1st Saturday in Advent: 04 Dec 2021 – Luke 1:68-79; Malachi 4:1-6; Luke 9:1-6 ~ God’s promise of freedom.

1st Saturday in Advent: 04 Dec 2021
[Revised Common Lectionary Year C]

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness,
and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal
life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great
humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his
glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may
rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

“But for you who fear my name,
the Sun of Righteousness will rise
with healing in his wings. And you will go free,
leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture…,”
says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

(Malachi 4:2… 3)

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Psalm: Luke 1:68-79 (Benedictus – variant)
[Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, FL]

Chosen first among the priests
To serve within the temple walls
Zacharias stood in awe
As he heard the angel call

Refrain

Benedictus
Benedictus
Blessed is the Lord
Benedictus
Benedictus
God’s incarnate Word

Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God
Will come to raise salvation’s horn
God Incarnate, Word made flesh
To a virgin shall be born

Refrain

Christ brings light to sin’s dark night
Our Dayspring, Jesus, from on high
Saints and angels sing God’s praise
All the earth and heav’ns reply

Refrain

God’s incarnate Word
Benedictus
Benedictus

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OT Reading: Malachi 4:1-6 (NLT)

The Coming Day of Judgment

4:1 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, “The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed—roots, branches, and all.

2 “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. 3 On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

4 “Remember to obey the Law of Moses, my servant—all the decrees and regulations that I gave him on Mount Sinai for all Israel.

5 “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. 6 His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

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“Healing In His Wings” by Liz Dayspring

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NT Reading: Luke 9:1-6 (NLT)

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Disciples

9:1 One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. 2 Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 “Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. 4 Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town. 5 And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”

6 So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick.

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I Speak Jesus | Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

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Prayer: 

+ O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the Cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.

+ May God the Father bless you, God the Son heal you, God the Holy Spirit give you strength. May God the holy and undivided Trinity guard your body, save your soul, and bring you safely to his heavenly country; where he lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

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Benediction: 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NLT)

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.