December 24
MORNING PRAYER
READING
Isaiah 11:1 – 5
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
who shepherds the people
and sets them free.
God raises from David’s house
a child with power to save. --
--Through the holy prophets
God promised in ages past
to save us from enemy hands,
from the grip of all who hate us.
The Lord favored our ancestors
recalling the sacred covenant,
the pledge to our ancestor Abraham,
to free us from our enemies,
so we might worship without fear
and be holy and just all our days.
And you child, will be called
Prophet of the Most High,
for you will come to prepare
a pathway for the Lord
by teaching the people salvation
through forgiveness of their sin.
Out of God’s deepest mercy
a dawn will come from on high,
light for those shadowed by death,
a guide for our feet on the way to peace.
INTERCESSIONS
The promises of the prophets are now fulfilled.
Let us prepare to welcome our Savior, as we pray:
~ Come, Promised of Ages!
May your Spirit rest upon us, with wisdom and understanding:
May your Spirit rest upon us, with counsel and might:
May your Spirit rest upon us, with knowledge and the fear of the Lord:
May your Spirit rest upon us, with justice and faithfulness:
May your Spirit rest upon us, with mercy and compassion:
PRAYER
We have trusted in your promise, O God, and now you come bearing gifts for our salvation and our well-being. We rejoice in the loving kindness and faithful love by which we have come to know you. As we begin now our annual commemoration of the birth of your Son give us the courage to be born again, a new and holy people to sing your praises. We ask this grace through Jesus our Savior. Amen.