THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT
December 6, 2020
THE ORDER OF SERVICE FOR MORNING PRAYER
This week’s service has been pre-recorded. To participate aurally, press PLAY as you encounter each of the embedded audio players, and follow along with the text until you encounter the next hymn or pre-recorded audio portion. Then press PLAY again for that portion.
Sentences of Scripture.
Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
St. Matthew 3. 2.
Opening Hymn: Hark a Herald Voice is Sounding
Hark! A herald voice is calling:
‘Christ is nigh’ it seems to say;
‘cast away the dreams of darkness,
O ye children of the day!’
Startled at the solemn warning,
let the earth-bound soul arise;
Christ, her sun, all sloth dispelling,
shines upon the morning skies.
Lo! The Lamb, so long expected,
comes with pardon down from heaven;
let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
one and all to be forgiven.
So when next he comes with glory,
wrapping all the earth in fear,
may he then as our defender
on the clouds of heaven appear.
Honour, glory, virtue, merit,
to the Father and the Son,
with the co-eternal Spirit,
while unending ages run.
The Minister,
DEARLY beloved brethren, the Scripture moveth us in sundry places to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness; and that we should not dissemble nor cloke them before the face of Almighty God our heavenly Father; but confess them with an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart; to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same, by his infinite goodness and mercy. And although we ought at all times humbly to acknowledge our sins before God; yet ought we most chiefly so to do, when we assemble and meet together to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise, to hear his most holy Word, and to ask those things which are requisite and necessary, as well for the body as the soul. Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as are here present, to accompany me with a pure heart and humble voice unto the throne of the heavenly grace.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, We have offended against thy holy laws, We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults. Restore thou them that are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesu our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
ALMIGHTY Father, who of thy great love to men didst give thy dearly beloved Son to die for us; Grant that through his Cross our sins may be put away, and remembered no more against us, and that, cleansed by his Blood, and mindful of his sufferings, we may take up our cross daily, and follow him in newness of life, until we come to his everlasting kingdom; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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 them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
O Lord, open thou our lips;
And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.
O God, make speed to save us;
O Lord, make haste to help us.
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.
Praise ye the Lord;
The Lord’s Name be praised.
Worship in Song: Creator of the Starry Height.
Creator of the starry height,
Thy people’s everlasting light,
O Christ, Redeemer of us all,
We pray you hear us when we call.
Come, oh, come…to us.
When this old world drew on toward night
You came, but not in splendour bright
Not as monarch, but the Child
Of Mary blameless mother mild.
Come, oh, come…to us.
THE FIRST LESSON: Isaiah 40:1-11
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people is grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand for ever. Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Psalm 85.1-2, 8-13
LORD, thou art become gracious unto thy land: / thou hast restored the fortunes of Jacob.
Thou hast forgiven the offence of thy people, / and covered all their sin.
I WILL hearken what the LORD God will say: / for he shall speak peace unto his people and to his saints, / and unto them that turn their heart to him.
Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him, / that glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth are met together: / right- eousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth springeth out of the earth; / and righteousness hath looked down from heaven.
Yea, the LORD shall give what is good; / and our land shall yield her increase.
Righteousness shall go before him, / and shall direct his going in the way.
SECOND LESSON: 2 Peter 3:8-15
But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire! But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the forbearance of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God
Hymn: There’s a Voice in the Wilderness Crying
There’s a voice in the wilderness crying,
a call from the ways untrod:
prepare in the desert a highway,
a highway for our God!
The valleys shall be exalted,
the lofty hills brought low;
make straight all the crooked places,
where the God, our God, may go!
O Zion, that bringest good tidings,
get thee up to the heights and sing!
Proclaim to a desolate people
the coming of their King.
Like the flowers of the field they perish,
like grass our works decay,
the power and pomp of nations
shall pass like a dream away.
But the word of our God endureth,
the arm of the Lord is strong;
He stands in the midst of nations,
and He will right the wrong.
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd,
the lambs He will gently hold;
to pastures of peace will lead them,
and bring them safe to His fold.
THE HOLY GOSPEL: Mark 1:1-8
R. / Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
R./ Praise be to thee, O Christ.
BENEDICTUS. ST LUKE 1:68
BLESSED be the Lord God of Israel; / for he hath visited and redeemed his people;
And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us, / in the house of his servant David;
As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets, / which have been since the world began;
That we should be saved from our enemies, / and from the hands of all that hate us;
To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers, / and to remember his holy covenant;
To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham, / that he would grant us
That we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies / might serve him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before him, / all the days of our life.
AND thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest: / for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people / for the remission of their sins;
Through the tender mercy of our God; / whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us;
To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, / and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
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.
Then shall be said or sung the Confession of the Faith, called the Apostles’ Creed.
I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body, And the Life everlasting. Amen.
The Sermon – Beth Christianson
The Hymn: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Come, thou long expected Jesus
Born to set thy people free
From our fears and sins release us
Let us find our rest in thee
Israel’s strength and consolation
Hope of all the earth thou art
Dear desire of every nation
Joy of every longing heart
Born thy people to deliver
Born a child and yet a king
Born to reign in us forever
Now thy gracious kingdom bring
By thine own eternal spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone
By thine own sufficient merit
Raise us to thy glorious throne
The Great Litany
O GOD the Father, Creator of heaven and earth : have mercy upon us.
O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth : have mercy upon us.
O God the Son, Redeemer of the world : have mercy upon us.
O God the Son, Redeemer of the world : have mercy upon us
O God the Holy Ghost, Sanctifier of the faithful: have mercy upon us.
O God the Holy Ghost, Sanctifier of the faithful: have mercy upon us.
O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, three Persons and one God : have mercy upon us.
O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, three Persons and one God: have mercy upon us.
REMEMBER not, Lord, our offences, nor the offences of our forefathers; spare us, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood.
Spare us, good Lord.
FROM all evil and mischief; from sin, from the crafts and assaults of the devil; from thy wrath, and from everlasting condemnation,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From all blindness of heart; from pride, vainglory, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice, and all uncharitableness,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From all uncleanness in thought, word, and deed; and from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From lightning and tempest; from earthquake, fire, and flood; from plague, pestilence, and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From all sedition, conspiracy, and rebellion; from all false doctrine, heresy, and schism; from hardness of heart, and contempt of thy Word and Commandment,
Good Lord, deliver us.
By the mystery of thy holy Incarnation; by thy holy Nativity; by thy Baptism, Fasting, and Temptation,
Good Lord, deliver us.
By thine Agony and bloody Sweat; by thy Cross and Passion; by thy precious Death and Burial,
Good Lord, deliver us.
By thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension; by thy sending of the Holy Spirit; by thy heavenly Intercession; and by thy Coming again in glory,
Good Lord, deliver us.
In all times of tribulation; in all times of prosperity; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgement,
Good Lord, deliver us.
WE sinners do beseech thee to hear us, O Lord God: and that it may please thee to rule and govern thy holy Church universal in the right way.
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To keep and strengthen in the true worshipping of thee, in holiness of life, and in devotion to her people, thy servant ELIZABETH, our most gracious Queen and Governor,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To be her defender and keeper, giving her the victory over all her enemies,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To bless and preserve all the Royal Family,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To give to all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, true knowledge and understanding of thy Word; and that both by their preaching and living they may set it forth and show it accordingly,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To send forth labourers into thy harvest; to prosper their work by thy Holy Spirit; to make thy saving health known unto all nations; and to hasten thy kingdom,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To bless the people of our Country and the Commonwealth, and to endue those set in authority with grace, wisdom, and understanding,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To bless and guide the Judges and Magistrates, giving them grace to execute justice, and to maintain truth,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To bless and keep the Queen’s forces by sea, and land, and air, and to shield them in all dangers and adversities,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To give to all nations unity, peace, and concord, that they may serve thee without fear,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To bless and protect all who serve mankind by their labour and learning,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To preserve all that travel, all women labouring of child, all sick persons and young children; and to show thy pity upon all prisoners and captives,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To defend, and provide for, all widows and orphans, and all who are desolate and oppressed,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To bless and keep all thy people,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To give to all thy people increase of grace, to hear meekly thy Word, and to receive it with pure affection, and to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To bring into the way of truth all who have erred and are deceived,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To strengthen such as do stand; to encourage the faint-hearted; to raise up those who fall; and finally to beat down Satan under our feet,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To succour, help, and comfort all that are in danger, necessity, and tribulation,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To have mercy upon all men,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To give and preserve to our use the kindly fruits of the earth, so that in due time we may enjoy them,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers, and to turn their hearts,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
To give us true repentance; to forgive us all our sins, negligences, and ignorances; and to endue us with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, to amend our lives according to thy holy Word,
We beseech thee, good Lord.
SON of God, we beseech thee to hear us.
Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world;
Have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world;
Grant us thy peace.
O Christ, hear us.
O Christ, hear us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon 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 them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen.
Then shall follow the Collect of the day.
BLESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, now and ever. Amen.
A SUPPLICATION
Which may be used before the Prayer of Saint Chrysostom in the Litany, or at other Services, especially in the Penitential Seasons and in times of trouble.
Minister and People. O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us for thy Name’s sake.
Minister. O God, we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have declared unto us, the noble works that thou didst in their days, and in the old time before them.
Minister and People. O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us for thine honour.
Minister. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
People. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Minister and People. O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us for thy Name’s sake.
From our enemies defend us, O Christ;
Graciously look upon our afflictions.
Pitifully behold the sorrows of our hearts;
Mercifully forgive the sins of thy people.
Favourably with mercy hear our prayers;
O Son of David, have mercy upon us.
Both now and ever vouchsafe to hear us, O Christ;
Graciously hear us, O Christ; graciously hear us, O Lord Christ.
Then shall be said one or both of these prayers, with the versicles preceding:
Minister. O Lord, let thy mercy be shown upon us;
People. As we do put our trust in thee.
WE humbly beseech thee, O Father, mercifully to look upon our infirmities; and, for the glory of thy Name, turn from us all those evils that we most justly have deserved; and grant that in all our troubles we may put our whole trust and confidence in thy mercy, and evermore serve thee in holiness and pureness of living, to thy honour and glory; through our only Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Minister. O Lord, deal not with us according to our sins;
People. Neither reward us according to our iniquities.
Minister.
O GOD, merciful Father, that despisest not the sighing of a contrite heart, nor the desire of such as be sorrowful: Mercifully assist our prayers that we make before thee in all our troubles and adversities, whensoever they oppress us; and graciously hear us, that those evils, which the craft and subtilty of the devil or man worketh against us, be brought to nought; and by the providence of thy goodness they may be dispersed; that we thy servants, being hurt by no persecutions, may evermore give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer of Saint Chrysostom.
ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee; and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name thou wilt grant their requests: Fulfil now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most expedient for them; granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13. 14.
THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.
Hymn: When the King shall come again
When the King shall come again
all his power revealing,
splendour shall announce his reign,
life and joy and healing:
earth no longer in decay,
hope no more frustrated;
this is God’s redemption day
longingly awaited.
There God’s highway shall be seen
where no roaring lion,
nothing evil or unclean
walks the road to Zion:
ransomed people homeward bound
all your praises voicing,
see your Lord with glory crowned,
share in his rejoicing!