The Smitten Rock

Morning Prayer OT readings from Numbers this week are startling as well as revealing: 1) startling because of the persistent rebellion of Israel against Moses and Aaron’s divinely appointed leadership, hence a rebellion against God; 2) revealing because of God’s provision for Israel as well as his divine judgments against Israel.

Before we are halfway through Numbers we are told that Israel had rebelled against against God ten times. Numbers 14:22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice.

This week’s readings:

  • In Numbers 16-17 Korah, Dathan and Abiram rebel against Aaron

  • In Numbers 20 The congregation of Israel lacked water and gathered together against Moses and Aaron … Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place?

Israel had seen God’s glory and His miracles which He did in Egypt and in the wilderness … and yet Israel did not trust God. Israel’s complaints became so burdensome that Moses became tired and frustrated in dealing with them and he in turn complained to the Lord:

Numbers 11 So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have put the burden of all this people on me? 12 Was it I who conceived all this people? Or did I give birth to them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your arms, as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers’? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat so that we may eat!’ 14 I am not able to carry all this people by myself, because it is too burdensome for me. 15 So if You are going to deal with me this way, please kill me now, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my misery.”

The smitten rock: In Numbers 20, Moses allowed his anger at the people to get the better of him … Moses struck the rock - instead of speaking to the rock as God had instructed him - to bring forth water from the rock. … “But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Since you did not trust in Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, for that reason you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’ ” Why does God deal so severely here with Moses after all Moses has been through with Israel?

Because the rock was Christ, and God must be shown to be holy in the sight of the sons of Israel. … As St Paul writes in I Corinthians 10: 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

** Note that the Rock that Israel drank “followed” them. Is this rock become something akin to a mobile water fountain? The water-from-the-rock incident occurred twice in the OT: once at the beginning of the wilderness period (Exodus 17) and again toward the end of the 40-year period (Numbers 20). Is this one and the same rock? Paul refers to Jesus not just as “the rock” but “the accompanying or following rock.”

The Logic of Pre-Lent

This Sunday begins Pre-Lent. In the early days of the Church, Septuagesima Sunday was the day on which catechumens were to begin their preparation for Holy Baptism on Easter Vigil. Try to imagine what these Propers would have meant to those preparing to be baptized and made members of the Body of Christ, His Church.

Pre-Lent

Between Epiphany and Lent, there are three Sundays, with ancient Latin names: Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima - the seventieth, sixtieth, and fiftieth days (approximately) before Easter. The intention of these three weeks is to prepare us to undertake the journey and the labor, the pilgrimage of Lent. ...these preparatory weeks introduce Lent as a journey, a pilgrimage, a labor: an exercise in growth to spiritual maturity, a putting off of "childish things" - a struggle to follow Christ through suffering to risen life. Spiritual maturity is indeed for each of us a struggle: a struggle to wean ourselves from worldliness, to attain a liberty of spirit which is not subservient to whims and appetites and vain imaginings, but rather weighs and judges all things by the word of God made manifest in Jesus Christ.

In the weeks since the beginning of Advent, all our Collects, Epistles and Gospels have centred around one theme: the expectation, the coming and manifestation – the Epiphany – of God, the Son of God, in our midst – the word of God made flesh, full of grace and truth, manifest in wisdom and in power. Now, we turn our minds to consider God’s work for our salvation in Jesus Christ – his ministry, his suffering and sacrifice, his triumph in Easter and Ascension, and his sending of the Holy Spirit.

Until I went into the Sanctuary of God

From Psalm 73: Until I went into the sanctuary of God

  1. Confidence
    – v1 Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

  2. Slipping
    – v2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.

  3. Pondering
    – v3f For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
    – v12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.

  4. Questioning
    – v13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency
    – v22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

  5. Perspective
    – v17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
    ** The Psalmist's perspective is restored on Mt Zion, God's holy mountain, the high place
    ** Every Sunday when we ascend to the heavenly Mt Zion God reorients our understanding of, our perspective on life

  6. Desire
    – v25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

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A Kiss like Judas

Liturgical words, liturgical actions, and liturgical vision shape our understanding of the Christian faith. Lex orandi, lex credendi ... the law of prayer ("the way we worship") is the law of belief ("what we believe").

In the Byzantine Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, prior to the reception of Holy Communion, the entire assembly prayed:

I believe, O Lord and confess, that You are truly the Christ, Son of the living God, Who came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the first. O Son of God, accept me today as a communicant of Your Mystical Supper, for I will not speak of this Mystery to Your enemies, nor like Judas will I give You a kiss, but like the penitent thief I confess to You:

O Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.

O Master, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.

O Holy one, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.

Here is the language of unworthiness, sin, and the need for repentance prior to Holy Communion. Here, is an explicit confession of faith, the same confession uttered by Simon Peter (Matthew 16:16), combined with Paul’s admission that he is the chief of all sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). After petitioning Christ for acceptance into the Mystical Supper, the faithful offer two of their own conditions for reception: “for I will not speak of this Mystery to Your enemies, nor like Judas will I give You a kiss.”

In the early Church, the Eucharistic mystery was concealed from non-Christians, and even those who were in the process of being initiated into the Faith were required to leave prior to the Liturgy of the Faithful (Holy Communion).

The faithful communicant assembly also promised not to give the Christ a kiss “like Judas,” a manifestation of Judas’ betrayal. Why does the Divine Liturgy say prior to the reception of Holy Communion ... "nor like Judas will I give you a kiss"? Judas' kiss had all the outward appearance of affection, an appearance that hid its inner reality. Whereas the kisses of the penitential woman in Luke 7:28 were those of adoration and love; the kiss of Judas was one of deceit and duplicity. The faithful are duly to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ with a lowly, penitent heart, a heart of unfeigned love and affection.

ALMIGHTY God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.

O Master, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.

O Holy one, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.

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On The Ascension

Jesus' Ascension closes the circle of love opened in the Incarnation. The Ascension of Jesus in His human nature takes us, His Body, completely into heaven. The Ascension is not Jesus’ closing act before dropping the curtain, having “done” what He set out to do. Jesus, out of love for us, became a human being in the flesh and redeemed us. Having redeemed us as our Priest, Sacrifice, and Advocate, He returns to His Father in the flesh to plead our cause at the right hand of God.

Hebrews 7:24 Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is also able to save forever those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Jesus’ Ascension is not a marginal event. It is the continuation “in heaven” of His Work “as it was on earth.”

So, the questions for the Ascension become: (1) do we really believe this is a watershed moment (and mystery) in Jesus’ life and (2) do we really believe that human flesh and blood now is in heaven? As one Divine put it ... Jesus' Ascension “reveals man to himself,” for where the Head has gone the Body will follow.

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Some notes from Morning Prayer

This Sunday's Gospel reading from John 20 ... It is the day of Jesus' Resurrection and the risen Lord comes to His disciples bearing gifts — God's peace through the commission given to the disciples for the remission of sin:

19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Related readings from this week's MP:

Micah 7:7-9, 18-20 ... on the remission of sin

Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 ... on the breath of God bringing forth life

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off from our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.

Philippians 3 ... that we might know the power of Jesus' resurrection

8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already grasped it all or have already become perfect, but I press on if I may also take hold of that for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

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The Mystery Is Great

In keeping with Lent ... from MP, I Corinthians 6:

Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

“With my body I thee worship,” reads an older version of the wedding service in the Book of Common Prayer, a line that is as striking as it is often confusing. The language expresses the totality of the sacrifice that marriage requires of us, the body being both the visible sign and the living symbol of that sacrificial love. The body is the place of our personal presence in the world, and the delight we have for the other’s presence is necessarily a delight of his/her manifestation in the body. Through their bodies, the husband and wife share in the self-giving love and life of the Holy Trinity ... "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him [Hebrew adam ... or mankind], male [Hebrew "ish"] and female [Hebrew "ishah"] He created them" (Genesis 1:26-27). Adam delighted in Eve's bodily presence, he delighted in her bones and flesh. And through their bodies, the man and the woman recognized that they were made for union and communion. So we read in Genesis 2:22-24:

The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones,

And flesh of my flesh;

She shall be called Woman,

Because she was taken out of Man.”

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

In the Eucharist we hear Jesus' words, the Bridegroom speaking to His Bride, His Body, the Church ... "This is my Body which is given for you ..." We delight in the Eucharist, in Jesus' presence among us manifest in His Body and Blood. Through Holy Communion, we are joined to Christ, and those joined to Him are to glorify God in their bodies.

Ephesians 5 ....28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body. 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. ... "With my body I thee worship" ...

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A Happy and Blessed Epiphany!

THE COLLECT

O God, who by the leading of a star didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles; Mercifully grant, that we, which know thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruition of thy glorious Godhead; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE EPISTLE. Ephesians 3. 1.

FOR this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy Apostles and Prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ, by the Gospel: whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

THE GOSPEL. St Matthew 2. 1.

WHEN Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
art not the least among the princes of Judah:
for out of thee shall come a Governor,
that shall rule my people Israel.

Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the East, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

We celebrate Epiphany every January 6th, the 12th day after Christmas. The Feast of the Epiphany marks the day on which the three Wise Men arrived in Bethlehem, at the home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, after a long, arduous journey. They had sought, and had now found, Him who was born King of the Jews.

The great Epiphany for the Magi was the revelation of the divine nature of Jesus Christ, and they had come to worship Him. Never again would life be the same for them. Their lives were forever changed.

In his poem, Journey of the Magi, T.S. Eliot imagines the aftermath of the Epiphany and how dramatically different life had become:

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

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Hail Mary, Full of Grace

Monday, December 14 ... Luke 1:26-33 The Annunciation ... The angel Gabriel comes suddenly to the Virgin Mary ... "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" This salutation greatly perplexed Mary. “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

Luke 1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Hail Mary, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

*What do we know about the angel Gabriel? (Luke 1:11-13; 19; Daniel 8:15-19; 9:20-23 ... Note: in Daniel 9 Gabriel comes to Daniel to reveal the time-table of the coming of the Messiah)

- Luke 1:11 Now an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zechariah was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. ... 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

- Daniel 8:15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought]to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one who looked like a man. 16 And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.” 17 So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and fell on my face; and he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end.”

- Daniel 9:20 While I was still speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. 22 And he instructed me and talked with me and said, “Daniel, I have come now to give you insight with understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, because you are highly esteemed; so pay attention to the message and gain understanding of the vision.

*Gabriel tells Mary that she has found favor with God. How does God favor her? (30-31)

*Moses was once told that he was favored of God. What did Moses ask God to do? What did God do? (Exodus 33:17-23)

- Exodus 33:17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” 18 Then Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory!” 19 And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.” 20 He further said, “You cannot see My face, for mankind shall not see Me and live!” 21 Then the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place [a]by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”

*Moses could not look upon the face of God, but in the NT the Blessed Virgin Mary shall see God's face. How did God enable mankind to see His face and live? (John 1:14-18; John 14:8-13; Philippians 2:5-8)

- John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John *testified about Him and called out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who is coming after me has proved to be my superior, because He existed before me.’” 16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him.

- John 14:8 Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus *said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own, but the Father, as He remains in Me, does His works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

- Philippians 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.

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The Sweet Savor of Christ

Friday, December 11.. St Luke 1:5-16 There was a long period of time from the last prophetic words of Malachi until the sudden appearance of the angel Gabriel in St. Luke 1. 420 years is a very long time to wait for God to speak again to the people of Israel It must have seemed a hard and often hopeless wait for many. But there were some who waited faithfully the revelation of God's Messiah. St Luke 1 tells of two people who were constant in faith, expectant in hope.

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 And yet they had no child, because Elizabeth was infertile, and they were both advanced in years.

8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 Now an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zechariah was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice over his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [m]while still in his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

* What were there names? (5)

* What did they do to remain hopeful of Christ's coming? (6 ... read Malachi 4:4-6)

Malachi 4:4 “Remember the Law of Moses My servant, the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.

5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction.”

* Where was Zacharias when the angel Gabriel came to him? (9) What was he doing? (10) Why did the angel Gabriel come to him at the moment he was doing this? What, or rather Who, does incense represent?

*What did Gabriel tell him?

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Born of Water and the Spirit

Thursday, December 10 ... Mark 1:1-8 John the Baptist comes; John baptizes people, a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. But he is not the only one who will baptize. When Jesus comes He too will baptize but not with water like John does.

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the Prophets:

“Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,

Who will prepare Your way before You.”

3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord;

Make His paths straight.’ ”

4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. 8 I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

* How will Jesus baptize? (8)

* What do you think it means that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit?

* What happens when someone is baptized? Are our sins forgiven? Do we receive the Holy Spirit?

Excerpts from the BCP (273ff), Holy Baptism

DEARLY beloved, forasmuch as our Saviour Christ saith, None can enter into the Kingdom of God, except he be regenerate and born anew of Water and of the Holy Ghost; I beseech you to call upon God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that of his bounteous mercy he will grant to this Child (or Person) that which by nature he cannot have; that he may be baptized with Water and the Holy Ghost, and received into Christ’s holy Church, and be made a living member of the same.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, heavenly Father, We give thee humble thanks, That thou hast vouchsafed to call us to the knowledge of thy grace, and faith in thee: Increase this knowledge, And confirm this faith, in us evermore. Give thy Holy Spirit to this Child (or this thy Servant), That he may be born again, And be made an heir of everlasting salvation; Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, Now and forever. Amen.

DEARLY beloved, ye have brought this Child here to be baptized; ye have prayed that our Lord Jesus Christ would vouchsafe to receive him, to release him from sin, to sanctify him with the Holy Ghost, to give him the kingdom of heaven, and everlasting life.

Dost thou, therefore, in the name of this Child, renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the sinful desires of the flesh, so that thou wilt not follow, nor be led by them?

IT is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should give thanks unto thee, O Lord, Holy Father, Al-mighty, Everlasting God, for that thy dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of our sins, did shed out of his most precious side both water and blood; and gave commandment to his disciples, that they should go teach all nations, and baptize them In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Regard, we beseech thee, the supplications of thy congregation; sanctify this Water to the mystical washing away of sin; and grant that this Child (this thy Servant), now to be baptized therein, may receive the fulness of thy grace, and ever remain in the number of thy faithful children; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, now and evermore. Amen.

SEEING now, dearly beloved brethren, that this Child (or this Person) is regenerate, and grafted into the body of Christ’s Church, let us give thanks unto Almighty God for these benefits; and with one accord make our prayers unto him, that this Child (or this Person) may lead the rest of his life according to this beginning.

* St. John 3:1-10 Jesus tells Nicodemus that in order to see and to enter the kingdom of God he must be regenerate,born from above ... he must be born of “water and the Spirit.” Is Jesus referring here to baptism?

See St Matthew 3:13-17

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.

16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

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And the Word Became Flesh

Collect: Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Collect for Advent (said daily): Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor 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 life immortal, through him who lives and reigns with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

Wednesday, December 9 ... John 1:9-17 The child Jesus came as the light of the world. He came as light so we would not walk in the darkness of our sin.

How easy is it to make our way in the dark? Could you keep to a path in complete darkness? Find your way in the dark without knowing where you were going? In darkness we are confused and disoriented. Jesus is the Light of the world and the Light shines in the darkness and overcomes it.

9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John *testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” 16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

How is salvation compared to light?

Jesus is the Word become flesh. V14 actually says that the Lord “tabernacled among us.” Much like the Old Testament Tabernacle, Jesus comes to dwell in our midst. He is the place, if you will, where God is to be found and worshiped. John 1 also says that “we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. In Exodus 33:17 Moses asks God to “show him [Moses] thy [God’s] glory.” God says to Moses in verse 20, “you cannot see my face.” When, then, St. John says, we beheld his glory” what is it that they saw?

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In Him was Life

Collect: Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Collect for Advent (said daily): Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor 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 life immortal, through him who lives and reigns with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

Tuesday, December 8 ... John 1:1-8 This startling prologue to St. John's gospel is breathtaking in its magnificence. Jesus was God in the very beginning. Before the world began, Jesus was from everlasting the Word that was with God and was God. Before He was born in the Bethlehem manger, Jesus was the great “I am” (St. John 8:58). In this passage we learn many amazing things about Jesus. Jesus was the Word (1) Jesus was from the very beginning (2) Jesus created all things (3) Jesus was the life and light of men.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.

* How could Jesus be all these things and still be a tiny child born in a manger?

* How difficult do you think it was for people to look at the child born in a manger and understand that He was Immanuel, "with us God"?

* Read I John 1:1-3. Jesus the Eternal Life of God was heard, seen, beheld and handled by the disciples. How astonished do you think the Apostles were as they reflected on their experience with the Eternal Word? Where do we hear, behold, and handle the Eternal Life of God?

1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

* Jesus was also born in a manger, loved and nursed by his mother, fed and cared for by his father. How strange is it that God might be in need of such things! Yet He -- through Whom all things came into being ... , and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Whom was life itself -- came to visit us in great humility, He came among us as a child. This is all part of God's plan for saving us from our SlNS.

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The Spirit of the Lord is upon Him

Friday, December 4 ... Isaiah 11:1-5 The promised Messiah will not only be a Prophet and a King from the line of David, He will have the Spirit of the Lord upon Him (St. Matthew 3:16-17).

Isaiah 11 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,

And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,

The spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The spirit of counsel and strength,

The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

3 And He will delight in the fear of the Lord,

And He will not judge by what His eyes see,

Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;

4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor,

And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;

And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,

And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.

5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins,

And faithfulness the belt about His waist.

Mt 3:16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

* The Spirit of God hovers over the waters of Genesis 1:1 to bring forth a new creation; in the Virgin Birth the Spirit again hovers, this time over the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary to show that a new creation is taking shape. How does the overshadowing here represent the presence of the Spirit upon Jesus, the earthly dwelling of the glory of God (St. Luke 1:32, 35; Exodus 40:34; St John 1:14).

Luke 1:32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

Exodus 40:34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us, and we beheld His glory, glory [face] as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

* List the seven-fold gifts of the Spirit the Messiah will possess (the same seven-fold gifts of the Spirit given at Confirmation, see BCP 297).

ALMIGHTY and everliving God, who hast vouchsafed to regenerate these thy servants by Water and the Holy Ghost, and hast given unto them forgiveness of all their sins; Strengthen them, we beseech thee, O Lord, with the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, and daily increase in them thy manifold gifts of grace: the spirit of wisdom and under-standing, the spirit of counsel and ghostly strength, the spirit of knowledge and true godliness; and fill them, O Lord, with the spirit of thy holy fear, now and for ever. Amen.

* What unusual things will happen when the Messiah reigns as King?

Isaiah 11

6 And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,

And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,

And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;

And a little boy will lead them.

7 Also the cow and the bear will graze,

Their young will lie down together,

And the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8 The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra,

And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.

9 They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,

For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord

As the waters cover the sea.

10 Then in that day

The nations will resort to the root of Jesse,

Who will stand as a signal for the peoples;

And His resting place will be glorious

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Christ the King

Thursday, December 3 ... Psalm 89:1-4 The Messiah will not only be a great Prophet, He will also be a great King. A king does many things: he protects his people from their enemies; he rules with justice; he leads his people in safety; he makes provision for them and feeds them.

Psalm 89

1 I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever;

To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.

2 For I have said, “Lovingkindness will be built up forever;

In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.”

3 “I have made a covenant with My chosen;

I have sworn to David My servant,

4 I will establish your seed forever

And build up your throne to all generations.” Selah.

*The Messiah will come to Israel as the descendent of what great Old Testament King?

How long will He reign as king on the throne? (St. Luke 1:26-33)

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Who were the first to acknowledge Jesus as king? (St. Mt 2:1-2)]

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

Jesus fed the 5000 in John 6. What did the people want to do and why? See John 6:14-15; Ezekiel 34:11-16 ... what the Messiah will do when He comes.

14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

11 For thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord God. 16 “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment.

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The Collects for Advent

The Collects for Advent are marvelous prayers, homilies if you will, on the faith and life of the Church. The Collects in the BCP teach us to know the power, the wisdom, the majesty, and mercy of God, and much of our duty both to God and to our neighbor. The doctrine taught therein about the person and work of Jesus Christ and the life of the Church is not just part of our collective memory … through the liturgical discipline and biblical content of the BCP's Collects the wisdom of the Fathers becomes part of our personal memory -- in taking these Collects to heart we do not live in the past … the past lives in us as a present and an eternal reality.

For Advent 1: 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.

The constituent parts of a Collect are –

  1. the invocation … Almighty God

  2. the recital of some doctrine or fact, the basis of the petition … Jesus shall come again in His glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead

  3. the petition itself, rising upon this doctrine ... give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life

  4. the aspiration …. that we may rise to life immortal (God inspires that we may aspire before we expire!)

  5. the address: to the Father, through the Son on our behalf, by the Holy Spirit, … through Him who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever

This year especially we pray earnestly: O LORD, raise up (we pray thee) thy power, and come among us, and with great might succor us! (Collect for Advent 4)

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A Thankful Heart

Psalm 9

I WILL give thanks unto thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; * I will speak of all thy marvellous works.

I will be glad and rejoice in thee; * yea, my songs will I make of thy Name, O thou Most Highest.

....

And they that know thy Name will put their trust in thee; * for thou, LORD, hast never failed them that seek thee.

O praise the LORD which dwelleth in Sion; * show the people of his doings.

A thankful heart! That is what we should bring to Advent. We anticipate the coming of joy to the world in that great and marvelous work of God ... for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. God has raised up His power and has come among us with great might to save us. Jesus, "God saves," is His Name; He shall be called, the Lord our righteousness. We who know God's Name will put our trust in Him; for the Lord has never failed those who seek Him. In Advent let every heart prepare Him room, let every heart its songs employ ... the earth has received her King!

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