Oremus for Friday, December 18, 2020

Antiphon
Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yaqpktwa

O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel,
qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti,
et ei in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush
and gave him the law on Sinai:
Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

O Lord of might,
master of the universe and ruler of the house of Israel,
your mighty acts have rescued remnants of your people
from the midst of slavery, exile, war, and holocaust:
raise your scepter over us, that your saving rule
may be extended to all people in all places—
for the sake of him who we know as Lord of all,
even Jesus, the Christ. Amen. ^WS2

Music: https://tinyurl.com/ycn4djk5

O Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will declare your praise.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
make haste to help me, O Lord.
Glory be 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.
Praise to you, O Christ, Alleluia!

HYMN: Prudentius; trans. Henry Williams Baker and John Mason Neale
Tune: Divinum Mysterium https://tinyurl.com/y8tw5m6q

1 Of the Father’s love begotten
ere the worlds began to be,
he is Alpha and Omega,
he the Source, the Ending he,
of the things that are, that have been,
and that future years shall see,
evermore and evermore!

2 O that birth forever blessed,
when the Virgin, full of grace,
by the Holy Ghost conceiving,
bore the Savior of our race;
and the babe, the world’s Redeemer,
first revealed his sacred face,
evermore and evermore!

3 This is he whom heav’n-taught singers
sang of old with one accord,
whom the Scriptures of the prophets
promised in their faithful word;
now he shines, the long expected;
let creation praise its Lord, 
evermore and evermore!

4 O ye heights of heav’n, adore him;
angel hosts, his praises sing:
all dominions, bow before him
and extol our God and King;
let no tongue on earth be silent,
ev’ry voice in concert ring, 
evermore and evermore!

5 Christ, to thee, with God the Father,
and, O Holy Ghost, to thee,
hymn and chant and high thanksgiving
and unwearied praises be,
honor, glory, and dominion
and eternal victory,
evermore and evermore!

PSALMS
For psalms in contemporary language, https://tinyurl.com/y9tjh7rk

Psalm 93 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y7tg5urb)

1  The Lord is King, and hath put on glorious apparel *
 the Lord hath put on his apparel, and girded himself with strength.
2  He hath made the round world so sure *
 that it cannot be moved.
3  Ever since the world began hath thy seat been prepared *
 thou art from everlasting.
4  The floods are risen, O Lord, the floods have lift up their voice *
 the floods lift up their waves.
5  The waves of the sea are mighty, and rage horribly *
 but yet the Lord, who dwelleth on high, is mightier.
6  Thy testimonies, O Lord, are very sure *
 holiness becometh thine house for ever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.

Psalm 94 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y8otscow)

1  O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth *
 thou God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.
2  Arise, thou Judge of the world *
 and reward the proud after their deserving.
3  Lord, how long shall the ungodly *
 how long shall the ungodly triumph?
4  How long shall all wicked doers speak so disdainfully *
 and make such proud boasting?
5  They smite down thy people, O Lord *
 and trouble thine heritage.
6  They murder the widow, and the stranger *
 and put the fatherless to death.
7  And yet they say, Tush, the Lord shall not see *
 neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.
8  Take heed, ye unwise among the people *
 O ye fools, when will ye understand?
9  He that planted the ear, shall he not hear *
 or he that made the eye, shall he not see?
10  Or he that nurtureth the heathen *
 it is he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he punish?
11  The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man *
 that they are but vain.
12  Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord *
 and teachest him in thy law;
13  That thou mayest give him patience in time of adversity *
 until the pit be digged up for the ungodly.
14  For the Lord will not fail his people *
 neither will he forsake his inheritance;
15  Until righteousness turn again unto judgement *
 all such as are true in heart shall follow it.
16  Who will rise up with me against the wicked *
 or who will take my part against the evil-doers?
17  If the Lord had not helped me *
 it had not failed but my soul had been put to silence.
18  But when I said, My foot hath slipt *
 thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.
19  In the multitude of the sorrows that I had in my heart *
 thy comforts have refreshed my soul.
20  Wilt thou have any thing to do with the stool of wickedness *
 which imagineth mischief as a law?
21  They gather them together against the soul of the righteous *
 and condemn the innocent blood.
22  But the Lord is my refuge *
 and my God is the strength of my confidence.
23  He shall recompense them their wickedness, and destroy them in their own malice *
 yea, the Lord our God shall destroy them.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.

PRAYER

Omnipotent God,
your glory is incomprehensible,
your majesty infinite,
and your power incomparable.
Found us on the certainty of your promises,
that no matter what happens,
we may be firm in faith
and live uprightly in your church,
bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. Amen. ^BCW

THE WORD OF GOD

Reading: Exodus 3:1-6

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

HYMN: David Evans ©
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/yaofpvvg

1 Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
the Holy One, is here.
Come, bow before him now, with reverence and fear.
In him no sin is found;
we stand on holy ground.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
the Holy One, is here.

2 Be still, for the glory of the Lord 
is shining all around.
He burns with holy fire;
with splendor he is crowned.
How awesome is the sight,
our radiant King of light!
Be still, for the glory of the Lord
is shining all around.

3 Be still, for the power of the Lord
is moving in this place.
He comes to cleanse and heal,
to minister his grace.
No work too hard for him;
in faith receive from him.
Be still,
for the power of the Lord 
is moving in this place.

Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,
‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
   nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him’—
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.

Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are discerned spiritually. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.
‘For who has known the mind of the Lord
   so as to instruct him?’
But we have the mind of Christ.

HYMN: Bianco da Siena; trans. Richard Frederick Littledale
Tune: Down Ampney https://tinyurl.com/y7b2rra4

1 Come down, O Love divine,
seek thou this soul of mine,
and visit it with thine own ardour glowing;
O Comforter, draw near,
within my heart appear,
and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.

2 O let it freely burn,
till earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
and let thy glorious light
shine ever on my sight,
and clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

3 Let holy charity
mine outward vesture be,
and lowliness become mine inner clothing:
true lowliness of heart,
which takes the humbler part,
and o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

4 And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the power of human telling;
for none can guess its grace,
till he become the place
wherein the Holy Spirit makes his dwelling.

Reading: Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

CANTICLE Philippians 2:6-11
(Chant by John Michael Talbot: https://tinyurl.com/y8ljx8y7)

Though he was in the form of God,
Jesus did not deem equality with God
something to be grasped at.
Rather, he emptied himself
and took the form of a slave,
being born in the likeness of men.
He was known to be of human estate
and it was thus that he humbled himself,
obediently accepting even death,
death on a cross!
Because of this,
God highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
above every other name,  
So that at Jesus’ name
every knee must bend
in the heavens, on the earth,
and under the earth,
and every tongue proclaim
to the glory of God the Father:  
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

THE PRAYERS

O Lord,
you have revealed yourself in manifold ways
throughout human history.
You are surely coming and without delay:
Come, Lord Jesus, come.

At your coming all things will rejoice:
Come, Lord Jesus, come.

You come to show us our dignity as God’s children:
Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Look with compassion on the sick and the suffering:
Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Help us to recognize the signs of the times:
Come, Lord Jesus, come.

May all things be judged in the light of your truth:
Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Setting: Sanford Dole https://tinyurl.com/y7ldq7h5

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today the bread of life;
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.

Ever faithful God,
through prophets and angels,
you promised to raise up a holy child
who would establish a household of peace and justice.
Open our hearts to receive your Son,
that we may open our doors
to welcome all people as sisters and brothers,
and establish your household in our time. Amen. ^RCLP

Music: https://tinyurl.com/y9efvwm5
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. 2 Cor. 13:14

---

^BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.

^EH Exciting Holiness, Ed. Brother Tristram SSF © European Province of the Society of Saint Francis, 1997

^RCLP Revised Common Lectionary Prayers. © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.

^DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.

^WS2 The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd edition, © 2013, Faith Alive Christian Resources

The intercession has been used in Oremus for at least 20 years and I no longer recall the source. I apologize.

The three main scripture readings are from the The New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Edition, The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662).

Musical links are usually either to artists’ albums posted on Spotify or to recordings made available at smallchurchmusic.com. Audio stripped from YouTube videos is footnoted accordingly above.

Compilation © 2020 Stephen T. Benner. All links worked at the time they were created, but I cannot accept responsibility for their content or any damage resulting from their use. The linked content is under the control of the respective content creators and is subject to change at any time. Any copyright texts included in this compilation are provided for non-commercial purposes related to study or worship. Please contact the respective copyright holders for permission to use the texts in other contexts.