Daily Office Readings

Week of One Advent: Sunday, November-27-2011
Wednesday

Daily Morning Prayer: Rite Two

Officiant begins with the following:

Confession of Sin

Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of Almighty God our heavenly Father, to set forth his praise, to hear his holy Word, and to ask, for ourselves and on behalf of others, those things that are necessary for our life and our salvation. And so that we may prepare ourselves in heart and mind to worship him, let us kneel in silence, and with penitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy.

Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.

Silence may be kept.
Officiant and People together, all kneeling

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.

*A deacon or lay person using the preceding form remains kneeling, and substitutes "us" for "you" and "our" for "your."

The Invitatory and Psalter

All stand

Officiant Lord, open our lips.
People And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Officiant and People
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.

-or-
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Our King and Savior now draws near: Come, let us adore him.

On other Sundays and weekdays
The earth is the Lord's for he made it: Come, let us adore him.

On Feasts of the Incarnation
[Alleluia.] The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us: O come, let us adore him. [Alleluia.]

On all Saints and other Major Saints' Days
[Alleluia.] The Lord is glorious in his saints: O come, let us adore him. [Alleluia.]

Jubilate
Psalm 100

Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *
 serve the Lord with gladness
 and come before his presence with song. 

[Antiphon, if used.]

Know this:  The Lord himself is God; *
 he himself has made us, and we are his;
 we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. 

[Antiphon, if used.]

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise; *
 give thanks to him and call upon his Name. 

[Antiphon, if used.]
 
For the Lord is good;
his mercy is everlasting; *
 and his faithfulness endures from age to age. 

The Psalm or Psalms Appointed:

Psalm 119:1-24
¹Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
Who walk in the law of the LORD!

²Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!

³They also do no iniquity;
They walk in His ways.

⁴You have commanded us
To keep Your precepts diligently.

⁵Oh, that my ways were directed
To keep Your statutes!

⁶Then I would not be ashamed,
When I look into all Your commandments.

⁷I will praise You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.

⁸I will keep Your statutes;
Oh, do not forsake me utterly!

⁹How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.

¹⁰With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

¹¹Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.

¹²Blessed are You, O LORD!
Teach me Your statutes.

¹³With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth.

¹⁴I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.

¹⁵I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.

¹⁶I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.

¹⁷Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.

¹⁸Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law.

¹⁹I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.

²⁰My soul breaks with longing
For Your judgments at all times.

²¹You rebuke the proud-the cursed,
Who stray from Your commandments.

²²Remove from me reproach and contempt,
For I have kept Your testimonies.

²³Princes also sit and speak against me,
But Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

²⁴Your testimonies also are my delight
And my counselors.

-- NKJV

Psalm 12
^{To the Chief Musician. On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.
1}Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.

²They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;
With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

³May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
And the tongue that speaks proud things,

⁴Who have said,
"With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own;
Who is lord over us?"

⁵"For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise," says the LORD;
"I will set him in the safety for which he yearns."

⁶The words of the LORD are pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.

⁷You shall keep them, O LORD,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

⁸The wicked prowl on every side,
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
-- NKJV

Psalm 13
^{To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1}How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?

²How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

³Consider and hear me, O LORD my God;
Enlighten my eyes,
Lest I sleep the sleep of death;

⁴Lest my enemy say,
"I have prevailed against him";
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

⁵But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

⁶I will sing to the LORD,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
-- NKJV

Psalm 14
^{To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1}The fool has said in his heart,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.

²The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

³They have all turned aside,
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.

⁴Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call on the LORD?

⁵There they are in great fear,
For God is with the generation of the righteous.

⁶You shame the counsel of the poor,
But the LORD is his refuge.

⁷Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When the LORD brings back the captivity of His people,
Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.
-- NKJV

At the end of the Psalm is sung or said

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

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:* 
  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

The Lessons

The Old Testament Reading

Reader: A Reading (Lesson) from Amos 3:12-4:5

Amos 3:12-4:5
3:¹² Thus says the LORD: " As a shepherd takes from the mouth of a lion Two legs or a piece of an ear, So shall the children of Israel be taken out Who dwell in Samaria- In the corner of a bed and on the edge of a couch! ¹³ Hear and testify against the house of Jacob," Says the Lord GOD, the God of hosts, ¹⁴ " That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions, I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel; And the horns of the altar shall be cut off And fall to the ground. ¹⁵ I will destroy the winter house along with the summer house; The houses of ivory shall perish, And the great houses shall have an end," Says the LORD.4:¹ Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, Who crush the needy, Who say to your husbands, "Bring wine, let us drink!" ² The Lord GOD has sworn by His holiness: " Behold, the days shall come upon you When He will take you away with fishhooks, And your posterity with fishhooks. ³ You will go out through broken walls, Each one straight ahead of her, And you will be cast into Harmon," Says the LORD. ⁴ " Come to Bethel and transgress, At Gilgal multiply transgression; Bring your sacrifices every morning, Your tithes every three days. ⁵ Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, Proclaim and announce the freewill offerings; For this you love, You children of Israel!" Says the Lord GOD. -- NKJV

Reader:The Word of the Lord.
Answer: Thanks be to God.

11 The Third Song of Isaiah Surge, illuminare
Isaiah 60:1-3, 11a, 14c, 18-19

Arise, shine, for your light has come, *
 and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you. 

For behold, darkness covers the land; *
 deep gloom enshrouds the peoples. 

But over you the Lord will rise, *
 and his glory will appear upon you. 

Nations will stream to your light, *
 and kings to the brightness of your dawning. 

Your gates will always be open; *
 by day or night they will never be shut. 

They will call you, The City of the Lord, *
 The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 

Violence will no more be heard in your land, *
 ruin or destruction within your borders. 

You will call your walls, Salvation, *
 and all your portals, Praise. 

The sun will no more be your light by day; *
 by night you will not need the brightness of the moon. 

The Lord will be your everlasting light, *
 and your God will be your glory. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
 as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
 	world without end.  Amen. 

The New Testament Reading

Reader: A Reading (Lesson) from 2Peter 3:1-10

2 Peter 3:1-10
¹Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), ²that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, ³knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, ⁴and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." ⁵For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, ⁶by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. ⁷But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. ⁸But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. ¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. -- NKJV

Reader:The Word of the Lord.
Answer: Thanks be to God.

16 The Song of Zechariah Benedictus Dominus Deus
Luke 1: 68-79

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
 he has come to his people and set them free. 

He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
 born of the house of his servant David. 

Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies, *
 from the hands of all who hate us. 

He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
 and to remember his holy covenant. 

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
 to set us free from the hands of our enemies, 

Free to worship him without fear, *
 holy and righteous in his sight
 all the days of our life. 

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
 for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation *
 by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God *
 the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
	and to guide our feet into the way of peace. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
 as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
 	world without end.  Amen. 

The Gospel

Reader: A reading from the Gospel according to St. Matthew.

Matthew 21:23-32
²³Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?" ²⁴But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: ²⁵The baptism of John-where was it from? From heaven or from men?" And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' ²⁶But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet." ²⁷So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁸"But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.' ²⁹He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went. ³⁰Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go. ³¹Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. ³²For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him. -- NKJV

Reader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.

The Apostles' Creed
Officiant and People together, all standing

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
 creator of heaven and earth. 
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
 He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
	and born of the Virgin Mary.
 He 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,
 	and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
 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.

The Prayers
The People stand or kneel

Our Father, who art in heaven,
  hallowed be thy Name,
  thy kingdom come,
  thy will be done,
  on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
  as we forgive those
  who trespass against us. 

And lead us not into temptation,
  but deliver us from evil. 

For thine is the kingdom,
  and the power, and the glory,
  for ever and ever.  Amen. 

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. 

A
V. Show us your mercy, O Lord;
R. And grant us your salvation.
V. Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
R. Let your people sing with joy.
V. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
R. For only in you can we live in safety.
V. Lord, keep this nation under your care;
R. And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
V. Let your way be known upon earth;
R. Your saving health among all nations.
V. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
R. Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
V. Create in us clean hearts, O God;
R. And sustain us by your Holy Spirit.

B
V. Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance;
R. Govern and uphold them, now and always.
V. Day by day we bless you;
R. We praise your name for ever.
V. Lord, keep us from all sin today;
R. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
V. Lord, show us your love and mercy;
R. For we put our trust in you.
V. In you, Lord, is our hope;
R. And we shall never hope in vain.

The Collect of the Day:

First Sunday of Advent
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

A Collect for Guidance
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then, unless the Eucharist or a form of general intercession is to follow, the following prayer for mission is added.

Prayer for Mission
Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.

Authorized intercessions and thanksgivings may follow.

Before the close of the Office one or both of the following may be used

The General Thanksgiving
Officiant and People

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory throughout all ages.  Amen. 

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom
Officiant

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one
accord to make our common supplication to you; and you
have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two
or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the 
midst of them:  Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions
as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of
your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting.  Amen.

Then may be said
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Officiant concludes with:

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Romans 15:13

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.
(Unless otherwise noted.)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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