Sunday –
Year 2 First Sunday after Christmas
Morning Prayer
Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10, 11
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.
93
Dominus regnavit
1 The Lord is King;
he has put on
splendid apparel; *
the Lord has put on his apparel
and girded
himself with strength.
2 He has made the whole world so sure
*
that it cannot be moved;
3 Ever since the world began,
your throne has been established; *
you are from everlasting.
4
The waters have lifted up, O Lord,
the waters have lifted up their
voice; *
the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
5
Mightier than the sound of many waters,
mightier than the breakers
of the sea, *
mightier is the Lord who dwells on high.
6
Your testimonies are very sure, *
and holiness adorns your house,
O Lord,
for ever and for evermore.
96 Cantate Domino
1 Sing to the
Lord a new song; *
sing to the Lord, all the whole earth.
2
Sing to the Lord and bless his Name; *
proclaim the good news of
his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the
nations *
and his wonders among all peoples.
4 For great is
the Lord and greatly to be praised; *
he is more to be feared than
all gods.
5 As for all the gods of the nations, they
are but idols; *
but it is the Lord who made the heavens.
6
Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence! *
Oh, the power
and the splendor of his sanctuary!
7 Ascribe to the Lord, you
families of the peoples; *
ascribe to the Lord honor and power.
8
Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; *
bring offerings and
come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in the beauty of
holiness; *
let the whole earth tremble before him.
10 Tell
it out among the nations: "The Lord is King! *
he has made
the world so firm that it cannot be moved;
he will judge the
peoples with equity."
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let
the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it;
*
let the field be joyful and all that is therein.
12 Then
shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy
before the Lord when
he comes, *
when he comes to judge the earth.
13 He will
judge the world with righteousness *
and the peoples with his
truth.
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.
There was a certain man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite* from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives; the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. So it went on year after year; as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. Her husband Elkanah said to her, ‘Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?’
After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the Lord.* Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. She made this vow: ‘O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite* until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants,* and no razor shall touch his head.’
As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, ‘How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.’ But Hannah answered, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.’ Then Eli answered, ‘Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.’ And she said, ‘Let your servant find favour in your sight.’ Then the woman went to her quarters,* ate and drank with her husband,* and her countenance was sad no longer.*
They rose early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, ‘I have asked him of the Lord.’
The man Elkanah and all his household went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and to pay his vow. But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, ‘As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, that he may appear in the presence of the Lord, and remain there for ever; I will offer him as a nazirite* for all time.’* Her husband Elkanah said to her, ‘Do what seems best to you, wait until you have weaned him; only—may the Lord establish his word.’* So the woman remained and nursed her son, until she weaned him. When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull,* an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. She brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh; and the child was young. Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. And she said, ‘Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed; and the Lord has granted me the petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord.’
She left him there for* the Lord.
The
Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Canticle 11
Arise, shine, for
your light has come, *
and the glory of the
Lord has dawned upon you.
For behold, darkness covers the land; *
deep gloom enshrouds the peoples.
But over
you the Lord will rise, *
and his glory will
appear upon you.
Nations will stream to your light, *
and kings to the brightness of your dawning.
Your gates will
always be open; *
by day or night they will
never be shut.
They will call you, The City of the Lord, *
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Violence will no more be
heard in your land, *
ruin or destruction
within your borders.
You will call your walls, Salvation, *
and all your portals, Praise.
The sun will no more be your light
by day; *
by night you will not need the
brightness of the moon.
The Lord will be
your everlasting light, *
and your God will be
your glory.
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
When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;*
this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation
of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to
him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen
the Lord’s Messiah.*
Guided by the Spirit, Simeon*
came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child
Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon*
took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
‘Master, now
you are dismissing your servant*
in peace,
according to your word;
for my
eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have
prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation
to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people
Israel.’
And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon* blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’
There was also a prophet, Anna* the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child* to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.
The
Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Canticle 16
Blessed be the
Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his
people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty
savior, *
born of the house of his servant
David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he
would save us from our enemies, *
from the
hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our
fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him
without fear, *
holy and righteous in his
sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child,
shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his
people knowledge of salvation *
by the
forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To
shine on those who dwell in darkness and the
shadow of
death, *
and to guide our feet into 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 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: The First Sunday After Christmas
Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Collect for Sundays
O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. 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.
May the God of
hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of
the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Romans 15:13