December 24, 2006 - Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 24, 2006 - Fourth Sunday of Advent

Micah 5:1-4a. Bethlehem , birthplace of the Shepherd-King, David, is invoked as a promise of the coming messiah who will take his place as the ideal king.

Psalm of the Day: Ps (79) 80 . This communal lament, at a time of great national suffering, invokes the memories of God's great deeds as the basis for asking God to intervene once more to save “the vine” that is the chosen people.

Hebrews 10:5-10. This passage introduced into Christian thought the idea of a “first” and “second” covenant, the second based in fidelity to God's will, not in strict observance of the Torah. (In fact, “fidelity to God's will” seems to have been Jesus' own interpretation of the First Testament: It is a call to do God's will under all circumstances, with the Torah as the description of the best way to be faithful.)

Luke 1:39-45. Mary's visit to Elizabeth leads to a prophetic statement by the older woman that Mary is the mother of the Lord, the one who believed in the Lord's promise.

Opening: Christ Be Our Light(cc-395)
Psalm: Lord Make us Turn ... (from Lectionary Psalter)
Offertory: Mary's Song(cc-324)
Com 1: This is Jesus(see sheet)
Com 2: O Sanctissima(cc-323)
Closing: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling