Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of
darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of
this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us
in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again
in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead, we
may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth
with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. _Amen_.
_This Collect is to be repeated every day with the other Collects
in Advent, until Christmas Eve_.
THE EPISTLE. Rom. xiii. 8.
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth
another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit
adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt
not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any
other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying,
namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no
ill to his neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out
of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore cast
off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Let us walk honestly as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness,
not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But
put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the
flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
THE GOSPEL. St Matth. xxi. 1.
When they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage,
unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying
unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway
ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and
bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall
say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send
them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the Prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion,
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass,
and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as
Jesus commanded them; and brought the ass, and the colt, and put
on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great
multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches
from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes
that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the
Son of David; Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord;
Hosanna in the Highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem all the
city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This
is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into
the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in
the temple; and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and
the seats of them that sold doves; and said unto them, It is
written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have
made it a den of thieves.