Sunday morning December 5

Monday morning
Saturday 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


He Wills That I Should Holy Be


Charles Wesley

He wills that I should holy be;

That holiness I long to feel;

That full divine conformity,

To all my Savior’s righteous will.


See, Lord, the travail of thy soul,

Accomplished in the change of mine,

And plunge me, every whit made whole,

In all the depths of love divine.


On thee, O God, my soul is stayed,

And waits to prove thine utmost will;

The promise, by thy mercy made,

Thou canst, thou wilt in me fulfill.


Thy loving Spirit, Christ, alone

Can lead me forth and make free;

Burst every bond through which I groan

And set my heart at liberty.


No more I stagger at thy power,

Or doubt thy truth, which cannot move:

Hasten the long expected hour,

And bless me with thy perfect love.


Confession of sin


Let us admit to God the sin which always confronts us.


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


Almighty God,

patient and of great goodness:

I confess to you,

I confess with my whole heart

my neglect and forgetfulness of your commandments,

my wrong doing, thinking, and speaking;

the hurts I have done to others,

and the good I have left undone.

O God, forgive me, for I have sinned against you;

and raise me to newness of life;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.


May the God of love and power

forgive us and free us from our sins,

heal and strengthen us by his Spirit,

and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord.

Amen.


The Word of God


Psalm 80


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.


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.


Old Testament reading
Isaiah 64:1-7


If only you would tear open the heavens and come down!

Mountains would quake before you

like fire igniting brushwood or making water boil.

If you would make your name known to your enemies,

the nations would tremble in your presence.

When you accomplished wonders beyond all our expectations;

when you came down, mountains quaked before you.

From ancient times,

no one has heard,

no ear has perceived,

no eye has seen any god but you

who acts on behalf of those who wait for him!

You look after those who gladly do right;

they will praise you for your ways.

But you were angry when we sinned;

you hid yourself when we did wrong.

We have all become like the unclean;

all our righteous deeds are like a menstrual rag.

All of us wither like a leaf;

our sins, like the wind, carry us away.

No one calls on your name;

no one bothers to hold on to you,

for you have hidden yourself from us,

and have handed us over to our sin.


Silence may be kept.


New Testament reading
Matthew 11:2-11


Now when John heard in prison about the things the Christ was doing, he sent word by his disciples to Jesus, asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”

Jesus responded, “Go, report to John what you hear and see. Those who were blind are able to see. Those who were crippled are walking. People with skin diseases are cleansed. Those who were deaf now hear. Those who were dead are raised up. The poor have good news proclaimed to them. Happy are those who don’t stumble and fall because of me.”

When John’s disciples had gone, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John: “What did you go out to the wilderness to see? A stalk blowing in the wind? What did you go out to see? A man dressed up in refined clothes? Look, those who wear refined clothes are in royal palaces. What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. He is the one of whom it is written: Look, I’m sending my messenger before you, who will prepare your way before you.

“I assure you that no one who has ever been born is greater than John the Baptist. Yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.


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


Loving God, we look to you.

Receive 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


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.