← 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 17, 2026 • Advent, Week 2 — Thursday
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 80Sing to God Our Strength
Ant. Behold, the Lord is coming with power; he will illuminate what is hidden in darkness.
Rejoice to God our helper; shout with jubilation to the God of Jacob.
Take up a psalm and give a drum, a pleasant psaltery with a harp.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon, on the notable day of your solemnity.
For it is a precept in Israel, and a judgment for the God of Jacob.
He established it as a testimony in Joseph, when he went out from the land of Egypt.
He heard a tongue which he did not know; he removed his back from burdens.
His hands were serving in baskets.
You called out in tribulation, and I freed you; I heard you in the hidden place of the storm.
I tested you at the waters of contradiction.
Hear, my people, and I will testify against you; O Israel, if you will hear me,
there will be no new god among you, and you will not adore a foreign god.
For I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
But my people did not hear my voice, and Israel was not obedient to me.
And so I dismissed them according to the desires of their heart; they will walk in their own inventions.
If only my people had heard me; if only Israel had walked in my ways!
I would have humbled their enemies as almost nothing, and upon those who troubled them I would have sent my hand.
The enemies of the Lord have lied to him, and their time will be forever.
And he fed them from the fat of the wheat, and filled them with honey from the rock.
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 81The Judge of the Gods
Ant. Behold, the Lord is coming with power; he will illuminate what is hidden in darkness.
God has stood in the assembly of gods, and, being in their midst, he judges gods.
"How long will you judge unjustly and accept the persons of the wicked?"
"Judge for the poor and the orphan; give justice to the humble and the poor."
"Rescue the poor and the needy; free him from the hand of the sinner."
They have not known and have not understood; they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth will be shaken.
I said: "You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High."
"But you will die like men, and you will fall like one of the princes."
Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for you will inherit among all the nations.
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 38:10–14, 17–20)
I said in the middle of my days: "I will go to the gates of the underworld; I sought the residue of my years."
I said: "I will not see the Lord God in the land of the living. I will behold man no more."
My generation has been taken away and rolled up from me like a shepherd's tent.
My life has been cut off like a weaver's thread; while I was yet but beginning, he cut me off.
From morning even to night you will make an end of me.
I hoped until morning. He broke all my bones like a lion.
From morning even to night you will make an end of me.
I will cry like a young swallow; I will meditate like a dove.
My eyes are weak, looking upward. Lord, I suffer violence; answer for me.
Behold, in peace my bitterness is most bitter; but you have delivered my soul.
For you have cast all my sins behind your back.
For the underworld will not confess you, neither will death praise you.
Those who descend into the pit will not wait for your truth.
The living, the living, he will give praise to you, as I do this day.
The father will make known your truth to the children.
O Lord, save me, and we will sing our psalms all the days of our life in the house of the 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 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.