O Sapentia

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 wisdom strange,

from deep within God’s womb to range

the earth at midnight’s hour of fears

to make us wise beyond our years.

Rejoice! Rejoice! our God shall leap

with light that rouses us from sleep.

From Psalm 131, In Te, Domine, Speravi

In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge; let me never be |put to shame; *

deliver me |in your righteousness. 

Incline your |ear to me; * make haste to de-|liver me.


Be my strong rock, a castle to |keep me safe, *


for you are my crag |and my stronghold; 


for the sake |of your name, *

lead |me and guide me.


Take me out of the net that they have secretly |set for me, *


for you are my tow-|er of strength. 


Into your hands I com-|mend my spirit, * 


for you have redeemed me, O Lord, O |God of truth. 


I will rejoice and be glad because |of your mercy; *


for you have seen my affliction; you know |my distress. 


You have not shut me up in the power |of the enemy; *


you have set my feet in an |open place.


Love the Lord, all you who |worship God; *

the Lord protects the faithful,


but repays to the full those |who act haughtily. 


Be strong and let your |heart take courage, *

all you who wait |for the Lord.

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 – Zechariah 7.8-8.8

The word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgements, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear. They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. Just as, when I called, they would not hear, so, when they called, I would not hear, says the Lord of hosts, and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and a pleasant land was made desolate.

The word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age.And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the Lord of hosts? Thus says the Lord of hosts: I will save my people from the east country and from the west country; and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.

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:

all whose task it is to render judgement;

all widows, widowers and orphans;

all who reside as aliens in the lands of others. 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 wait in these silent days,

place in our hands the lamps of truth and love and courage,

that we may strive with those powers that rise in the darkness

until the desires of all our hearts are fulfilled in the Presence of Jesus. 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.