Oremus for Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Antiphon
Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yar6cdh3

O Oriens,
splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae:
veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Morning Star,
splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness:
Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

O Rising Dawn,
you shine with warm brightness and clean freshness,
chasing the fearsome shadows of the night away:
enlighten the lives of your people with visions of shalom
until you bring all things into the harmony of your kingdom—
for the sake of him we call the light of the world, Christ, our Lord. 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: Adam M.L. Tice ©
Tune: Salvation https://tinyurl.com/2p9ac5wj

Come, join in Mary’s prophet song
of justice for the earth,
for right outgrows the fiercest wrong,
revealing human worth,
bound not wtihin the wealth we crave
or in the arms we bear,
but in the holy sign God gave:
the image that we share.

The “Peace on earth” which shepherds heard
is not some fantasy.
The angels sang to greet the Word,
whose birth is victory.
The maiden Mary, not so mild,
bore into death’s domain
true God, and yet an infant child,
who over death would reign.

Emmanuel, God-with-us here,
grows peace where we would dare
to act despite our trembling fear
and bring God’s holy care.
The image God made “us” to be
is also borne on “them.”
Christ bids us join our enemy
to sing war’s requiem.

PSALMS

Psalm 106 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yd2cn3x8)
1  O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious *
 and his mercy endureth for ever.
2  Who can express the noble acts of the Lord *
 or shew forth all his praise?
3  Blessed are they that alway keep judgement *
 and do righteousness.
4  Remember me, O Lord, according to the favour
that thou bearest unto thy people *
 O visit me with thy salvation;
5  That I may see the felicity of thy chosen *
 and rejoice in the gladness of thy people,
and give thanks with thine inheritance.
6  We have sinned with our fathers *
 we have done amiss, and dealt wickedly.
7  Our fathers regarded not thy wonders in Egypt,
neither kept they thy great goodness in remembrance *
 but were disobedient at the sea, even at the Red sea.
8  Nevertheless, he helped them for his Name’s sake *
 that he might make his power to be known.
9  He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up *
 so he led them through the deep, as through a wilderness.
10  And he saved them from the adversary’s hand *
 and delivered them from the hand of the enemy.
11  As for those that troubled them, the waters overwhelmed them *
 there was not one of them left.
12  Then believed they his words *
 and sang praise unto him.
13  But within a while they forgat his works *
 and would not abide his counsel.
14  But lust came upon them in the wilderness *
 and they tempted God in the desert.
15  And he gave them their desire *
 and sent leanness withal into their soul.
16  They angered Moses also in the tents *
 and Aaron the saint of the Lord.
17  So the earth opened, and swallowed up Dathan *
 and covered the congregation of Abiram.
18  And the fire was kindled in their company *
 the flame burnt up the ungodly.
19  They made a calf in Horeb *
 and worshipped the molten image.
20  Thus they turned their glory *
 into the similitude of a calf that eateth hay.
21  And they forgat God their Saviour *
 who had done so great things in Egypt;
22  Wondrous works in the land of Ham *
 and fearful things by the Red sea.
23  So he said, he would have destroyed them,
had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the gap *
 to turn away his wrathful indignation, lest he should destroy them.
24  Yea, they thought scorn of that pleasant land *
 and gave no credence unto his word;
25  But murmured in their tents *
 and hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord.
26  Then lift he up his hand against them *
 to overthrow them in the wilderness;
27  To cast out their seed among the nations *
 and to scatter them in the lands.
28  They joined themselves unto Baalpeor *
 and ate the offerings of the dead.
29  Thus they provoked him to anger with their own inventions *
 and the plague was great among them.
30  Then stood up Phinees and prayed *
 and so the plague ceased.
31  And that was counted unto him for righteousness *
 among all posterities for evermore.
32  They angered him also at the waters of strife *
 so that he punished Moses for their sakes;
33  Because they provoked his spirit *
 so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.
34  Neither destroyed they the heathen *
 as the Lord commanded them;
35  But were mingled among the heathen *
 and learned their works.
36  Insomuch that they worshipped their idols,
which turned to their own decay *
 yea, they offered their sons and their daughters unto devils;
37  And shed innocent blood,
even the blood of their sons and of their daughters *
 whom they offered unto the idols of Canaan;
and the land was defiled with blood.
38  Thus were they stained with their own works *
 and went a whoring with their own inventions.
39  Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people *
 insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.
40  And he gave them over into the hand of the heathen *
 and they that hated them were lords over them.
41  Their enemies oppressed them *
 and had them in subjection.
42  Many a time did he deliver them *
 but they rebelled against him with their own inventions,
and were brought down in their wickedness.
43  Nevertheless, when he saw their adversity *
 he heard their complaint.
44  He thought upon his covenant, and pitied them,
according unto the multitude of his mercies *
 yea, he made all those that led them away captive to pity them.
45  Deliver us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen *
 that we may give thanks unto thy holy Name, and make our boast of thy praise.
46  Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and world without end *
 and let all the people say, Amen.
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 106 (Kohlhase: https://tinyurl.com/2nshc92b)
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love is everlasting.
Who’ll tell of the power of the LORD,
or show forth all of his praise?
How blessed are those who keep justice,
and righteousness at all times!
Remember me, LORD, in your favor;
and visit me with your salvation.
Let me see your chosen ones prosper,
and glory with your inheritance.
We’ve erred like our fathers, committing sin;
so poorly we have behaved.
In Egypt they misunderstood your signs;
your graces they scorned at the sea.
But for your name’s sake you saved them,
to make your power known.
Rebuking the Red Sea he dried it up,
led through the deep as a wilderness.
Saved them from the hand of hostile ones,
redeemed from the hand of their foe.
The waters returned to drown their foes;
not one among them was left.
Therefore they trusted his words;
and they sang out his praise.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

However, they quickly forgot his works;
they did not wait for his counsel,
their cravings were strong in the wilderness,
they tested their God in the desert.
He gave to them as they desired,
along with a wasting disease.
The camp envied Moses and Aaron,
the holy ones of the LORD.
Earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
engulfing the clan of Abiram.
A fire broke out in their company;
the flame consumed the wicked.
They then made a calf in Horeb,
and worshiped a molten image.
So they exchanged their glory,
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
Forgetting their God and Savior,
who did great things in Egypt;
his signs in the land of Ham,
and marvels at the Red Sea.
He said that he would destroy them,
had Moses not stood in the gap,
to turn away his anger, from destroying them.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Then they despised the pleasant land;
they did not trust in his word,
but grumbled there within their tents,
not heeding the voice of the LORD.
Therefore he swore unto them,
he’d cast them down in the desert,
and cast their seed among nations,
to scatter them throughout the lands.
They joined themselves to Baal-peor,
and ate what was offered the dead.
Provoking his anger by their deeds,
a plague broke out among them.
Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
thereby the plague was stopped.
Reckoned to him as righteousness,
to all generations forever.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

At Meribah’s waters they angered him,
thus making it hard for Moses;
for when they rejected the Spirit,
he rashly spoke with his lips.
They did not destroy the nations,
as ordered by the LORD,
but with the nations they mingled,
and learned of all their ways.
They started to serve their idols,
becoming a snare unto them.
For even their sons they sacrificed,
and gave their daughters to demons.
They shed the innocent blood,
of their daughters and of their sons;
gave them to the idols of Canaan.
polluting the land with their blood.
Becoming unclean in their dealings,
in deed they played the harlot.
The LORD’s anger burned at his people,
detesting his own inheritance.
He gave them into the nations’ hands,
those hating them became their rulers.
Their enemies also oppressed them,
subduing them under their power.
He often would save and counsel them;
rebellious they sank in their sin;
but he still considered their troubles,
whenever he heard their cry;
for them he remembered his covenant,
he turned from the depths of his love.
He made them as objects of pity,
in the presence of their captors.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Save us, O LORD our God,
regather us from all the nations;
to give thanks to your holy name,
and glory in your praise.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
forever and forever;
let the people say, “Amen.”
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

PRAYER

Merciful God,
remembering your covenant,
you graciously pardoned those who rebelled against you.
Grant that, where sin abounds,
grace may abound more;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen. ^BCW

THE WORD OF GOD

Reading: Isaiah 60:16b-22

You will suck the milk of nations,
    and nurse at royal breasts.
    You will know that I am the Lord, your savior
    and your redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob.
Instead of bronze I will bring gold;
    instead of iron I will bring silver;
    instead of wood, bronze;
    and instead of stones, iron.
I will make peace your governor
    and righteousness your taskmaster.
Violence will no longer resound throughout your land,
    nor devastation or destruction within your borders.
You will call your walls Salvation,
    and your gates Praise.
The sun will no longer be your light by day,
    nor will the moon shine for illumination by night.
The Lord will be your everlasting light;
    your God will be your glory.
Your sun will no longer set;
    your moon will no longer wane.
The Lord will be an everlasting light for you,
    and your days of mourning will be ended.
Your people will all be righteous;
    they will possess the land forever.
They are the shoot that I planted,
    the work of my hands, to glorify myself.
The least will become a thousand,
    and the smallest a powerful people.
I am the Lord; at the right moment, I will hurry it along.

HYMN: Carl P Daw ©
Tune: Forest Green https://tinyurl.com/54xavxku

1 Rise up and shine! Your light has come;
God’s glory breaks like dawn.
For though the earth be cloaked in night
and gloom shrouds ev’ryone,
yet over you the Lord will rise,
with glory gleaming clear,
till nations turn to seek your light
and humbled kings draw near.

2 Fling wide your gates, both day and night;
no more keep watch or guard.
You will be called God’s holy hill,
the city of the Lord.
No sound of strife will plague your land,
nor harm besiege your ways;
“Salvation” will you name your walls,
and all your portals “Praise.”

3 No more will you implore the sun
to shed by day its light,
nor will you need the changeful moon
to glisten through the night.
Your glory then will be your God,
whose light will never cease.
Rise up and shine! Your light has come
to give you joy and peace.

Reading: Galatians 3:1-14

You irrational Galatians! Who put a spell on you? Jesus Christ was put on display as crucified before your eyes! I just want to know this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the Law or by believing what you heard? Are you so irrational? After you started with the Spirit, are you now finishing up with your own human effort? Did you experience so much for nothing? I wonder if it really was for nothing. So does the one providing you with the Spirit and working miracles among you do this by you doing the works of the Law or by you believing what you heard?

Understand that in the same way that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, those who believe are the children of Abraham. But when it saw ahead of time that God would make the Gentiles righteous on the basis of faith, scripture preached the gospel in advance to Abraham: All the Gentiles will be blessed in you. Therefore, those who believe are blessed together with Abraham who believed.

All those who rely on the works of the Law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone is cursed who does not keep on doing all the things that have been written in the Law scroll. But since no one is made righteous by the Law as far as God is concerned, it is clear that the righteous one will live on the basis of faith. The Law isn’t based on faith; rather, the one doing these things will live by them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us—because it is written, Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed. He redeemed us so that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, and that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

HYMN: Isaac Watts
Tune: Antioch https://tinyurl.com/2nsepcrh

1 Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
let ev’ry heart prepare him room
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.

2 Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

3 No more let sins and sorrows grow
nor thorns infest the ground;
he comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.

4 He rules the world with truth and grace
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.

Reading: Luke 1:46-56

Mary said,

Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months, and then returned to her home.

CANTICLE Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55)
(Andrew Rottner: https://tinyurl.com/ybqv7yxk)

He who is mighty, has shown great strength to me
And his mercy is for those who fear his holy name
And he has shown strength with his arm and his law
And he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He who is mighty has brought the wicked shame
And his anger is for those who curse his holy name
And he has shown rage with the mighty in their thrones
And he has lifted the low into his glorious home

O my soul magnifies the Lord,
Yes my soul magnifies the Lord.

He who is mighty has not forgotten me
And his helping is for those to serve his holy name
He has shown remembrance with his servant Israel
And he spoke the promise from which all my doubts dispel

O my soul magnifies the Lord,
Yes my soul magnifies the Lord.
O my soul magnifies the Lord,
Yes my soul magnifies the Lord.

PRAYER ^Sacredise

Where there seems to be no way
to end the conflict and violence in our time,
we pray that you would teach us, O Christ,
to prepare the way;
Come, Lord Jesus!

Where we can see no way
to provide for the needs of all people,
we pray that you would show us, O Christ,
how to prepare the way;
Come, Lord Jesus!

Where can find no way
to work together for justice,
we pray that you would change us, O Christ,
until we prepare the way;
Come, Lord Jesus!

Where we are unable to believe in a way
to live simply, responsibly and mindfully,
we pray that you would inspire us, O Christ,
to faith that prepares the way;
Come, Lord Jesus!

In a world where we are tempted
to see so many of our challenges as dead-ends,
we pray for a new vision, a new heart and a new commitment
to prepare the way for your reign,
your grace, your shalom
and for the liberation, justice and peace that you bring. Amen.

(Plainsong: https://tinyurl.com/ahnrtv59)^ELW

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.

O God of Elizabeth and Mary,
you visited your servants with news of the world’s redemption
in the coming of the Savior.
Make our hearts leap with joy,
and fill our mouths with songs of praise,
that we may announce glad tidings of peace,
and welcome the Christ in our midst. 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.

^ELW The Lord’s Prayer is from Setting Five in Evangelical Lutheran Worship.

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

^Sacredise https://sacredise.com/preparing-the-way/

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

The three main scripture readings are © 2011 Common English Bible.

The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language psalms are in the version sung by Karl Kohlhase http://www.k4communications.com/karl/index.html

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 © 2022 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.