← Prayer Book
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
Morning Prayer
Thursday, December 23, 2021 • Saint John of Kanty, Priest
Opening
Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
O God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory 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.
Hymn
Creator of the Stars of Night
Creator of the stars of night,
your people's everlasting light,
O Christ, Redeemer, save us all,
and hear your servants when they call.
your people's everlasting light,
O Christ, Redeemer, save us all,
and hear your servants when they call.
When this old world drew on toward night,
you came; but not in splendor bright,
not as a monarch but the child
of Mary, blameless mother mild.
you came; but not in splendor bright,
not as a monarch but the child
of Mary, blameless mother mild.
At your great name, O Jesus, now
all knees must bend, all hearts must bow,
and things in heaven and earth shall own
that you are Lord and King alone.
all knees must bend, all hearts must bow,
and things in heaven and earth shall own
that you are Lord and King alone.
To God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Spirit, Three in One,
laud, honor, might, and glory be
from age to age eternally.
and God the Spirit, Three in One,
laud, honor, might, and glory be
from age to age eternally.
Psalmody
Psalm 143Blessed Be the Lord My Rock (Part I)
Ant. Behold, the Lord is coming with power; he will illuminate what is hidden in darkness.
Blessed is the Lord my God, who trains my hands for the contest and my fingers for the war.
My mercy and my refuge; my support and my deliverer; my protector and the one in whom I have hoped, who subdues my people under me.
Lord, what is man, that you have made yourself known to him? Or the son of man, that you think about him?
Man has been made like vanity; his days pass away like a shadow.
Lord, bow your heavens and descend; touch the mountains and they will smoke.
Cast lightning and scatter them; send out your arrows and set them in disorder.
Send your hand from on high; free me and rescue me from many waters, from the hand of foreign sons.
Their mouth has spoken vanity, and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity.
Glory 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.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Behold, the Lord is coming with power; he will illuminate what is hidden in darkness.
Psalm 147Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem (Part II)
Ant. Behold, the Lord is coming with power; he will illuminate what is hidden in darkness.
Who sends his crystal like morsels; before the face of his cold, who will endure?
He will send out his word and will melt them; his wind will blow and the waters will flow.
Who announces his word to Jacob, his justices and his judgments to Israel.
He has not done in this way for every nation, and his judgments he has not made manifest to them.
Glory 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.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Behold, the Lord is coming with power; he will illuminate what is hidden in darkness.
Old Testament Canticle
Old Testament Canticle (Isaiah 64:1–8)
O that you would rend the heavens and would come down; the mountains would melt away before your face.
As when fire burns the wood and the fire boils water, to make your name known to your enemies.
You have done terrible things which we did not look for; you came down and the mountains trembled before your face.
From of old, men have not heard nor perceived with the ears.
The eye has not seen, O God, besides you, what things you have prepared for those who wait for you.
You have met those who rejoice and do justice; in your ways they will remember you.
Behold, you are angry and we have sinned; in them we have been always, and we will be saved.
And we all have become as one unclean, and all our justices as the rag of a menstruous woman.
And we have all fallen as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
There is none that calls upon your name; that rises up and takes hold of you.
You have hidden your face from us, and you have crushed us by the hand of our iniquity.
And now, O Lord, you are our father; and we are clay. And you are our maker, and we all are the works of your hands.
Glory 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.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Gospel Canticle: Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
The Canticle of Zechariah (Benedictus) (Luke 1:68–79)
Ant. Come, Lord, and do not delay; forgive the sins of your people.
Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and accomplished the redemption of his people.
And he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David his servant.
As he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets, those who have been from the beginning:
Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
To show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, that he would grant to us,
that being freed from the hand of our enemies, we might serve him without fear,
in holiness and justice before him, throughout all our days.
And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the face of the Lord, to prepare his ways.
To give knowledge of salvation to his people, for the remission of their sins,
through the compassionate mercy of our God, by which the Rising Sun has visited us from on high,
to illuminate those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct our feet in the way of peace.
Glory 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.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Come, Lord, and do not delay; forgive the sins of your people.
Short Reading
Isaiah 7:14
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.
Responsory
V. Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay.
R. Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay.
V. Give new courage to your people,
R. who trust in your word.
Intercessions
As we wait for the coming of our Lord, let us pray with longing hearts, saying:
For the whole church, that it may be a community of watchful hope, living in expectation of your return: we pray to you, O Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus.
For those who do not yet know you, that the light of your gospel may dawn in their hearts: we pray to you, O Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus.
For all who are burdened by sorrow, that Advent hope may sustain them: we pray to you, O Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus.
For a spirit of generosity in this season, that the poor may experience the justice of your coming kingdom: we pray to you, O Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus.
For our parish community, that we may prepare together with prayer and love for the mystery of Christmas: we pray to you, O Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus.
For ourselves, that we may make room in our hearts for the Christ who comes: we pray to you, O Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus.
The Lord's Prayer
Let us pray as the Lord himself has taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven,hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
Concluding Prayer
Pour forth your grace into our hearts, O Lord; that as we have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel, so by his cross and passion we may be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Dismissal
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
May almighty God bless us: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.