The
First Sunday of Advent.
Psalm 8.
Domine,
Dominus noster.
O LORD our Governor, how
excellent is thy Name in all the world; * thou that hast set thy glory above
the heavens!
2 Out of the mouth of very
babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength, because of thine enemies, *
that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I consider thy
heavens, even the work of thy fingers; * the moon and the stars which thou hast
ordained;
4 What is man, that thou
art mindful of him? * and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 Thou madest him lower
than the angels, * to crown him with glory and worship.
6 Thou makest him to have
dominion of the works of thy hands; * and thou hast put all things in
subjection under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen; *
yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowls of the air, and
the fishes of the sea; * and whatsoever walketh through the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord our Governor, *
how excellent is thy Name in all the world!
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.
[This Collect is to be repeated every day, with the other Collects
in Advent, until Christmas-Eve.]
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, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 28.14-22
Psalter 8, 50; 96, 97
Epistle Reading: Romans 13.8-14
Gospel Reading: Matthew 21.1-13
Homily
This
is from my latest letter to our congregation:
We’re
exploring Isaiah 33:5-6 and what is vastly valuable and truly treasurable. We
move, now, to the next-to-last statement, and revel in the LORD’s abundance.
“The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on
high;
he will fill Zion with justice and
righteousness,
and he will be the stability of your times,
abundance of salvation, wisdom, and
knowledge;
the fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.”
The
phrase that began the middle statement goes with this point “and he will be…”
Thus, he will be the “abundance of
salvation”. “Salvation” is a colossal word in the whole of the Scriptures.
It doesn’t simply mean that God is saving my puny, ghostly soul; but by the
historical fact that Jesus became fully human, he is saving us body and soul;
psychologically, physically, and emotionally. But more than that salvation also
includes his rescuing his people from sin, society, death and the devil, saving
us from his and our enemies. But even more than all that he is saving all of creation,
the cosmos. As Paul points out, “the
creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the
freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). In our rescue
and resurrection, creation will be rescued and resurrected. The abundance of
salvation indeed! His planet and his people! And I’m only scratching the
surface of the meaning of this abundant salvation.
Further, he will be the abundance of “wisdom, and knowledge”. As the book of
Proverbs points out repeatedly, wisdom and knowledge go hand in glove with having
God; where, when we call out for insight and raise our voice for understanding,
seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, “then you will understand the fear of the
LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth
come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he
is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and
watching over the way of his saints” (Proverbs 2:3-8). And sure enough,
God’s wisdom comes to meet us in God-in-the-flesh, “in [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”
(Colossians 2:3). And it’s here, with Jesus upon whom the Spirit of the LORD
rests, “the Spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the
fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD” (Isaiah
11.2-3) that we encounter, and connect with the LORD – the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit – who is exalted and dwells on high, the one who will be our
abundance of salvation, wisdom and knowledge!
You
have so much to give thanks for, whether it’s tomorrow or for the remainder of
your life: our God is abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge!
Brothers
and sisters celebrate the goodness and abundance of our LORD, especially his “abundance
of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.”
Saint Andrew the
Apostle
[November 30]
Collect
ALMIGHTY God, who didst
give such grace unto thy holy Apostle Saint Andrew, that he readily obeyed the
calling of thy Son Jesus Christ, and followed him without delay; Grant unto us
all, that we, being called by thy holy Word, may forthwith give up ourselves
obediently to fulfil thy holy commandments; through the same Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 55.1-5
Psalter: Psalm 34
Epistle Reading: Romans 10.9-21
Gospel Reading: St. Matthew 4.18-22
Homily
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