Advent Lessons & Carols The Third Sunday of Advent
December 13, 2020 10:00 a.m.
Gathering In Joy Prelude: Variations on a Dutch Chorale
John Bull
The Matin Responsory (sung by the choir) Giovani da Palestrina I look from afar: and lo, I see the power of God coming, and a cloud covering the whole earth. Go ye out to meet him and say: Tell us, art thou he that should come to reign over thy people Israel? High and low, rich and poor, one with another. Go ye out to meet him and say: Hear, O thou Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. Tell us, art thou he that should come? Stir up thy strength, O Lord and come to reign over thy people Israel. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
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The Processional Hymn: 56, O come, O come, Emmanuel (vv. 4-5)
The Bidding Prayer The Lighting of the Advent Wreath
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Listening for God’s Word The First Lesson - Isaiah 40:1-8 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low, the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” A voice says, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Anthem: Every Valley John Ness Beck Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain made low; and the crooked made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Amen. The Second Lesson - Jeremiah 23:5-6 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.” The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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Hymn: 65, Prepare the way, O Zion
The Third Lesson - Zechariah 9:9-10 Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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Hymn: WOV 633, Awake! Awake, and greet the new morn
The Fourth Lesson - Haggai 2:6-9 For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts, and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 6
Handbell Anthem: Savior of the Nations Come
Cathy Moklebust
The Fifth Lesson - Isaiah 35:1-6 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.� Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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Hymn: 67, Comfort, comfort ye my people
The Sixth Lesson - Luke 1:26-35 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, 8
since I am a virgin?� The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born with be holy; he will be called Son of God. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Hymn: 265, The angel Gabriel from heaven came
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Silence (A time for silence will be kept for meditation.) The Prayers of the People These prayers have been adapted from Joyce Rupp’s “The Gift of Hope” by Carol Boyle. God of all those who yearn for a glimmer of assurance on the long journey home to you, come! Come with a vast storehouse of renewed dreams, hopes, and peacefulness. God of hope, come! Enter into memories and remind often of the yearning of the people of history. Stir up stories of how the ancestors hung on to your promises, how they stole hope from tiny glimmers about you, passed on from age to age. Help us to hear the loud crying voices of the prophets who proclaimed that a new age would dawn. God of hope, may we remember the strength of our ancestors, who waited faithfully for your coming. God of hope, come! Find your home in our church and in places of worship all over the world. Be with Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael, our Presiding Bishop, Daniel, our Bishop, Silvestre, Bishop of Guatemala, Emily and Laura, our clergy and each one of us in our vocation and ministry. In the Anglican cycle of prayer, we pray for the Falkland Islands (Extra-Provincial to Canterbury), The Rt. Revd. Timothy Thornton - Bishop to the Forces and Bishop to the Falkland Islands. In our companion Diocese of Guatemala, we pray for Iglesia Episcopal Santa Marta de Betania, (Church of Saint Martha of Bethany), Mazatenango, The Rev. Mirza Ramirez. In our own Diocese, we pray for the Anti‐Racism Commission. God of hope, open their hearts to your Holy Spirit, that they may lead us along paths of compassion and reconciliation. God of hope, come! Enter into our hearts that we may not lose ourselves in ourselves, missing the message of your encouragement because we are so entangled in the web of our own whirl of life. Enable us to keep sight of the power of your presence and the truth of your consolation. God of hope, teach us to see your comfort in the blessings of daily life. God of hope, come! Enter into the lives of all those we hold dear, the ones whose lives are marked with pain, struggle, and deep anxiety, those whose lives bear ongoing heartaches, those whose difficulties threaten to overwhelm them with helplessness and despair. Especially we remember this day all those on our parish prayer list, including Jessie, Raleigh, Chris, Tim, Greyson, Mohamed, Jeanné, Ben, 10
Josh, Kristin, Debbie, Angie, Frances, Katie, Bob, Hannah, Art, Doris, Warren, Kathy, Mary, Barbara, Linda, Rhonda, Ruth, all those suffering from COVID-19, and all those we name now‌ God of hope, make us sacraments of your presence, extending your hand of love to those who need us. God of hope, come! Receive into your loving hands those whom you have called to their heavenly home, especially all who have died from COVID-19, and all those we name now‌. Fulfill their hope with your loving presence unveiled. God of hope, we remember those who have cared for us during their lives and our continuing relationship in the communion of saints. God of hope, come! Enter into this Advent season with the grace of joy and laughter. Fill faces with smiles of delight and voices with sounds of pleasure. Let this gift come from deep within. God of hope, replenish all with the joyful blessings that only your peace can bring. The Celebrant concludes with a prayer. The Peace Celebrant: The peace of the Lord be always with you. People: And also with you.
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Celebrating Holy Communion Presentation Hymn: 59, Hark! a thrilling voice is sounding (vv. 1, 2 &5)
The Great Thanksgiving from Enriching Our Worship Celebrant: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Celebrant: Lift up your hearts. People: We lift them to the Lord. Celebrant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. People: It is right to give our thanks and praise. Celebrant: We praise you and we bless you, holy and gracious God, source of life abundant. From before time you made ready the creation. Your Spirit moved over the deep and brought all things into being: sun, moon, and stars; earth, 12
winds, and waters; and every living thing. You made us in your image, and taught us to walk in your ways. But we rebelled against you, and wandered far away; and yet, as a mother cares for her children, you would not forget us. Time and again you called us to live in the fullness of your love. And so this day we join with Saints and Angels in the chorus of praise that rings through eternity, lifting our voices to magnify you as we say: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. The Celebrant continues with the prayer In the fullness of time bring us, with Peter, Philip, Mary and all your saints, from every tribe and language and people and nation, to feast at the banquet prepared from the foundation of the world. Through Christ and with Christ and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, to you be honor, glory, and praise, for ever and ever. Amen. The Lord’s Prayer (contemporary version) 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. The Breaking of the Bread The Celebrant breaks the consecrated bread. A period of silence is kept. Celebrant: Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; People: Therefore, let us keep the feast. Alleluia. 13
BCP 364
The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving. The Communion of the People Communion Music The Post-Communion Prayer During a Time of Separation Priest and people together Lord of the Feast, we thank you for gathering us as your people. We call to remembrance the many times we have been fed at your table and we lament our distance now. Be present Lord Jesus as you were present with your disciples, be known to us in the breaking of the bread, and may your Holy Spirit sustain us and all your Church until we can gather together again. We ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.
Sending Out The Blessing Closing Hymn: 66, Come, thou long expected Jesus
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Birthday & Anniversary Prayer BCP 830 O God, our times are in your hand: Look with favor, we pray, on your servants as they begin another year. Grant that they may grow in wisdom and grace; and strengthen their trust in your goodness all the days of their lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Announcements The Dismissal The people respond: Thanks be to God. Postlude: Trumpet in Dialogue
ClĂŠrambault
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