Liturgy and Prayers - Sunday, 17 December 2023 – Third Sunday of Advent, Year B

Liturgy in one document: Advent 3B Liturgy in One Document

Opening sentence

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.  (Isa 61:1a,b, 2a NRSV)

Prayer of the day - (Collect):

Traditional

Lord, hear our prayers,
and graciously come into our hearts
to lighten our darkness;
for you live and reign
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Modernised Traditional

Lord, listen to our prayers.
Come to us in your kindness,
and lighten the darkness of our hearts.
For you live and reign
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Alternative

(Let us pray that we may receive Christ with joy. [silence])
Almighty and merciful God,
each year you make us glad
as we look forward to the birthday of your Son.
May we who joyfully receive him
as our redeemer
confidently face him
when he comes to be our judge.
For he lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

New

(Let us pray that we receive Christ with joy. [silence])
Jesus, our promised Messiah,
John the Baptist went ahead of you
and proclaimed the good news
of your coming.
Encourage us to receive you with joy
as our redeemer,
and faithfully follow you.
For you live and reign
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Alleluia Verse

Alleluia, alleluia.
The true light, which enlightens everyone,
was coming into the world. (John 1:9 NRSV)
Alleluia.

(As an alternative to the alleluia verse, the congregation may sing ATE 253 ‘He turned my mourning into dancing’, which is based on Isaiah 61:2,3. This may be repeated after the gospel.)

Prayer after the Gospel

This is the gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, the Light,
for coming into the world and shining on us.
Help us to believe in you and follow you.
Amen.

Offering Prayer

Lord,
lead us gladly to listen to the message
you have sent about your Son,
and to receive him with faith and joy.
Help us live our lives in union with Christ,
praying, giving thanks, doing good, and shunning evil.
Amen.

Prayer of the Church

Prayer points

Additional Prayer Points

LCA International Mission

Services with Holy Communion:

Preface

It is indeed right and good,
Lord God, holy Father,
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
You fulfilled your promise to comfort your people
by sending Jesus the Redeemer,
and to make all things new through him
when he comes to judge the world
and set it right.
And so, with angels and archangels,
and with all the company of heaven,
we adore and praise your glorious name:

Communion Invitation

Blessed are those who have been invited
to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
(Thanks be to God.)
Come, everything is ready.

Prayer after Communion

See the service order for a standard post-communion prayer. Alternatively, use the third prayer of the day (as listed above) at this point. It may be modified as follows:

Almighty and merciful God,
each year you make us glad
as we look forward to the birthday of your Son.
May we who have joyfully received him
as our redeemer in this sacrament
confidently face him
when he comes to be our judge.
For he lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Dismissal

SEASONAL BLESSING
This seasonal blessing is used together with (ie before) the usual blessing in the order of service.

Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, shine on you and make you ready to meet him when he comes in glory . . .

OR, this verse from the second reading for the day (1 Thess 5:23) may be used before the blessing:

May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ…

DISMISSAL
Go in peace and joy, and live in the light.
Thanks be to God. 

OR  In the name of Christ. Amen.