Antiphon
Chant https://tinyurl.com/y9mr4gll
O Emmanuel,
Rex et legifer noster,
exspectatio Gentium, et Salvator earum:
veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster.
O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver, the hope of the nations and their Saviour: Come and save us, O Lord our God.
O Immanuel,
child of promise and sign of hope,
you come from a distance far beyond our reach,
yet are closer to us than we are to ourselves:
remain with us in our own days of expectation,
that we may give birth to what is just, true, beautiful, and good—
through the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
abides with us, one God now and forever. 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: Willard F Jabusch
Refrain:
The King of Glory comes, the nation rejoices.
Open the gates before him, lift up your voices.
1 Who is the king of glory; how shall we call him?
He is Emmanuel, the promised of ages. [Refrain]
2 In all of Galilee, in city or village,
He goes among his people curing their illness. [Refrain]
3 Sing then of David’s Son, our Savior and brother;
In all of Galilee was never another. [Refrain]
4 He gave his life for us, the pledge of salvation,
He took upon himself the sins of the nation. [Refrain]
5 He conquered sin and death; he truly has risen.
And he will share with us his heavenly vision. [Refrain]
PSALMS
For psalms in contemporary language, https://tinyurl.com/y9tjh7rk
Psalm 114 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/tbxne5c)
1 God standeth in the congregation of princes *
he is1 When Israel came out of Egypt *
and the house of Jacob from among the strange people,
2 Judah was his sanctuary *
and Israel his dominion.
3 The sea saw that, and fled *
Jordan was driven back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams *
and the little hills like young sheep.
5 What aileth thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest *
and thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?
6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams *
and ye little hills, like young sheep?
7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord *
at the presence of the God of Jacob;
8 Who turned the hard rock into a standing water *
and the flint-stone into a springing well.
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 115 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yaw43w93)
1 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name give the praise *
for thy loving mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
2 Wherefore shall the heathen say *
Where is now their God?
3 As for our God, he is in heaven *
he hath done whatsoever pleased him.
4 Their idols are silver and gold *
even the work of men’s hands.
5 They have mouths, and speak not *
eyes have they, and see not.
6 They have ears, and hear not *
noses have they, and smell not.
7 They have hands, and handle not; feet have they, and walk not *
neither speak they through their throat.
8 They that make them are like unto them *
and so are all such as put their trust in them.
9 But thou, house of Israel, trust thou in the Lord *
he is their succour and defence.
10 Ye house of Aaron, put your trust in the Lord *
he is their helper and defender.
11 Ye that fear the Lord, put your trust in the Lord *
he is their helper and defender.
12 The Lord hath been mindful of us, and he shall bless us *
even he shall bless the house of Israel, he shall bless the house of Aaron.
13 He shall bless them that fear the Lord *
both small and great.
14 The Lord shall increase you more and more *
you and your children.
15 Ye are the blessed of the Lord *
who made heaven and earth.
16 All the whole heavens are the Lord’s *
the earth hath he given to the children of men.
17 The dead praise not thee, O Lord *
neither all they that go down into silence.
18 But we will praise the Lord *
from this time forth for evermore. Praise the Lord.
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
Sovereign God,
you subdue the arrogant
and raise the humble;
you feed the hungry
and reveal the poverty of wealth.
Help us to praise your name in all times and places,
that we may be faithful servants
of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.
HYMN: Paul Gerhardt trans. Catherine Winkworth
Tune: Germany https://tinyurl.com/yafgv8tb
1 Immanuel, we sing Thy praise,
Thou Prince of Life, Thou Fount of Grace,
With all Thy saints, Thee, Lord, we sing;
Praise, honor, thanks, to Thee we bring
2 E’er since the world began to be,
How many a heart hath longed for Thee!
And Thou, O long expected Guest,
Hast come at last to make us blest!
3 Now art Thou here: we know Thee now:
In lowly manger liest Thou:
A Child, yet makest all things great;
Poor, yet the earth Thy robe of state.
4 Now fearlessly I come to Thee:
From sin and grief O set me free!
Turn wrath away, dread death destroy,
And turn my sorrow into joy.
5 Thou art my Head, my Lord divine:
I am Thy member, wholly Thine;
And by Thy Spirit’s strength gracious power
Will seek to serve Thee evermore.
Reading: Romans 5:12-14, 18-21
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned— sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come.
Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. But law came in, with the result that the trespass multiplied; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, just as sin exercised dominion in death, so grace might also exercise dominion through justification leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
HYMN: Paul Speratus
Tune: Es ist das Heil https://tinyurl.com/yblu6jmb
1 Salvation unto us has come
By God’s free grace and favor;
Good works cannot avert our doom,
They help and save us never.
Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone,
Who did for all the world atone;
He is our mediator.
2 Theirs was a false, misleading dream
Who thought God’s law was given
That sinners might themselves redeem
And by their works gain heaven.
The Law is but a mirror bright
To bring the inbred sin to light
That lurks within our nature.
3 And yet the Law fulfilled must be,
Or we were lost forever;
Therefore God sent his Son that he
Might us from death deliver.
He all the Law for us fulfilled,
And thus his Father’s anger stilled
Which over us impended.
4 Faith clings to Jesus’ cross alone
And rests in him unceasing;
And by its fruits true faith is known,
With love and hope increasing.
For faith alone can justify;
Works serve our neighbor and supply
The proof that faith is living.
5 All blessing, honor, thanks, and praise
To Father, Son, and Spirit,
The God who saved us by his grace,
All glory to his merit.
O triune God in heav’n above,
You have revealed your saving love;
Your blessed name we hallow.
Reading: Luke 1:67-79
Then John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:
‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a mighty saviour for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and has remembered his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon 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.’
CANTICLE Isaiah 12:1-6
(Stephen Wozny https://tinyurl.com/y8lfq94d)
You will say on that day:
I will give thanks to the Lord,
Though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
and you comforted me
Refrain:
So give thanks to the Lord, and call on his name,
Shout, and sing for joy, all you daughters of Zion,
He is with you now, the Son of God!
He is with you now, the Son of God.
Behold, my God is salvation; I will not be afraid;
The Lord, my God, is my song; I will sing of all he’s done,
and make everything known Refrain
I will sing his name! I will sing his name!
I will sing his name for all the world and everyone!
Sing his name! I will sing his name!
I will sing his name for all the world and everyone!
Sing his name! I will sing his name!
I will sing his name for all the world and everyone!
He is with you now, the Son of God.
THE PRAYERS WS2
If our lives are dry and parched,
Lord, send the living waters of your Spirit
to revive us, to enliven us,
to bring forth new life.
Immanuel, come quickly.
If our times are empty and barren,
Lord, grant us a rich harvest,
send us home with sheaves of blessing,
fill us with your abundance,
and teach us to share the harvest with others.
Immanuel, come quickly.
If our bodies are weary and heavy laden,
Lord, fill us with laughter;
give us shouts of joy;
envelop us with your gladness.
Immanuel, come quickly.
If our lives are small and trivial,
Lord, make us see great things;
enlarge our vision;
widen our borders.
Immanuel, come quickly.
(Plainsong Mode 2: https://tinyurl.com/yctqq8cf)DL
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;
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.
God of all hope and joy,
open our hearts in welcome,
so that your Son Jesus Christ at his coming
may find in us a dwelling prepared for him;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen. ANZPB
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
Donation to Support This Ministry
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BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
WS2 The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd edition, © 2013, Faith Alive Christian Resources
ANZPB A New Zealand Prayer Book, 1989
1 Adam Bartlett, Simple English Propers; audio from https://musicasacra.com/additional-publications/sep-practice-videos/ ©
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.
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