Advent
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. Isaiah 40:5

Confession of Sin

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

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

The Invitatory and Psalter

O God make speed to save us, O Lord make haste to help us

O Gracious Light,
pure brightness of everliving Father in heaven
O Jesus Christ holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun
and our eyes behold the vesper light
we sing your praises O God: Father Son and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices
O Son of God, O Giver of Life
and to be glorified through all worlds.
Our King and Savior now draws near: Come, let us adore him.

?The Psalms are unique for the evening, the other lessions can be read in total or those you have not included in Morning Prayer

The Lessons

Psalm 111

⁽¹⁾ Praise the LORD. I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. ⁽²⁾ Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them. ⁽³⁾ Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. ⁽⁴⁾ He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate.

⁽⁵⁾ He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. ⁽⁶⁾ He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations. ⁽⁷⁾ The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. ⁽⁸⁾ They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.

⁽⁹⁾ He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever-- holy and awesome is his name. ⁽¹⁰⁾ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal 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.

Psalm 112

⁽¹⁾ Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. ⁽²⁾ His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. ⁽³⁾ Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. ⁽⁴⁾ Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

⁽⁵⁾ Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. ⁽⁶⁾ Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. ⁽⁷⁾ He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. ⁽⁸⁾ His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

⁽⁹⁾ He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor. ⁽¹⁰⁾ The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

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.

Psalm 113

⁽¹⁾ Praise the LORD. Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. ⁽²⁾ Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore. ⁽³⁾ From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised. ⁽⁴⁾ The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens.

⁽⁵⁾ Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, ⁽⁶⁾ who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? ⁽⁷⁾ He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; ⁽⁸⁾ he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.

⁽⁹⁾ He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD.

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.

Psalm 116

⁽¹⁾ I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. ⁽²⁾ Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. ⁽³⁾ The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. ⁽⁴⁾ Then I called on the name of the LORD: 'O LORD, save me!'

⁽⁵⁾ The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. ⁽⁶⁾ The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. ⁽⁷⁾ Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. ⁽⁸⁾ For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,

⁽⁹⁾ that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living. ⁽¹⁰⁾ I believed; therefore I said, 'I am greatly afflicted.' ⁽¹¹⁾ And in my dismay I said, 'All men are liars.' ⁽¹²⁾ How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?

⁽¹³⁾ I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. ⁽¹⁴⁾ I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. ⁽¹⁶⁾ O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.

⁽¹⁷⁾ I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD. ⁽¹⁸⁾ I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, ⁽¹⁹⁾ in the courts of the house of the LORD-- in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.

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.

Psalm 117

⁽¹⁾ Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. ⁽²⁾ For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.

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.

Isaiah Chapter 1

⁽¹⁾ The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. ⁽²⁾ Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: 'I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. ⁽³⁾ The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner's manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.' ⁽⁴⁾ Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.

⁽⁵⁾ Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted. ⁽⁶⁾ From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness-- only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil. ⁽⁷⁾ Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire; your fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when overthrown by strangers. ⁽⁸⁾ The Daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a field of melons, like a city under siege.

⁽⁹⁾ Unless the LORD Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

2 Peter Chapter 3

⁽¹⁾ Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. ⁽²⁾ I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. ⁽³⁾ First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. ⁽⁴⁾ They will say, 'Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.'

⁽⁵⁾ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. ⁽⁶⁾ By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. ⁽⁷⁾ By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. ⁽⁸⁾ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

⁽⁹⁾ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. ⁽¹⁰⁾ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Matthew Chapter 25

⁽¹⁾ At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ⁽²⁾ Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ⁽³⁾ The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁽⁴⁾ The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.

⁽⁵⁾ The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. ⁽⁶⁾ At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' ⁽⁷⁾ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁽⁸⁾ The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'

⁽⁹⁾ 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' ⁽¹⁰⁾ But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. ⁽¹¹⁾ Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' ⁽¹²⁾ But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'

⁽¹³⁾ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

?A canticle is a hymn, or other Christian song of praise with lyrics taken from biblical texts

The Canticles

The Song of Mary       Magnificat Luke 1:46-55  
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

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.


The Song of Simeon       Nunc Dimittis Luke 2:29-32  
Lord, you now have set your servant free
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.

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.


The Apostles' Creed
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 Lord's Prayer   Traditional
Suffrages     A

Seasonal Collect:  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 forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: O God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore: Let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you all tongues confess and bless you, and men and women everywhere love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Personal Prayers and Reflection

This is a time to pause, consider and listen. Pray for yourself and others.


Closing Prayers   Thanksgiving

Conclude with following
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14



This concludes the Daily Morning Prayer
Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord