Prayer of the day:  Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.  Amen.

First Reading:

Isaiah 7:10-17                                                                          

The Sign of Immanuel

¹⁰ Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: ¹¹ “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” ¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” ¹³ And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.  ¹⁵ He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. ¹⁶ For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. ¹⁷ The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”

Psalm 19:1, 4-6; antiphon: Isaiah 45:8

L:  Shower, O heavens, from above,

C:  and let the clouds rain down righteousness;

L:  let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;

C:  let the earth cause them both to sprout.

L:  The heavens declare the glory of God,

C:  and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

L:  Their measuring line goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

C:  In them he has set a tent for the sun,

L:  which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,

C:  and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.

L:  Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them,

C:  and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.  Amen

L:  Shower, O heavens, from above,

C:  and let the clouds rain down righteousness;

L:  let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;

C:  let the earth cause them both to sprout.

Epistle:

Romans 1:1-7                                       

Greeting

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ² which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³ concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ⁴ and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵ through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, ⁶ including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, ⁷ To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gospel:

Matthew 1:18-25                                                                     

The Birth of Jesus Christ

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰ But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

²³ “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
    and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). ²⁴ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵ but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Message Hymn:  #180 “My Soul Now Magnifies the Lord”

Closing Hymn:  #30 “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”