The Third Sunday of Advent

Prelude

A Rose Breaks Into Bloom | Johannes Brahms

Entrance Procession

Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers

Opening Acclamation

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen.

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Trisagion

Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, have mercy upon us.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, have mercy upon us.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, have mercy upon us.

LITURGY OF THE WORD

The Collect

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Lesson

Isaiah 35:1-10

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not pass over it, and fools shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Canticle 15

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory 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.The Epistle

The Epistle

James 5:7-10

Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it until it receives the early and the late rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble, brethren, against one another, that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the doors. As an example of suffering and patience, brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Sequence Hymn

Hark! The Glad Sound! The Saviour Comes

The Gospel

Matthew 11:2-11

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is he who takes no offense at me.” As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind? Why then did you go out? To see a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, those who wear soft raiment are in kings’ houses. Why then did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.’ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

The Sermon

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father;
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried;
and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures,
and ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;
and he shall come again, with glory,
to judge both the quick and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and Giver of Life,
who proceedeth from the Father and the Son;
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped
and glorified;
who spake by the Prophets.
And I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church;
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins;
and I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Prayers of the People (Form II)

I ask your prayers for God’s people throughout the world; for Bartholomew of Constantinople, Francis of Rome, Justin of Canterbury, Michael the Presiding Bishop, Susan of San Diego, and the clergy of St. Michael’s by-the-Sea; in the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, for The Anglican Church of Kenya; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, for the clergy and people of St. Barnabas, Borrego Springs; for this gathering; and for all ministers and people.
Pray for the Church.

I ask your prayers for peace; for goodwill among nations; and for the well-being of all people.
Pray for justice and peace.

I ask your prayers for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the oppressed, and those in prison. Pray for Adrienne, Agnes, Al, Alex, Alicia, ANA Cadets, Anders, Andrew and family, Angela, Aram, Arlene, Asa and Jenny, Austen, Barb, Barbara, Barbara J., Ben and the PRO Mentors Prison Ministry, Bob, Bob and Debbie and family, Bobby, Bobby and Chad, Bonnie, Bowes and Khoury family, Brigitte, Carlos, Caryn and family, Casey, Cindy, Creation Care, Crosby, Dan, Daryl, Deberah, Del, Dennis, Diana, Donna, Elaine, Elizabeth, Ellen, Eric, Erica and Chris, Fr. Doran, Frank, Gail, George, Gerri, Greg, Harold, Hospice of the North Coast, Ismael, Jadon, Jake, Jamie and Julia, Jan, Jane, Jason family, Jeff, Jhase, Joan, Joe, John, John Mark, Josh, Karenssa, LaLa, Leigh, Les, Libby, Linda, Lisa, Lloyd, Louis, Luis, Luke, Lulu and Lewis, Lynn, Lynne and family, Lynnie, Marianne, Mark, MaryAnn, Matt, Matthew, Max, Mike, MoMo, Mylo, Pat, Paul and Marianne, Penny, Pete, Peter, Randall, Ray, Rich, Robert, Ron, Ronnie, Roxie, Rusty and Cathy, Ruth, Ruthie, Ryan, Sadie, Samantha, Sara, Scott, Shari, Shawn, Slanyanka, Sophia, Spiritual Trekkers, Steven, Steven and Mike, Susan and Kari, Tracy, Trey, Tyler, Ushers, Val and Mark, Vicky, Vida Joven de México, Vince, Virginia, Virginia and Doug, Yoonhee, and Ziggy; and for these loved ones deployed through the armed forces: Alex, Alvin, Bryan, David, Jacklyn, Jake, Jarrett, Jennifer, Joshua, Phillip, Ryan, Stephanie, and Trent.
Pray for those in any need or trouble.

I ask your prayers for all who seek God, or a deeper knowledge of him.
Pray that they may find and be found by him.

I ask your prayers for the departed.
Pray for those who have died.

Praise God for those in every generation in whom Christ has been honored. Pray that we may have grace to glorify Christ in our own day.

Father of all mercies and God of all comfort, look with pity on all who are suffering during this time of violence and warfare. Protect the defenseless, heal the wounded, and sustain those mourning the loss of loved ones. Open to us a path of reconciliation and peace; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

O Lord our God, accept the fervent prayers of your people; in the multitude of your mercies, look with compassion upon us and all who turn to you for help; for you are gracious, O lover of souls, and to you we give glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

Confession of Sin

Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against thee
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved thee with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in thy will,
and walk in thy ways,
to the glory of thy Name. Amen.

The Almighty and merciful Lord grant us absolution and remission of all our sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Offertory

Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.

Online tithes can now be accepted here.

Offertory Anthem

The Angel Gabriel | Basque Carol

Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee.

Doxology

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Sanctus

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of Hosts:
Heaven and earth are full of thy glory.
Glory be to thee, O Lord Most High.
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

The Lord’s Prayer

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, and the power, and the glory,
For ever and ever. Amen.

Agnus Dei

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
Grant us thy peace.

Spiritual Communion

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of thy Holy Ghost. Amen.

Lord, I cannot seek Thee
On Thine altar throne,
Yet I may receive Thee,
Weary and alone.

When, before Thine altar,
Crowds adoring kneel,
There in very essence,
Thou didst come to heal.

Far from Priest and altar,
Christ, to Thee I cry,
Come to me in spirit,
Let me feel Thee nigh.

In my silent worship,
Let me share the feast,
Be Thy love the altar,
By Thyself the Priest. Amen.

O most blessed Saviour, in union with the faithful at every altar of Thy Church where Thy blessed Body and Blood are being offered to the Father, I desire to offer Thee praise and thanksgiving, I present to Thee my soul and body with the earnest wish that I may always be united to Thee. And since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally into my heart, I unite myself to Thee and embrace Thee with all the affections of my soul. Amen.

Come, Lord Jesus, and dwell in my heart.

Communion Meditation

Come Thou Long Expect Jesus

Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee.

By thine own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone:
By thine all-sufficient merit raise us to thy glorious throne.

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, be my sanctification.
Body of Christ, be my salvation;
Blood of Christ, fill all my veins;
Water from the side of Christ, wash, wash out my stains;
Passion of Christ, my comfort be;
O good Jesu, listen to me;
Within Thy wounds I fain would hide;
Ne’er to be parted from Thy side;
Guard me when the foe assails me;
Guide me when my feet shall fail me;
Bid me come to Thee above,
With Thy Saints to sing Thy love,
For ever and ever. Amen.

Closing Hymn

Lo! He Comes, With Clouds Descending

Dismissal

Let us go forth in the name of Christ.
Thanks be to God.

Postlude

Break Forth O Beauteous Heavenly Light | Johann Sebastian Bach