In Advent

 

Advent II -- A Voice Calling

 

Advent: a season of retelling, and foretelling.

  Today's reading from the Prophet Isaiah recalls the words of the prophet proclaiming:

 1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken." 6 A voice says, "Cry!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. 9 Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!" 10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. (Isa 40:1-11 ESV)

Some 800 years would pass; Empires would fall and rise. The Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks were now ink in the papyri of history.  Now, Rome had stepped onto the stage and her iron boot was upon the neck of Judah and Samaria, and she ruled without mercy or pity. In this darkness, a new voice was heard:

 1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, 3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'" 4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." (Mark 1:1-8 ESV)

A Nazarite prophet and the son of a priest, Jonah bar Zechariah (we know him as John, the Baptist) rose suddenly with a call to national repentance signified by a public Baprism. To spiritual fathers, this was scandalous.  This was an act reserved for those on the outside, not the Jew.  Yet John was calling his hearers to something greater, repentance before their coming Messiah.

 So today we remember, reflect, and look forward in this Secord Advent of our Messiah.  This hope is captured in today's Collect:

Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and the comfort of your holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Advent I -- Veni Veni Emauel

 

Somewhere in the mists of history, servants of God living in community recorded expressions of worship that would become known as Antiphons, devotional compositions that were sung responsively during worship.  Among these was one sung in the eight days (or Octave) preceding Christmas.  It captures the longing of those who were waiting for what the Gospel writers described simply as the "Consolation of Israel".  Those singing the antiphon would proclaim (in Latin):

Veni, veni, Emmanuel 

 captivum solve Israel,

 qui gemit in exsilio,

privatus Dei Filio.

Gaude! Gaude! Emmanuel,

nascetur  pro te Israel!

While we may not be fluent in Latin, we might deduce these words to be the first stanza of the Advent carol, "Oh come, Emmanuel".  Perhaps my favorite rendition of this ancient antiphon has been captured by the Celtic muse, Enya:

December First -- The Feast of Nicholas Ferrar

Nicholas Ferrar, an Anglican Deacon born in the late 16th Century is celebrated today.  Nicholas was the founder of an Anglican religious Community, Little Gidding, which existed in the Midlands of England through the reign of Charles I, until it was suppressed by the Puritans under Oliver Cromwell.

After Nicholas had been ordained as a deacon, he and his family and a few friends retired to Little Gidding, Huntingdonshire, England, to devote themselves to a life of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. They restored the abandoned church building, and became responsible for regular services there. They taught the neighborhood children, and looked after the health and well-being of the people of the district. They read the regular daily offices of the Book of Common Prayer, including the recital every day of the complete Psalter. (Day and night, there was always at least one member of the community kneeling in prayer before the altar, that they might keep the word, "Pray without ceasing.") They wrote books and stories dealing with various aspects of Christian faith and practice. They fasted with great rigor, and in other ways embraced voluntary poverty, so that they might have as much money as possible for the relief of the poor.

Nicholas Ferrar, in his ministry to his community of Huntingdonshire, exemplified what it is to be a Deacon and what it should look like in our modern age.  His ministry extended well beyond the Chancel rail and into surrounding world.  Yes, our Lord was worshipped and adored.  His people were also cared for.

Remembering Deacon Nicholas in today's Eucharist, we pray:

Lord God, make us so reflect your perfect love; that, with your Deacon Nicholas Ferrar and his household, we may rule ourselves according to your Word, and serve you with our whole heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

A Revival

I’ve been quietly considering the reports of Revivals breaking out across the Republic this week.  I also wanted to share some thoughts.

 

Out of the Gate, I believe in revival.  Revivals have occurred throughout human history where the Almighty God moves and ignites humanity, taking them through a time of repentance and contrition and forward into a renewal of life. Holy Scriptures capture this in the life of ancient Israel, one instance under the reign of their King Josiah where a people who had drifted so far from their God, returned in a spirit of brokenness and repentance.  Retribution that was rightfully theirs for their breaking of a holy covenant was remitted and the gentle hand of God was returned.

 

While our Republic, born in 1776 (and not 1619) had no tangible Covenant with the Divine, those framers of this new land all held to a Judeo-Christian worldview.  While this ethos has ebbed and flowed over the decades, it has taken a decided dive in the wake of the Cultural Revolution of “Wokeness” where down became up and wrong became right.  Now today, there are forces afoot that are seeking to tear our Republic to shreds.  In the midst of this darkness, the Holy Spirit appeared to have fallen on a worship service a University in Kentucky.  This Spiritual manifestation is now spreading across the Nation. 

As this is occurring, there are those, even in my own American Anglican Church, who are viewing this all with a jaundiced eye and dismissing it as nothing.  I don’t accept that view.  Our God IS moving, and his Prophets declared a time where he would once again pour out His Spirit on humanity.  I can’t say for certain that this is what we’re witnessing in the wake of this revival.  What I can do is quote the esteemed Rabbi Gamaliel, who when speaking to the High Council in Jerusalem (The Sanhedrin) declared:

“I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” (Acts 5:38-39)

All of this said, the fires of Revival are burning Spiritual tinder.  Once ignited, they require additional fuel to continue or else, they will exhaust themselves.  How does this occur?  It occurs when followers of God come along side these individuals, bringing the word of God to instruct and encourage.  Just as Pricilla and Aquilla came alongside Apollos, these who have recently encountered might have a fuller encounter, and be equipped to engage and influence this tasteless, and cold world.

 

The March Continues

 

Forty  nine years ago, Ms. Nellie Gray led the first March for Life in the chill in a cold DC January. I was twelve years old at the time and really didn't know about this event.  As time progressed, I would become familiar with the march and began to develop the desire to join the throng in making my stand for the unborn.  It would be many years until 2014 when I would be able to join the marchers to make that stand for those in the womb.  It was indescribably cold that day, with the temperatures not leaving the single digits.  The wind chill only added to the January joy.  

  In this bitter cold, I encountered some of the most amazing young people  I ever met. Hundreds of thousands of youth whose energy raised the bitter  temperatures were there.  The event was truly multicultural where the spectrum of faith groups were represented to even include Muslims, Jews and Atheists for life.  I even encountered overtly secular groups to include Gays for Life who marched for our combined cause.  It would take nearly another Decade for our Supreme Court to see the faulty logic in their 1973 decision that burdened our Republic with Roe, and placed this on the States where it should have been from the start.

The work now continues.  While states have either banned abortion or put restrictions on the barbaric practice, others have doubled down, even pushing for post-natal infanticide.  Its my hope and prayer that this Republic will wake and apprehend the barbarity to this practice and realize that just like Dred Scott or Plessy Vs. Ferguson, that Roe Vs. Wade a faulted decision.

Advent - Company's Coming

 

As children, hearing our mother tell us that company's coming was always a double-edged message.  "Company" pointed to a happy time that included laughter, gifts, surprises, and all the things that disrupted our humdrum, Pennsylvania steel town existence.  It meant that friends, or other family members would shortly interpose upon the life of our family. Now, while there were family members who visited on a regular basis, and this is in no means to diminish them, they weren't company.  Company, consisted of Family who lived out of state, or even the aunt & uncle who were visiting from Ireland.  These constituted company, and their arrival was a time for excitement. 

When our mom's declared company was coming, it was in a statement that rarely ended is a period, it ended in a semicolon where the following statement went something like "and this house is a mess!"  In our minds, mom was violating a chorus of child labor laws as we were suddenly picking up our toys, cleaning our rooms, sweeping floors or other monumental labors.  All the while, mom took on her own chores.  In the end, the house sparkled, company came, and a good time was enjoyed by all.

At the heart of the Old Testament, was the message that "company is coming".  Throughout the Old Testament, the Prophets pointed to the promised Messiah. Prophets like Isaiah who declared in a loud voice:

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Isa 40:1-3 ESV                                                         

Or there was the Prophet Micah who in an even clearer voice declared the place where the Messiah would be born, in a prophecy that all but zeroed in on the natal zip code:

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Mic 5:2 ESV

Throughout, these messengers exhorted the people of Israel to prepare themselves to welcome their coming King.  This King did come on a silent night, witnessed by few.  While his incarnation was mostly missed by many, this King promised to return, and that return will be seen by all. Each Sunday, we declare this when we proclaim the Mystery of Faith:

Christ has died,

Christ has risen,

Christ will come again!

Today in this Advent season, God's people are being called to a time of preparation and examination.  While we commemorate our Lord's first coming, we also watch, wait and prepare ourselves for that moment when He will come again.  This short season in our Liturgical year gives us space for reflection, and to consider how our heart's might be made ready for coming company.   

This Advent season, let or heart's echo the words of the Prophet, who declared:

A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Isa 40:3 ESV

Advent I -- Advent Begins in the Dark

 

I’m recalling the first Sunday in Advent 1979, when I was blessed to be part of a choir that was performing in the National Cathedral up on Mount Saint Alban’s.  It was a memorable Sunday on many levels that included hearing a homily whose takeaway was “Advent begins in the dark”, a catchphrase that has stuck in my head for nearly 42 years.  The Homilist employed an apt visual reference pointing to the wreath that would glow ever brighter before the season’s conclusion.  I believe though that the weight of this statement extends far beyond the lumens provided by the five candles and the setting of that first Advent bears witness to this fact.

Advent began in a period of Sociopolitical Darkness.  For more than half a millennia, Abraham’s children had been an oppressed and occupied people.  Her golden age and the splendor of Solomon’s temple were little more than stories told by grandfather’s to their grandchildren.  Worse still, they were now into the second generation of being under the iron boot of the Roman Empire.  Against this backdrop and in an act of subversion against the kingdom of darkness, the Angel Gabriel stepped into the realm of time and the Holy Spirit hovered over a comely virgin of the House of David.

Advent began in a period of relative Spiritual Darkness.  Four hundred years had passed since a Prophetic voice was heard in Judah.  Those who were waiting for the Consolation of Israel knew the teaching of faithful Rabbis and the endless circle of sacrifice but never knew the sound of one speaking under the unction of the Almighty in prophetic counsel.  The dark silence would be shattered as the angel pronounced fulfillment of multiple prophecies concerning the coming Messiah.   

But consider too how Christ’s Advent into our own lives also began in the dark.  We all at one time, walked in spiritual darkness.  Each of us, as Saint Paul wrote to the Ephesians, were living far away from God and living to serve ourselves and our own desires; our past, present and future held only the dark and starless night.  Yet when the Holy Spirit moved upon us to convict us of our transgressions and convince us of our need for a Savior, both life and light was brought to us in the new birth.

Those who know the Christ of Advent can take comfort in the fact that the child born in Bethlehem is the very redeemer who will again return to make all things new.  No matter how dark it may seem, His glorious light will burst forth at the Father’s appointed hour.  This Advent which began in the dark will culminate in glorious light.

Advent I -- 2022

 

Happy New Year.  Its the season to turn our attention to a season of preparation.  A time to look beyond bargains, sales, Big Screens and the like, to the Messiah who's appearance who was missed by nearly all.  His return WON'T be missed. 

So, on this First Sunday in Advent, the Church traditionally prays:

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your 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 living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

As well, our heart's cry remains, Oh come, oh come Emmanuel...