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PRELUDE: People of the Night Anderson
SURELY THE PRESENCE Worship #131
PROCESSIONAL HYMN: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Hymnal #56
OPENING ACCLAMATION
Celebrant Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
People And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
TRISAGION: Hymnal S-102
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Celebrant The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Let us pray.
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
FIRST READING: Isaiah 11.1-10
This is one of the many Old Testament prophecies which the early Church interpreted as a prediction of the coming of Jesus Christ. Without question it envisions a messianic figure born "of the stump of Jesse." This colorful phrase refers to Israel's ancient hope for another king born of David's line.
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
Reader Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
People Thanks be to God.
from Psalm 72 (from The Book of Common Prayer)
This messianic poem was probably originally written for some royal occasion such as the monarch's coronation or as a liturgical celebration of the new year when the king was reaffirmed as God's chosen leader of Israel.
1 Give the King your justice, O God, *
and your righteousness to the King’s Son;
2 That he may rule your people righteously *
and the poor with justice.
3 That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
and the little hills bring righteousness.
4 He shall defend the needy among the people; *
he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.
5 He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *
from one generation to another.
6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *
like showers that water the earth.
7 In his time shall the righteous flourish; *
there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.
18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, *
who alone does wondrous deeds!
19 And blessed be his glorious Name for ever! *
and may all the earth be filled with his glory. Amen. Amen.
SECOND READING: Romans 15.4-13
The church in Rome in Paul's time included both Jews and Gentiles. Paul appears to be justifying why Jesus had to be a Jew by quoting from the Jewish scriptures. He also claims that this was so that Gentiles as well as Jews might be faithful to God through the power of the Holy Spirit.
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name"; and again he says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people"; and again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him"; and again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope." May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Reader Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
People Thanks be to God.
SEQUENCE HYMN: On Jordan’s bank Hymnal #76
GOSPEL: Matthew 3.1-12
John the Baptist appeared as the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 40 that the Messiah would be preceded by a forerunner calling Israel to repentance. John's message was particularly harsh. The baptism he offered was the symbol of a sincere repentance, and moral renewal in preparation for the coming of the Messiah/Christ. It is entirely possible that Jesus was not only related to John the Baptist as Luke 1:36 implies, but may have spent some time
as a disciple of John. In John 1:36‑39 we also find that some of John's disciples left John and joined Jesus' followers.
Gospeler The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
People Glory to you. Lord Christ.
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'" Now John wore clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Gospeler The Gospel of the Lord.
People Praise to you, Lord Christ.
SEQUENCE HYMN: On Jordan’s bank Hymnal #76
THE SERMON
THE CREED
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Intercessor
I ask your prayers for God’s people throughout the world; for Sarah, the Archbishop of Canterbury-elect; our Sean, our Presiding Bishop; Doug, our Bishop; Tom, our Rector; Mary, our Deacon; for The Church of Bangladesh; and for this gathering; and for all ministers and people. Pray for the Church. Silence
I ask your prayers for peace; for goodwill among nations; and for the well-being of all people. Pray for justice and peace. Silence
I ask your prayers for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the oppressed, and those in prison. Pray for those in any need or trouble. Silence
I ask your prayers for all who seek God, or a deeper knowledge of him. Pray that they may find and be found by him. Silence
I ask your prayers for the departed. Pray for those who have died. Silence
I ask your prayers for__________ .
I ask your thanksgiving for those celebrating the anniversary of their birth,; and those celebrating the anniversary of the marriage. Silence
Praise God for those in every generation in whom Christ has been honored. Pray that we may have grace to glorify Christ in our own day.
Almighty God, who created us in your own image: Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, and nurture victims of violence and warfare throughout your world, to the glory of your Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
THE PEACE
Celebrant The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People And also with you.
Offertory: Prophets Knew Larson
The Holy Communion
DOXOLOGY: Praise God from whom all blessings flow Old 100th
The Great Thanksgiving: Eucharistic Prayer C
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 him thanks and praise.
God of all power, Ruler of the Universe, you are worthy of glory and praise.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
At your command all things came to be: the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses, and this fragile earth, our island home.
By your will they were created and have their being.
From the primal elements you brought forth the human race, and blessed us with memory, reason, and skill. You made us the rulers of creation. But we turned against you, and betrayed your trust; and we turned against one another.
Have mercy, Lord, for we are sinners in your sight.
Again and again, you called us to return. Through prophets and sages you revealed your righteous Law. And in the fullness of time you sent your only Son, born of a woman, to fulfill your Law, to open for us the way of freedom and peace.
By his blood, he reconciled us. By his wounds, we are healed.
And therefore we praise you, joining with the heavenly chorus, with prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and with all those in every generation who have looked to you in hope, to proclaim with them your glory, in their unending hymn:
SANCTUS
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