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Thursday after the First Sunday of Advent

MorningEvening

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.

Clement of Alexandria

O God of unsearchable wisdom, you gave your servant Clement grace to understand and teach the truth as it is in Jesus Christ, the source of all truth: Grant to your church the same grace to discern your Word wherever truth is found; through Jesus Christ our unfailing light, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalms

18

Part I

Diligam te, Domine.BCP p. 602

1I love you, O Lord my strength, *O Lord my stronghold, my crag, and my haven.

2My God, my rock in whom I put my trust, *my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my refuge; you are worthy of praise.

3I will call upon the Lord, *and so shall I be saved from my enemies.

4The breakers of death rolled over me, *and the torrents of oblivion made me afraid.

5The cords of hell entangled me, *and the snares of death were set for me.

6I called upon the Lord in my distress *and cried out to my God for help.

7He heard my voice from his heavenly dwelling; *my cry of anguish came to his ears.

8The earth reeled and rocked; *the roots of the mountains shook; they reeled because of his anger.

9Smoke rose from his nostrils and a consuming fire out of his mouth; *hot burning coals blazed forth from him.

10He parted the heavens and came down *with a storm cloud under his feet.

11He mounted on cherubim and flew; *he swooped on the wings of the wind.

12He wrapped darkness about him; *he made dark waters and thick clouds his pavilion.

13From the brightness of his presence, through the clouds, *burst hailstones and coals of fire.

14The Lord thundered out of heaven; *the Most High uttered his voice.

15He loosed his arrows and scattered them; *he hurled thunderbolts and routed them.

16The beds of the seas were uncovered, and the foundations of the world laid bare, *at your battle cry, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

17He reached down from on high and grasped me; *he drew me out of great waters.

18He delivered me from my strong enemies and from those who hated me; *for they were too mighty for me.

19They confronted me in the day of my disaster; *but the Lord was my support.

20He brought me out into an open place; *he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Daily Office Readings

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Isa. 2:12-22

12 For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up and high; 13 against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up; and against all the oaks of Bashan; 14 against all the high mountains, and against all the lofty hills; 15 against every high tower, and against every fortified wall; 16 against all the ships of Tarshish, and against all the beautiful craft. 17 The haughtiness of people shall be humbled, and the pride of everyone shall be brought low; and the Lord alone will be exalted on that day. 18 The idols shall utterly pass away. 19 Enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from the terror of the Lord, and from the glory of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. 20 On that day people will throw away to the moles and to the bats their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, 21 to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts in the crags, from the terror of the Lord, and from the glory of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. 22 Turn away from mortals, who have only breath in their nostrils, for of what account are they?

1 Thess. 3:1-13

1 Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we decided to be left alone in Athens; 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and co-worker for God in proclaiming the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you for the sake of your faith, 3 so that no one would be shaken by these persecutions. Indeed, you yourselves know that this is what we are destined for. 4 In fact, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we were to suffer persecution; so it turned out, as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith; I was afraid that somehow the tempter had tempted you and that our labor had been in vain. 6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love. He has told us also that you always remember us kindly and long to see us—just as we long to see you. 7 For this reason, brothers and sisters, during all our distress and persecution we have been encouraged about you through your faith. 8 For we now live, if you continue to stand firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith. 11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. 13 And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Luke 20:27-40

27 Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him 28 and asked him a question, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; 30 then the second 31 and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. 32 Finally the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.” 34 Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; 35 but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. 37 And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.” 39 Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40 For they no longer dared to ask him another question.