Holy One, open our lips:
and we shall proclaim your praise.
Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal Word and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.
PSALMODY
OPENING
O Come, O Come, thou lion brave,
and call the cow’ring from their cave,
course through our veins with thrilling roar,
inspire with courage, strength and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Together we
the lion, lamb and child shall see.
From Psalm 130, De profundis
Out |of the depths * have I called |you, O Lord;
Lord, |hear my voice; *
let your ears consider well the voice of my |supplication.
If you, Lord, were to note what is |done amiss, *
O Lord, |who could stand?
For there is forgive-|ness with you; *
therefore you |shall be feared.
I wait for you, O Lord; my soul |waits for you; *
in your word |is my hope.
My soul waits for |you, O Lord, *
more than sentinels |for the morning.
All you people, wait |for the Lord, *
for with the Lord |there is mercy;
with God there is plen-|teous redemption, *
the Lord shall redeem the people from |all their sins.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.
Closing
Reading – 2 Peter 3.11-18
Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.
Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
SILENCE
Responsory
There is a longing, deep within us,
to be with you, O God.
We are expectant
of your coming to walk the earth.
BENEDICTUS
Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,*
for he 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 he promised of old*
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our forebears,*
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he 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.
You my 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.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.
PRAYERS
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
On this day, lift into the blessing of God’s compassionate gaze:
those who live in fear and hiding, that they may learn to roar;
all who work to rehabilitate the brutalised;
all who living with trauma. Amen.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Do not bring us to the time of trial, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Collect
Gracious God,
as we await the great entering of your love
in human form outpoured,
we ask you to gestate in us those desires that you will for us,
that we may greet you fearlessly and joyfully
on the day of your coming. Amen.
Blessing
As we go from this place,
help us to remember that we are cradled in your loving hand,
developing alongside our brother, Jesus
and gifted with life by your Holy breath. Amen.
St Ternans Banchory 