First Sunday Advent – Evening Prayer
Let us praise our loving God.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
First Psalm - Psalm 117
Antiphon: With prayerful pleas and longings, we await the birth of God's Anointed
One.
Praise the Lord all you nations!
Give glory all you peoples!
The Lord's love for us is strong;
The Lord is faithful forever.
Hallelujah!
Second Psalm - An Advent Psalm
Antiphon: Let us be disarmed and vulnerable, for only through open hands and hearts
can Emmanuel come.
We await Your birth, Son of Mary, Son of God.
Purify our hearts and minds that we may be ready for the Incarnate Word.
Let us learn from dear Joseph to silently prepare, with love and tenderness, for the
moment of Mary's delivery of the Prince of Peace to the world.
Reading - Isaiah, 9:1-5
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light.;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing.
As they rejoice before you, as at the harvest,
as men make merry when diving spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder
and the rod of their taskmaster
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.
For every boot that tramped in battle,
every cloak rolled in blood,
will be burned as fuel for flames,
For a child is born to us, a son is given us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father - Forever, Prince of Peace.
Magnificat of Waiting for the Fullness of time
Antiphon: Jesus, in Mary, we await your coming with loving expectation.
My soul reflects quietly on your fullness,
and my spirit grows stronger in the hope of your promise,
God my redeemer, because you have filled me with the
knowing that you are alive within me,
Yes, day by day through the course of time
my awareness of the call to blessed fulfillment increases
for you have done great things in me.
Holy is this time,
and patience is your gift
to all who nurture the seed of your love
You have changed my life;
I was so confident in my unknowing.
You have deflected my fervent thrust toward iron-clad goals,
and spread before me your vision of fragile simplicity.
My longing to be a healing and reconciling person to your people
is affirmed within the daily comings and goings of my life;
my illusions of my own wholeness are mercifully revealed.
You are here now in this seeming emptiness of waiting,
remembering your intent.
,,, according to the promise made in the beginning of time.....
remembering your intent to reach through the work of my life
that your fullness may be known now, in our time.
Ann Johnson
Intercessions - based on Luke 1 & 2
Mother of God, you risked saying yes to being pregnant with the seed of the Holy One,
- may I also overcome my fears and take the risks that spiritual growth requires of me.
Mother of God, you offered the hospitality of your womb as a dwelling place for the Holy
One,
- may I continually open the womb of my heart to all who need a welcome there.
Mother of God, you awaited the long nine months of the child's gestation,
- may I wait patiently when spiritual growth seems to come far too slowly.
Mother of God, you did not know how the birth of your child would affect your life,
- may I trust in God's presence to protect and guide me when I face uncertainty.
Mother of God, you cared for and nurtured the divine life within you,
- may I daily do the same through faithfulness to prayer and virtuous action.
Mother of God, you experienced the pain of contractions as you birthed the Holy One,
- may I have the courage to bear the pains of my inner growth.
Mother of God, you found kinship with your cousin, Elizabeth,
- may I recognize the Elizabeths who sustain and encourage me.
Mother of God, you felt the child within you stirring and kicking,
- may I deepen my awareness of God's stirrings in the midst of my life.
Joyce Rupp, out of the ordinary, Feast of the Mother of God
Our Father ...
Prayer:
Light of the universe. Come to us soon. We need Your brilliance in our darkened,
topsy-turvy world. Illumine our paths, assist us on the rocky roads, that we not stumble,
but persevere until You, Jesus, show us Your Face. Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus, Come!
Prepared by De Chappotin Community