Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
All: and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
You laid the foundation of the earth
All: and the heavens are the work of your hands.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
this or another prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, sovereign God,
creator of heaven and earth,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your living Word, eternal in heaven,
assumed the frailty of our mortal flesh,
may the light of your love be born in us
to fill our hearts with joy as we sing:
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
All: Blessed be God for ever.
A Song of the Bride
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, •
my soul shall exult in my God;
Who has clothed me with the garments of salvation, •
and has covered me with the cloak of integrity,
As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, •
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth puts forth her blossom, •
and as seeds in the garden spring up,
So shall God make righteousness and praise •
blossom before all the nations.
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, •
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest
Until her deliverance shines out like the dawn, •
and her salvation as a burning torch.
The nations shall see your deliverance, •
and all rulers shall see your glory;
Then you shall be called by a new name •
which the mouth of God will give.
You shall be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, •
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
Isaiah 61.10,11; 62.1-3
All: Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
This opening prayer may be said
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;
let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.
All: Amen.
The Word of God
Psalmody
The appointed psalmody is said.
Psalm 8
O Lord our governor, •
how glorious is your name in all the world!
Your majesty above the heavens is praised •
out of the mouths of babes at the breast.
You have founded a stronghold against your foes, •
that you might still the enemy and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, •
the moon and the stars that you have ordained,
What is man, that you should be mindful of him; •
the son of man, that you should seek him out? R
You have made him little lower than the angels •
and crown him with glory and honour.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands •
and put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen, •
even the wild beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fish of the sea •
and whatsoever moves in the paths of the sea.
O Lord our governor, •
how glorious is your name in all the world!
We bless you, master of the heavens,
for the wonderful order which enfolds this world;
grant that your whole creation
may find fulfilment in the Son of Man,
Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Psalm 48
Refrain: We have waited on your loving-kindness, O God.
Great is the Lord and highly to be praised, •
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain is fair and lifted high, •
the joy of all the earth.
On Mount Zion, the divine dwelling place, •
stands the city of the great king.
In her palaces God has shown himself •
to be a sure refuge. R
For behold, the kings of the earth assembled •
and swept forward together.
They saw, and were dumbfounded; •
dismayed, they fled in terror.
Trembling seized them there;
they writhed like a woman in labour, •
as when the east wind shatters the ships of Tarshish.
As we had heard, so have we seen
in the city of the Lord of hosts, the city of our God: •
God has established her for ever.
We have waited on your loving-kindness, O God, •
in the midst of your temple.
As with your name, O God,
so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; •
your right hand is full of justice.
Let Mount Zion rejoice and the daughters of Judah be glad, •
because of your judgements, O Lord.
Walk about Zion and go round about her;
count all her towers; •
consider well her bulwarks; pass through her citadels,
That you may tell those who come after
that such is our God for ever and ever. •
It is he that shall be our guide for evermore. R
Refrain: We have waited on your loving-kindness, O God.
Father of lights,
raise us with Christ to your eternal city,
that, with kings and nations,
we may wait in the midst of your temple
and see your glory for ever and ever.
Each psalm or group of psalms may end with
All: Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
If there are two Scripture readings, the first may be read here, or both may be read after the canticle.
Canticle
A Song of the Messiah, or another suitable canticle,
Refrain:
All: To us a child is born, to us a son is given.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; •
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
upon them the light has dawned.
You have increased their joy and given them great gladness; •
they rejoiced before you as with joy at the harvest.
For you have shattered the yoke that burdened them; •
the collar that lay heavy on their shoulders.
For to us a child is born and to us a son is given, •
and the government will be upon his shoulder.
And his name will be called: Wonderful Counsellor;
the Mighty God; •
the Everlasting Father; the Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace •
there will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, •
to establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness.
From this time forth and for evermore; •
the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9.2, 3b, 4a, 6, 7
All: Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
All: To us a child is born,
to us a son is given.
Scripture Reading
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
Ruth 4.1-17
No sooner had Boaz gone up to the gate and sat down there than the next-of-kin, of whom Boaz had spoken, came passing by. So Boaz said, ‘Come over, friend; sit down here.’ And he went over and sat down. Then Boaz took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, ‘Sit down here’; so they sat down. He then said to the next-of-kin, ‘Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our kinsman Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it, and say: Buy it in the presence of those sitting here, and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not, tell me, so that I may know; for there is no one prior to you to redeem it, and I come after you.’ So he said, ‘I will redeem it.’ Then Boaz said, ‘The day you acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, you are also acquiring Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead man, to maintain the dead man’s name on his inheritance.’ At this, the next-of-kin said, ‘I cannot redeem it for myself without damaging my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.’ Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, one party took off a sandal and gave it to the other; this was the manner of attesting in Israel. So when the next-of-kin said to Boaz, ‘Acquire it for yourself’, he took off his sandal. Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, ‘Today you are witnesses that I have acquired from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, to be my wife, to maintain the dead man’s name on his inheritance, in order that the name of the dead may not be cut off from his kindred and from the gate of his native place; today you are witnesses.’ Then all the people who were at the gate, along with the elders, said, ‘We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you produce children in Ephrathah and bestow a name in Bethlehem; and, through the children that the Lord will give you by this young woman, may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.’ So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him.’ Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse. The women of the neighbourhood gave him a name, saying, ‘A son has been born to Naomi.’ They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Colossians 4.2-end
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should.Conduct yourselves wisely towards outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. Tychicus will tell you all the news about me; he is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow-servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts; he is coming with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here. Aristarchus my fellow-prisoner greets you, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him. And Jesus who is called Justus greets you. These are the only ones of the circumcision among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you. He is always wrestling in his prayers on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in everything that God wills. For I testify for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you. Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you read also the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, ‘See that you complete the task that you have received in the Lord.’
I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
The Word of life which was from the beginning
All: we proclaim to you.
The darkness is passing away
and the true light is already shining;
All: the Word of life which was from the beginning.
That which we heard, which we saw with our eyes,
and touched with our hands,
All: we proclaim to you.
For our fellowship is with the Father,
and with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
All: The Word of life which was from the beginning
we proclaim to you.
Gospel Canticle
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said,
Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, •
who has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour, •
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets God promised of old •
to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us,
To show mercy to our ancestors, •
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath God 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.
And you, 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 all 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.
Luke 1.68-79
All: Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
Prayers
Intercessions are offered
¶ for the day and its tasks
¶ for the world and its needs
¶ for the Church and her life
These responses may be used
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer
(or)
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
Silence may be kept.
The Collect of the day is said
Almighty God,
who wonderfully created us in your own image
and yet more wonderfully restored us
through your Son Jesus Christ:
grant that, as he came to share in our humanity,
so we may share the life of his divinity;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
All: Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer is said
Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us,
as our Saviour taught us, so we pray
All: 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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
(or)
Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us,
as our Saviour taught us, so we pray
All: 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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Conclusion
May God, who has called us out of darkness
into his marvellous light,
bless us and fill us with peace.
All : Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
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