← 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 24, 2026 • Advent, Week 3 — 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 87A Plea from the Depths
Ant. Behold, the Lord is coming with power; he will illuminate what is hidden in darkness.
O Lord, the God of my salvation, I have cried in the day and in the night before you.
Let my prayer come in before you; incline your ear to my petition.
For my soul is filled with evils, and my life has drawn near to hell.
I am counted among those who descend into the pit; I have become like a man without help,
free among the dead, like the wounded sleeping in the sepulchres, who are remembered no more.
And they are cut off from your hand.
They have placed me in the lower pit, in the dark places and in the shadow of death.
Your wrath has been confirmed over me, and you have brought all your waves over me.
You have put away my acquaintances far from me; they have made me an abomination to them.
I was delivered up and did not go out.
My eyes languished from poverty. I cried out to you, O Lord, all day long; I stretched out my hands to you.
Will you work wonders for the dead? Or will physicians raise them to life, and they will confess to you?
Will anyone in the sepulchre declare your mercy and your truth in perdition?
Will your wonders be known in the dark, and your justice in the land of the forgotten?
But I, O Lord, have cried out to you; and in the morning my prayer will anticipate you.
Lord, why do you cast off my prayer? Why do you turn away your face from me?
I am poor and in labors from my youth; and after being exalted, I have been humbled and troubled.
Your wrath has passed over me, and your terrors have troubled me.
They have surrounded me like water all day long; they have encompassed me all together.
Friend and neighbor you have put far from me, and my acquaintances from my wretchedness.
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 99Come Before the Lord with Gladness
Ant. Behold, the Lord is coming with power; he will illuminate what is hidden in darkness.
Shout with joy to God, all the earth; serve the Lord in gladness.
Enter into his sight with rejoicing.
Know that the Lord himself is God; he made us, and not we ourselves.
We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter through his gates with praise; enter into his courts with hymns; and confess to him.
Praise his name, for the Lord is sweet; his mercy is forever, and his truth from generation to generation.
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 49:7–13)
Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to the contemptible soul, to the abhorred nation, to the servant of rulers.
"Kings will see, and princes will rise up and adore, for the sake of the Lord, because he is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you."
Thus says the Lord: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you."
"And I have kept you and given you to be a covenant of the people, that you might raise up the earth, and possess the inherited wastes."
"That you might say to those that are bound: 'Come forth.' And to those that are in darkness: 'Show yourselves.'"
"They will feed in the ways, and their pastures will be in every plain."
"They will not hunger, nor thirst, neither will the heat nor the sun strike them."
"For he that is merciful to them will be their shepherd, and at the fountains of waters he will give them drink."
"And I will make all my mountains a way, and my paths will be exalted."
"Behold, these will come from far, and behold, those will come from the north and from the sea, and others from the south land."
Give praise, O you heavens, and rejoice, O earth; give praise, O you mountains, in jubilation, because the Lord has comforted his people and will have mercy on his poor ones.
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.