Sunday Lectionary Readings

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The Collect

Second Sunday of Advent
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Preface of Advent

Old Testament Reading

Baruch 5:1-9
¹ Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem, and put on for ever the beauty of the glory from God. ² Put on the robe of the righteousness from God; put on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting. ³ For God will show your splendor everywhere under heaven. ⁴ For your name will for ever be called by God, "Peace of righteousness and glory of godliness." ⁵ Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the height and look toward the east, and see your children gathered from west and east, at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that God has remembered them. ⁶ For they went forth from you on foot, led away by their enemies; but God will bring them back to you, carried in glory, as on a royal throne. ⁷ For God has ordered that every high mountain and the everlasting hills be made low and the valleys filled up, to make level ground, so that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God. ⁸ The woods and every fragrant tree have shaded Israel at God's command. ⁹ For God will lead Israel with joy, in the light of his glory, with the mercy and righteousness that come from him. -- RSV

Psalm

Psalm 126
^{A Song of Ascents.}
¹When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion,
We were like those who dream.

²Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."

³The LORD has done great things for us,
And we are glad.

⁴Bring back our captivity, O LORD,
As the streams in the South.

⁵Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.

⁶He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.
-- NKJV

New Testament Reading

Philippians 1:1-11
¹Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: ²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ³I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, ⁴always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, ⁵for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; ⁷just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. ⁸For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. ⁹And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, ¹¹being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. -- NKJV

Gospel Reading

Luke 3:1-6
¹Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ²while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. ³And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, ⁴as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: " The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ' Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight. ⁵Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; ⁶And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" -- NKJV

The Preface

Preface of Advent
To be used on Sundays and weekdays alike, except as otherwise appointed for Holy Days and Various Occasions
Because you sent your beloved Son to redeem us from sin and death, and to make us heirs in him of everlasting life; that when he shall come again in power and great triumph to judge the world, we may without shame or fear rejoice to behold his appearing.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.
(Unless otherwise noted.)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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