Flee, shadows and darkness,
the light of day shines forth,
Christ the Lord is coming.
The sun of justice
transfigures and inflames
the waiting universe.
With pure and humble joy,
amid songs and prayers,
we welcome the Lord.
You, Saviour of the poor,
let the glory of your face
shine on a new world.
Praise to you, O Christ,
with the Father and the Spirit,
now and forever.
Amen.

Blessed be the Lord,
the God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people,
raising up for us a power of salvation
in the house of his servant David.
According to the promise made from ancient times,
through the mouths of his holy prophets,
that he would save us from our enemies
and from the hands of all those who hate us.
Fulfilling in this way the mercy
he had with our fathers,
remembering his holy Covenant,
and the oath he swore to our father, Abraham,
that he would set us free from fear
to be delivered from the hands of our enemies,
to serve him in holiness and virtue
in his presence all our days.
Blessed be the Lord...
And you, little child,
you shall be called Prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare a way for him,
announcing to his people salvation
and forgiveness of their sins.
Because of the tender mercy of our God,
a sun, rising from on high, will visit us,
to give light to those who live in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Blessed be the Lord…

They were poor men, like you, like me;
they'd been casting their nets in the lake
or collecting taxes at the gates of the city.
I remember that amongst them all
there was not even a learned man,
and the one whom they called Master
was dead and buried in a tomb.
If you feel a breeze from heaven,
a wind shaking the doors,
listen, it's a voice that is calling you,
inviting you to travel afar.
There's a fire arising
in him who is waiting,
in him who cherishes
hopes of love.
They had a heart in their breast, like you, like me,
gripped by a fear cold as ice,
eyes that were dry, unable to cry anymore
and faces pale with fever and fear.
They surely were thinking about their lost friend,
about the woman left at the door of the house,
about the cross standing at the top of the hill.
If you feel a breeze from heaven…
And the wind shook the door of the house,
it entered wildly into the room,
and they had eyes and voices of fire;
they rushed out to sing their joy in the street.
Man, you who wait hidden in shadow,
the voice that is calling is really for you;
it brings you joy, it brings you good news:
the Kingdom of God has already come!
If you feel a breeze from heaven…

I want to sing, to you I want to sing;
awake, awake my heart,
awake, harp and zither!
Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O God;
in you my soul takes refuge.
I take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the danger is over.
I want to sing…
I call on God, I call on God the most high,
to God who has done great things for me;
may he send from heaven and save me
from the hands of my enemies.
I want to sing…
I lie as in the midst of lions,
lions who devour men;
their teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongues sharpened swords.
I want to sing…
Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O God,
they laid a net for my feet,
they dug a pit for me
but fell into it themselves.
I want to sing…
My heart is ready, my heart is ready, O God,
to you I will sing praises;
awake lyre and harp,
I will awake the dawn!
I want to sing…
I will praise you, Lord, among the peoples,
to you I will sing hymns among the nations;
for your love is higher than the heavens,
your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
I want to sing…

When I awake, I’ll be satisfied with your face, O Lord,
When I awake, I’ll be satisfied with your face, O Lord.
Listen, Lord, to my prayer,
be attentive, Lord to my cry,
listen to my plea:
my lips do not betray you, O Lord,
let judgement come from you,
let your eyes see,
let your eyes see righteousness.
When I awake...
Search, Lord, my heart,
search me at night, O Lord.
test me in the crucible, test me in the crucible,
because you know there is no malice in me,
my mouth does not speak as men do;
because I have kept your Word,
I have avoided the way of the violent one;
I’ve kept my feet firmly on your path,
and I will not stumble, I will not stumble.
When I awake...
I cry to you, Lord, answer me,
listen, Lord, to my voice,
show me the wonders of your love,
for you save whoever entrusts himself to you,
for you help whoever relies on your right hand;
guard me as the apple of your eye,
in the shadow of your wings, hide me.
Look! They want to kill me!
When I awake...
Look at them, they are closed in their pride,
their mouths speak with arrogance,
they advance against me, they advance against me!
Help me, O Lord!
Rescue me from the men of this world,
from men who believe only in this life;
fill them with good things, O Lord,
let their children have all they desire,
let them be satisfied with your riches.
because when I awake, when I awake,
I’ll be satisfied with your face, O Lord!

O God, you are my God,
I seek you from the dawn;
for you my soul is thirsting.
For you my soul is thirsting,
my flesh is longing for you
like a dry weary land,
like a dry weary land without water.
O God, you are my God...
Your love is better than life,
my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you,
in your name I will lift up my hands.
O God, you are my God...
My soul clings to you,
your right hand holds me with strength;
on my bed I think of you,
on you I muse through the night.
O God, you are my God...
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
my mouth shall praise you with joy
for you have been my help;
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
O God, you are my God…

The glorious cross of the risen Lord
is the tree of my salvation;
on it I feed, in it I delight,
in its roots I grow,
in its branches I lie down.
Its dew makes me glad,
its breeze gives me life,
in its shadow I have put my tent.
In hunger, my nourishment, in thirst, the fountain,
in nakedness, my clothing.
Hard path, narrow road,
Jacob's ladder, bed of love
where the Lord married us.
The glorious cross…
In fear, defence,
in stumbling, support,
in victory, crown,
in struggle, you are reward.
Tree of eternal life,
pillar of the universe,
skeleton of the earth,
your peak reaches heaven,
and in your open arms
shines the love of God.
The glorious cross…

The voice of my beloved: Behold! Here he comes,
leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle,
like a young deer,
my beloved is like a gazelle.
Behold! He stands behind our wall
and looks in at the window, he peers through the lattice.
Now my beloved speaks and says to me:
"Arise, my beloved!
Arise my love, arise and come!"
"Arise, my beloved,
Arise my love, arise and come!"
Look, winter has already passed,
the rains are over, they have gone away,
the flowers have appeared on the earth,
the time for singing has come again
and the voice of the turtle dove has returned,
the fig-tree has blossomed with first fruits
and the grape vine gives off its scent.
"Arise, my beloved…
O my dove in the cleft of the rock,
in the hiding places of the cliffs,
let me hear your voice,
let me hear your voice.
Chase away the foxes, the little foxes
who spoil the vineyard.
For our vineyard is in blossom!
For our vineyard is in blossom!
My beloved is for me,
and I am for him.
Before the breeze blows
and the shadows of death grow longer,
return, return, return!
Return, return, return!