Antiphon
O Emanuel

O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver,
the hope of the nations and their Saviour:
Come and save us, O Lord our God.

Readings (Click the links to see the readings)

Malachi 3.1-4 & 4.2-3 | Ps 25.3-9 | Luke 1.57-66

Advent
—Donald Hall

When I see the cradle rocking
What is it that I see?
I see a rood on the hilltop
Of Calvary.

When I hear the cattle lowing
What is it that they say?
They say that shadows feasted
At Tenebrae.

When I know that the grave is empty,
Absence eviscerates me,
And I dwell in a cavernous, constant
Horror vacui.

Prayer

God of beauty and brokenness, as we face the pleasure and pain of life, help us to know your presence in every situation and seek you in life's joyful and difficult times. Move us with compassion when we see others suffer. When we need support help us to be humble and courageous enough to receive it. When others celebrate what is good and wholesome in life, make us ready to share their joy and invite others to share ours as well.

In the deep mid-winter, Rosetti's words in the acclaimed 1909 setting by Harold Darke, sung by the choir of King's College, Cambridge

Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti). The Adoration of the Shepherds (1577-1581).
Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice.