Readings

Saturday after the First Sunday of Advent

    The 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.

    Psalms

    20

    Exaudiat te DominusBCP p. 608

    1May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble, *the Name of the God of Jacob defend you;

    2Send you help from his holy place *and strengthen you out of Zion;

    3Remember all your offerings *and accept your burnt sacrifice;

    4Grant you your heart’s desire *and prosper all your plans.

    5We will shout for joy at your victory and triumph in the Name of our God; *may the Lord grant all your requests.

    6Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed; *he will answer him out of his holy heaven, with the victorious strength of his right hand.

    7Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses, *but we will call upon the Name of the Lord our God.

    8They collapse and fall down, *but we will arise and stand upright.

    9O Lord, give victory to the king *and answer us when we call.

    21

    Domine, in virtute tuaBCP p. 608

    1The king rejoices in your strength, O Lord; *how greatly he exults in your victory!

    2You have given him his heart’s desire; *you have not denied him the request of his lips.

    3For you meet him with blessings of prosperity, *and set a crown of fine gold upon his head.

    4He asked you for life, and you gave it to him: *length of days, for ever and ever.

    5His honor is great, because of your victory; *splendor and majesty have you bestowed upon him.

    6For you will give him everlasting felicity *and will make him glad with the joy of your presence.

    7For the king puts his trust in the Lord; *because of the loving-kindness of the Most High, he will not fall.

    8Your hand will lay hold upon all your enemies; *your right hand will seize all those who hate you.

    9You will make them like a fiery furnace *at the time of your appearing, O Lord;

    10You will swallow them up in your wrath, *and fire shall consume them.

    11You will destroy their offspring from the land *and their descendants from among the peoples of the earth.

    12Though they intend evil against you and devise wicked schemes, *yet they shall not prevail.

    13For you will put them to flight *and aim your arrows at them.

    14Be exalted, O Lord, in your might; *we will sing and praise your power.

    Daily Office Readings

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    Isa. 4:2-6

    2 On that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel. 3 Whoever is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, 4 once the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. 5 Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over its places of assembly a cloud by day and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night. Indeed over all the glory there will be a canopy. 6 It will serve as a pavilion, a shade by day from the heat, and a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.

    1 Thess. 4:13-18

    13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 15 For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

    Luke 21:5-19

    5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” 7 They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” 8 And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them. 9 “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. 12 “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13 This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; 15 for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated by all because of my name. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your souls.