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O Holy ONE + open my lips,
~And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
Blest is the One who comes in the NAME of our God
~Hosanna in the highest!
ADVENT MORNING HYMN
Come, watch and wait, the prophet cries, For Christ will come and not delay:
Love grows impatient for beloved, And Christ is love, and must obey
The heart’s demand to seek us out. He will not stay too long away.
Come, fell the hills, the prophet shouts, And raise the valleys’ jagged edge,
And smooth the plains and pave the road, For Christ will run to keep the pledge
That God has made to meet us here As we pour in from field and hedge.
Come, rouse the house, the prophet warns, Awaken all who lie abed;
Get up and set the table now For Christ will come as he has said
To fill our cups with festal wine and give himself as living bread.
Come, lift your heads, the prophet calls, For Christ our light will soon be here.
The night is fading as we watch, Salvation’s dawn is drawing near;
The day approaches from the east, And Christ our Sun must now appear!
Text: Genevieve Glen, OSB (C) Benedictine Nuns of the Abbey of St. Walburga
PSALMODY
Those who wish may sing alternate verses with the cantor.
Antiphon
You provide, O God, for the Earth; abundance flows in your steps.
Psalm 64/65
To You our praise is due
O God in Zion
To You do we commit our lives,
for you are the One who hears our prayer.
To you do we come
when we have gone astray.
When our transgressions weigh us down
You are the One who sets us free.
Blessed are those you invite
and welcome to your dwelling.
You fill us with the bounty of your house,
and the holiness of your temple.
You keep your promise with wonders,
O Adonai, our savior,
You are the hope of all on Earth
even the most distant isles.
Clothed in power and strength
You uphold and steady the mountains;
You still the roaring of the seas
(restless waves and raging nations).
People everywhere stand amazed:
You fill them from east to west with your joy.
You tend and water the land,
and it yields a great harvest.
You fill your springs,
ready the seeds, and prepare the grain.
You soak the furrows and level the ridges;
With softening rain you bless its growth.
You crown the year with your goodness,
All you touch comes alive:
Abundance flows in your steps,
In fields and meadows it flows.
The hills are dressed with joy,
the pastures covered with flocks.
the valleys wrap themselves in grain,
They shout for joy and break into song:
Glory to the ONE through the WORD
In the BREATH of Love!
As always before, so now and evermore. Amen
You provide, O God, for the Earth; abundance flows in your steps.
Reading: Isaiah 40: 30-31
Adonai gives power to the faint and for those who have no might, the Holy One gives an increase in strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary and young athletes shall fall exhausted; but those who wait for Adonai shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Responsory
R. Shine forth from your cherubim throne, * rouse up your might and come!
V. Let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.* rouse up your might and come!
Canticle of Zachary: Luke 1:68-79
The Gospel Canticle is accompanied by an antiphon based on the feast or Gospel of the day.
Antiphon:
Come to me all you who labor and are over burdened and I will give you rest.
Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart
and you will find rest for your souls.
It is customary to make the sign of the cross at the beginning of the Gospel Canticle.
Blessed + be Adonai, the God of Israel,
Who visits this people to set us free
Raising for us a sign of salvation
In the house and family of David.
God promised throughout past ages
In words of holy prophets
To save us from our enemies,
And from the control of our oppressors.
Adonai favored our ancestors
And remembered the sacred covenant.
The pledge to Abraham and Sarah
Is now renewed for us;
That freed from the grip of our foes
We might worship without fear
And be both just and holy
For the rest of our days.
And you, child, called “prophet of the Most High,”
Will go ahead to prepare the way,
By teaching this people of salvation
Through forgiveness of their sins.
For the loving compassion of the Holy One
As the Rising Sun will shine upon us
To illumine the darkness and dispel death’s shadow
To guide our feet on the way of peace.
Glory to the ONE through the WORD
In the BREATH of Love!
As always before, so now and evermore. Amen
Come to me all you who labor and are over burdened and I will give you rest.
Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart
and you will find rest for your souls.
Intercessory Prayer
Let us pray to the Christ, the joy of all who wait for his coming: ~Come Lord Jesus
As God’s eternal Word, You existed before the ages of ages: ~Come and save us in the present age.
You made the world and all it contains:
~ Come and save the work of your hands.
You assumed our humanity, with all its mortality:
~Come and save us from the bonds of the grave.
You came forth from the freshness of the Virgin Mary
~Come and give fresh life to a world in decay.
You taught us to pray:
Our Father …
Closing Prayer & Blessing
Stir up our hearts, O God, and by the coming of Jesus Christ, free us from the fear that leads to arrogance, hoarding and war; and bring us all together into your beloved community where you live and reign in the glory and power of Love, now and forever. Amen.
May the peace of the Holy ONE which surpasses all understanding + guard our hearts and our minds in Jesus-our Emmanuel.
Let us bless the world with peace. ~And give thanks to God.