December 23, 2022

Season of Advent

Hopeful waiting. Expectancy. Longing. Things are not right within us nor in the world around us, so we wait. We wait for the arrival of King Jesus. The word “advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning“coming” or “arrival.” During Advent we remember the first coming of Jesus and we long for his second coming. Robert Webber explains Advent as, “a corporate spiritual journey that calls for expectant waiting and readiness for the coming of the Christ. When the Church travels this journey and treats it as a discipline of life and prayer, the joy of Christmas is immeasurably intensified.”

 

- Calling - 

O Lord, open our lips.

And our mouth shall proclaim Your praise.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia!

Our King and Savior now draws near:

Come, let us adore him. Alleluia!

 

- Constitution - 

Read/Listen, Meditate, Pray, and Contemplate on God’s Word, remembering that God is with you and ready to speak to you because he loves you.


 

THE PSALM - 93 & 96

Psalm 93

[1] The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty;

the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.

Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.

[2] Your throne is established from of old;

you are from everlasting.

[3] The floods have lifted up, O LORD,

the floods have lifted up their voice;

the floods lift up their roaring.

[4] Mightier than the thunders of many waters,

mightier than the waves of the sea,

the LORD on high is mighty!

[5] Your decrees are very trustworthy;

holiness befits your house,

O LORD, forevermore.

Psalm 96

[1] Oh sing to the LORD a new song;

sing to the LORD, all the earth!

[2] Sing to the LORD, bless his name;

tell of his salvation from day to day.

[3] Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous works among all the peoples!

[4] For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;

he is to be feared above all gods.

[5] For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,

but the LORD made the heavens.

[6] Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

[7] Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!

[8] Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;

bring an offering, and come into his courts!

[9] Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;

tremble before him, all the earth!

[10] Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!

Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;

he will judge the peoples with equity.”

[11] Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

[12] let the field exult, and everything in it!

Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

[13] before the LORD, for he comes,

for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness,

and the peoples in his faithfulness.

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

 

Old Testament- Isaiah 33:17–22

[17] Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty;

they will see a land that stretches afar.

[18] Your heart will muse on the terror:

“Where is he who counted, where is he who weighed the tribute?

Where is he who counted the towers?”

[19] You will see no more the insolent people,

the people of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend,

stammering in a tongue that you cannot understand.

[20] Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts!

Your eyes will see Jerusalem,

an untroubled habitation, an immovable tent,

whose stakes will never be plucked up,

nor will any of its cords be broken.

[21] But there the LORD in majesty will be for us

a place of broad rivers and streams,

where no galley with oars can go,

nor majestic ship can pass.

[22] For the LORD is our judge; the LORD is our lawgiver;

the LORD is our king; he will save us.

The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

 

New Testament - Revelation 22:6–11; 22:18–20

[6] And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

[7] “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

[8] I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, [9] but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

[10] And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. [11] Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

[18] I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, [19] and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

[20] He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

 

Gospel - Luke 1:57–66

[57] Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. [58] And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. [59] And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, [60] but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” [61] And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” [62] And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. [63] And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. [64] And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. [65] And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, [66] and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

 

- Communion - 


Pray for yourself, others, our church, our neighbors, and the world.

Pray the Lord’s Prayer & the collect of the week

Our Father who art in heaven...

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

 

- Commission - 


May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Amen. (Romans 15:13)

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord and our neighbors.