Incarnation
V. O Lord, open our lips:
R. and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.
PSALMODY
Antiphon: Your justice Lord dawns like morning light;*
its dawning is as sure as the sunrise.
Opening – From Psalm 85
I will listen to what the Lord God is saying,*
for he is speaking peace to his faithful people.
Truly his salvation is very near to those who fear him,*
that his glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth have met together;*
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall spring up from the earth,*
and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Glory be to the Father…
Psalm 2
Why are the nations in an uproar?*
Why do the peoples mutter empty threats?
Why do the kings of the earth rise up in revolt,
and the princes plot together,*
against the Lord and against his anointed?
‘Let us break their yoke,’ they say;*
‘let us cast off their bonds from us.’
He whose throne is in heaven is laughing;*
the Lord has them in derision.
Then he speaks to them in his wrath,*
and his rage fills them with terror.
‘I myself have set my king*
upon my holy hill of Zion.’
Let me announce the decree of the Lord;*
he said to me, ‘You are my Son;
this day have I begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for
your inheritance*
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall crush them with an iron rod*
and shatter them like a piece of pottery.’
1And now, you kings, be wise;*
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
1Submit to the Lord with fear,*
and with trembling bow before him;
1Lest he be angry and you perish;*
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
1Happy are they all*
who take refuge in him!
Ruler of heaven and earth, you sent your only Son into the world to be our Redeemer, and by raising him from the dead you gave him victory over all his enemies. Show us the power of your saving love and bring us to share in your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Conclusion (Isaiah 60)
Arise, shine, for your light has come,*
the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For behold darkness shall cover the earth,*
thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you;*
God’s glory will be seen upon you.
Nations shall come to your light;*
kings to the brightness of your rising.
The sun shall be no more your light by day;*
nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night;
but the Lord will be your everlasting light,*
your God will be your glory.
Glory to the Father…
Antiphon: Your justice Lord dawns like morning light,
its dawning is as sure as the sunrise.
READINGS
Isaiah 26: 1-9
On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
he sets up victory
like walls and bulwarks.
Open the gates,
so that the righteous nation that keeps faith
may enter in.
Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace—
in peace because they trust in you.
Trust in the Lord for ever,
for in the Lord God
you have an everlasting rock.
For he has brought low
the inhabitants of the height;
the lofty city he lays low.
He lays it low to the ground,
casts it to the dust.
The foot tramples it,
the feet of the poor,
the steps of the needy.
The way of the righteous is level;
O Just One, you make smooth the path of the righteous.
In the path of your judgements,
O Lord, we wait for you;
your name and your renown
are the soul’s desire.
My soul yearns for you in the night,
my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
For when your judgements are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
2 Corinthians 5: 16-6: 2
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,
‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’
See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!
John 8: 12-19
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ Then the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.’ Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgement is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.’ Then they said to him, ‘Where is your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’
Silence
Response (Ps. 119.130)
V. When your word goes forth it gives light.
R. When your word goes forth it gives light.
V. It gives understanding to the simple.
R. It gives light.
V. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
R. When your word goes forth it gives light.
BENEDICTUS
Benedictus Antiphon:
To us is born this day a Saviour,*
Christ the Lord
Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,*
for he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty saviour,*
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 that hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our forebears,*
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 all 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 be to the Father.
Benedictus Antiphon:
To us is born this day a Saviour,*
Christ the Lord
PRAYERS
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
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.
Do not bring us to the time of trial,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Collects
Almighty God, you have shed upon us the new light of your incarnate Word. May this light, enkindled in our hearts, 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.
God most holy, we give you thanks for bringing us out of the shadow of night into the light of morning; and we ask you for the joy of spending this day in your service, so that when evening comes, we may once more give you thanks, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord:
Thanks be to God!
The Lord bless us and preserve us from all evil;
and bring us to life eternal. Amen.
