The Great O Antiphons: A Service for Advent 2
Opening Prayer
The Spirit and the church cry out:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
All those who await his appearance pray:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The whole creation pleads:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
All those who await his appearance pray:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The whole creation pleads:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
A candle burns, the first marker of our Advent journey.
As we set out, may we travel full of hope.
As we set out, God of journeys, let your hope travel with us.
A candle burns, the second marker of our Advent journey.
As we continue, may we seek to find peace.
As we continue, God of journeys, speak to us of peace.
As we set out, may we travel full of hope.
As we set out, God of journeys, let your hope travel with us.
A candle burns, the second marker of our Advent journey.
As we continue, may we seek to find peace.
As we continue, God of journeys, speak to us of peace.
Collect
Almighty God, who sent your servant John the Baptist to prepare your people to welcome the Messiah, inspire us, the ministers and stewards of your truth, to turn our disobedient hearts to you, that when the Christ shall come again to be our judge, we may stand with confidence before his glory; who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, no and for ever. Amen.
Almighty God, who sent your servant John the Baptist to prepare your people to welcome the Messiah, inspire us, the ministers and stewards of your truth, to turn our disobedient hearts to you, that when the Christ shall come again to be our judge, we may stand with confidence before his glory; who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, no and for ever. Amen.
The Second Antiphon: O Lord!
O Lord, and leader of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.
Lord Jesus, come soon!
O Lord, and leader of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.
Lord Jesus, come soon!
O Adonai by Malcolm Guite
Unsayable, you chose to speak one tongue;
Unseeable, you gave yourself away;
The Adonai, the Tetragramaton,
Grew by a wayside in the light of day.
O you who dared to be a tribal God,
To own a language, people and a place,
Who chose to be exploited and betrayed,
If so you might be met with face to face:
Come to us here, who would not find you there,
Who chose to know the skin and not the pith,
Who heard no more than thunder in the air,
Who marked the mere events and not the myth;
Touch the bare branches of our unbelief
And blaze again like fire in every leaf.
A brief silence for reflection.
The Third Antiphon: O Root of Jesse!
O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples; before you kings will shut their mouths, to you the nations will make their prayer: come and deliver us, and delay no longer.
Lord Jesus, come soon!
O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples; before you kings will shut their mouths, to you the nations will make their prayer: come and deliver us, and delay no longer.
Lord Jesus, come soon!
O Radix by Malcolm Guite
All of us sprung from one deep-hidden seed,
Rose from a root invisible to all.
We knew the virtues once of every weed,
But, severed from the roots of ritual,
We surf the surface of a wide-screen world
And find no virtue in the virtual.
We shrivel on the edges of a wood
Whose heart we once inhabited in love,
Now we have need of you, forgotten Root,
The stock and stem of every living thing
Whom once we worshipped in the sacred grove,
For now is winter, now is withering
Unless we let you root us deep within,
Under the ground of being, graft us in
All of us sprung from one deep-hidden seed,
Rose from a root invisible to all.
We knew the virtues once of every weed,
But, severed from the roots of ritual,
We surf the surface of a wide-screen world
And find no virtue in the virtual.
We shrivel on the edges of a wood
Whose heart we once inhabited in love,
Now we have need of you, forgotten Root,
The stock and stem of every living thing
Whom once we worshipped in the sacred grove,
For now is winter, now is withering
Unless we let you root us deep within,
Under the ground of being, graft us in
The Readings
A Reading from the Book of Isaiah 40.1-11
Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.
A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
A voice says, “Cry out!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All people are grass,
their constancy is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades;
but the word of our God will stand forever.
Get you up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good tidings;
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,
lift it up, do not fear;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
See, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms,
and carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead the mother sheep.
A Reading from the Book of Isaiah 40.1-11
Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.
A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
A voice says, “Cry out!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All people are grass,
their constancy is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades;
but the word of our God will stand forever.
Get you up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good tidings;
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,
lift it up, do not fear;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
See, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms,
and carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead the mother sheep.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be the God.
Psalm 85.1-2, 8-13
Lord, you were favorable to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquity of your people;
you pardoned all their sin. Selah
Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people,
to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him,
and will make a path for his steps.
Lord, you were favorable to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquity of your people;
you pardoned all their sin. Selah
Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people,
to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him,
and will make a path for his steps.
A Reading from the Second Letter of Peter 3.8-15a
But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.
Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons 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 him.
But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.
Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons 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 him.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Thanks be to God.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark 1.1-8
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark 1.1-8
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable and pleasing in your sight O Lord, for you are our rock and our redeemer. Amen.
Typically, today’s sermon would be all about John – the one who came before Jesus, who cleared the path for his coming, who proclaimed that while John is baptizing in water, there will be someone coming later who will baptize in the Holy Spirit.
I mean, the proclamation of John the Baptizer is a pretty big deal and there will be many sermons delivered today on John and the connection to the reading in Isaiah, which predicts the actions of John.
John is loud, and noisy, and calls out from the Jordan for us to join him in a time of waiting for the One who will save us all.
But I’m not going to talk about John today. I’ve decided to go in a different direction. A quieter direction but one full of impact in our lives at this moment.
I’m going to talk about the first line that Mark writes:
“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
Mark doesn’t offer any stories about Jesus’ actual beginning, unlike Luke and Matthew who describe his birth or John who goes all the way back to the beginning of history, creation, and time itself.
Instead, Mark tells about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, the beginning of God’s redemptive work in and through Jesus, and the beginning of our calling to carry on and be vessels for God’s ongoing work to love and bless God’s people and world.
Because that’s the good news, right? That God is here on earth with us, through Jesus Christ.
“The good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
But Mark doesn’t just say “the good news”, does he? No. He says, “the beginning…”
The beginning, the origin, the start…
I think this is so significant. He doesn’t start by saying “the good news”. He says, “the beginning of the good news” or “I can’t possibly tell the whole story of Jesus” or “There’s even more to this story, but I’ll share what I know.”
Mark is trying to tell us that Jesus is just the beginning. He’s not telling the whole of the story of God’s work in and through Jesus Christ. He’s telling just the beginning.
“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” acts as the title to the entire Gospel of Mark.
That is, the whole of the story Mark tells is still just the beginning. Why? Because the implications of what God accomplished through Jesus’ life, ministry, death and resurrection continue. The impact continues. God’s work is not yet done. The power of the Gospel continues, even right up to and including now!
This pronouncement and promise from Mark is good news! God is not done yet! God is still at work! And God is at work even and especially through us!
The beginning, the origin, the start…
As we continue to struggle through this pandemic, through the ups and downs, through the fear and sadness and grief…
As we mourn the fact that we likely won’t be having Christmas dinner with our loved ones…
As we grieve the fact that we likely won’t be having Christmas Eve services…
As our kids struggle with the fact that school has been moved to online platforms after Christmas break…
We are all looking for a beginning. A beginning to the end of this pandemic. Perhaps in the form of a vaccine. Perhaps in the dying out of the virus.
We are looking for a new beginning for community, for worship, for friends and family.
On that first day where we will be able to hug and hold each other after months of not being able to do so, there will be a new beginning, a new realization that we should never take anything or anyone for granted.
We are all grappling with COVID-fatigue, and anxiety about the future, and feeling stuck in place, and wondering when, or even if, we’ll come through all this.
Let’s skip ahead to the end of Mark’s Gospel, just for a second. In 16:8, Mark writes, “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
This is Mark’s plea for us to take over from the disciples. We are to become the ones to fulfill the messenger’s command, “Go and tell in word and deed”. Why? Because everything Mark has told up to this point – all Jesus’ teaching and preaching and healing and ministry and death and resurrection – this is all still just the beginning.
It’s up to us now. Whether it’s refraining from gathering with loved ones, or wearing a mask in public, or purchasing from local retailers to support them, or making a donation to a charitable organization, or writing a note of encouragement to someone who is struggling, or calling someone who is lonely, or, or, or…
We’re not helpless, even amid this pandemic. 2020 is not the end of us.
For everything Mark told starts with just one word: beginning, origin, start. And now it’s our turn.
May this Advent be a new beginning for us all.
Amen.
Affirmation of Faith
Let us confess the faith of our baptism, as we say the Nicene Creed:
We believe in one God,
the Creator, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Redeemer, Jesus Christ,
the only Child of God,
eternally begotten of the Creator,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
one in being with the Creator:
Through the Redeemer all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
Jesus Christ the Redeemer
came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
was born of the Virgin Mary, and became human.
For our sake Jesus was crucified
under Pontius Pilate,
suffered, died and was buried,
and, on the third day, rose again
in fulfillment of the Scriptures,
ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God.
Jesus Christ will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and the Reign of God will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Sanctifier, the Giver of Life,
who proceeds from God the Creator
and Jesus Christ the Redeemer,
who with the Creator and the Redeemer,
is worshipped and glorified
and who 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.
Let us confess the faith of our baptism, as we say the Nicene Creed:
We believe in one God,
the Creator, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Redeemer, Jesus Christ,
the only Child of God,
eternally begotten of the Creator,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
one in being with the Creator:
Through the Redeemer all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
Jesus Christ the Redeemer
came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
was born of the Virgin Mary, and became human.
For our sake Jesus was crucified
under Pontius Pilate,
suffered, died and was buried,
and, on the third day, rose again
in fulfillment of the Scriptures,
ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God.
Jesus Christ will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and the Reign of God will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Sanctifier, the Giver of Life,
who proceeds from God the Creator
and Jesus Christ the Redeemer,
who with the Creator and the Redeemer,
is worshipped and glorified
and who 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
(Intercessions for the Christian People)
In joy at the nearness of the Christ, let us offer our prayers to God, saying:
Lord, hear our prayer.
(Intercessions for the Christian People)
In joy at the nearness of the Christ, let us offer our prayers to God, saying:
Lord, hear our prayer.
May the power of God’s holy presence clear a path through the rubble of broken lives and hearts to make our world an all of us a new creation.
For this, let us pray to the Lord,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For this, let us pray to the Lord,
Lord, hear our prayer.
May our gracious God be always for us a shepherd to console and comfort us, to nourish all our deep hungers, and to make us live in peace forever.
For this, let us pray to the Lord,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For this, let us pray to the Lord,
Lord, hear our prayer.
May we come to find in the desert of our lives the gift of forgiveness and the waters of a new Jordan that bring cleansing refreshment.
For this, let us pray to the Lord,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For this, let us pray to the Lord,
Lord, hear our prayer.
May the God of John the Baptist and our God continue to raise up holy prophets in our midst who will tell the good news of saving rescue for all people.
For this, let us pray to the Lord,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For this, let us pray to the Lord,
Lord, hear our prayer.
May the God who is our comfort hear the cries of all in need.
For this, let us pray to the Lord,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For this, let us pray to the Lord,
Lord, hear our prayer.
Please take time to offer your own intercessions or to pray in silence.
May the God who is our future in the gift of Jesus Christ hold us always in the embrace of faithful love and bring us to new heavens and a new earth.
For this, let us pray to the Lord,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For this, let us pray to the Lord,
Lord, hear our prayer.
Recall us to our baptism, O Lord, and hear our cries for ourselves and for the whole world, for we pray in the name of the one who came, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Silence
Almighty God,
as your blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ
as your blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ
first came to seek and to save the lost;
so may he come again to find in us
the completion of his redeeming work;
for he is now alive
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
so may he come again to find in us
the completion of his redeeming work;
for he is now alive
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Confession and Absolution
Dear friends in Christ,
God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy; God welcomes sinners and invites them to the table. Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.
(Silence)
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 neighbour 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 might delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.
Dear friends in Christ,
God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy; God welcomes sinners and invites them to the table. Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.
(Silence)
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 neighbour 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 might delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.
Almighty God, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God will speak peace to his people, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Prayer over the Gifts
**Although not physically at our church buildings to share our offering together I would encourage you to set your offering of money aside so that it can be dropped off or placed in the church once services resume, to mail your offering to the church, or to make donations online. Please remember ministry is still taking place.
Let us pray.
God our strength, we are nothing without you. Receive all we offer you this day as you sustain us with your mercy; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
**Although not physically at our church buildings to share our offering together I would encourage you to set your offering of money aside so that it can be dropped off or placed in the church once services resume, to mail your offering to the church, or to make donations online. Please remember ministry is still taking place.
Let us pray.
God our strength, we are nothing without you. Receive all we offer you this day as you sustain us with your mercy; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
And now, as our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are bold to pray,
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.
Save us from the time of trial,
And deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever. 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.
Save us from the time of trial,
And deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever. Amen.
Doxology
Glory to God,
Whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.
Glory to God,
Whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessing
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Almighty God bless us, defend us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Almighty God bless us, defend us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
Dismissal
As we await our coming Saviour,
go in the peace of Christ.
Thanks be to God.
As we await our coming Saviour,
go in the peace of Christ.
Thanks be to God.
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