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Propers
2
Samuel 7:1-11, 16
Psalm
89:1-4, 19-26
Romans
16:25-27
Luke
1:26-38
Readings
for Lessons & Carols Service
Genesis
3:8-15
Jeremiah
23:5,6
Haggai
2:6-9
Isaiah
40:1-5
Luke
1:26-35,38
Mark
1:1-11
Matthew
1:18-23
2
Samuel 7:1-11, 16
7:1 Now when the king
was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all
his enemies around him,
7:2
the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See now, I am living in
a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent."
7:3
Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you have in mind;
for the LORD is with you."
7:4
But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan:
7:5
Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one
to build me a house to live in?
7:6
I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people
of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in
a tent and a tabernacle.
7:7
Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I
ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I
commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you
not built me a house of cedar?"
7:8
Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says
the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the
sheep to be prince over my people Israel;
7:9
and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all
your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great
name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
7:10
And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant
them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed
no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly,
7:11
from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I
will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD
declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.
7:16
Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me;
your throne shall be established forever.
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Psalm
89:1-4, 19-26
89:1 I will sing of
your steadfast love, O LORD, forever; with my mouth I will
proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
89:2
I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your
faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
89:3
You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have
sworn to my servant David:
89:4
'I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne
for all generations.'" Selah
89:19
Then you spoke in a vision to your faithful one, and said: "I
have set the crown on one who is mighty, I have exalted one chosen
from the people.
89:20
I have found my servant David; with my holy oil I have anointed
him;
89:21
my hand shall always remain with him; my arm also shall strengthen
him.
89:22
The enemy shall not outwit him, the wicked shall not humble him.
89:23
I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate
him.
89:24
My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him; and in my
name his horn shall be exalted.
89:25
I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers.
89:26
He shall cry to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my
salvation!'
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Romans
16:25-27
16:25 Now to God who is
able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation
of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that
was kept secret for long ages
16:26
but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made
known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal
God, to bring about the obedience of faith --
16:27
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory
forever! Amen.
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Luke
1:26-38
1:26 In the sixth month
the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called
Nazareth,
1:27
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house
of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
1:28
And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The
Lord is with you."
1:29
But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of
greeting this might be.
1:30
The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have
found favor with God.
1:31
And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you
will name him Jesus.
1:32
He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and
the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.
1:33
He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom
there will be no end."
1:34
Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a
virgin?"
1:35
The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the
child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.
1:36
And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived
a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be
barren.
1:37
For nothing will be impossible with God."
1:38
Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it
be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed
from her.
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Genesis
3:8-15
8
They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the
time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid
themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of
the garden.
9 But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where
are you?’ 10 He said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden,
and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’
11 He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten
from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’
12
The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave
me fruit from the tree, and I ate.’
13
Then the LORD God said to the woman, ‘What is this that you have
done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent tricked me, and I ate.’
14 The LORD God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done
this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild
creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your
offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike
his heel.’
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Jeremiah
23:5-6
5
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up
for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal
wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
6
In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety.
And this is the name by which he will be called: "The LORD is
our righteousness."
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Haggai
2:6-9
6
For thus says the LORD of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I
will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land;
7
and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all
nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says
the LORD of hosts.
8
The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts.
9
The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the
former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give
prosperity, says the LORD of hosts.
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Isaiah
40:1-5 1
Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 2
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served
her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the
Lord's hand double for all her sins. 3
A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the
LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4
Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be
made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough
places a plain. 5
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall
see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
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Luke
1:26-35,38 26
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in
Galilee called Nazareth, 27
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house
of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28
And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord
is with you.’ 29
But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of
greeting this might be. 30
The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have
found favor with God. 31
And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you
will name him Jesus. 32
He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and
the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33
He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom
there will be no end.’ 34
Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ 35
The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and
the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the
child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 38
Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be
with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from
her. [Return
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Mark
1:1-11 1
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, ‘See, I am sending my
messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way
of the Lord, make his paths straight,”’ 4
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5
And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of
Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the
river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6
Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt
around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7
He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming
after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his
sandals. 8
I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the
Holy Spirit.’ 9
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized
by John in the Jordan. 10
And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens
torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11
And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with
you I am well pleased.’ [Return
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Matthew
1:18-23 18
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When
his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived
together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19
Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose
her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20
But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do
not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived
in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She
will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save
his people from their sins.’ 22
All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord
through the prophet: 23
‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall
name him Emmanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us.’ [Return
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