Week of December 1-6
ADVENT I
NEIGHBOR AS RULE OF LIFE
Sunday, December 1
Opening Prayer:
Our times are in your hands:
But we count our times for us;
we count our days and fill them with us;
we count our weeks and fill them with our busyness;
we count our years and fill them with fears.
And we then get caught up short with your claim,
Our times are in your hands!
Take our times, times of love and times of weariness,
Take them all, bless them and break them,
Give them to us again,
slow paced and eager,
fixed in your readiness for neighbor.
Occupy our calendars,
Flood us with itsy-bitsy, daily kairoi,
In the name of your fleshed Kairos. Amen[1]
Silence
Prayers of Thanksgiving:
Gracious and upright is the Lord;
therefore he teaches sinners in his way.
He guides the humble in doing right
and teaches his way to the lowly.
All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness
to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
(Psalm 25:7-9)
What items of thanksgiving and praise do we offer to the One that leads us in paths of love and faithfulness?
The Lord’s Prayer
Scripture Reading:
Luke 21:25-36
What are our traps individually and as a Church that weigh us down and keeps us from being alert for the time when we shall be called to stand before the Son of Man?
Prayers of Intercession:
“Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:11-13)
What needs do we raise to God as we wait for the coming of Jesus with all his saints?
Closing Prayer
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 for ever. Amen.
Sunday Lectionary: Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-9; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36
Monday, December 2
Opening Prayer:
In our secret yearnings
we wait for your coming,
and in our grinding despair
we doubt that you will.
And in this privileged place
we are surrounded by witnesses who yearn more than we do
and by those who despair more deeply than do we.
Look upon your Church and her pastors
in this season of hope
which runs so quickly to fatigue
and this season of yearning
which becomes so easily quarrelsome.
Give us the grace and the impatience
to wait for your coming to the bottom of our toes,
to the edge of our finger tips.
We do not want our several worlds to end.
Come in your power.
and come in your weakness
in any case
make all things new.
Amen.[2]
Silence (2 minutes)
Benedictus (together)
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)
Prayers of Thanksgiving:
Like Paul, we give thanks for all of you, constantly remembering your works of faith, labors of love, and steadfastness of hope as we watch and wait together in the name of Jesus the Christ. (1 Thes. 1:2-3).
What praises and thanksgivings do we offer to the living and true God?
The Lord’s Prayer
Scripture Reading:
Isaiah 1:10-20
The Prophet issues a warning of judgment against nations. As we begin our own solemn festivals this Advent season, marked with long prayers and solemn assemblies, how might our hands be full of blood? What might we need to offer to God to be cleansed so we might together eat the good of the land this new year?
Prayers of Intercession:
Those whose take delight in the law of the Lord are planted like trees by streams of water. In all of their seasons of life, they bear fruit and do not whither. (Ps. 1:1-3)
What areas of our lives are dry and need Living Water while we wait together? What needs of our neighbors do we lift to the Lord of Love?
Closing Prayer
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 for ever. Amen.
Daily Office Lectionary:Psalm 1, 2, & 3; Isaiah 1:10-20; 1 Thess. 1:1-10; Luke 20:1-8
Tuesday, December 3
Opening Prayer:
Oh Christ, while we wait for you, do not let us be like those wicked workers in the vineyard—hoarding its bounty and failing to give the owner of the vineyard their due (Luke 20:9-18). Cleanse us by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit of our deceit and greed, that we might instead gently care for the vineyard like a nurse, living lives that seed the Gospel and fertilize it by sharing of our very selves. (1 Thes. 2:1-18).
Silence (2 minutes)
Benedictus (together)
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)
Prayers of Thanksgiving:
Let all take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover them with favor as with a shield. (Ps. 5:11-12)
For what joys do we sing and exult in God today?
The Lord’s Prayer
Scripture Reading:
Isaiah 1:21-31
What warning does the Prophet offer a nation that sees itself as blessed by God? Within the warning, what Hope is offered?
Prayers of Intercession:
In the first of the Church’s Penitential Psalms, the Psalmist raises their anxieties, fears, and physical infirmities to God, who hears the sounds of our weeping. (Ps. 6)
What needs of our own, our neighbor, and our world do weep to God for today?
Closing Prayer
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 for ever. Amen.
Daily Office Lectionary: Psalm 5 & 6; Isaiah 1:21-31; 1 Thess. 2:1-12; Luke 20:9-18
Wednesday, December 4
Opening Prayer:
“Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways that we may walk in his path.” (Isaiah 2:3).
Silence (2 minutes)
Benedictus (together)
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)
Prayers of Thanksgiving:
Paul gives thanks for the Thessalonians who believed the Word they heard, and which went to work in them! (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
Who in our lives do we give thanks for?
The Lord’s Prayer
Scripture Reading:
Luke 20:19-26
Adventus was the communal time of preparation for and formal celebration of the arrival of the Emperor into a city. What of God’s do we render unto the emperor? As we wait with the Early Church this Advent, what does it mean to us that “Jesus is Lord” not the emperor?
Prayers of Intercession:
The vision of Isaiah is that all the nations will stream to the house of the Lord and we will beat our spears into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks. (Isaiah 2:1-4)
As we long for that day, what needs of our lives, of our neighbors, and of our world need peace today?
Closing Prayer
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 for ever. Amen.
Daily Office Lectionary: Psalm 119:1-24; Isaiah 2:1-11; 1 Thess. 2:13-20; Luke 20:19-26
Thursday, December 5
Opening Prayer:
I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies. (Psalm 18:1-3).
Silence (2 minutes)
Benedictus (together)
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)
Prayers of Thanksgiving:
God reached down from on high, he took me; he drew me out of mighty waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity; but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. (Psalm 18:16-19)
What broad places in our lives do we give thanks to God for?
The Lord’s Prayer
Scripture Reading:
Luke 20:27-40
Today in our contemporary context, how do we misunderstand eternal life and the resurrection? What would it mean if eternal life was accessible to us/in us in the here and now?
Prayers of Intercession:
“Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:11-13)
What needs do we raise to God as we wait for the coming of Jesus with all his saints?
Closing Prayer
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 for ever. Amen.
Daily Office Lectionary: Psalm 18:1-20; Isaiah 2:11-22; 1 Thess. 3:8-13; Luke 20:27-40
Friday, December 6
Opening Prayer:
My heart is glad and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16: 9-11)
Silence (2 minutes)
Benedictus (together)
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)
Prayers of Thanksgiving:
Jesus also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”. (Luke 21:2-3)
Even if we feel our resources are meager and we don’t know how we will make it through the day, can we like the widow find something today to give thanks for?
The Lord’s Prayer
Scripture Reading:
Isaiah 3:8-15 &/or Luke 20:45-21:3
In our day where cities have multi-million dollar church structures with the homeless and food insecure families a mere stone’s throw away, how do these warnings from the Hebrew Bible and/or the Gospel strike us today?
Prayers of Intercession:
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words. Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge in you from the adversaries at their right hand. Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings….” (Psalm 17:6-8)
What needs do we raise to God whose ear is already inclined to hear us?
Closing Prayer
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 for ever. Amen.
Daily Office Lectionary: Psalm 16 & 17; Isiaih 3:8-15; 1 Thess. 4:1-12; Luke 20:41-21:4
Saturday, December 7
Opening Prayer:
Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power. (Psalm 21:13)
Silence (2 minutes)
Benedictus (together)
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)
Prayers of Thanksgiving:
While we wait for the day “that the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be our pride and glory” (Isaiah 4:2), we are able now to find God’s gifts in our midst.
What thanksgivings do we offer God this day of rest?
The Lord’s Prayer
Scripture Reading:
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
How do we need encouragement today as we wait for the archangel’s call and the sound of God’s trumpet together?
Prayers of Intercession:
But not a hair on your head will perish. By your endurance, you will gain your souls. (Luke 21:18-19)
What areas of our lives do we need endurance as we wait? What needs of our neighbors do we raise to God?
Closing Prayer
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 for ever. Amen.
Daily Office Lectionary: Psalm 20 & 21; Isaiah 4:2-6; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Luke 21:5-19
[1] Searcy, Edwin, ed. “Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann,” p. 147.
[2] Searcy, Edwin, ed. “Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann,” p. 148.
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