Antiphon
Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y8zya7wc
O radix Jesse,
qui stas in signum populorum,
super quem continebunt reges os suum,
quem Gentes deprecabuntur:
veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.
O Root of Jesse,
standing as a sign among the peoples;
before you kings will shut their mouths,
to you the nations will make their prayer:
Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.
O Root of Jesse,
you reach deep down into the darkness of the earth
and stir the world’s longings for deliverance and hope:
raise up within our own lives
a spirit of courage and strength, of wisdom and insight,
that we may do your work for the coming of your kingdom—
through the merits of the one we know as the beginning of the ages,
even 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: German; trans. Theodore Baker
Tune: Es ist ein Ros https://tinyurl.com/2mztkza2
1 Lo, how a rose e’er blooming
from tender stem hath sprung,
of Jesse’s lineage coming,
as men of old have sung.
It came, a flower bright,
amid the cold of winter,
when half-spent was the night.
2 Isaiah ’twas foretold it,
the Rose I have in mind;
with Mary we behold it,
the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright
she bore to men a Savior,
when half-spent was the night.
3 This Flow’r, whose fragrance tender
with sweetness fills the air,
dispels with glorious splendor
the darkness everywhere.
True man, yet very God;
from sin and death He saves us
and lightens every load.
4 O Savior, Child of Mary,
who felt our human woe;
O Savior, King of glory,
who dost our weakness know,
bring us at last, we pray,
to the bright courts of heaven
and to Thy endless day.
PSALMS
Psalm 98 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ybagfe5m)
1 O sing unto the Lord a new song *
for he hath done marvellous things.
2 With his own right hand, and with his holy arm *
hath he gotten himself the victory.
3 The Lord declared his salvation *
his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
4 He hath remembered his mercy and truth toward the house of Israel *
and all the ends of the world have seen the salvation of our God.
5 Shew yourselves joyful unto the Lord, all ye lands *
sing, rejoice, and give thanks.
6 Praise the Lord upon the harp *
sing to the harp with a psalm of thanksgiving.
7 With trumpets also, and shawms *
O shew yourselves joyful before the Lord the King.
8 Let the sea make a noise, and all that therein is *
the round world, and they that dwell therein.
9 Let the floods clap their hands,
and let the hills be joyful together before the Lord *
for he is come to judge the earth.
10 With righteousness shall he judge the world *
and the people with equity.
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 99 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ycxaq7mg)
1 The Lord is King, be the people never so impatient *
he sitteth between the cherubims, be the earth never so unquiet.
2 The Lord is great in Sion *
and high above all people.
3 They shall give thanks unto thy Name *
which is great, wonderful, and holy.
4 The king’s power loveth judgement; thou hast prepared equity *
thou hast executed judgement and righteousness in Jacob.
5 O magnify the Lord our God *
and fall down before his footstool, for he is holy.
6 Moses and Aaron among his priests,
and Samuel among such as call upon his Name *
these called upon the Lord, and he heard them.
7 He spake unto them out of the cloudy pillar *
for they kept his testimonies, and the law that he gave them.
8 Thou heardest them, O Lord our God *
thou forgavest them, O God, and punishedst their own inventions.
9 O magnify the Lord our God, and worship him upon his holy hill *
for the Lord our God is holy.
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 100 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ycklx9gf)
1 O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands *
serve the Lord with gladness, and come before his presence with a song.
2 Be ye sure that the Lord he is God *
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
3 O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise *
be thankful unto him, and speak good of his Name.
4 For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting *
and his truth endureth from generation to generation.
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 101 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y7mv7duf)
1 My song shall be of mercy and judgement *
unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
2 O let me have understanding *
in the way of godliness.
3 When wilt thou come unto me *
I will walk in my house with a perfect heart.
4 I will take no wicked thing in hand; I hate the sins of unfaithfulness *
there shall no such cleave unto me.
5 A froward heart shall depart from me *
I will not know a wicked person.
6 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour *
him will I destroy.
7 Whoso hath also a proud look and high stomach *
I will not suffer him.
8 Mine eyes look upon such as are faithful in the land *
that they may dwell with me.
9 Whoso leadeth a godly life *
he shall be my servant.
10 There shall no deceitful person dwell in my house *
he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
11 I shall soon destroy all the ungodly that are in the land *
that I may root out all wicked doers from the city of 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.
Psalm 98 (LSB Tone F: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-98-LSB.mp3)
Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love
and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn;
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!.
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it,
the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord,
9 For he will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.
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.
Psalm 99 (LSB Tone F: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-99-LSB.mp3)
1 The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The Lord is great in Zion,
he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy. is he!
4 The king in his might loves justice;
you have established equity;
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God, worship at His footstool!
Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.
They called to the Lord, and he answered them.
7 In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
they kept his testimonies and the statute that he gave them.
8 O Lord our God, you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrong-doing.
9 Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy!
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.
Psalm 100 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-100.mp3)
1 Be joyful in the LORD, all you lands; *
serve the LORD with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.
2 Know this: The LORD himself is God; *
he himself has made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
3 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise; *
give thanks to him and call upon his Name.
4 For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting; *
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.
Psalm 101 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-101.mp3)
1 I will sing of mercy and justice; *
to you, O LORD, will I sing praises.
2 I will strive to follow a blameless course;
oh, when will you come to me? *
I will walk with sincerity of heart within my house.
3 I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; *
I hate the doers of evil deeds;
they shall not remain with me.
4 A crooked heart shall be far from me; *
I will not know evil.
5 Those who in secret slander their neighbors I will destroy; *
those who have a haughty look and a proud
heart I cannot abide.
6 My eyes are upon the faithful in the land, that they may
dwell with me, *
and only those who lead a blameless life shall
be my servants.
7 Those who act deceitfully shall not dwell in my house, *
and those who tell lies shall not continue in my sight.
8 I will soon destroy all the wicked in the land, *
that I may root out all evildoers from the city of the LORD.
PRAYER
Holy God,
you are exalted over all the nations,
and just in all your ways.
Strengthen us to worship you with our deeds
and to proclaim your greatness with our lips,
for the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
A shoot will grow up from the stump of Jesse;
a branch will sprout from his roots.
The Lord’s spirit will rest upon him,
a spirit of wisdom and understanding,
a spirit of planning and strength,
a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.
He will delight in fearing the Lord.
He won’t judge by appearances,
nor decide by hearsay.
He will judge the needy with righteousness,
and decide with equity for those who suffer in the land.
He will strike the violent with the rod of his mouth;
by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.
Righteousness will be the belt around his hips,
and faithfulness the belt around his waist.
The wolf will live with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the young goat;
the calf and the young lion will feed together,
and a little child will lead them.
The cow and the bear will graze.
Their young will lie down together,
and a lion will eat straw like an ox.
A nursing child will play over the snake’s hole;
toddlers will reach right over the serpent’s den.
They won’t harm or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain.
The earth will surely be filled with the knowledge of the Lord,
just as the water covers the sea.
HYMN: Joy Patterson ©
Tune: Samanthra https://tinyurl.com/2p89dfwb
1 Isaiah the prophet has written of old
how God’s earthly kingdom shall come.
Instead of the thorn tree the fir tree shall grow;
the wolf shall lie down with the lamb.
The mountains and hills shall break forth into song,
the peoples be led forth in peace;
for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God
as the waters cover the seas.
2 Yet nations still prey on the meek of the world,
and conflict turns parent from child.
Your people despoil all the sweetness of earth;
the brier and the thorn grow wild.
Lord, hasten to bring in your kingdom on earth,
when no one shall hurt or destroy,
when wisdom and justice shall reign in the land
and your people shall go forth in joy.
The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will pass away with a dreadful noise, the elements will be consumed by fire, and the earth and all the works done on it will be exposed.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be? You must live holy and godly lives, waiting for and hastening the coming day of God. Because of that day, the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt away in the flames. But according to his promise we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.
HYMN: James Montgomery
Tune: Northampton https://tinyurl.com/yeu3v9f7
1 Songs of praise the angels sang,
heaven with alleluias rang,
when creation was begun,
when God spake and it was done.
2 Songs of praise awoke the morn
when the Prince of peace was born;
songs of praise arose when he
captive led captivity.
3 Heaven and earth must pass away;
songs of praise shall crown that day:
God will make new heavens and earth;
songs of praise shall hail their birth.
4 And shall we alone be dumb
till that glorious kingdom come?
No, the church delights to raise
psalms and hymns and songs of praise.
5 Saints below, with heart and voice,
still in songs of praise rejoice;
learning here, by faith and love,
songs of praise to sing above.
6 Hymns of glory, songs of praise,
Father, unto thee we raise,
Jesu, glory unto thee,
with the Spirit, ever be.
During the rule of King Herod of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah. His wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron. They were both righteous before God, blameless in their observance of all the Lord’s commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to become pregnant and they both were very old. One day Zechariah was serving as a priest before God because his priestly division was on duty. Following the customs of priestly service, he was chosen by lottery to go into the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense. All the people who gathered to worship were praying outside during this hour of incense offering. An angel from the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and overcome with fear.
The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayers have been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to your son and you must name him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many people will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the Lord’s eyes. He must not drink wine and liquor. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth. He will bring many Israelites back to the Lord their God. He will go forth before the Lord, equipped with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and he will turn the disobedient to righteous patterns of thinking. He will make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? My wife and I are very old.” The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in God’s presence. I was sent to speak to you and to bring this good news to you. Know this: What I have spoken will come true at the proper time. But because you didn’t believe, you will remain silent, unable to speak until the day when these things happen.”
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they wondered why he was in the sanctuary for such a long time. When he came out, he was unable to speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he gestured to them and couldn’t speak. When he completed the days of his priestly service, he returned home. Afterward, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant. She kept to herself for five months, saying, “This is the Lord’s doing. He has shown his favor to me by removing my disgrace among other people.”
CANTICLE: Luke 1:68-79
(Consiglio: https://tinyurl.com/ya8y3kqs)
Ant. Blest be the Lord God of Israel; *
who has come to his people and set them free.
God has raiséd up a Savior strong and proud,
born of his servant David.
And through holy prophets God has promised from of old,
to save us from all our foes, from the hands of all who hate us. Ant.
God promised to show mercy to our ancestors
to remember the covenant.
This was the oath sworn to father Abraham,
to set us free from our enemies’ hands,
free to worship God without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. Ant.
You, little child, are the prophet of the Lord,
you will go before the Lord to prepare the way,
To give the people knowledge of salvation
by forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high breaks upon us,
to shine on us who dwell in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet on the way of peace. Ant.
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.
(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 it is 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.
Out of the embrace of mercy and righteousness,
you have brought forth joy and dignity for your people,
O Holy One of Israel.
Remember now your ancient promise:
make straight the paths that lead to you,
and smooth the rough ways,
that in our day
we might bring forth your compassion
for all humanity. 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
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BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.
The intercession has been used in Oremus for at least 20 years and I no longer recall the source. I apologize.
RCLP Revised Common Lectionary Prayers. © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.
The main scripture readings are © 2011 Common English Bible.
The traditional-language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern versions of Psalms 100 and 101 are from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and are chanted by Ryland Angel. The modern versions of Psalms 98 and 99 are from Lutheran Service Book and are from the Next to the Word of God YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkVRYL-MRebncw584Ql2xfg.
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 © 2023 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.
Oremus 