Praying Advent: Day 19
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
Sing, O barren one who did not bear;burst into song and shout,you who have not been in labour!
For the children of the desolate woman will be morethan the children of her that is married, says the Lord.
Enlarge the site of your tent,and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cordsand strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread out to the right and to the left,and your descendants will possess the nationsand will settle the desolate towns.Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;do not be discouraged, for you will not suffer disgrace;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,and the disgrace of your widowhood you will remember no more.
For your Maker is your husband,the Lord of hosts is his name;
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,the God of the whole earth he is called.
For the Lord has called youlike a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
like the wife of a man’s youth when she is cast off,says your God.
For a brief moment I abandoned you,but with great compassion I will gather you.
In overflowing wrath for a momentI hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,says the Lord, your Redeemer.This is like the days of Noah to me:Just as I swore that the waters of Noahwould never again go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with youand will not rebuke you.
For the mountains may departand the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
For the children of the desolate woman will be morethan the children of her that is married, says the Lord.
Enlarge the site of your tent,and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cordsand strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread out to the right and to the left,and your descendants will possess the nationsand will settle the desolate towns.Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;do not be discouraged, for you will not suffer disgrace;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,and the disgrace of your widowhood you will remember no more.
For your Maker is your husband,the Lord of hosts is his name;
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,the God of the whole earth he is called.
For the Lord has called youlike a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
like the wife of a man’s youth when she is cast off,says your God.
For a brief moment I abandoned you,but with great compassion I will gather you.
In overflowing wrath for a momentI hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,says the Lord, your Redeemer.This is like the days of Noah to me:Just as I swore that the waters of Noahwould never again go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with youand will not rebuke you.
For the mountains may departand the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
-Isaiah 54:1-10 NRSV
Meditation
Identify a blessing you have that you could give away. Then share this blessing with your church, a local ministry, or your community.
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.