Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
You, Bethlehem, of the land of Judah,
are in no way least amongst the princes of Judah;
for out of you shall come a ruler
who shall shepherd my people, Israel.
— Matthew 2:6†
Invitatory
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
For behold, darkness covers the land;
deep gloom enshrouds the peoples.
But over you the Lord will rise,
and his glory will appear upon you.
Nations will stream to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawning.
Your gates will always be open;
by day or night they will never be shut.
They will call you, the City of the Lord,
the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Violence will no more be heard in your land,
ruin or destruction within your borders.
You will call your walls, Salvation,
and all your portals, Praise.
The sun will no more be your light by day;
by night you will not need the brightness of the moon.
The Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
— Surge illuminare, Isaiah 60:1-3, 11, 14, 18-19◊
Cruciform
Behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them
until it came and stood over where the young child was.
— Matthew 2:9
Weeks
When they saw that the star had stopped,
they were overwhelmed with joy.
— Matthew 2:10 (NRSV)
Dimissory
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty saviour,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
— Benedictus Dominus Deus, Luke 1:68-79◊
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.