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.

Advent 3

Antiphon

Our King and Savior now draws near: Come, let us adore him.

(The Book of Common Prayer, 1979)

Psalm 146

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

² I will praise the Lord as long as I live;

    I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

³ Put not your trust in princes,

    in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.

⁴ When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;

    on that very day his plans perish.

⁵ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

    whose hope is in the Lord his God,

⁶ who made heaven and earth,

    the sea, and all that is in them,

who keeps faith forever;

⁷     who executes justice for the oppressed,

    who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;

⁸     the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;

    the Lord loves the righteous.

⁹ The Lord watches over the sojourners;

    he upholds the widow and the fatherless,

    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

¹⁰ The Lord will reign forever,

    your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the Lord!

Here is a Lutheran chorale setting of this psalm, "Praise the Almighty, my soul adore him," which I had never thought of as an Advent hymn. Now I do!

And here is the music to that chorale text. (I wish I could find and post the splendid setting by Walter Pelz.)

Isaiah 35:1-10

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;

    the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;

² it shall blossom abundantly

    and rejoice with joy and singing.

The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,

    the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.

They shall see the glory of the Lord,

    the majesty of our God.

³ Strengthen the weak hands,

    and make firm the feeble knees.

⁴ Say to those who have an anxious heart,

    “Be strong; fear not!

Behold, your God

    will come with vengeance,

with the recompense of God.

    He will come and save you.”

⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

    and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

⁶ then shall the lame man leap like a deer,

    and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

For waters break forth in the wilderness,

    and streams in the desert;

⁷ the burning sand shall become a pool,

    and the thirsty ground springs of water;

in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,

    the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

⁸ And a highway shall be there,

    and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;

the unclean shall not pass over it.

    It shall belong to those who walk on the way;

    even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.

⁹ No lion shall be there,

    nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;

they shall not be found there,

    but the redeemed shall walk there.

¹⁰ And the ransomed of the Lord shall return

    and come to Zion with singing;

everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;

    they shall obtain gladness and joy,

    and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Anthem

"Ye shall have a song" from Randal Thompson, Peaceable Kingdom

 

James 5:7-10

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. ⁸ You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. ⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. ¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Matthew 11:2-11

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples ³ and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

⁴ And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵ the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

⁷ As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. ⁹ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is he of whom it is written,

“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,

    who will prepare your way before you.’

¹¹ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Hymn

"Comfort, comfort now my people"

hymn page

arranged for choir by David Ashley White

Prayer

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

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

Advent 2

In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Isaiah 40:3, in The Book of Common Prayer, 1979

Psalm 72

Give the king your justice, O God,

    and your righteousness to the royal son!

² May he judge your people with righteousness,

    and your poor with justice!

³ Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,

    and the hills, in righteousness!

⁴ May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,

    give deliverance to the children of the needy,

    and crush the oppressor!

⁵ May they fear you while the sun endures,

    and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!

⁶ May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,

    like showers that water the earth!

⁷ In his days may the righteous flourish,

    and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

⁸ May he have dominion from sea to sea,

    and from the River to the ends of the earth!

⁹ May desert tribes bow down before him,

    and his enemies lick the dust!

¹⁰ May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands

    render him tribute;

may the kings of Sheba and Seba

    bring gifts!

¹¹ May all kings fall down before him,

    all nations serve him!

¹² For he delivers the needy when he calls,

    the poor and him who has no helper.

¹³ He has pity on the weak and the needy,

    and saves the lives of the needy.

¹⁴ From oppression and violence he redeems their life,

    and precious is their blood in his sight.

¹⁵ Long may he live;

    may gold of Sheba be given to him!

May prayer be made for him continually,

    and blessings invoked for him all the day!

¹⁶ May there be abundance of grain in the land;

    on the tops of the mountains may it wave;

    may its fruit be like Lebanon;

and may people blossom in the cities

    like the grass of the field!

¹⁷ May his name endure forever,

    his fame continue as long as the sun!

May people be blessed in him,

    all nations call him blessed!

¹⁸ Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

    who alone does wondrous things.

¹⁹ Blessed be his glorious name forever;

    may the whole earth be filled with his glory!

Amen and Amen!

Isaiah 11:1-10

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

² And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

    the Spirit of counsel and might,

    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

³ And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

    or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

⁴ but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

    and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

    and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

⁶ The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,

    and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,

and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;

    and a little child shall lead them.

⁷ The cow and the bear shall graze;

    their young shall lie down together;

    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

⁸ The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,

    and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

⁹ They shall not hurt or destroy

    in all my holy mountain;

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

    as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁰ In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

Anthem

"The Lamb"

Text William Blake; Music John Tavener

 Romans 15:8-13

For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, ⁹ and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,

    and sing to your name.”

¹⁰ And again it is said,

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”

¹¹ And again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,

    and let all the peoples extol him.”

¹² And again Isaiah says,

“The root of Jesse will come,

    even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;

in him will the Gentiles hope.”

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Hymn

Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

Matthew 3:1-12

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ² “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” ³ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord;

    make his paths straight.’"

⁴ Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, ⁶ and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. ⁹ And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹ “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Hymn

On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry 

On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry

announces that the Lord is nigh;

awake and hearken, for he brings

glad tidings of the King of kings.

     Then cleansed be every breast from sin;

     make straight the way for God within,

     prepare we in our hearts a home

     where such a mighty Guest may come.

For thou art our salvation, Lord,

our refuge and our great reward;

without thy grace we waste away

like flowers that wither and decay.

     To heal the sick stretch out thine hand,

     and bid the fallen sinner stand;

     shine forth and let thy light restore

     earth's own true loveliness once more.

All praise, eternal Son, to thee,

whose advent doth thy people free;

whom with the Father we adore

and Holy Ghost for evermore.

Words: Charles Coffin, 1736; Tune WINCHESTER NEW

Prayer

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Collect for the Second Sunday in Advent, The Book of Common Prayer, 1979

Scriptures from the English Standard Version except as noted

Advent 1

Watch, for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning, lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.

(Mark 13:35,36 in the Book of Common Prayer, 1979)

Psalm 122

I was glad when they said to me,

    “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

2 Our feet have been standing

    within your gates, O Jerusalem!

3 Jerusalem—built as a city

    that is bound firmly together,

4 to which the tribes go up,

    the tribes of the Lord,

as was decreed for Israel,

    to give thanks to the name of the Lord.

5 There thrones for judgment were set,

    the thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

    “May they be secure who love you!

7 Peace be within your walls

    and security within your towers!”

8 For my brothers and companions' sake

    I will say, “Peace be within you!”

9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

    I will seek your good.

Isaiah 2:1-5

The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2 It shall come to pass in the latter days

    that the mountain of the house of the Lord

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

    and shall be lifted up above the hills;

and all the nations shall flow to it,

3     and many peoples shall come, and say:

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

    to the house of the God of Jacob,

that he may teach us his ways

    and that we may walk in his paths.”

For out of Zion shall go the law,

    and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

4 He shall judge between the nations,

    and shall decide disputes for many peoples;

and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

    and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

    neither shall they learn war anymore.

5 O house of Jacob,

    come, let us walk

    in the light of the Lord.

Hymn

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

 (video, hymn with the tune "Cross of Jesus")

Romans 13: 8-14

8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Prayer (Collect)

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Book of Common Prayer, 1979

Matthew 24:37-44

37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Anthem: Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying

1. Wake, awake, for night is flying,

The watchmen on the heights are crying;

Awake, Jerusalem, at last!

Midnight hears the welcome voices,

And at the thrilling cry rejoices:

Come forth, ye virgins, night is past!

The Bridegroom comes, awake,

Your lamps with gladness take;

Hallelujah!

And for His marriage-feast prepare,

For ye must go to meet Him there.

2. Zion hears the watchmen singing,

And all her heart with joy is springing,

She wakes, she rises from her gloom;

For her Lord comes down all-glorious,

The strong in grace, in truth victorious,

Her Star is risen, her Light is come!

Ah come, Thou blessed Lord,

O Jesus, Son of God,

Hallelujah!

We follow till the halls we see

Where Thou hast bid us sup with Thee!

3. Now let all the heavens adore Thee,

And men and angels sing before Thee,

With harp and cymbal's clearest tone;

Of one pearl each shining portal,

Where we are with the choir immortal

Of angels round Thy dazzling throne;

Nor eye hath seen, nor ear

Hath yet attain'd to hear

What there is ours,

But we rejoice, and sing to Thee

Our hymn of joy eternally.

(But the standard choral version in English has a modified text)

  

Prayer

O Lord, enlighten our waking hours, and guard us when asleep, that awake we may be found ready and waiting for Christ, and asleep may rest in the peace of his love, until that great day when he returns in clouds of glory to lift us to your heavenly throne. Amen.

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

(Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2004), 19

Unless noted, biblical passages are from the English Standard Version