18th December 2025 Evening Prayer

The Psalter

Psalm 93

Dominus regnavit

THE LORD is King, and hath put on glorious apparel; * the LORD hath put on his apparel, and girded himself with strength.

He hath made the round world so sure, * that it cannot be moved.

Ever since the world began, hath thy seat been prepared: * thou art from everlasting.

The floods are risen, O LORD, the floods have lift up their voice; * the floods lift up their waves.

The waves of the sea are mighty, and rage horribly; * but yet the LORD, who dwelleth on high, is mightier.

Thy testimonies, O LORD, are very sure: * holiness becometh thine house for ever.

Psalm 98

Cantate Domino

O SING unto the LORD a new song; * for he hath done marvellous things.

With his own right hand, and with his holy arm, * hath he gotten himself the victory.

The LORD declared his salvation; * his righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the heathen.

He hath remembered his mercy and truth toward the house of Israel; * and all the ends of the world have seen the salvation of our God.

Show yourselves joyful unto the LORD, all ye lands; * sing, rejoice, and give thanks.

Praise the LORD upon the harp; * sing to the harp with a psalm of thanksgiving.

With trumpets also and shawms, * O show yourselves joyful before the LORD, the King.

Let the sea make a noise, and all that therein is; * the round world, and they that dwell therein.

Let the floods clap their hands, and let the hills be joyful together before the LORD; * for he is come to judge the earth.

With righteousness shall he judge the world, * and the peoples with equity.

The First Lesson

Isa33:1-10

33 Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.

O Lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.

And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.

The Lord is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.

And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure.

Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.

The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.

Now will I rise, saith the Lord; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.

The Second Lesson

Rev20:1-6

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The Third Sunday in Advent

O Lord Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world, we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.