Readings

The Fourth Sunday of Advent

    The Collect of the Day

    Fourth Sunday of Advent

    Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

    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

    24

    Domini est terraBCP p. 613

    1The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, *the world and all who dwell therein.

    2For it is he who founded it upon the seas *and made it firm upon the rivers of the deep.

    3“Who can ascend the hill of the Lord? *and who can stand in his holy place?”

    4“Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, *who have not pledged themselves to falsehood, nor sworn by what is a fraud.

    5They shall receive a blessing from the Lord *and a just reward from the God of their salvation.”

    6Such is the generation of those who seek him, *of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob.

    7Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them high, O everlasting doors; *and the King of glory shall come in.

    8“Who is this King of glory?” *“The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.”

    9Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them high, O everlasting doors; *and the King of glory shall come in.

    10“Who is he, this King of glory?” *“The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.”

    29

    Afferte DominoBCP p. 620

    1Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, *ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

    2Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his Name; *worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

    3The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; *the Lord is upon the mighty waters.

    4The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; *the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor.

    5The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; *the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;

    6He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, *and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.

    7The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire; the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; *the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

    8The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe *and strips the forests bare.

    9And in the temple of the Lord *all are crying, “Glory!”

    10The Lord sits enthroned above the flood; *the Lord sits enthroned as King for evermore.

    11The Lord shall give strength to his people; *the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

    Daily Office Readings

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    Isa. 42:1-12

    1 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching. 5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: 6 I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. 9 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them. 10 Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth! Let the sea roar and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants. 11 Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits; let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy, let them shout from the tops of the mountains. 12 Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare his praise in the coastlands.

    John 3:16-21

    16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

    Eph. 6:10-20

    10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.