Total Pageviews

2018/12/31

The Circumcision of Christ - 1 January 2019

[The knife at the top of the picture is for circumcision; and the Hebrew word is Yehoshua - Hebrew for Jesus]


The Circumcision of Christ (1 January).
Psalm 6. Domine, ne in furore.
O  LORD, rebuke me not in thine indignation, * neither chasten me in thy displeasure.
2 Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak; * O Lord, heal me, for my bones are vexed.
3 My soul also is sore troubled: * but, Lord, how long wilt thou punish me?
4 Turn thee, O Lord, and deliver my soul; * O save me, for thy mercy’s sake.
5 For in death no man remembereth thee; * and who will give thee thanks in the pit?
6 I am weary of my groaning; * every night wash I my bed, and water my couch with my tears.
7 My beauty is gone for very trouble, * and worn away because of all mine enemies.
8 Away from me, all ye that work iniquity; * for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.
9 The Lord hath heard my petition; * the Lord will receive my prayer.
10 All mine enemies shall be confounded, and sore vexed; * they shall be turned back, and put to shame suddenly.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. Amen.

The Collect.
ALMIGHTY God, who madest thy blessed Son to be circumcised, and obedient to the law for man; Grant us the true Circumcision of the Spirit; that, our hearts, and all our members, being mortified from all worldly and carnal lusts, we may in all things obey thy blessed will; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the New Year: Almighty and Everlasting God, from whom cometh down every good and perfect gift; we give thee thanks for all thy benefits, temporal and spiritual, bestowed upon us in the year past, and we beseech thee of thy goodness, grant us a favorable and joyful year, defend us from all dangers and adversities, and send upon us the fullness of thy blessing; through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, ever One God, world without end. Amen (“The Book of Worship: Approved by the General Synod of the Evangelical Reformed Church,” 1947, p. 120).

Epistle Reading: Philippians 2.9-13
Gospel Reading: St. Luke 2.15-21

Homily
----
The feast of the circumcision of Jesus is also a good time to review baptism, and especially Christian baptism for infants and children. Here is a link to the sermon I preached right before I baptized a young child, on the 30th of December 2018: Follow the Little Ones to Jesus

No comments: