4th Sunday of Advent!

‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive.’

 In those days: The Lord spoke to Ahaz: ‘Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.’ But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.’ And Isaiah said, ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.’ 

Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,

the world, and those who dwell in it.

It is he who set it on the seas;

on the rivers he made it firm.

Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?

Who shall stand in his holy place?

The clean of hands and pure of heart,

whose soul is not set on vain things.

Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.

Blessings from the Lord shall he receive,

and right reward from the God who saves him.

Such are the people who seek him,

who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.

Jesus Christ, descended from David, Son of God.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an Apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

  To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Emmanuel — which means, God with us.

Alleluia.

Jesus was born of Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph, son of David.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’

  All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Emmanuel’ — which means, God with us.

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife.