Today Is: Second Sunday of Advent
Sun, 04 Dec 2022 -- The Lectionary Cycle is: A

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Collect for: Second Sunday of Advent Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. " Old Testament Isaiah 11:1-10 1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. 3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; 4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. 6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea. 10 And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.' Officiant: The Word of the Lord. The People: Thanks be to God. Psalm Psalm 72 1 Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king's Son. 2 He will judge Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with justice. We wait in hope for Your Righteousness , O God. 3 The mountains will bring peace to the people, And the little hills, by righteousness. 4 He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor. We wait in hope for Your Righteousness , O God. 5 They shall fear You As long as the sun and moon endure, Throughout all generations. 6 He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers that water the earth. We wait in hope for Your Righteousness , O God. 7 In His days the righteous shall flourish, And abundance of peace, Until the moon is no more. 8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth. We wait in hope for Your Righteousness , O God. *At the end of the Psalms this is sung or said Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: * as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. New Testament Romans 15:4-7, 13 4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. 13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Officiant: The Word of the Lord. The People: Thanks be to God. Gospel Matthew 3:1-12 Introduction to the Gospel: Deacon:The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Or And with your spirit Deacon: May the Lord be on our minds, on our lips, and on our hearts as we hear His Holy Gospel. The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew. People: Glory to You, Lord Christ. Deacon: We are reading from Matthew's Gospel chapter 3, beginning at verse 1. 1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!' 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.' ' 4 And John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, 'Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.' After the Gospel reading, the deacon elevates the book and says: Deacon: The Gospel of the Lord. People: Praise to You, Lord Christ. Prayers of the People Prayers of the People for: Second Sunday of Advent Brothers and sisters, with readiness to welcome Christ, Who comes each day with mercy and grace, let us open our hearts and present our needs to Him. That the Church, like John the Baptist's voice in the desert, will never cease proclaiming the truth, even under the most difficult circumstances. Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer. That God will pour out His grace enabling the nations of the world to live at peace with one another. Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer. That governments will heed the call of the Gospel to respect all life and eliminate the practices of abortion and euthanasia in our lifetime. Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer. That those who defend us at home and abroad will be protected by God's grace and strengthened by our prayers. Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer. That we will remember the poor, the sick, the lonely, and the dying, through our prayers and good works. Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer. That we will seek the Kingdom of God above all else. Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer. For your own special intentions. (Pause) Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer. Father in heaven, we thank You for Your forgiveness and we rejoice that our redemption is near. Hear our prayer and prepare our hearts for the return of Your Son who lives and reigns with You forever and ever.AMEN