From the First Sunday
of Advent to Christmas Eve
Introductory Responses
Jesus Christ is the
light of the world.
A
light no darkness can extinguish.
Evening Prayer continues with the Thanksgiving for the Light.
Thanksgiving
for the Light
Let us give thanks to
the Lord our God.
It
is right to give our thanks and praise.
Blessed are you, O Lord
our God,
ruler of the universe,
creator of light and darkness.
In this holy season,
when the sun’s light is swallowed up
by the growing darkness
of the night,
you renew your promise
to reveal among us the splendour of your glory,
enfleshed and visible
to us in Jesus Christ your Son.
Through the prophets
you teach us to hope for his reign of peace.
Through the outpouring
of his Spirit,
you open our blindness
to the glory of his presence.
Strengthen us in our
weakness.
Support us in our
stumbling efforts to do your will
and free our tongues to
sing your praise.
For to you all honour
and blessing are due, now and for ever. Amen.
Evening Prayer continues with the Psalm.
The
Psalm
The Psalm of the Day or one of the following may be used.
Sundays in Advent Psalm 30.1-5, 10-12
1 I will
exalt you, O Lord, because you have lifted me up *
and have not let my enemies triumph over me.
2 O Lord my
God, I cried out to you, *
and you restored me to health.
3 You brought
me up, O Lord, from the dead; *
you restored my life
as I was going down to the grave.
4 Sing praise
to the Lord, all you faithful; *
give thanks in holy remembrance.
5 God’s wrath
is short;
God’s favour lasts a
lifetime. *
Weeping spends the night,
but joy comes in the morning.
10 Hear, O
Lord, and have mercy upon me; *
O Lord, be my helper.
11 You have
turned my wailing into dancing; *
you have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.
12 Therefore
my heart sings to you without ceasing; *
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever.
God our God,
glorious in giving and restoring life, do not hide your face from your people
overcome with loneliness and fear. Turn
our mourning into dancing and raise us up so that we may rejoice in your
presence for ever. Amen.
Mondays in Advent Psalm 20
1 May the
Lord answer you in the day of trouble, *
the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
2 send you
help from the sanctuary *
and strengthen you out of Zion;
3 may the
Lord remember all your offerings *
and accept your burnt sacrifice;
4 grant you
your heart’s desire *
and prosper all your plans.
5 We will
shout for joy at your victory
and unfurl our banners
in the name of our God; *
may the Lord grant all your requests.
6 Now I know
that the Lord gives victory to the anointed one; *
God will answer out of holy heaven,
gaining victory with a strong right hand.
7 Some trust
in chariots and some in horses, *
but we rely on the name of the Lord our God.
8 They
collapse and fall down, *
but we will arise and stand upright.
9 O Lord,
give victory to the king *
and answer us when we call.
God our hope and our
defence, protect all those who call upon your name, that they may stand upright
in the day of trouble and share in your victory. Amen.
Tuesdays in Advent Psalm 144
1 Blessed be
the Lord my rock, *
who trains
my hands to fight and my fingers to battle;
2 my help and
my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, *
my shield in
whom I trust,
who subdues
the peoples under me.
3 O Lord,
what are human beings that you should care for us, *
mere mortals
that you should think of us?
4 We are like
a puff of wind; *
our days are
like a passing shadow.
5 Bow your
heavens, O LORD, and come down;*
touch the
mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 Hurl the
lightning and scatter them; *
shoot out
your arrows and rout them.
7 Stretch out
your hand from on high; *
rescue me
and deliver me from the great waters,
from the
hand of foreign peoples,
8 whose
mouths speak deceitfully *
and whose
right hand is raised in falsehood.
9 O God, I
will sing to you a new song; *
I will play
to you on a ten-stringed lyre.
10 You give
victory to rulers *
and have
rescued David your servant.
11 Rescue me
from the hurtful sword and deliver me
from the hand of
foreign peoples, *
whose mouths
speak deceitfully
and whose
right hand is raised in falsehood.
12 May our
sons be like plants well nurtured from their youth, *
and our
daughters like sculptured corners of a palace.
13 May our
barns be filled with crops of every kind; *
may the
flocks in our pastures
increase by
thousands and tens of thousands.
14 May our
cattle be fat and sleek; *
may there be
no breaching of the walls,
no going
into exile, no wailing in the public squares.
15 Happy are
the people of whom this is so! *
Happy are
the people whose God is the Lord!
Generous and bountiful
God, give compassion to the prosperous and comfort to the needy, that all
people may come to love and praise you.
Amen.
Wednesdays in Advent Psalm
11
1 In the Lord
I have taken refuge; *
how then can
you say to me,
“Fly away
like a bird to the hilltop;
2 for see how
the wicked string the bow
and fit their arrows to
the string, *
to shoot
from the shadows at the true of heart.
3 When the
foundations are being destroyed, *
what can the
righteous do?”
4 The Lord is
in the holy temple, enthroned in heaven. *
God’s eyes
keep careful watch, they weigh our worth.
5 The Lord
tests both righteous and wicked *
but abhors
those who love violence.
6 Upon the
wicked God shall rain coals of fire and burning sulphur;
a scorching
wind shall be their lot.
7 For the Lord
is righteous, delighting in righteous deeds; *
and the just
shall see God’s face.
God our refuge, deliver
us from violence and evil, and guide us in the paths of righteousness, that
on the day of judgement we may rejoice
to see you face to face; Amen.
Thursdays in Advent Psalm 12
1 Help me, Lord,
for there is no godly one left; *
the faithful
have vanished from among us.
2 People tell
lies to each other;
they use
smooth words but speak from a double heart.
3 May the Lord
cut off all lips that flatter, *
and the
tongues that speak boastfully ---
4 those who
say, “With our tongue will we prevail; *
our lips are
our own; who is lord over us?”
5 “Because
the needy are oppressed, and the poor cry out in misery, *
I will rise
up,” says the Lord,
“and give
them the help they long for.”
6 The words
of the Lord are pure, *
like silver
refined from ore
and purified
seven times in the fire.
7 O Lord,
watch over us *
and save us
from this generation forever.
8 The wicked prowl
on every side, *
and everyone
prizes that which is worthless.
God of truth, protector
of your people, come to the aid of all who are poor and oppressed. By the power of your life-giving word lead us
in the ways of peace and integrity, and give us the help we long for. Amen.
Fridays in Advent Psalm
42
1 As the deer
longs for the water-brooks, *
so longs my
soul for you, O God.
2 I thirst
for God, for the living God; *
when shall I
come to appear before the presence of God?
3 My tears
have been my food day and night, *
while all
day long they say to me, “Where now is your God?”
4 I pour out
my soul when I think on these things; *
how I went
with the multitude
and led them
into the house of God,
with shouts
of thanksgiving, among those keeping festival.
5 Why are you
so full of heaviness, O my soul,
and why are you so
disquieted within me? *
Put your
trust in God, for I will yet give thanks
to the one
who is my help and my God.
6 My soul is
heavy within me; *
therefore I
will remember you from the land of Jordan,
and from the
peak of Mizar among the heights of Hermon.
7 One deep
calls to another in the roar of your cascades; *
all your
rapids and floods have gone over me.
8 The Lord
grants loving-kindness in the daytime; *
in the night
season the Lord’s song is with me,
a prayer to
the God of my life.
9 I will say
to the God of my strength, ”Why have you rejected me, *
and why do I
wander in such gloom
while the
enemy oppresses me?”
10 While my
bones are being broken, my enemies mock me to my face; *
all day long
they mock me and say to me,
“Where now
is your God?”
11 Why are you
so full of heaviness, O my soul,
and why are you so
disquieted within me? *
Put your
trust in God, for I will yet give thanks
to the one
who is my help and my God.
Gracious God, in the
night of distress we forget the days of sun and joy. Even when we do not know your presence,
preserve us from the dark torrent of despair. Amen.
Saturdays in Advent Psalm
130
1 Out of the
depths *
I cry to
you, O Lord:
2 O Lord,
hear my voice! *
Let your
ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
3 If you were
to keep watch over sins, *
O Lord, who
could stand?
4 Yet with
you is forgiveness, *
in order
that you may be feared.
5 I wait for
you, O Lord; my soul waits;
in your word
is my hope.
6 My soul
waits for the Lord
more than whose who
keep watch for the morning, *
more than
those who keep watch for the morning.
7 O Israel,
wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is steadfast love; *
with the Lord
there is plenteous redemption.
8 For the Lord
shall redeem Israel *
from all
their sins.
Rescue us, O God for
whom we wait, from the depths of depression and despair. May we trust in your mercy, know the fullness
of your redemption, and share in the glory of your reign. Amen.
Evening Prayer continues with the Reading.
The
Reading
A Reading from a daily lectionary or
one of the following may be used.
Sundays in Advent Hebrews
11.1-3
Now faith is
the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received
approval. By faith we understand that
the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from
things that are not visible.
Mondays in Advent Matthew
12.33, 35-37
Jesus said,
“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its
fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil
person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. I tell you, on the day of judgement you will
have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words
you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Tuesdays in Advent Galatians
4.4-7
When the
fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the
law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive
adoption as children. And because you
are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying,
“Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and
if a child then also an heir, through God.
Wednesdays in Advent 2
Corinthians 4.16-18
So we do not
lose heart. Even though our outer nature
is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is
preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look
not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen in
temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
Thursdays in Advent Ephesians
4.14-19
For this
reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and
on earth takes its name. I pray that,
according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened
in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in
your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to
comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and
depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may
be filled with all the fullness of God.
Fridays in Advent Philippians
3.12-14
Not that I
have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to
make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made
it my own; but this one thing I do:
forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I
press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ
Jesus.
Saturdays in Advent Romans
8.22-25
We know that
the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only
the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan
inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we
wait for it with patience.
After a period of silent reflection one of the following is said.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
or
Here what the Spirit is
saying to the church.
Thanks
be to God.
or
Holy Word, Holy Wisdom.
Thanks
be to God.
Evening Prayer continues with the Responsory or the Canticle.
The
Responsory
My soul waits for you,
O Lord; *
in your word is my
hope.
My
soul waits for you, O Lord; *
in
your word is my hope.
Out of the depths have
I called to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice. *
In
your word is my hope.
There is forgiveness
with you;
therefore you shall be
feared. *
In
your word is my hope.
My soul waits for the
Lord,
more than those who
watch for the morning. *
In
your word is my hope.
O Israel, wait for the
Lord,
for with the Lord there
is mercy. *
In
your word is my hope.
Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. *
My
soul waits for you, O Lord;
in
your word is my hope.
or
Glory to God, Source of
all being, eternal Word and Holy Spirit. *
My
soul waits for you, O Lord;
in
your word is my hope.
Evening Prayer continues with the Canticle.
The
Canticle
Song of the Multitude in Heaven (Revelation 19.1, 2, 5-7)
Alleluia! To you, O God, belong victory, glory, and
power,*
for right
and just are your judgements.
All who serve you will
praise you, *
all who fear
you, great and small.
Alleluia! You, O Lord God almighty, *
have claimed
your kingdom.
Let us rejoice and
triumph and give you praise: *
the time has
come for the wedding-feast of the Lamb.
Glory to God, Source of
all being, eternal Word and Holy Spirit:
as it was in the
beginning, is now and will be for ever.
Amen.
or
Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the
beginning, is now and will be for ever.
Amen.
Evening Prayer continues with the Affirmation of Faith or the
Litany.
Affirmation
of Faith
Either of the following may be said.
The Apostles’ Creed
I
believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator
of heaven and earth.
I
believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born
of the virgin Mary,
suffered
under Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified, died, and was buried;
he
descended to the dead.
On
the third day he rose again;
he
ascended into heaven,
he
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and
he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
the
holy catholic church,
the
communion of saints,
the
forgiveness of sins,
the
resurrection of the body,
and
the life everlasting. Amen.
Hear, O Israel
Hear,
O Israel,
the
Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love
the Lord your God
with
all your heart,
with
all your soul,
with
all your mind,
and
with all your strength.
This
is the first and the great commandment.
The
second is like it:
Love
your neighbour as yourself.
There
is no commandment greater than these.
Evening Prayer continues with the Litany.
The
Litany
Let us pray to the One
who brings light into our darkness, saying, “Lord, have mercy.”
God of light, may your
Anointed One rouse us from sleep and make us attentive to the nearness of his
presence. Lord, have mercy.
May we discover your
word in every sound of this world, your touch in every human embrace and your
love in every gesture of self-sacrifice among us. Lord,
have mercy.
May your holy grace
bring our hearts to vigilance and make us see with uncovered eyes the Christ
who suffers in the agonies of all humanity.
Lord, have mercy.
May we recognize that
Christ is with us to make our prayers his own.
Lord, have mercy.
May your coming into
the days and years of human history be always new and always brimming with
light to drive all darkness away. Lord, have mercy.
Free prayer may be offered and silence is kept. After the silence the Collect of the Day or
the following collects may be said.
O God of all the
prophets, you herald the coming of our Messiah by wondrous signs in the heavens
and on the earth. Guard our hearts from
despair so that we, in the company of the faithful and by the power of your Holy
Spirit, may be found ready to raise our heads at the coming near of our
redemption, the day of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Evening Prayer continues with the Lord’s Prayer.
The
Lord’s Prayer
Gathering our prayers
and praises into one,
let us pray as our
Saviour taught 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.
Save
us from the time of trial,
and
deliver us from evil.
For
the kingdom, the power,
and
the glory are yours,
now
and for ever. Amen.
Evening Prayer continues with the Dismissal.
The
Dismissal
Let us bless the Lord
who comes among us.
Thanks
be to God.
Then may be said.
May the Sun of
Righteousness shine upon us and scatter the darkness from before our path. Amen.
Liturgical
Resources Used
All scriptural passages are taken from
the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989 by The National Council of Churches.
All Psalms are taken from
Evangelical Lutheran Worship, © 2006 by The Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America and emended for Canadian orthography
All other liturgical texts including
the Psalm Prayers are taken from The Book of Alternative Services, © 1985 by The Anglican Church of Canada as emended by
the Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett.
The Litany is taken from
Intercessions for the Christian People, p. 73 © by The Liturgical Press, 1988,
1990 and emended by the Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett.
The prayer following the
Litany is taken from Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, p. 29 © 2002 by The
Consultation on Common Texts.
The doxology is adapted from
The Book of Occasional Services 2003, p. 23 © 2004 by The Church Pension Fund.
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