Tuesday 29 November
Antiphon: They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
The Tree of Jesse and the Annunciation, carved oak panel after the Book of Hours of the Use of Rome by Thelma Never. The first of eight carved wooden made for Cardinal David Beaton, in the 1530s and now in the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland.
"A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots." Isaiah 11:1.
Incarnation
by Denise Day Spencer, 1999
He stands,
poised on the brink of two worlds:
One, land of eternal day,
the other, earth of mire and clay.
Behind Him,
legions of heavenly host,
bright faces covered, praising,
all chanting, voices raising.
Before Him,
chaos yawning, swift and deep,
known, yet unknown. Fear unfurling,
death and darkness churning, swirling.
He turns.
One last look at golden glory.
The Three part; He is now One.
The Father’s voice says, "Go well, my Son."
He leaps
into the abyss.
His next memory will be a Mother's kiss.
Isaiah 11:1-10
A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
Luke 10:21-24
At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’
Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.’
O Lord our God,
make us watchful and keep us faithful
as we await the coming of your Son our Lord;
that, when he shall appear,
he may not find us sleeping in sin
but active in his service
and joyful in his praise;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 72 "Give the King Thy Judgements, O God." Deus, judicium. The Choir of York Minster. Organ: John Scott Whiteley; Dir. Philip Moore.
1. Give the King thy judgements, O God : and thy righteousness unto the King's son.
2. Then shall he judge thy people according unto right : and defend the poor.
3. The mountains also shall bring peace : and the little hills righteousness unto the people.
4. He shall keep the simple folk by their right : defend the children of the poor, and punish the wrong-doer.
5. They shall fear thee, as long as the sun and moon endureth : from one generation to another.
6. He shall come down like the rain into a fleece of wool : even as the drops that water the earth.
7. In his time shall the righteous flourish : yea, and abundance of peace, so long as the moon endureth.
8. His dominion shall be also from the one sea to the other : and from the flood unto the world's end.
9. They that dwell in the wilderness shall kneel before him : his enemies shall lick the dust.
10. The kings of Tharsis and of the isles shall give presents : the kings of Arabia and Saba shall bring gifts.
11. All kings shall fall down before him : all nations shall do him service.
12. For he shall deliver the poor when he crieth : the needy also, and him that hath no helper.
13. He shall be favourable to the simple and needy : and shall preserve the souls of the poor.
14. He shall deliver their souls from falsehood and wrong : and dear shall their blood be in his sight.
15. He shall live, and unto him shall be given of the gold of Arabia : prayer shall be made ever unto him, and daily shall he be praised.
16. There shall be an heap of corn in the earth, high upon the hills : his fruit shall shake like Libanus, and shall be green in the city like grass upon the earth.
17. His Name shall endure for ever; his Name shall remain under the sun among the posterities: which shall be blessed through him; and all the heathen shall praise him.
18. Blessed be the Lord God, even the God of Israel : which only doeth wondrous things;
19. And blessed be the Name of his majesty for ever : and all the earth shall be filled with his majesty. Amen, Amen.
— text from Book of Common Prayer (1662).