The Fourth Sunday of Advent
22 December 2024
The Holy Eucharist – Rite I
(Note: H=Blue Hymnal / BCP=Red Book of Common Prayer)
The Word of God
Procession Hymn H 74
Acclamation BCP 323
Kyrie H S91
Salutation and Collect BCP 325
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The First Lesson – Micah 5:2-5a
You, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace.
The Response – 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 for ever. Amen.
The Second Lesson – Hebrews 10:5-10
When Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body you have prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘See, God, I have come to do your will, O God’
(in the scroll of the book it is written of me).”
When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “See, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Sequence Hymn H 437
The Gospel – Luke 1:39-45
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
Sermon The Rev. Nancy Gill
The Nicene Creed BCP 326
The Prayers of the People
After each petition,
Layreader: Stir up your strength, O Lord,
People: and come to help us.
For the Universal Church, its members, and its mission:
For Sean, our Presiding Bishop; Poulson, our Diocesan Bishop; Nancy, our Vicar; the members of our Bishop’s Committee
For the Claremore Christian Ministerial Alliance
For the Northeast Oklahoma Clericus
For St. Paul’s, its mission, ministry, and people
In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer for St. Paul’s, Clinton, and for Whirlwind Mission, Watonga
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer for The Church of the Province of Uganda
For the nation and all in authority: For Joe, our President, and the Congress; Donald, the President elect, Kevin, our Governor and the Legislature; Debbie our Mayor and the City Counsel; and the judicial system
For our service men and women around the world and all those in harm’s way, especially Connor, John, Josh, Steven, and Cooper
For this community:
For all students, teachers, & administrators, especially Christina, Hannah, Zach, Cara, and Shelby
For all public safety officers, especially Dale and Michael
For those who have asked for or are in need of our prayers:
For Ani/ Chris/ Mike/ Brian/ Mark H/ Ron H/ Rose/ Brady/ Zachary/ Donna/ Vernon/ Corey/ Janie/ Rick/ Lillian/ Carol Sue/ Erin/ Mike/ Don/ Pauline/ Doris/ Stephen/ Jim/ Tjode/ Traci/ Rusti/ Joyce L/ Justin/ Robert/ Lenny/ Rose Ridge
For those who have died:
The Confession of Sin BCP 331
The Peace BCP 360
The Holy Communion
The Offertory – Every 3rd Sunday, all undesignated offerings in the offering plate go to the ministry fund (formerly the discretionary fund).
Offertory Hymn H 436
Doxology
(“Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise him all creatures here below, Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen”)
Eucharistic Prayer I BCP 333
Sanctus H S114
Fraction Anthem BCP 337
The Invitation to Communion
All people are welcome to receive Communion at Saint Paul’s. This is the table, not of the Church, but of God. It is here for those who love God and who want to love God more. So, come, you who have much faith, and you who have little, you who have been here often and you who are new. Come, because it is our Lord who invites us. It is God’s will that those who want him should meet him here.
Post-communion Prayer BCP 339
Blessing
Procession Hymn H 657
Dismissal BCP 340
At the end of the service, prayers for healing will be offered in the Narthex, and there will be a reception in the Great Hall.