Wednesday, December 25th | Psalm 80:1-7

Passage:
1 Listen, Shepherd of Israel,
who leads Joseph like a flock;
you who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine
2 on Ephraim,
Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Rally your power and come to save us.
3 Restore us, God;
make your face shine on us,
so that we may be saved.
4 Lord God of Armies,
how long will you be angry
with your people’s prayers?
5 You fed them the bread of tears
and gave them a full measure
of tears to drink.
6 You put us at odds with our neighbors;
our enemies mock us.
7 Restore us, God of Armies;
make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved.
-- Psalms 80:1-7 (CSB)

Song:
Once in Royal David’s City by Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander and Henry John Gauntlett, arr. Sandra McCracken, Laura Story, and Matt Papa

Lyrics:
Once in royal David's city
Stood a lowly cattle shed
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for His bed
Mary was that mother mild
Jesus Christ her little Child

He came down to earth from heaven
Who is God and Lord of all
And His shelter was a stable
And His cradle was a stall
With the poor and meek and lowly
Lived on earth our Saviour holy

Jesus is our childhood's pattern
Day by day like us He grew
He was little weak and helpless
Tears and smiles like us He knew
And He feels for all our sadness
And He shares in all our gladness

And our eyes at last shall see Him
Through His own redeeming love
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above
And He leads His children on
To the place where He has gone

Prayer:
Almighty God, who sees that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves, keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-The Gregorian Sacramentary