Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 132
David and Zion Chosen
A song of ascents.
1 Lord, remember David
and all the hardships he endured,(A)
2 and how he swore an oath to the Lord,
making a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:(B)
3 “I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
4 I will not allow my eyes to sleep
or my eyelids to slumber(C)
5 until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”(D)
6 We heard of the ark in Ephrathah;[a](E)
we found it in the fields of Jaar.[b](F)
7 Let’s go to his dwelling place;
let’s worship at his footstool.(G)
8 Rise up, Lord, come to your resting place,
you and your powerful ark.(H)
9 May your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and may your faithful people shout for joy.(I)
10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.[c](J)
11 The Lord swore an oath to David,
a promise he will not abandon:
“I will set one of your offspring[d]
on your throne.(K)
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and my decrees that I will teach them,
their sons will also sit on your throne forever.”(L)
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his home:(M)
14 “This is my resting place forever;
I will make my home here
because I have desired it.(N)
15 I will abundantly bless its food;
I will satisfy its needy with bread.(O)
16 I will clothe its priests with salvation,
and its faithful people will shout for joy.(P)
17 There I will make a horn grow for David;(Q)
I have prepared a lamp[e] for my anointed one.(R)
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,(S)
but the crown he wears[f] will be glorious.”(T)
Remembrance of Grace
7 I will make known the Lord’s faithful love
and the Lord’s praiseworthy acts,
because of all the Lord has done for us—
even the many good things
he has done for the house of Israel,
which he did for them based on his compassion
and the abundance of his faithful love.
8 He said, “They are indeed my people,
children who will not be disloyal,”
and he became their Savior.
9 In all their suffering, he suffered,[a](A)
and the angel of his presence saved them.
He redeemed them
because of his love and compassion;(B)
he lifted them up and carried them
all the days of the past.(C)
10 But they rebelled
and grieved his Holy Spirit.(D)
So he became their enemy
and fought against them.
11 Then he[b] remembered the days of the past,
the days of Moses and his people.
Where is he who brought them out of the sea
with the shepherds[c] of his flock?
Where is he who put his Holy Spirit among the flock?
12 He made his glorious strength
available at the right hand of Moses,
divided the water before them(E)
to make an eternal name for himself,
13 and led them through the depths
like a horse in the wilderness,
so that they did not stumble.
14 Like cattle that go down into the valley,
the Spirit of the Lord gave them[d] rest.
You led your people this way
to make a glorious name for yourself.
Israel’s Prayer
15 Look down from heaven and see(F)
from your lofty home—holy and beautiful.
Where is your zeal and your might?
Your yearning[e] and your compassion
are withheld from me.
16 Yet you are our Father,
even though Abraham does not know us
and Israel doesn’t recognize us.
You, Lord, are our Father;
your name is Our Redeemer(G)
from Ancient Times.
The Nativity of the Messiah
18 The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged[a] to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit.(A) 19 So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man,(B) and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.(C)
20 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.(D) 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus,(E) because he will save his people from their sins.”(F)
22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 See, the virgin will become pregnant
and give birth to a son,
and they will name him Immanuel,[b]
which is translated “God is with us.”(G)
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her(H) 25 but did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son.[c] And he named him Jesus.(I)
Psalm 34
The Lord Delivers the Righteous
Concerning David, when he pretended to be insane in the presence of Abimelech,(A) who drove him out, and he departed.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.(B)
2 I will boast in the Lord;(C)
the humble will hear and be glad.(D)
3 Proclaim the Lord’s greatness with me;(E)
let us exalt his name together.(F)
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and rescued me from all my fears.(G)
5 Those who look to him are[a] radiant with joy;(H)
their faces will never be ashamed.(I)
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him from all his troubles.(J)
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and rescues them.(K)
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.(L)
How happy is the person who takes refuge in him!(M)
9 You who are his holy ones, fear the Lord,
for those who fear him lack nothing.(N)
10 Young lions[b] lack food and go hungry,(O)
but those who seek the Lord
will not lack any good thing.(P)
11 Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.(Q)
12 Who is someone who desires life,
loving a long life to enjoy what is good?(R)
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from deceitful speech.(S)
14 Turn away from evil and do what is good;(T)
seek peace and pursue it.(U)
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry for help.(V)
16 The face of the Lord is set
against those who do what is evil,(W)
to remove[c] all memory of them from the earth.(X)
17 The righteous[d] cry out, and the Lord hears,
and rescues them from all their troubles.(Y)
18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he saves those crushed in spirit.(Z)
19 One who is righteous has many adversities,
but the Lord rescues him from them all.(AA)
20 He protects all his bones;
not one of them is broken.(AB)
21 Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.(AC)
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants,
and all who take refuge in him will not be punished.(AD)
Prayer for Spiritual Power
14 For this reason I kneel(A) before the Father[a] 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. 16 I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches(B) of his glory,(C) to be strengthened with power(D) in your inner being(E) through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love,(F) 19 and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able(G) to do above and beyond all that we ask or think(H) according to the power(I) that works in us— 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.(J)
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