Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
who shepherds the people and sets them free.
God raises from David’s house
A child with power to save.
Through the holy prophets
God promised in ages past
To save us from enemy hands,
From the grip of all who hate us.
The Lord favored our ancestors
Recalling the sacred covenant,
The pledge to our ancestor Abraham,
To free us from our enemies,
So we might worship without fear
And be holy and just all our days.
And you, child, will be called
prophet of the Most High,
For you will come to prepare
A pathway for the Lord
By teaching the people salvation
Through forgiveness of their sin.
Out of God’s deepest mercy
A dawn will come from on high,
Light for those shadowed by death,
A guide for our feet on the way to peace.

O Lord, God Almighty, as you have taught us to call the evening, the morning, and the noonday one day; and have made the sun to know its going down: Dispel the darkness of our hearts, that by your brightness we may know you to be the true God and eternal light, living and reigning for ever and ever.

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may God lead us to eternal life. Amen.