Praying Advent: Day 14
Praise
Lauds (Traditional hour: dawn/waking up)Laudate, omnes gentes, laudate Dominum! [Sing praises, all people, sing praises to the Lord!]We greet the new day by praising the Creator.
Opening:
Praise the Lord, O my soul:Praise God’s holy name.
Scripture
Then Elijah arose, a prophet like fire,and his word burned like a torch.
He brought a famine upon them,and by his zeal he made them few in number.
By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens,and also three times brought down fire.
How glorious you were, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!Whose glory is equal to yours?
You raised a corpse from deathand from Hades, by the word of the Most High.
You sent kings down to destruction,and famous men, from their sickbeds.
You heard rebuke at Sinaiand judgements of vengeance at Horeb.
You anointed kings to inflict retribution,and prophets to succeed you.
You were taken up by a whirlwind of fire,in a chariot with horses of fire.
At the appointed time, it is written, you are destinedto calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury,
to turn the hearts of parents to their children,and to restore the tribes of Jacob.
Happy are those who saw youand were adorned with your love!For we also shall surely live.
He brought a famine upon them,and by his zeal he made them few in number.
By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens,and also three times brought down fire.
How glorious you were, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!Whose glory is equal to yours?
You raised a corpse from deathand from Hades, by the word of the Most High.
You sent kings down to destruction,and famous men, from their sickbeds.
You heard rebuke at Sinaiand judgements of vengeance at Horeb.
You anointed kings to inflict retribution,and prophets to succeed you.
You were taken up by a whirlwind of fire,in a chariot with horses of fire.
At the appointed time, it is written, you are destinedto calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury,
to turn the hearts of parents to their children,and to restore the tribes of Jacob.
Happy are those who saw youand were adorned with your love!For we also shall surely live.
-Sirach 48:1-11 NRSV
Meditation
On this day of rest, pause and breathe deeply with a friend or family member. Give thanks for the restorative power of love.
Prayers
Come, Emmanuel, come dwell with me.Hope of the world and Word of life:Come, Emmanuel, come dwell with me.
Going Out
Praise the Lord, O my soul:Praise God’s holy name.
Prayer form adapted from:1Daily prayer for all seasons. (2014). New York, N.Y.: Church Publishing.