December 21
Arise,shine;for your light has come,and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold,darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you,and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be carried in the arms. Then you shall see and be radiant, your hearts shall thrill and rejoice... Isaiah 60: 1-5
Christ came out of the darkness of the womb. He was the Light of the World. He came to give the world life. The life of the whole world burnt in the tiny flame of an infant’s life, it began the agelong fight with death in the least and frailest that human nature can be; in the helplessness, the littleness, the blindness of any infant, life prevailed. The Light of the World shone in darkness. Caryll Houselander
HYMN
O come, thou Dayspring,come and cheer
our spirits by thy justice here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
MAGNIFICAT
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 forever.
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 forever.
PRAYER
Rouse me with beauty, Lord.
Light Unimaginable, penetrate the darkest places of my being
with that same delicacy by which dawn comes daily
to a sleeping world.
Morning Star, pray for us.
