Thursday –
Year 2 Advent 1
Morning Prayer
Watch
, for you know not when the master of the house
will come, in the
evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or
in the morning; lest
he come suddenly and find you asleep.
Mark
13:35, 36
Lord, open our lips.
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Glory to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the
beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.
Come let us sing
to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come
before his presence with thanksgiving *
and raise a loud shout to
him with psalms.
For the Lord is a
great God, *
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are
the caverns of the earth, *
and the heights of the hills are his
also.
The sea is his,
for he made it, *
and his hands have molded the dry land.
Come, let us bow
down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our
God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his
hand. *
Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!
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.
18
Part
I Diligam
te, Domine.
1
I love you, O Lord my strength, *
O Lord my stronghold, my crag,
and my haven.
2
My God, my rock in whom I put my trust, *
my shield, the horn of
my salvation, and my refuge;
you are worthy of praise.
3 I
will call upon the Lord, *
and so shall I be saved from my
enemies.
4 The breakers of death rolled over me, *
and the
torrents of oblivion made me afraid.
5 The cords of hell
entangled me, *
and the snares of death were set for me.
6
I called upon the Lord in my distress *
and cried out to my God
for help.
7 He heard my voice from his heavenly dwelling; *
my
cry of anguish came to his ears.
8
The earth reeled and rocked; *
the roots of the mountains
shook;
they reeled because of his anger.
9 Smoke rose from
his nostrils
and a consuming fire out of his mouth; *
hot
burning coals blazed forth from him.
10 He parted the heavens
and came down *
with a storm cloud under his feet.
11 He
mounted on cherubim and flew; *
he swooped on the wings of the
wind.
12 He wrapped darkness about him; *
he made dark
waters and thick clouds his pavilion.
13 From the brightness
of his presence, through the clouds, *
burst hailstones and coals
of fire.
14 The Lord thundered out of heaven; *
the Most
High uttered his voice.
15 He loosed his arrows and scattered
them; *
he hurled thunderbolts and routed them.
16 The beds
of the seas were uncovered,
and the foundations of the world laid
bare, *
at your battle cry, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath
of your nostrils.
17 He reached down from on high and grasped
me; *
he drew me out of great waters.
18 He delivered me
from my strong enemies
and from those who hated me; *
for they
were too mighty for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my
disaster; *
but the Lord was my support.
20 He brought me
out into an open place; *
he rescued me because he delighted in
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 for ever. Amen.
I
gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
and
lack of bread in all your places,
yet you did not return to me,
says the Lord.
And I also withheld the rain from you
when
there were still three months to the harvest;
I would send rain on
one city,
and send no rain on another city;
one
field would be rained upon,
and the field on
which it did not rain withered;
so two or three towns wandered
to one town
to drink water, and were not
satisfied;
yet you did not return to me,
says the Lord.
I struck you with blight and mildew;
I
laid waste*
your gardens and your vineyards;
the locust
devoured your fig trees and your olive trees;
yet you did not
return to me,
says the Lord.
I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt;
I
killed your young men with the sword;
I carried away your
horses;*
and
I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils;
yet you
did not return to me,
says the Lord.
I overthrew some of you,
as when God
overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and you were like
a brand snatched from the fire;
yet you did not return to me,
says the Lord.
Therefore, thus I will do to you, O Israel;
because
I will do this to you,
prepare to meet your God,
O Israel!
For lo, the one who forms the mountains, creates the
wind,
reveals his thoughts to mortals,
makes
the morning darkness,
and treads on the heights
of the earth—
the Lord, the God of
hosts, is his name!
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
I will sing to
the Lord, for he is lofty and uplifted; *
the horse and its rider
has he hurled into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my refuge;
*
the Lord has become my Savior.
This is my God and I will
praise him, *
the God of my people and I will exalt him.
The
Lord is a mighty warrior; *
Yahweh is his Name.
The chariots of
Pharaoh and his army has he hurled into the sea; *
the finest of
those who bear armor have been
drowned in the Red Sea.
The
fathomless deep has overwhelmed them; *
they sank into the depths
like a stone.
Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in might;
*
your right hand, O Lord, has overthrown the enemy.
Who can be
compared with you, O Lord, among the gods? *
who is like you,
glorious in holiness,
awesome in renown, and worker of
wonders?
You stretched forth your right hand; *
the earth
swallowed them up.
With your constant love you led the people you
redeemed; *
with your might you brought them in safety to
your
holy dwelling.
You will bring them in and plant them *
on the
mount of your possession,
The resting-place you have made for
yourself, O Lord, *
the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hand has
established.
The Lord shall reign *
for ever and for
ever.
Glory to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Reading
‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’
Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the
scriptures:
“The stone that the builders rejected
has
become the cornerstone;*
this
was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in
our eyes”?
Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be
taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of
the kingdom.*
The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will
crush anyone on whom it falls.’*
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
Canticle 19
O ruler of the universe, Lord God,
great deeds
are they that you have done, *
surpassing
human understanding.
Your ways are ways of righteousness and
truth, *
O King of all the ages.
Who can fail to do you homage, Lord,
and sing the
praises of your Name? *
for you only are the
Holy One.
All nations will draw near and fall down before you, *
because your just and holy works have been
revealed.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in
Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the
power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was
buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose
again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right
hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the
dead.
I believe in the
Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of
saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the
body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
The
Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Our Father in
heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will
be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our
daily bread.
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.
Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.
Collect of the Day: First Sunday of Advent
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your 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 living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Collect for the Renewal of Life
O God, the King eternal, who divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Mission
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let us pray now for our own needs and those of others.
General Thanksgiving
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13:14