My friends over at the Continuum blog are some of the best in the blogosphere when it comes to devotional reflections on the Collects and the traditional Anglican lectionary each week. It’s very definitely a must-bookmark blog for those who want to grow in understanding the liturgy and the rhythms of the church year.

Here is part of Albion Land’s latest post on the Septuagesima collect and the transition from Epiphany to the Pre-Lenten season:

Collect:
O Lord, we beseech thee favourably to hear the prayers of thy people, that we, who are justly punished for our offences, may be mercifully delivered by thy goodness, for the glory of thy name; through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who liveth & reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

Throughout Epiphany, our prayers have focused on our frailness and helplessness, on how ultimately defenceless we are as creatures apart from God. Yet at each turn, we are reminded that, living in God, He will defend, strengthen and support us, giving us peace.

As we enter the pre-Lenten cycle, there is an abrupt shift in focus from our weakness to our wickedness. Contrary to what post-modern theologians would have us believe, we are sinners, and worthy of punishment.

Yet, even here, and just as importantly, God will be with us if we open ourselves up to Him. Our sinfulness is a reflection of our weakness, of our separation from God. But, just as we have the assurance that He will bear us up when our footsteps falter, we are assured that He will also forgive us when our path strays.

The full text is here.

Fr. Robert Hart’s sermon for Septuagesima is here.

All-powerful Father,
Christ Your Son became man for us
and was presented in the temple.
May he free our hearts from sin
and bring us into your presence.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit
one God forever and ever.

— New Saint Joseph Weekday Missal
(via Churchyear.net)

And this:

The Candlemas Prayer

Lord God, you are the source of everlasting light.
Your son, our beloved Lord Jesus
was presented in the temple 40 days after his birth.
He was recognised by Simeon and Anna,
and welcomed as the promised Messiah.
May we like them, behold the glory of the Lord Jesus.
Grant that we may stand before you
with hearts cleansed by your forgiving love.
May we serve you all our days
and make your name known
as we worship you as our Lord.
So may we come by your grace
to eternal life .
Amen.

Source: Thisischurch.com

Art Credit: http://boulme.club.fr/galeriecopie.htm

Colossians 2:6-7 

Albany Intercessor

Anglican priest and British blogger Maggi Dawn has a lovely Epiphany poem posted today

I found myself agreeing with her conclusion:

Darkness… there is something about the context of darkness. Only in darkness can you see the light for what it is.

Amen. May these dark and painful days in our Church cause us to fix our eyes on the Lord and His glory. May His Word be a light to our path and may we follow it.

I’ve discovered there are advantages to monitoring one’s site meter and the referral logs (what words people are entering in search queries that lead them to this blog). We’ve now been running this blog for almost 3 years and have over 3000 entries. I’ve forgotten A LOT of what’s posted! Sometimes the referrals lead me to fantastic posts I’ve forgotten all about!

That was the case again this morning. A referral on “we pray for a renewing” led me to this hymn / prayer which I posted last summer, funnily enough with the exhortation to “keep it handy” — obiously I didn’t heed my own words well! Anyway, it’s exceedingly appropriate in this week of prayer for Christian unity, and in praying for the Anglican Communion in the lead up to the Primates meeting.

***

Update: research on Google reveals that the tune used for this hymn is Londonderry air

Lord of the church, we pray for our renewing:
Christ over all, our undivided aim;
Fire of the Spirit, burn for our enduing,
Wind of the Spirit, fan the living flame!
We turn to Christ amid our fear and failing,
The will that lacks the courage to be free,
The weary labours, all but unavailing,
To bring us nearer what a church should be.

Lord of the church, we seek a Father’s blessing,
A true repentence and a faith restored,
A swift obedience and a new possessing,
Filled with the Holy Spirit of the Lord!
We turn to Christ from all our restless striving,
Unnumbered voices with a single prayer–
The living water for our souls’ reviving,
In Christ to live and love and serve and care.

Lord of the church, we long for our uniting,
True to one calling, by one vision stirred;
One cross proclaiming and one creed reciting,
One in the truth of Jesus and his word!
So lead us on till toil and trouble ended,
One church triumphant one new song shall sing
To praise his glory, risen and ascended,
Christ over all, the everlasting King!

Timothy Dudley Smith
(a British hymnwriter)

I was looking for a collect online yesterday on the Liturgies.Net website, and I came across this short meditation on the season of Epiphany. I found it really helpful to think about the bigger picture in terms of the themes of the lectionary readings in the season — something it’s all too easy to forget about… and of course the question “Who do you say that I am” is one that has incredible urgency in our current Anglican struggles!

Epiphany: Notes on a forgotten season.

The Season of Epiphany seems to have almost disappeared from Western Christendom. It used to be a season; now it is only a single day. Our Roman Catholic brethren in the United States celebrate only the DAY of Epiphany. And they don’t even celebrate it on January 6th: it’s been moved to the Second Sunday after Christmas, and the next Sunday is the Baptism of the Lord. The whole thing from December 25th to The Baptism of the Lord is just “”The Days of Christmas.”

And after the Baptism of the Lord, it’s just called “Ordinary Time” until Lent. Not “Epiphany.” Similarly, the Season of Pentecost has also become “Ordinary Time.”

A great deal is lost when you do this. Epiphany and Pentecost observed as whole seasons are beautifully analogous to the two classic types of sacred life: Active and Contemplative. Whereas Pentecost - the Season - is about actively living out our faith by being the church in the world, Epiphany - the Season - is given over to the contemplation of who Jesus IS.

The word “Epiphany,” of course, means “Manifestation,” and the season is given over to focusing on many Scriptural revelations of the nature of Christ. As it follows Christmas, it almost seems as though the liturgy is saying, “Ok - so now we have this baby. So who IS he?” And the whole rest of the season is given over to answering that very profound question.

It starts with the first Manifestation to the Gentiles - the wise men from the East who came, bringing the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh that show that this child is King, God, and Sacrifice. Then it moves on to His baptism where the Spirit descends and the voice of the Father calls Him the Beloved Son. Then, in one out of the three liturgical years (it used to be in all three) the week following recounts his first miracle - Cana - that miraculous foreshadowing of the water and blood which flowed from His side. Then, the encounter of Paul on the road to Damascus. The Confession of Peter, where the Christ’s identity is stated plainly. And the climax, of course, is the Presentation in the Temple, where we all can say - just like Simeon - that our eyes have seen the Savior. In this context, I think the recent practice of commemorating the Transfiguration on the last Sunday of Epiphany is a good one. The Transfiguration is not only perhaps the most complete Manifestation of Christ before the resurrection, but a fitting prelude to Lent, just as in the Gospels it is the event that immediately precedes Jesus turning His face toward Jerusalem and taking the road to crucifixion.

And the readings of the other Sundays also tend to be miracle stories: Jesus healing lepers, the blind, the demon-possessed; calming the storm; walking on the surface of the sea.

Although some have changed the name of the Season, the readings have for the most part not changed. But by calling it “ordinary time,” the character of the season receives scant attention. Because of that, many Christians - even those who follow a church calendar - are probably unaware that the period between Christmas and Lent possesses a unified theme. Many are unaware that it is a time to examine, to think about, and to answer the most fundamental question of our faith:

“Who do you say that I am?”

- Carl Fortunato

Source: Liturgies.Net

Thanks to ELCA pastor the Rev. Eric Swensson of the Awakening (formerly Pietist) blog for this great Epiphany piece.

Saint John Chrysostom (around 345 – 407), Bishop of Antioch, then of Constantinople, Doctor of the Church
Homilies on St. Matthew, 7-8

“They prostrated themselves and did him homage.”

Brothers, let us follow the magi, let us leave our pagan customs. Let us depart! Let us make a long journey so as to see Christ. If the magi had not left and gone a long way from their country, they would not have seen Christ. Let us also leave earth’s interests. So long as they remained in their country, the magi saw only the star; but when they left their homeland, they saw the Sun of justice (Mal 3:20). Or rather, let us say: if they had not generously set out on their journey, they would not even have seen the star. Thus, let us also rise up, and even if everyone in Jerusalem is troubled, let us run to where the Child is…

“On entering the house, they found the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their coffers and presented him with gifts.” What motivated them to prostrate themselves before this child? There was nothing remarkable in the Virgin or in the house, no object that could have struck their eye and attracted them. And yet, not content with prostrating themselves, they opened their treasure, gifts that are not given to a human being but only to God – frankincense and myrrh symbolize divinity. What was their reason for acting in this way? The same as that which made them decide to leave their homeland, to depart on this long journey. It was the star, that is to say, the light with which God had filled their heart and which led them little by little to a more perfect knowledge. If there hadn’t been that light, how could they have given such homage when what they saw was so poor and humble? If there is not material grandeur but only a crib, a stable, a mother who is lacking in everything, it is so that you might see the magi’s wisdom more clearly, so that you understand that they came not to a human being but to a God, to their benefactor.

Art Credit: Web Gallery of Art
Jan de BRAY, Adoration of the Magi, 1658, Oil on oak panel, private collection

The devotional for this morning from Charles Spurgeon really fit in well with things the Lord has been teaching and exhorting me about this week. It is a great reminder in this first week of the new year… as we set goals and try to organize priorities, our most important goal should be growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. A blessed 2007 to all Lent & Beyond readers! –Karen

2 Peter 3:18
Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

“Grow in grace”-not in one grace only, but in all grace. Grow in that root-grace, faith. Believe the promises more firmly than you have done. Let faith increase in fulness, constancy, simplicity. Grow also in love. Ask that your love may become extended, more intense, more practical, influencing every thought, word, and deed. Grow likewise in humility. Seek to lie very low, and know more of your own nothingness. As you grow downward in humility, seek also to grow upward-having nearer approaches to God in prayer and more intimate fellowship with Jesus. May God the Holy Spirit enable you to “grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour.” He who grows not in the knowledge of Jesus, refuses to be blessed. To know Him is “life eternal,” and to advance in the knowledge of Him is to increase in happiness. He who does not long to know more of Christ, knows nothing of Him yet. Whoever hath sipped this wine will thirst for more, for although Christ doth satisfy, yet it is such a satisfaction, that the appetite is not cloyed, but whetted. If you know the love of Jesus-as the hart panteth for the water-brooks, so will you pant after deeper draughts of His love. If you do not desire to know Him better, then you love Him not, for love always cries, “Nearer, nearer.” Absence from Christ is hell; but the presence of Jesus is heaven. Rest not then content without an increasing acquaintance with Jesus. Seek to know more of Him in His divine nature, in His human relationship, in His finished work, in His death, in His resurrection, in His present glorious intercession, and in His future royal advent. Abide hard by the Cross, and search the mystery of His wounds. An increase of love to Jesus, and a more perfect apprehension of His love to us is one of the best tests of growth in grace.

Source: Holy Trinity Missouri Synod Lutheran Church

O Key of David
Isaiah 22:15-25; Matthew 16:13-20
December 20

O Key of David and scepter of the house of Israel, you open and no one can close, you close and no one can open: Come and rescue the prisoners who are in darkness and the shadow of death.

Keys are authority. The one who has the keys has authority. Shebna was King Hezekiah’s chief-of-staff. He held the keys to the palace. He misused his authority by having his tomb carved where kings were buried and to enrich himself at his master’s expense. The servant wanted to be king. And so he was stripped of his office, and Eliakim was called to replace him. Shebna had to turn in his keys. It’s a dire warning to all who hold authority not to use it for personal profit.

God used this little bit of palace power politics to prophesy something greater: “I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.” Those words are applied to Christ in the Revelation. He is the one “who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens.”

Sin locks the doors on us. It makes our lives a prison house of fear. Like the disciples in the upper room on Easter evening, we are locked up into ourselves, locked away from others. We are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. No matter how much we struggle against the chains and rattle the bars, we are unable to break out of the prison.

But Christ has come and entered the prison house. He took on the Law’s death sentence. He stormed the gates of death and hell with His death. He turns the key to our prison cell. He is the key, the key that unlocks us from the Law and breaks the chains of death that bind us in fear. He sets us free to live as free children in His free city.

Jesus is the key of David, who opens and no one can close, who closes and no one can open. And He entrusts the keys to His church, to bind and loose from sin in His name. He established the office of the keys in the church, that is, the office of the ministry. That is the office that turns the keys which bind and loose. We don’t have to wonder where the keys to heaven are. They are in the mouth of Peter and of the pastor God has called and ordained to speak forgiveness to you. His mouth is the Lord¹s mouth to forgive you. The sins he forgives are forgiven; the sins he retains are retained. He turns the key that unbinds you from your sin and frees you. He does it no on his own authority, but by the permission of the One who is the Key of David.

Advent disciplines us in the discipline of being forgiven, of living in the freedom of forgiveness, of delighting in the Key of David that unlocks us from our sin.

————
Prayer from Bp. ACA Hall:

O Lord Jesu Christ, to Whom is given the throne and sceptre of David Thy father over the house of Israel,
that Thou mighest extend his kingdom over all peoples:
Thou didst come in our nature,
as the Son of man forgiving sins,
dispelling sickness and loosing bonds:
to Thee now is committed all authority in heaven and on earth,
and the powers of hell cannot withstand Thy word:
Come, we pray Thee, by Thy grace, and through the instrumentality of Thy Church,
to loosen the prisoner from the chains of sin,
to enlighten with the glad tidings of Thy word all who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
that they may rejoice in the deliverance which Thou hast wrought.

December 19
O ROOT OF JESSE
Come to deliver us, and tarry not.

Readings: Isaiah 11:1-16; Revelation 22:16

O Root of Jesse, who stands for an ensign of the people, before whom kings shall keep silence and unto whom the Gentiles shall make supplication: Come to deliver us, and tarry not.

O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.

Symbols: Plant with Flower

The flower which springs up from the root of Jesse is another figure of Christ. Isaiah prophesied that the Savior would be born from the root of Jesse, that He would sit upon the throne of David, and in Christ this prophecy is fulfilled.

Source: http://www.catholicculture.org/lit/overviews/seasons/advent/O_3.cfm

——–

“In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.” Leave it to the Lord to make an unsightly root his banner, the flag at which all kings will be silent and all nations will bow. Roots are best left unseen, underground, invisibly drawing up nutrients from the soil, feeding the branches which produce leaves and fruit. Expose the root and the whole tree dies. But cut down the tree even to a stump and it will return, as long as the root is alive.

The Root of Jesse is God¹s Promise that David’s throne would stand forever. That a son of David would establish his kingdom and sit on his throne. That promise is the root of Israel. Even when the tree was cut down, when Israel was reduced to a lifeless stump, the promise lived. “Then shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”

Our sin goes all the way to the root. Not only the fruit, but the whole tree is bad, roots and all. The axe of the Law must be laid to the root. We must die and rise anew. It’s the only way to save us. We must be grafted to new rootstock. We must be joined to the stump of Jesse, fed by the Root of Jesse, nourished by the Promise of God to save.

God grafted His Root to our sin, nailing it to a cross. The Root of Jesse became a banner for the world to see. Jesus of Nazareth. David’s son, David’s root, David’s Lord. “I am the root and offspring of David,” Jesus said. The last of His I AMs. He is both David’s root and David’s son. He was lifted up on the tree of the cross, a banner for the nations to see. As Moses lifted up the bronze serpant in the wilderness as an emblem of healing, so the Root of Jesse was lifted up the cross. Here is how God saves from sin and death. He sets the axe of the Law against His own Root, His Son, and then joins you to His death. The cross is the meeting place of God and man, Law and Gospel, wrath and mercy. There the Root takes up your sin. There He feeds you His righteousness.

You were grafted to the Root of Jesse in Baptism. Don¹t let the graft dry out; always keep it immersed in baptismal water. Draw on His forgiveness, His life, His salvation. You are living branches grafted to the living Root of Jesse. Jesus is your Vine and your Root. Apart from Him you can do nothing. Joined to Him, believing in Him, you will bear much fruit.

Wait patiently on this Root of Jesse. He is the source of your life, who now feeds and forgives you, who nourishes and sustains you, and who will come to raise you.

Source: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod

———

Finally: an Anglican historical link, a prayer from A.C.A. Hall, a former bishop of Vermont, via the Project Canterbury site:

Isaiah xi. 1, 10, lii, 15; Romans i. 3; Matthew xxviii. 19, 20.

O Lord Jesu Christ, the new shoot from the hewn down stump of Jesse’s line,
in whom all the promises should be fulfilled;
the champion of Thy people,
to whom the Gentile nations should turn in submission and obedience:
Thou hast come of the seed of David according to the flesh,
being born in obscurity of a maiden of the royal line;
Thou hast set up Thy holy catholic Church,
commanding Thine apostles to make disciples of all nations
and to train all peoples in obedience to Thy holy commandments:
Come now, we pray Thee, by Thy grace, and tarry not,
hasten the manifestation of Thy kingdom;
grant that Thy Church may continually be increased
by the gathering in of new children to Thee,
and perfected by the increasing devotion of those who have been regenerated.

O ADONAI: O LORD AND RULER
Come and redeem us with outstretched arm.

Readings: Exodus 3:1-15; Philippians 2:5-11

Symbols: The Tablets, the Burning Bush

O Lord and Ruler of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: Come and redeem us with outstretched arm.

O Adonai, et dux domus Israël, qui Moyse in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

The tablets of stone are a picture of the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. They may be used to represent the whole of God’s law, the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible, the Torah), or the entire Old Testament.

Source: http://www.catholicculture.org/lit/overviews/seasons/advent/O_2.cfm

——

O Adonai and ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai: Come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.

Adonai is Hebrew for Lord. Lord is the substitute term for Yahweh, the sacred, saving, Gospel name of God. “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘Yahweh the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name for ever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” To say Adonai is to say Yahweh, the Name that saves.

“Whom shall I say sent me? What is His Name?” To have the Name of God is to have God Himself. “Tell them Ehyeh asher ehyeh sent you.” I am who I am. Ehyeh. I AM. YHWH. He is the One who is. The God whose saving Name is a verb. His Name is action.

Every day, in the morning and in the evening, the Name of the Lord was proclaimed:

Shema Israel, Adonai eluhenu, Adonai echad. Hear O Israel, YHWH our God, YHWH alone. There is none other like YHWH.

Where God’s Name is, there He holy ground. The Lord is present. Where His Name is, there is Gospel fire, fire that burns but does not consume. His burning love and passion to save. Where His Name is, there He is mighty to save. “I am YHWH, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment, and I will take you for my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am Yahweh, your God.”

“Hail, O favored one, YHWH is with you,” the angel said to Mary. “You will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, Y’shua. ” YHWH is salvation. Jesus incarnates the Name of God. He is YHWH in the flesh. “Before Abraham was, I AM,” Jesus said. To reject this Jesus is to reject the I AM of the burning bush, of Sinai and the Red Sea, the Lord of Israel, the Lord of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There is no other Name, no other Lord who saves you.

To have a Lord is to have a redeemer. Jesus is your Adonai, your Redeemer. You didn’t make Him Lord. He became your Lord by dying and rising for you, and by baptizing you into His death and resurrection. He will come to raise the dead. And then you will confess what you now confess by faith: Adonai Y’shua Hamashiach. Lord Jesus Christ.

source: http://www.holytrinity.ms/new_page_6.htm

——

O ADONAI.
O Lord and Ruler of the house of Israel, Who appearedst unto Moses in a flame of fire in the bush, and gavest unto him the Law in Sinai: Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

Acts 7:30, 28; Hebrews 12:18-21, 10:16.

O Lord Jesu Christ, Who as the Angel of the Lord
didst rule and guard God’s people of old;
Who didst appear to Moses in the burning bush,
that told of Thy presence hallowing but not consuming,
and of Thy people’s preservation through fiery trials;
Who didst give the Law in Sinai
in could and majesty and awe;
Thou didst come to visit mankind oppressed
and didst redeem us therefrom
by the victory of Thy Passion:
Come, we pray Thee, now by Thy grace,
and with Thine outstretched arm deliver us
from the bondage of evil habits
from the crafts and assaults of Satan,
from the tyrrany of the world,
and the disorder into which our nature has fallen.
Write in our hearts by Thy Spirit
the law in obedience to which we shall find our true freedom,
Thy law of truth and purity and love.

Source: Project Canterbury

I’m a day behind on the Antiphons: O Wisdom should have been for Dec. 17th. Will post O Adonai tonight if at all possible.

READINGS: Proverbs 8: 1-12; I Corinthians 1:18-31

O Wisdom, who came from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly, Come, and teach us the way of prudence.

Symbols: All-Seeing Eye and the Lamp
The “all-seeing eye” represents the all-knowing and ever-present God. During the late Renaissance, the eye was pictured in a triangle with rays of light to represent the infinite holiness of the Trinity. The lamp is a symbol of wisdom taken from the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25.

Source: http://www.catholicculture.org/lit/overviews/seasons/advent/O_1.cfm

———

Wisdom is God’s spokeman, the One who speaks the truth about God from the mouth of God. By wisdom the simple gain prudence, and the foolish gain understanding. Wisdom is more precious than jewels; wisdom¹s gifts are worth more than gold. Wisdom is a gift from God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Wisdom is knowledge and understanding shaped by the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Wisdom left its mark on the created order. Through Wisdom all things were created. Wisdom was with God before all things, and through Wisdom all things were made. The beauty of the stars, the splendor of the seas, the marvelous variety of birds and fishes, the intricacies of a DNA double-helix, the mystery of distant galaxies. These are Wisdom¹s fingerprints. Science studies the fingerprints, but fails to see the hand. That must be perceived by faith.

Man turned away from God seeks knowledge without the fear of God. Information and facts. Study the creation without knowing the Creator. Worship the creature instead of the Creator. “You can be like God,” said the original Lie. “You can have knowledge without God. Just reach in for yourself and grab it.” That is not the way of Wisdom but Folly, foolishness, unbelief. “The fool says in his heart there is no God.” The end of Folly is death.

Jesus Christ is Wisdom incarnate, wisdom in the flesh. He is the “power of God and the wisdom of God.” “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He reflects the very glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power.” He is the “glue” that holds the universe together. Your cells, your DNA, a table, a chair - they hold together by the power of His word. It’s what the scientists search for and long to find. The ordering wisdom of the universe. He is Jesus Christ - the One born in Bethlehem who hung on a cross and rose from the dead.

He teaches us the way of prudence, the way of Wisdom that leads to life. That way is the way of the cross, of dying and rising, repentance and faith. This way is foolishness to the wordly-wise, yet to those made wise through His Word and Spirit, it is God¹s creative wisdom to save. He will come to raise us one day. And then you who are wise in Him will shine as the brightness of the heavens.

Source: http://www.holytrinity.ms/new_page_5.htm

——

O Lord Jesu Christ, who art the very Wisdom of God most high,
by whom He made the world, impressing on His creation
the reflexion of His own power and goodness;
Who dost uphold the world in its being and harmony,
as Thou reachest from one end to the other
mightily and sweetly ordering all things;
Who didst visit God’s prophets and servants of old,
giving them ever fuller knowledge of His mind and will;
Thou in the fulness of time didst come forth in the incarnation,
clothing Thyself in our nature and living amidst our conditions,
to teach us the way of prudence–
how to use the complex nature Thou hadst framed,
how to escape the snares and temptations by which we are surrounded,
how to attain the blessedness which Thou hast prepared for us.
Blessed be Thy Name for Thy teaching by word and by example,
for the testimony of Thine Apostles and the record of the Scriptures,
for the continual guidance of Thy Spirit and the witness of Thy Saints.

Come now, we pray Thee, by Thy grace
to Thy Church and people,
and teach us in our day and need
the way of prudence–
how best to promote Thy Father’s glory,

and extend Thy kingdom,
and win our perfect life,
as we so pass through things temporal
as not to lose the things eternal.

Source: http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/acahall/antiphons.html

——-
A Score and audiofile to a chant of O Sapientia in Latin

Icon Art credit: Museum of Byzantine Civilization

A Lent & Beyond Advent Encore, originally posted November 28, 2005. This is our most popular Advent post based on our site meter stats. I need this prayer today. Quieting my heart seems impossible in the midst of such frantic busyness. But the Holy Spirit can show us how to find the quiet times our souls need. May we be attentive to His voice.
——

An Advent Prayer from the late Rev. Henri Nouwen — so appropriate for the beginning of Advent and this season which can be so frantic. May the Lord indeed help us quiet our hearts and listen for His voice each day. May we diligently seek to know His presence, rather than allowing our anxious thoughts to distract us and may He tune our ears to hear His counsel.

Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness,
send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do
seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over many things
look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways
long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy
seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus!”

———
art credit: Advent and Triumph of Christ (detail), Hans MEMLING, 1480; Oil on wood, Alte Pinakothek, Munich. From the Web Gallery of Art — a fantastic resource. You can read more about this picture here. Note, if artwork displays in a distorted fashion on your screen, try reducing the size of the display (”restore down”) and then restoring (”mazimize”) the display to full screen.

Prayer Credit: The only publishing information I have found for this prayer is the following:
Catholic Family Prayer Book, published by Our Sunday Visitor, 2001.

The Continuum Blog has the traditional Anglican collects (1549, 1662), a short commentary and meditation for Advent 3.
Very nice.

Sometimes it is the simplest prayers (see the 1549 collect) that are among the most powerful and profound.

Another of William Cowper’s Olney Hymns that is filled with Advent imagery: Christ’s turning darkness into light, our longing for His glory to be revealed in us…

XVIII. Lovest Thou Me?
(John, xxi.16)