Psalm 80:1-19 · Psalm 80

1 Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock; you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth

2 before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Awaken your might; come and save us.

3 Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.

4 O Lord God Almighty, how long will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people?

5 You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.

6 You have made us a source of contention to our neighbors, and our enemies mock us.

7 Restore us, O God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.

8 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.

9 You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land.

10 The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.

11 It sent out its boughs to the Sea, its shoots as far as the River.

12 Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its grapes?

13 Boars from the forest ravage it and the creatures of the field feed on it.

14 Return to us, O God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine,

15 the root your right hand has planted, the son you have raised up for yourself.

16 Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire; at your rebuke your people perish.

17 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

18 Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name.

19 Restore us, O Lord God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.

Advent 4
Psalm 80:1-19, Isaiah 7:1-25, Romans 1:1-17, Matthew 1:18-25
Sermon Aid
by Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe
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OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS

At the very heart of Advent is the anticipation and celebration of the incarnation—of God's being present with us. Our Old Testament lessons for the fourth week of Advent turn directly on this central theme.  Isaiah 7:10-16 is a prophecy that anticipates Immanuel ("with us is God"), and Psalm 80 is a communal petition for God to be present.

Isaiah 7:10-16 - "The Sign of Immanuel"
Setting.   Isaiah 7:10-16 is a central Old Testament text for Christians. It was already given a central place in the formation of the Gospel of Matthew (where  Isaiah 7:14 is quoted as a prophecy about the birth of Jesus), and it has continued to play a central role in our Advent worship throughout Christian history.

Toward the end of the eighth century B.C.E. a number of Judah's neighbors,…

Abingdon Press Nashville, PREACHING THE REVISED COMMON LECTIONARY, by Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe