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 99
The Lord is king; let the people tremble;*
he is enthroned upon the Cherubim; let the earth shake.
The Lord is great in Zion;*
he is high above all peoples.
Let them confess his name, which is great and awesome;*
he is the Holy One.
‘O mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity;*
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.’
Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and fall down before his footstool;*
he is the Holy One.
Moses and Aaron among his priests,
and Samuel among those who call upon his name,*
they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud;*
they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.
‘O Lord our God, you answered them indeed;*
you were a God who forgave them,
yet punished them for their evil deeds.’
Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and worship him upon his holy hill;*
for the Lord our God is the Holy One.
Glory be to the Father . . .
Lord our God, ruler of the universe, you love what is right. Lead us in your righteousness, that we may live to praise you, through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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
Proverbs 8: 22-30
The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of long ago.
Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth—
when he had not yet made earth and fields,
or the world’s first bits of soil.
When he established the heavens, I was there,
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
then I was beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
John 13: 20-35
Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.’
After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, ‘Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus loved—was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, ‘Do quickly what you are going to do.’ Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, ‘Buy what we need for the festival’; or, that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
When he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, “Where I am going, you cannot come.” I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’
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
Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light, that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and evangelist John, may walk in the light of your truth and come at last to the fullness of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and 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.
