with the Father
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.

Shane Raynor 12/16/23 Shane Raynor 12/16/23

Saturday evening December 16

Sunday evening
Friday evening

Opening response

Make haste, O God, to deliver us.
Hurry, O LORD, to help us.

Reveal among us the light of your presence
that we may behold your power and glory.

Prayer of thanksgiving

That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful,
let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and forever.
Amen.

Hymn

Thy Ceaseless, Unexhausted Love

Charles Wesley

Thy ceaseless, unexhausted Love,
Unmerited and free,
Delights our evil to remove,
And help our misery.

Thou waitest to be gracious still;
Thou dost with sinners bear;
That, saved, we may thy goodness feel,
And all thy grace declare.

Thy goodness and thy truth, to me,
To every soul abound;
A vast unfathomable sea,
Where all our thoughts are drowned.

Its streams the whole creation reach,
So plenteous is the store;
Enough for all, enough for each,
Enough forevermore.

Faithful, O Lord, thy mercies are,
A rock that cannot move:
A thousand promises declare
Thy constancy of love.

Throughout the universe it reigns,
Unalterably sure;
And, while the truth of God remains,
His goodness must endure.

Confession of sin

The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins
or repaid us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his loving devotion for those who fear him.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy God,
Holy and strong,
Holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.

As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and do not forget all his kind deeds.

Psalm 93

𝙍: The LORD reigns forever.

The LORD reigns! He is robed in majesty;
the LORD has clothed and armed Himself with strength.
The world indeed is firmly established;
it cannot be moved.
Your throne was established long ago;
You are from all eternity. 𝙍

The floodwaters have risen, O LORD;
the rivers have raised their voice;
the seas lift up their pounding waves.
Above the roar of many waters—
the mighty breakers of the sea—
the LORD on high is majestic.

Your testimonies are fully confirmed;
holiness adorns Your house, O LORD,
for all the days to come.

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.

𝙍: The LORD reigns forever.

Psalm prayer

Christ our King,
you put on the apparel of our nature
and raised us to your glory;
reign from your royal throne
above the chaos of this world,
that all may see the victory you have won
and trust in your salvation;
for your glory’s sake.

Psalm 94

𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.

O LORD, God of vengeance,
O God of vengeance, shine forth.
Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
render a reward to the proud.
How long will the wicked, O LORD,
how long will the wicked exult? 𝙍

They pour out arrogant words;
all workers of iniquity boast.
They crush Your people, O LORD;
they oppress Your heritage.
They kill the widow and the foreigner;
they murder the fatherless.
They say, “The LORD does not see;
the God of Jacob pays no heed.” 𝙍

Take notice, O senseless among the people!
O fools, when will you be wise?
He who affixed the ear, can He not hear?
He who formed the eye, can He not see?
He who admonishes the nations, does He not discipline?
He who teaches man, does He lack knowledge?
The LORD knows the thoughts of man,
that they are futile. 𝙍

Blessed is the man You discipline, O LORD,
and teach from Your law,
to grant him relief from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the LORD will not forsake His people;
He will never abandon His heritage.
Surely judgment will again be righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it. 𝙍

Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will stand for me against the workers of iniquity?
Unless the LORD had been my helper,
I would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
Your loving devotion, O LORD, supports me.
When anxiety overwhelms me,
Your consolation delights my soul. 𝙍

Can a corrupt throne be Your ally—
one devising mischief by decree?
They band together against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
But the LORD has been my stronghold,
and my God is my rock of refuge.
He will bring upon them their own iniquity
and destroy them for their wickedness.
The LORD our God will destroy them.

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.

𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.

Psalm prayer

Lord God, judge of all,
before whom no secrets are hidden,
let your justice shine out
and your righteousness sweep wickedness from its throne,
that we may live free from fear and stumbling;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Silence may be kept.

Old Testament reading

Isaiah 49:1-13

Listen to Me, O islands;
pay attention, O distant peoples:

The LORD called Me from the womb;
from the body of My mother He named Me.
He made My mouth like a sharp sword;
He hid Me in the shadow of His hand.
He made Me like a polished arrow;
He hid Me in His quiver.
He said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel,
in whom I will display My glory.”

But I said, “I have labored in vain,
I have spent My strength in futility and vanity;
yet My vindication is with the LORD,
and My reward is with My God.”

And now says the LORD,
who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
to bring Jacob back to Him,
that Israel might be gathered to Him—
for I am honored in the sight of the LORD,
and My God is My strength—
He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and to restore the protected ones of Israel.
I will also make You a light for the nations,
to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

Thus says the LORD,
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel,
to Him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
to the Servant of rulers:

“Kings will see You and rise,
and princes will bow down,
because of the LORD, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen You.”

This is what the LORD says:

“In the time of favor I will answer You,
and in the day of salvation I will help You;
I will keep You and appoint You
to be a covenant for the people,
to restore the land,
to apportion its desolate inheritances,
to say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
and to those in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
They will feed along the pathways,
and find pasture on every barren hill.
They will not hunger or thirst,
nor will scorching heat or sun beat down on them.
For He who has compassion on them will guide them
and lead them beside springs of water.
I will turn all My mountains into roads,
and My highways will be raised up.
Behold, they will come from far away,
from the north and from the west,
and from the land of Aswan.”

Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth;
break forth in song, O mountains!
For the LORD has comforted His people,
and He will have compassion on His afflicted ones.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.

By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Silence may be kept.

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

Luke 1:46-55

𝙍: Lord Jesus, you are the one who is to come, the one whom we await with longing hearts.

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.

𝙍: Lord Jesus, you are the one who is to come, the one whom we await with longing hearts.

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 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.

Thanksgiving and intercession

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered
for peace
for individuals and their needs

Prayers may include the following concerns:

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

Response

Lord, hear your people
and answer our prayers.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

The Lord’s Prayer

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

Conclusion

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

Shane Raynor 12/15/23 Shane Raynor 12/15/23

Friday evening December 15

Saturday evening
Thursday evening

Opening response

Make haste, O God, to deliver us.
Hurry, O LORD, to help us.

Reveal among us the light of your presence
that we may behold your power and glory.

Prayer of thanksgiving

That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful,
let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and forever.
Amen.

Hymn

Inspirer of the ancient seers

Charles Wesley

Inspirer of the ancient seers
Who wrote from thee the sacred page,
The same through all succeeding years;
To us, in our degenerate age,
The spirit of thy word impart,
And breathe the life into our heart.

While now thine oracles we read
With earnest prayer and strong desire,
O let thy Spirit from thee proceed,
Our souls to awaken and inspire,
Our weakness help, our darkness chase,
And guide us by the light of grace.

Whenever in error’s path we rove,
The living God through sin forsake,
Our conscience by thy word reprove,
Convince and bring the wanderers back,
Deep wounded by thy Spirit’s sword,
And then by Gilead’s balm restored.

The sacred lessons of thy grace,
Transmitted through thy word, repeat,
And train us up in all thy ways
To make us in thy will complete;
Fulfill thy love’s redeeming plan,
And bring us to a perfect man.

Thus furnished from thy treasury,
O may we always ready stand
To help the souls redeemed by thee,
In what their various states demand
To teach, convince, correct, reprove,
And build them up in holiest love!

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:
‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind
and with all your strength.’

The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
No other commandment is greater than these.
All the Law and the Prophets hang 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 mist,
like the early dew that vanishes.
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.

Psalm 82

𝙍: Arise, O God, judge the earth.

God presides in the divine assembly;
He renders judgment among the gods:

“How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;
uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed.
Rescue the weak and needy;
save them from the hand of the wicked. 𝙍

They do not know or understand;
they wander in the darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
I have said, ‘You are gods;
you are all sons of the Most High.’
But like mortals you will die,
and like rulers you will fall.”

Arise, O God, judge the earth,
for all the nations are Your inheritance.

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.

𝙍: Arise, O God, judge the earth.

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.

Psalm 90

𝙍: O LORD my God, I take refuge in You.

Lord, You have been our dwelling place
through all generations.
Before the mountains were born
or You brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting
You are God.

You return man to dust,
saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”
For in Your sight a thousand years
are but a day that passes,
or a watch of the night.
You whisk them away in their sleep;
they are like the new grass of the morning—
in the morning it springs up new,
but by evening it fades and withers. 𝙍

For we are consumed by Your anger
and terrified by Your wrath.
You have set our iniquities before You,
our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
For all our days decline in Your fury;
we finish our years with a sigh.
The length of our days is seventy years—
or eighty if we are strong—
yet their pride is but labor and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

Who knows the power of Your anger?
Your wrath matches the fear You are due.
So teach us to number our days,
that we may present a heart of wisdom. 𝙍

Return, O LORD! How long will it be?
Have compassion on Your servants.
Satisfy us in the morning with Your loving devotion,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen evil.

May Your work be shown to Your servants,
and Your splendor to their children.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish for us the work of our hands—
yes, establish the work of our hands!

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.

𝙍: O LORD my God, I take refuge in You.

Psalm prayer

Almighty God,
our eternal refuge,
teach us to live with the knowledge of our death
and to rejoice in the promise of your glory,
revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Silence may be kept.

Old Testament reading

Isaiah 48:12-22

Listen to Me, O Jacob,
and Israel, whom I have called:
I am He; I am the first,
and I am the last.
Surely My own hand founded the earth,
and My right hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon them,
they stand up together.
Come together, all of you, and listen:
Which of the idols has foretold these things?
The LORD’s chosen ally will carry out His desire against Babylon,
and His arm will be against the Chaldeans.
I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have called him.
I have brought him,
and he will succeed in his mission.

Come near to Me and listen to this:

From the beginning I have not spoken in secret;
from the time it happened, I was there.”

And now the Lord GOD has sent me,
accompanied by His Spirit.

Thus says the LORD your Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel:

“I am the LORD your God,
who teaches you for your benefit,
who directs you in the way you should go.
If only you had paid attention to My commandments,
your peace would have been like a river,
and your righteousness like waves of the sea.
Your descendants would have been as countless as the sand,
and your offspring as numerous as its grains;
their name would never be cut off
or eliminated from My presence.”

Leave Babylon!
Flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare it with a shout of joy,
proclaim it,
let it go out to the ends of the earth, saying,
“The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!”
They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts;
He made water flow for them from the rock;
He split the rock, and water gushed out.

“There is no peace,” says the LORD,
“for the wicked.”

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Finally, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus to live in a way that is pleasing to God, just as you have received from us. This is how you already live, so you should do so all the more. For you know the instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality; each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God; and no one should ever violate or exploit his brother in this regard, because the Lord will avenge all such acts, as we have already told you and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness. Anyone, then, who rejects this command does not reject man but God, the very One who gives you His Holy Spirit.

Now about brotherly love, you do not need anyone to write to you, because you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another. And you are indeed showing this love to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to excel more and more and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you. Then you will behave properly toward outsiders, without being dependent on anyone.

Silence may be kept.

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

Luke 1:46-55

𝙍: Lord Jesus, you are the one who is to come, the one whom we await with longing hearts.

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.

𝙍: Lord Jesus, you are the one who is to come, the one whom we await with longing hearts.

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 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.

Thanksgiving and intercession

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered
for peace
for individuals and their needs

Prayers may include the following concerns:

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

O Lord, raise up, we pray, your power
and come among us,
and with great might succor us;
that whereas, through our sins and wickedness
we are grievously hindered
in running the race that is set before us,
your bountiful grace and mercy
may speedily help and deliver us;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory, now and forever.
Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

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

Conclusion

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