December 30
MORNING PRAYER
PSALM
Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.”
READING
Isaiah 9:6 – 7
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
Blessed are you, the most high God of Israel,
for you have visited and redeemed your people.
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
Jesus, you are Emmanuel. In you we celebrate God with us and we pray:
~ May we find you, O Christ.
In our sisters, in our family members, in those with whom we minister:
In those wounded by domestic violence and abuse:
In those who uphold the dignity and sanctity of life:
In those who risk their reputation for the sake of the gospel:
In parents, struggling to raise their children:
Prayer
God dwelling with us, we pray for the clarity of mind and heart that will enable us to discover the face of Christ in all those we meet this day. In our care for our sisters and brothers may we give flesh to our love for you. We ask this in the name of Jesus who gave human form to your love for us. Amen.
EVENING PRAYER
PSALM
Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.”
READING
2 Peter 1:3 – 4
God’s divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of the One who called us by his own glory and goodness. Thus God has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them we may become participants of the divine nature.
CANTICLE OF MARY
We have seen his glory, full of grace and truth.
I acclaim the greatness of the Lord,
I delight in God my savior,
who regarded my humble state.
Truly from this day on all ages
will call me blest.
For God, wonderful in power,
has used that strength for me.
Holy the name of the Lord!
Whose mercy embraces the faithful,
one generation to the next.
The mighty arm of God
scatters the proud in their conceit,
Pulls tyrants from their thrones,
and raises up the humble.
The Lord fills the starving
and lets the rich go hungry.
God rescues lowly Israel,
recalling the promise of mercy,
the promise made to our ancestors,
to Abraham’s heirs forever.
INTERCESSIONS
We bring this evening Prayer to you, Emmanuel, God-with-us.
Listen as we pray:
~ We behold you.
In the faces of children:
In the faces of those who are poor and lonely:
In the frailty and weakness of the elderly: In those who are unemployed:
In those whom we have not yet learned to love:
In those whose lives reveal your gospel:
Prayer
Give us the vision, God, to see you in the simple events and situations of our lives and to seek you in our sisters and brothers, especially in the poor and needy. May those who most need our help be the clearest reminders of your presence among us; may our response to their need reveal your loving presence in our world. We ask this through Jesus, your incarnate love. Amen.