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(c) 2010, Linda Witte Henke (www.lindahenke.com). All rights reserved.
Posted here with permission of the artist.
O Emmanuel, Rex et Legifer noster,
Expectatio gentium, et Salvator earum:
veni ad salvandum nos Domine Deus noster!
Service of Light
Greeting/Invocation
We light four Candles on the Advent Wreath, and say or sing:
Light and Peace in Jesus Christ our Lord!
~Thanks be to God!
Let your face shine on us, O God;
~And we shall be saved.
ADVENT EVENING HYMN
We sing the appropriate verse from this well-known and beloved Advent Carol
O come, O come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel.
O come, Desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all humankind;
O bid our sad divisions cease, and be for us our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel.
O come, O Dayspring from on high And cheer us by your drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death’s dark shadow put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel.
O come, O Key of David, come, and open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel.
O come O Flow’r of Jesse’s stem, From every foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow’r to save, And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel.
O come, O come, great Lord of might, who to your tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law, in cloud, and majesty, and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel.
O come, O Wisdom from on high, Who orders all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show, And teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel.
SERVICE OF THE WORD
PSALMODY
Psalm 115/116
Now the days of Mary have come to term,
and she will deliver her firstborn son.
I trust in God, even when I say,
“I am sorely afflicted,”
I believe, even when I cry out,
“Everyone is lying!”
What gift can repay Adonai
for such goodness to me?
I will raise the cup of freedom
as I call on the Holy Name!
And I will fulfill all my vows
in the presence of the people.
Adonai you hate to see
your faithful ones perish and die.
It is I, the servant you love
the one you have freed from bondage,
who calls to you now for help.
I bring an offering of thanks
as I call on your Name.
I fulfill my vows to you, Adonai
standing before your assembly,
in the courts of your house, my God,
in the very heart of Jerusalem.
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
And to the BREATH of Love!
As always before,
so now and evermore. Amen
Now the days of Mary have come to term,
and she will deliver her firstborn son.
READING — 2 Peter 3:8-9
In God’s eyes, one day is as a thousand years and thousand years are as a single day. God does not delay in keeping the promise–though it may seem to some like a delay. Rather, God shows you generous patience, wanting none of you to perish but all to wake up and change the direction of your lives.
Silent Reflection
Responsory
R. O Judah and Jerusalem, do not be afraid: *you will see the salvation worked by our God. V. In the morning you will go forth and God will be with you. *you will see the salvation worked by our God.
Canticle of Mary Luke 1:46-55
O Emmanuel, our Sovereign and Lawgiver,
the expectation of all nations and the One-who-Saves them;
come to save us all, O Adonai, our God!
It is customary to make the sign of the cross at the beginning of the Gospel Canticle.
My heart + is radiant with the Lord,
My whole being delights in God my Savior.
All people now will call me blessed
For God has loved this humble handmaid.
The Almighty has shown me great favor
Holy is the NAME,
Whose mercy embraces the faithful,
From one generation to the next.
The mighty arm of God,
Scatters the proud in their own conceit,
Pulls tyrants from their thrones
While lifting up the lowly:
Fills the famished with bounty,
And reveals the emptiness of riches.
Rescues lowly Israel,
Sharing such loving kindness,
As promised to our ancestors
To Abraham and Sarah, and their descendants forever.
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
and to the BREATH of Love!
As always before,
so now and evermore. Amen
O Emmanuel, our Sovereign and Lawgiver,
the expectation of all nations and the One-who-Saves them;
come to save us all, O Adonai, our God!
SERVICE OF PRAYER
Litany of Intercession
Lord Jesus, light for those who wait in darkness; Lord, have mercy.
~Lord, have mercy.
Christ Jesus, joyous song for those who have no voice; Christ, have mercy.
~Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, dance of freedom for those paralyzed by fear;
Lord, have mercy. ~Lord, have mercy.
Christ Jesus, healing balm for all who suffer from illness or injury;
Christ, have mercy. ~Christ have mercy.
Lord Jesus, consoling embrace for those who grieve the death of loved ones;
Lord, have mercy. ~Lord, have mercy.
Christ Jesus, strength of all who struggle for justice;
Christ, have mercy. ~Christ have mercy.
Prayer of Jesus
Lord Jesus, you taught us to pray…
Our Father …
Final Prayer and Blessing
Gracious God, you fulfilled your promise to be-with-us in Jesus, our Emmanuel. His way of living among us reveals that your will can indeed be done on Earth as it is in heaven. His way of loving is the hope and expectation of all nations. As we prepare our homes and tables for sharing the coming feast, may we prepare our hearts to receive his Spirit so that we can share his life and love with all your people. We ask this in the name of our Emmanuel Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
All may make the sign of the Cross as we say:
May the One who makes peace rain down from the heights,
+ shower us and all on Earth with freedom and new life.
~ Amen.
Let us bless the world with peace.
~And give thanks to God.
Those who wish may end evening prayer with the Marian Antiphon for Advent.
Marian Antiphon
Loving Mother of our Savior, holding open heaven’s only hope, Star for steerage in this vastness, rise to help us, save the sinking. Nature’s greatest Wonder: you have borne your own true Maker, giving human life to him. Virgin ever, before and after, that Good News from Gabriel, Word of Life for living, tell it now: mercy to all people!
The angel of the Lord brought the message to Mary.
~ And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray. We ask, O Lord, that we who have been privileged to receive the Good News of the Incarnation of Christ, you Son, may be prepared through his passion and cross to approach also the glory of his resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.