Article
Preperation
Can: O Wisdom
Res: Fill all creation and reign over the whole earth
Can: O Lord of Lords
Res: Replace The Law with Love
Can: O Root of Jesse
Res: Stand as a sign to all the nations
Can: O Key of David
Res: Open our hearts
Can: O Morning Star
Res: Shine with eternal light
Can: O King of The Nations
Res: Fulfil our heavenly desires
Can: O Emmanuel
Res: Bring us hope of salvation.
Can: Glory be to The Father
and to The Son
and to The Holy Ghost
Res: As it was in the beginning
is now
and ever shall be
World without end. Amen.
Quasi Psalm 1.
- O lord, You are the light of the world:
You are our hope in dark times, a beacon in the soul's long night. - We are nothing without You and everything with You:
Come and save us; and that right soon. - As You made Your promise to faithful Abraham:
As You appeared to Moses in the burning bush; - As You gave the Law on Sinai:
As You sent Prophets to proclaim Your name; - Be with us now, to fulfil Your promise:
To put love above The Law. - O flower of Jesse and Son of David:
where there is earthly turmoil, send Your sacred king - To scatter the proud, to feed the poor:
Bring hope to the downcast and pleasure to the patient; - Deliver the down-trodden and bless the peacemakers:
Lord, sooth the heart and still the hand of the terrorist and the torturer. - Help us to subdue our greed and our wanton ways:
To make every detail of the world You made real to our senses; - To help us to love what You have made:
And to see You in everything and everyone. - We know we have fallen short of Your goodness:
We know we have failed to honour Your Incarnation; - We know we have taken you for granted:
We know we have turned a deaf ear when you have been insulted. - We feel the weight we have cast upon ourselves:
We grope in the darkness we have made; - We block our ears from the noise of lust and violence that we have generated:
We feel the pain as our hearts race with self induced adrenalin; - And we pray for stillness, for peace and for calm:
We beg forgiveness for all the wrong choices we have made. - We turn to You for forgiveness:
We seek Your love that we might choose to love; - We acknowledge our global, collective and individual wrongs:
With Your help we will make amends in our hearts, in our prayers and in our witness; - We will speak of Your name:
We will speak of Your salvation; - We will speak of Your Incarnation and Resurrection:
We will speak of Your love; - We will make space for You in our lives:
We will make space for You in our hearts. - Lord, send Our Brother Jesus soon:
We are lonely and wretched, We have waited so long; - We have been assaulted by our own shortcomings:
We have felt the pain of our self induced distress. - We are frightened of our history and frightened of the future:
Only You can save us from each other and ourselves. - Come, Lord Jesus, come:
Bring hope to the frightened earth; - And with Your birth dispel the gloom of night:
And bathe our hearts in everlasting light.
Glory be to The Father
and to The Son
and to The Holy Ghost:
as it was in the beginning
is now and ever shall be
world without end. Amen.
Can: Lord Jesus, come!
Res: Lord Jesus, come quickly.
Hymn
(Cross of Jesus)
- Saviour of the world once risen,
Come again to Bethlehem:
Help us to begin our journey,
Glorious flower of Jesse's stem. - Lead us from Your dreary stable
To your outcast calvary;
Make Your cross stand out the darker
Lit by Your nativity.
Gospel Canticle
Can: Lord Jesus, come!
Res: Lord Jesus, come quickly.
Can: Lord, let Your servant now depart in peace
According to Your word, such sweet release;
Res: I have seen salvation in Your infant face
For Israel and all the human race:
All: Glory of Israel, answer to our call;
Light to the Gentiles sent to save us all.
Can: Lord Jesus, Come!
Res: Lord Jesus, come quickly.
Readings
John 1:1-3: In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.
Luke 2:26-29: And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the Angel came into her and said, hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this might be.
John 1:4-5: In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Luke 2:30: And the angel said unto her, fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
John 1:6-10: There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
Luke 2:31-33: And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the son of the highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
John 1:11-12: He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Luke 2:34-35: Then said Mary unto the angel, how shall this be, seeing that I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the son of God.
John 1:13: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God.
Luke 2:36:38: And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
John 1:14: And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Can: Refresh us with the water of life
Res: That the desert may bloom
Can: Make the ground smooth
Res: And the crooked way straight
Can: Send the dayspring from on high
Res: And guide our feet into the way of peace.
Prayers
Can: God Our Parent, as we await the coming of your Beloved Son, give us strength to bear the darkness before we are bathed in His glorious light.
All: Amen.
Can: God our Parent, we thank You for the gift of Your daughter, Our Blessed Lady, the Mother of Your Son, Our Saviour, Jesus Christ. May we learn from her example the unconditional and unflinching commitment to Your will.
All: Amen.
Can: God Our Parent, as we travel on the road to Bethlehem, give us the strength to stay with Jesus in the light and in the dark, at the foot of the manger and the foot of the cross that, being faithful, we may, through Your unending love, worship You in the heavenly Kingdom where Your son reigns; we make these prayers through Him and in the power of Our Sister the Spirit.
All: Amen.
Conclusion
Can: O Wisdom
Res: Come and teach us the way of truth
Can: O Lord of Lords
Res: May your outstretched arms ransom us
Can: O Root of Jesse
Res: Come and save us and delay no longer
Can: O Key of David
Res: Break down the walls of death
Can: O Morning Star
Res: Bring light to those who dwell in darkness
Can: O King of The Nations
Res: Save Your children, fashioned from the dust
Can: O Emmanuel
Res: Come and save us.
All: Send us the water of life
send us the light of the world
send us the Christ Child
send us Yourself in the form of a helpless child:
Lord Jesus, come!
Lord Jesus, come quickly.
Amen.