24 November 2024

Collect

Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord,
the wills of thy faithful people;
that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works,
may of thee be plenteously rewarded;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Old Testament Reading

2 Samuel 23: 1-7

Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, son of Jesse, the oracle of the man whom God exalted, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the favourite of the Strong One of Israel:

The spirit of the Lord speaks through me, his word is upon my tongue. The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me: One who rules over people justly, ruling in the fear of God, is like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.

Is not my house like this with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. Will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire? But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away; for they cannot be picked up with the hand; to touch them one uses an iron bar or the shaft of a spear. And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.

The Psalm

Psalm 132: 1-12, (13-18)

Lord, remember for David
all the hardships he endured;
How he swore an oath to the Lord
and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
‘I will not come within the shelter of my house,
nor climb up into my bed;
‘I will not allow my eyes to sleep,
nor let my eyelids slumber,
‘Until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.’
Now, we heard of the ark in Ephrathah
and found it in the fields of Ja-ar.
Let us enter his dwelling place
and fall low before his footstool.
Arise, O Lord, into your resting place,
you and the ark of your strength.
Let your priests be clothed with righteousness
and your faithful ones sing with joy.
For your servant David’s sake,
turn not away the face of your anointed.
The Lord has sworn an oath to David,
a promise from which he will not shrink:
‘Of the fruit of your body
shall I set upon your throne.
‘If your children keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their children also shall sit upon your throne for evermore.’
For the Lord has chosen Zion for himself;
he has desired her for his habitation:
‘This shall be my resting place for ever;
here will I dwell, for I have longed for her.
‘I will abundantly bless her provision;
her poor will I satisfy with bread.
‘I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her faithful ones shall rejoice and sing.
‘There will I make a horn to spring up for David;
I will keep a lantern burning for my anointed.

The New Testament Reading

Revelation 1: 4b-8

John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds; very eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

The Gospel Reading

John 18: 33-37

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?’ Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’

Post-Communion Prayer

Stir up, O Lord,
the wills of your faithful people;
that plenteously bearing the fruit of good works
they may by you be plenteously rewarded;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect of the Word

Everlasting God,
whose will is to restore all things
in your well-beloved Son, our Lord and King:
grant that the people of earth,
now divided and enslaved by sin,
may be freed and brought together
under his gentle and loving rule;
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.