Advent 4

The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

and all flesh shall see it together.

Psalm 24

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,

    the world and those who dwell therein,

² for he has founded it upon the seas

    and established it upon the rivers.

³ Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

    And who shall stand in his holy place?

⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

    who does not lift up his soul to what is false

    and does not swear deceitfully.

⁵ He will receive blessing from the Lord

    and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

⁶ Such is the generation of those who seek him,

    who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

⁷ Lift up your heads, O gates!

    And be lifted up, O ancient doors,

    that the King of glory may come in.

⁸ Who is this King of glory?

    The Lord, strong and mighty,

    the Lord, mighty in battle!

⁹ Lift up your heads, O gates!

    And lift them up, O ancient doors,

    that the King of glory may come in.

¹⁰ Who is this King of glory?

    The Lord of hosts,

    he is the King of glory! Selah

Isaiah 7: 10-17

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ¹¹ “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” ¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” ¹³ And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. ¹⁵ He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. ¹⁶ For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. ¹⁷ The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.”

Hymn: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Romans 1: 1-7

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ² which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³ concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ⁴ and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵ through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, ⁶ including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, ⁷ To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer

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 for ever. Amen.

Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)

Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰ But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

²³ “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

    and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). ²⁴ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵ but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Anthem: There is no rose of such virtue

arr. Robert Young

Benediction

Lord, our God, as we turn our eyes and prayers towards your incarnation among us, gladden our hearts with the news of your coming; hold our friends and families in your love, and turn any sorrow to deeper joy, in the light of the eternal promises made secure in our Lord’s birth, death and resurrection, through the same, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Gordon Giles, The Music of Praise: Meditations on Great Hymns of the Church

(Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2004), 33.