Entrance Hymn:  LBW #45 “Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful”

Prayer of the day: 

O God, our Maker and Redeemer, You wonderfully created us and in the incarnation of Your Son yet more wondrously restored our human nature. Grant that we may ever be alive in Him who made Himself to be like us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

First Reading:

Isaiah 61:10—62:3

¹⁰I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
           my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
           he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
           and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
           and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
           to sprout up before all the nations.

¹For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
           and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
           and her salvation as a burning torch.
²The nations shall see your righteousness,
           and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name
           that the mouth of the Lord will give.
³You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
           and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

Psalm 98:1–4; antiphon: Isaiah 52:10

L: The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations,
C: and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
L: Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!
C: His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
L: The Lord has made known his salvation;
C: he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
L: He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
C: All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
L: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
C: break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
L:The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations,
C:and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Epistle:

Galatians 4:4–7

⁴When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Gospel:

²²When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, [Mary and Joseph] brought [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) ²⁴and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” ²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, ²⁸he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

²⁹“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
    according to your word;
³⁰for my eyes have seen your salvation
    ³¹that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and for glory to your people Israel.”

³³And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. ³⁴And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed ³⁵(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” ³⁶And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, ³⁷and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. ³⁹And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

Message Hymn:  LBW #54 “It Came upon the Midnight Clear”

Closing Hymn:  LBW #60 “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”