Council Voices

Excerpted from Keep Awake, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Isaiah 60:1-6 Arise, shine, for your light has come,    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.For darkness shall cover the earth    and thick darkness the peoples,but the Lord will arise upon you,    and his glory will appear over you.Nations shall come to […]

Excerpted from Keep Awake, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 148 Praise the Lord!Praise the Lord from the heavens;    praise him in the heights!Praise him, all his angels;    praise him, all his host! Praise him, sun and moon;    praise him, all you shining stars!Praise him, you highest heavens    and you waters above the heavens! […]

Excerpted from Keep Awake, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 96 O sing to the Lord a new song;    sing to the Lord, all the earth.Sing to the Lord; bless his name;    tell of his salvation from day to day.Declare his glory among the nations,    his marvelous works among all the peoples.For great is […]

Excerpted from Keep Awake, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Matthew 1:18-25 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. Her husband […]

Excerpted from Keep Awake, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;    the desert shall rejoice and blossom;like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly    and rejoice with joy and shouting.The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,    the majesty of Carmel and […]

Excerpted from Keep Awake, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Psalm 71: 1-17 Give the king your justice, O God,    and your righteousness to a king’s son.May he judge your people with righteousness    and your poor with justice.May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,    and the hills, in righteousness.May he […]

Excerpted from Keep Awake, an Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Isaiah 2:1-5 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come    the mountain of the Lord’s houseshall be established as the highest of the mountains    and shall be raised above the hills;all the nations […]

Isaiah 43:1-7 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;when […]

John 1:(1-9), 10-18 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children […]

1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy wearing a linen ephod. His mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year, when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, […]

Isaiah 9:2-7 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.For the yoke of […]

Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud […]

Luke 3:7-18 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from […]

Philippians 1:3-11 I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring […]

Psalm 25:1-10 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.Make me to know […]