Second Saturday in Advent

Day 14

Opening

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Lord will save me,

and we will play my music on stringed instruments

all the days of our lives,

at the house of the Lord. (Isaiah 38:20)

Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,

that glory may dwell in our land.

Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;

righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Faithfulness springs up from the ground,

and righteousness looks down from the sky.

Yes, the Lord will give what is good,

and our land will yield its increase.

Righteousness will go before him

and make his footsteps a way. (Psalm 85:9-13)

The Lord will save me,

and we will play my music on stringed instruments

all the days of our lives,

at the house of the Lord. (Isaiah 38:20)

O Lord, open my lips,

And my mouth will declare Your praise. (Psalm 51:15)

Make haste, O God, to deliver me;

Make haste to help me, O Lord. (Psalm 70:1)

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever amen.

Father in Heaven, You are the giver of all good gifts, by Your grace may we be content with all that we have and not envy others for the things You have given them so that whether we stand in bounty or simplicity You may be glorified in us. We praise You for the greatest of all gifts, Your Son Jesus Christ Who has shown us Your good and perfect will. Glory to the Father we sing and glory to Christ our King and glory be to the Holy Spirit, one God blessed Trinity, now and forevermore. Amen.

If you are using an advent wreath, light the first and second candles now and pray:

Jesus Christ, You are the Light of the world that no darkness can overcome; for the shadow of death flees from You. Keep us from sin and straighten our path, so that we may be prepared for Your coming. Amen.

Meditation

The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord has long been foretold. It came to fruition at our Lord’s incarnation, and yet paradoxically it will not come to its completion until His return. Rather it is as if it began in a manger, followed the life of Jesus to His Great Work of Redemption upon the cross, the silence of the tomb, the glory of His resurrection and now lay in wait in the span of time between His ascension and return in glory at the end of the age. Sin has now been put to death in Christ and His Gospel (the most specific understanding of God’s Promises) now reigns freely. The Last enemy, Death itself, has been vanquished by Christ on the first Easter morn, and we now wait for its final dissolution when the dead are raised in Christ.

Throughout all ages God has spoken to His people in Laws and Promises. Laws to show us our sins and convict us of our transgressions. Laws that force us to turn and call upon God alone for our deliverance. God’s Promises are of deliverance and the coming of the Messiah. Promises to wipe away our sinfulness once and for all, restoring us to a relationship with God for all eternity, by His work and for His Name’s sake.

Take a moment now of reflective silence and ponder all that you have experienced on your Advent journey in this second week of promise and the relationship of Promise and its fruit of hope between our faithful God and His steadfast love towards His children who struggle on the way.

May the Lord bless you in this time of silent hope that both precedes and proceeds the Promises of God made complete in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scripture

O Lord, have mercy on us.

A reading from the Apocalypse of St. John, the twenty-first chapter.

Thanks be to God.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:1-14, 22-27)

In many and various ways, God spoke to His people by the prophets.

But now in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.

Prayers

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy,

Lord have mercy.

O Lord hear my prayer.

And let my cry come to You.

Lord God You are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and ending of all things for You order all things that You have made and bring Your plans to completion unto the ages of ages. You alone, Holy One of Israel, have made all things and You alone are God transcendent and separate from creation, for YOU ARE and all other things have their being and sustenance from You. You alone are the God who creates, and is not created. Father You hide Your Holy face from Your creation in mercy, for before Your face fallen humanity would perish forever. Yet You are not distant and alien, for You sent Your Son in the likeness of human flesh to become our head. By the blood of Jesus You do continually cleanse us, and in our baptisms You have sealed us in the death of Christ and keep us in Your care until all tombs are made empty. Make our confession strong by faith until the day that all tongues confess that Jesus is Lord. Amen.

Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;

Give us this day our daily bread;

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy,

Lord have mercy. Amen.