Christmastide
The Third Sunday of Advent
Collect
God for whom we watch and wait, you sent John
the Baptist to prepare the way of your Son: give
us courage to speak the truth, to hunger for
justice, and to suffer for the cause of right, with
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Luke 1.46-55
1 My soul doth magnify the Lord : and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
2 For he hath regarded : the lowliness of his
handmaiden.
3 For behold, from henceforth : all generations
shall call me blessed.
4 For he that is mighty hath magnified me : and
holy is his Name.
5 And his mercy is on them that fear him :
throughout all generations.
6 He hath shewed strength with his arm : he
hath scattered the proud in the imagination of
their hearts.
7 He hath put down the mighty from their seat :
and hath exalted the humble and meek.
8 He hath filled the hungry with good things :
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
9 He remembering his mercy hath holpen his
servant Israel : as he promised to our
forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to
the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be : world without end.
Amen.
1 Thessalonians 5. 16-24
16Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19Do not quench the Spirit. 20Do not despise the words of prophets,
21but test everything; hold fast to what is good;
22abstain from every form of evil. 23May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.
John 1. 6-8, 19-28
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
19This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ 20He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ 21And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ 22Then they said to him, ‘Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ 23He said, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord” ’, as the prophet Isaiah said. 24Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25They asked him, ‘Why then are you baptising if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?’
26John answered them, ‘I baptise with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know,
27the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.’ 28This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptising.
The Ridgeway 