first Tuesday in Advent, morning

First Church is doing 7am morning prayer on weekdays during Advent, so for the second morning in a row I have gotten up 20 minutes earlier (i.e., now 5:40am) and attended. I intend to keep it up for the duration of Advent.

Tuesday has us read the Canticle of Zechariah (Monday is the Magnificat), and I'd forgotten how much I love it.

[I'm not sure exactly which version we used, so I'm just pulling the NRSV and inclusifying it; I think the prayer service is all fairly well inclusified/non-hierarchicalized ... though whatever Bible Ian was reading from this morning for the daily lectionary had an overabundance of "Sovereign Lord."]

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
     for you will go before the Holy One to prepare the way,
to give knowledge of salvation to God's people
     by the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of our God,
     the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
     to guide our feet into the way of peace.

It reminds me of a sermon Tiffany preached about how we are all called to be John the Baptist -- to prepare the way of our God.

After a couple days of unseaonably warm weather, it is appropriately beautiful winter weather today (i.e., mid-30s F right now).

And leaving my house twenty minutes early means I see the sunrise again (fiery orange tinged with red yesterday, soft pink today).

I also remembered to make my future-dated Christmas post yesterday.