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The Second Sunday of Advent |
 Merciful
God, who sent thy 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 liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen.
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Lesson |
Isaiah 11:1-10
The Peaceful Kingdom
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch
shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the
spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in
the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by
what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and
decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth
with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the
wicked. Righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist, and faithfulness the
girdle of his loins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard
shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling
together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall
feed; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like
the ox. The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the
weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or
destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. In that day the root of
Jesse shall stand as an ensign to the peoples; him shall the nations seek,
and his dwellings shall be glorious. |
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Epistle |
Romans 15:4-13
Please Others, Not Yourselves
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction,
that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might
have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live
in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together
you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of
God. For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show
God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the
patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
As it is written, "Therefore I will praise thee among the Gentiles, and sing
to thy name"; and again it is said, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people";
and again, "Praise the Lord, all Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise
him"; and further Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse shall come, he who rises
to rule the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles hope." May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the
Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. |
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Gospel |
Matthew 3:1-12
The Proclamation of John the Baptist
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." For this is he who was
spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in
the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." Now
John wore a garment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle around his waist;
and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem and
all Judea and all the region about the Jordan, and they were baptized by him
in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the
Pharisees and Sad'ducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of
vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit that
befits repentance, and do not presume to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham
as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up
children to Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees;
every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown
into the fire. "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is
coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork
is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat
into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." |
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