Cantica Gaudia

Advent: Tuesday Evening Prayer

Opening: Behold, all things are fulfilled which were spoken by the angel to Mary, alleluia.

Canticle: The desert shall rejoice and blossom;
It shall rejoice with gladness and singing.
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And the majesty of our God.
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened,
And the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then shall the lame leap like the hart,
And the tongue of the dumb shall sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness
And streams in the desert.
The ransomed of the Lord shall return
And come with singing, with everlasting joy upon their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Psalm: Then I said, Look, I am here
And saw the dark words written on the white page
And my heart’s desire became yours
Your law the shape of my heart.

Antiphon: O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush
and gave him the law on Sinai:

Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

Reading:I want to find my place
amongst the people of Advent
but I can’t quite decide who I am.
I want to be pregnant with God
but it takes such a toll on the body.
I have given birth to things before
And labor is hard and untimely.

I want to welcome angels and say yes,
to anything,
but if I saw an angel I would hold him
hostage and send a ransom note of questions
demanding answers, to God.

I want to cheer blessings from the sidelines
with a belly growing with prophecies,
and have friends and strangers take hope.
Because God has a season
for those whose seasons have passed.

I want to put my trust in dreams
and in the words of the ones I love,
to believe that God is as close as
the one who would share my bed.

But mostly I want a break from being
the one who mostly falls silent
in the presence of all that’s holy,
who loses her words in disbelief,
terrified by claims of joy and gladness,
unable to believe that prayers are answered.

The Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done
On earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
And deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
Now and for ever.  Amen.

Prayer: In the strong name of Jesus, we bless all that is living, and recognize in all that lives the reflection of the Word, who said, "Let there be life," and it lives.

Teach us to care for all that is entrusted to us, and nurture every sign of your presence.

Circle our dear ones in your love and blessing, and protect us from evil and from danger.

Give us open eyes to see beyond what others say is possible. Give us the insight to recognize and name deceit.

May the blessing of our love and our strong joy in blessing call out new growth in everyone we know and meet.

Give us a generosity that pushes back the boundaries, for even death by you has been defeated. With all our powers we find our power in you.

The Light shines on, and life is lived in you. Amen.

Collect: God of unveiled truth, faithful flame in times of darkened sun and waning moon: lift up our unknowing hearts and waken our sleeping love to announce the coming dawn of unexpected peace; through Jesus Christ, the one who is to come. Amen.

Going Forth: May Christ's light shine on in us through the night. Amen.