21st December 2025 Morning Prayer

The Psalter

Psalm 80

Qui regis Israel

HEAR, O thou Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; * show thyself also, thou that sittest upon the Cherubim.

Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, * stir up thy strength, and come and help us.

Turn us again, O God; * show the light of thy countenance, and we shall be whole.

O LORD God of hosts, * how long wilt thou be angry with thy people that prayeth?

Thou feedest them with the bread of tears, * and givest them plenteousness of tears to drink.

Thou hast made us a very strife unto our neighbours, * and our enemies laugh us to scorn.

Turn us again, thou God of hosts; * show the light of thy countenance, and we shall be whole.

Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt; * thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.

Thou madest room for it; * and when it had taken root, it filled the land.

The hills were covered with the shadow of it, * and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedar-trees.

She stretched out her branches unto the sea, * and her boughs unto the River.

Why hast thou then broken down her hedge, * that all they that go by pluck off her grapes?

The wild boar out of the wood doth root it up, * and the wild beasts of the field devour it.

Turn thee again, thou God of hosts, look down from heaven, * behold, and visit this vine;

And the place of the vineyard that thy right hand hath planted, * and the branch that thou madest so strong for thyself.

It is burnt with fire, and cut down; * and they shall perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.

Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, * and upon the son of man, whom thou madest so strong for thine own self.

And so will not we go back from thee: * let us live, and we shall call upon thy Name.

Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts; * show the light of thy countenance, and we shall be whole.

The First Lesson

Isa40:1-11

40 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

The Second Lesson

Luke3:1-17

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,

Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?

And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;

John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

The Fourth Sunday in Advent

O Lord, raise up (we pray thee) thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through the satisfaction of thy Son our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.