Wed. morning Dec. 17
Opening response
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare 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 light. 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
Hail to the Lord’s Anointed
Words: James Montgomery (1821)
Music: Gesangbuch der H.W.K. Hofkapelle (1784)
A version of this hymn appears in Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#165).
Hail to the Lord's Anointed,
great David's greater Son!
Hail in the time appointed,
his reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
to set the captive free;
to take away transgression,
and rule in equity.
He comes with succor speedy
to those who suffer wrong;
to help the poor and needy,
and bid the weak be strong;
to give them songs for sighing,
their darkness turn to light,
whose souls, condemned and dying,
are precious in his sight.
Confession of Sin
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor recompensed us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his mercy toward 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 pities his children,
so the LORD pities those who fear Him.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits.
Psalm 75
𝙍: God is the Judge.
We give thanks to You, O God;
we give thanks, for Your name is near;
Your wondrous works declare it.
When I set the appointed time,
I will judge with equity.
The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolving;
I bear up its pillars.
I said to the boastful, “Do not boast,”
and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horn.
Do not lift up your horn on high;
do not speak with a stiff neck.”
𝙍: God is the Judge.
For exaltation comes neither from the east, nor from the west,
nor from the south.
But God is the Judge;
He puts down one and exalts another.
For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup,
full of foaming wine; it is well mixed,
and He pours it out;
indeed the wicked of the earth drain and drink its dregs.
𝙍: God is the Judge.
But I will declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
All the horns of the wicked will I cut off,
but the horns of the righteous will be exalted.
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: God is the Judge.
Psalm prayer
Judge of all the earth, restrain the ambition of the proud, and establish among us the reign of the Messiah, who drained for us the cup of judgment and is alive with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Psalm 96
𝙍: Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.
Oh sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth!
Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
𝙍: Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.
For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before Him;
strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
𝙍: Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the people,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;
bring an offering, and come into His courts.
Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before Him, all the earth!
Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!
Indeed, the world is established; it shall not be moved;
He will judge the peoples righteously.”
𝙍: Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the forests will rejoice
before the LORD, for He is coming,
for He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in His faithfulness.
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: Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.
Psalm Prayer
Lord God, you draw us by your beauty and transform us by your holiness; let our worship echo all creation’s praise and declare your glory to the nations; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
Isaiah 39
At that time Marduk-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that he had been sick and had recovered. Hezekiah was glad and showed them the house of his precious things: the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and his whole armory, and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah did not show them.
Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?”
And Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.”
Then he said, “What have they seen in your house?”
And Hezekiah answered, “All that is in my house they have seen. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of Hosts. Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the LORD. And some of your sons who descend from you, whom you shall father, shall be taken away. And they shall become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good.” For he said, “For there shall be peace and truth in my days.”
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Matthew 17:14-21
When they came to the crowd, a man came to Him and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire and often into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him.”
Then Jesus answered, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and he came out of him. And the child was healed instantly.
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast him out?”
Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. And nothing will be impossible for you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Silence may be kept.
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)
Luke 1:68-79
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for He has visited and redeemed His people,
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of His servant David,
as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets of long ago,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us,
to perform the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember His holy covenant,
the oath which He swore to our father Abraham,
to grant us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
might serve Him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
for you will go before the presence of the Lord to prepare His ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to His people
by the remission of their sins,
through the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise from on high has visited us;
to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
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.
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.
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.
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
Lord, hear your people
and answer our prayers.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
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, 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. Amen.
Conclusion
May the Lord, when he comes, find us watching and waiting.
Amen.