(This seems appropriate for the 3rd week of Advent, when we have the pink candle of our Advent wreaths lit, and which is often considered a symbol of Mary and/or of joy. May the joy of the Lord truly be our strength in these busy days.

Joy is the True Gift of Christmas
Pope Benedict XVI (12/18/05)

Pope Benedict XVI (12/18/05) commenting on the scene of the Annunciation as recounted in today’s Gospel (4th Sunday of Advent).

“With the angel’s greeting to Mary —‘kaire’ in the Greek, which means ‘be joyful’—the New Testament begins,” he said. “We could say that the first word of the New Testament is ‘be joyful,’ ‘be happy,’ in other words, ‘joy.’ This is the true meaning of Christmas: God is near us, so near that He became a child.”

The Holy Father then highlighted how “we realize that today’s world, where God is absent, is dominated by fear, by uncertainty.” Nonetheless, “the words ‘be joyful because God is with you and with us,’ truly open a new time.”

“Joy is the true gift of Christmas, not the expensive gifts that call for time and money. We can communicate this joy simply: with a smile, a kind gesture, a little help, forgiveness. And the joy we give will certainly come back to us.…Let us pray that this presence of the liberating joy of God shines forth in our lives.”

[from here]

1 Corinthians 13 – a Christmas Version
(Source unknown)

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir’s cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. Love is kind, though harried and tired. Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way. Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.

[found here]

The eternal springtime will surely come
A reading from John Henry Newman, Parochial and Plain Sermons, 19th century

Once only in the year, yet once, does the world which we see show forth its hidden powers, and in a manner manifest itself. Then the leaves come out, and the blossoms on the fruit trees and flowers; and the grass and corn spring up. There is a sudden rush and burst outwardly of that hidden life which God has lodged in the material world. Well, that shows you, as by a sample, what it can do at God’s command, when he gives the word. This earth, which now buds forth in leaves and blossoms, will one day burst forth into a new world of light and glory, in which we shall see saints and angels dwelling. Who would think, except from his experience of former springs all through his life, who could conceive two or three months before, that it was possible that the face of nature, which then seemed so lifeless, should become so splendid and varied?…

So it is with the coming of that Eternal Spring for which all Christians are waiting. Come it will, though it delay; yet though it tarry, let us wait for it, ‘because it will surely come, it will not tarry’. Therefore we say day by day, ‘Thy kingdom come’, which means, ‘O Lord, show thyself; manifest thyself; thou that sittest between the cherubim, show thyself; stir up thy strength and come and help us’ (Ps 80). The earth that we see does not satisfy us. What we see is the outward shell of an eternal kingdom; and on that kingdom we fix the eyes of our faith.

Shine forth, O Lord, as when on thy Nativity thy angels visited the shepherds; let thy glory blossom forth as bloom and foliage on the trees. Bright as is the sun, and the sky, and the clouds; green as are the leaves and the fields; sweet as is the singing of the birds; we know that they are not all, and we will not take up with a part for the whole. The proceed from a center of love and goodness, which is God himself; but they are not his fulness; they speak of heaven, but they are not heaven; they are but as stray beams and dim reflections of his image; they are but the crumbs from the table.

[text found here]

Art Credit:
DAVID J. HETLAND * LITURGICAL & PUBLIC ART
© Copyright 2006 David J. Hetland http://www.hetland.com

Memory Awakens Hope
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Seek That Which Is Above,1986

“Advent is concerned with that very connection between memory and hope which is so necessary to man. Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope. The purpose of the Church’s year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart’s memory so that it can discern the star of hope.…

It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope.”

[found here]

Last Days of Advent
Pope John Paul II, Dec. 18, 2002

“The liturgy of Advent…helps us to understand fully the value and meaning of the mystery of Christmas. It is not just about commemorating the historical event, which occurred some 2,000 years ago in a little village of Judea. Instead, it is necessary to understand that the whole of our life must be an ‘advent,’ a vigilant awaiting of the final coming of Christ. To predispose our mind to welcome the Lord who, as we say in the Creed, one day will come to judge the living and the dead, we must learn to recognize him as present in the events of daily life. Therefore, Advent is, so to speak, an intense training that directs us decisively toward him who already came, who will come, and who comes continuously.”

[found here]

Meanings of Christmas
Fr. Andrew Greeley, Woman’s Day, 12-22-81

“It might be easy to run away to a monastery, away from the commercialization, the hectic hustle, the demanding family responsibilities of Christmas-time. Then we would have a holy Christmas. But we would forget the lesson of the Incarnation, of the enfleshing of God—the lesson that we who are followers of Jesus do not run from the secular; rather we try to transform it. It is our mission to make holy the secular aspects of Christmas just as the early Christians baptized the Christmas tree. And we do this by being holy people—kind, patient, generous, loving, laughing people—no matter how maddening is the Christmas rush…”

[Found here]

Fire of Advent
Edward Hays, A Pilgrim’s Almanac, p. 187

“Advent, like its cousin Lent, is a season for prayer and reformation of our hearts. Since it comes at winter time, fire is a fitting sign to help us celebrate Advent…If Christ is to come more fully into our lives this Christmas, if God is to become really incarnate for us, then fire will have to be present in our prayer. Our worship and devotion will have to stoke the kind of fire in our souls that can truly change our hearts. Ours is a great responsibility not to waste this Advent time.”

[found here]

A brief reflection from the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu was featured on Day 1 of the CoE’s Online Advent Calendar. Here are two notable quotes:

“For me Advent is like a hungry man waiting for a fabulous feast. Christmas comes with a sense of longings being fulfilled and hopes being met. …

For me Advent is like the aroma of Christmas, reminding us of the day when God will invite us to join Him in the best banquet ever…”

Read it all here (Click on “Door 3″)

Episcopal priest Rob Lord who has just recently begun serving in Central Florida has an excellent short reflection about Advent and “God’s Time” on his blog:

Of the many gifts of the Anglican/Episcopal Way of being followers of Jesus are the Liturgical Seasons of the Christian Year. This is an ancient future practice and discipline of the Christian way of being in the world. Its source is none other than the very Life, Death, Resurrection and Return of Jesus Christ.

” We remember his death, we proclaim his Resurrection, we await his coming again”.

Time is money? No Time is Spirituality. The Apostle Paul tells us, in light of the great mercies of Christ, to “present your body as a living sacrifice, holy and accetpable to God, which is the only reasonable thing to do!” In other words, your time is what you give to God. Time is spirituality.

The Lord’s time, God’s time, is what Advent calls us to encounter.

Here’s the link to the original entry.

I’ve always had quite a special interest in Buechner’s writing ever since I learned he was a classmate of my dad’s at Princeton! Here’s a brief meditation on the First Sunday of Advent which I found via a collaborative Advent blog I just discovered this morning:

First Sunday of Advent

The house lights go off and the footlights come on. Even the chattiest stop chattering as they wait in darkness for the curtain to rise. In the orchestra pit, the violin bows are poised. The conductor has raised his baton. In the silence of a midwinter dusk, there is far off in the deeps of it somewhere a sound so faint that for all you can tell it may be only the sound of the silence itself. You hold your breath to listen. You walk up the steps to the front door. The empty windows at either side of it tell you nothing, or almost nothing. For a second you catch a whiff of some fragrance that reminds you of a place you’ve never been and a time you have no words for. You are aware of the beating of your heart…The extraordinary thing that is about to happen is matched only by the extraordinary moment just before it happens. Advent is the name of that moment.

— Frederick Buechner, Whistling in the Dark, pp. 2,3

For those of you who are new to Lent & Beyond, we thought you might enjoy having a list of links to some of our favorite or most notable Advent devotional posts from 2004 and 2005. There are some great prayers by many saints and Christian leaders past and present among these posts. You can find all L&B Advent Devotional posts for 2004 - 2006 here.

***

1. “Quotable” Series: Church Fathers, Saints, Christian Authors:

— Bonhoeffer: The Coming of Jesus into Our Midst
— Cyril of Jerusalem: The Twofold Coming of Jesus Christ
— Elisabeth Elliot: The Way, the Truth and the Life
— Hildegard of Bingen: Lord, let us receive your clear light
— Soren Kierkegaard: The Purity of Heart to Will One Thing
— Madeleine L’Engle: Will We be Ready?
— Martin Luther: Keep Still and He will Mould Thee
— Calvin Miller: Glory, Grace and Truth
— Andrew Murray: The Spirit of Prayer
— John Henry Newman: To Watch with Christ
— Henri Nouwen: An Advent Prayer
— Henri Nouwen: Teach Me to Pray
— JB Phillips: The Danger of Advent
— John Piper: Old Anna, an Advent poem
— St. Catherine of Genoa: I Am No Longer My Own
— St. John Chrysostom: I Am Not Worthy
— St. Leo the Great: Within Our Grasp
— Charles Spurgeon: Lord Revive Us!
— AW Tozer: Open My Eyes to See
— AW Tozer: The World Has Been Too Much with Me

2. Current Anglican Leader Series:
— Archbishop Rowan Williams’ Advent Poem
— Paul Frey: Christ the Root of Jesse
— Leander Harding: Advent and Hope
— Kendall Harmon: The Light Shines in the Darkness
— Kendall Harmon: Thoughts on Advent
— John Heidt: An Advent Meditation
— Jim McCaslin: The Way Out of the Desert
— Martyn Minns: We Are Not Alone
— Peter Toon: An ADVENT Acrostic

3. Music-themed devotionals:
— Of the Father’s Love Begotten
— “The Servant King”
— “No Eye Had Seen”
— “Come Emmanuel”
— “The Promise”
— An Advent Hymn: The Greatness of God
— Not I But Christ

4. Misc.
— Advent Sonnet: Untying the Shoes
— “The Three Comings of Jesus”
— Lighting the Advent Wreath
— “Waiting for the Son”

General Thanksgiving

——————————————————————————–
By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America
A PROCLAMATION

——————————————————————————–

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houfes of Congress have, by their joint committee, requefted me “to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to eftablifh a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and affign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of thefe States to the fervice of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our fincere and humble thanksfor His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the fignal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpofitions of His providence in the courfe and conclufion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have fince enjoyed;– for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to eftablish Conftitutions of government for our fafety and happinefs, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;– for the civil and religious liberty with which we are bleffed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffufing useful knowledge;– and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleafed to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in moft humbly offering our prayers and fupplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and befeech Him to pardon our national and other tranfgreffions;– to enable us all, whether in publick or private ftations, to perform our feveral and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a bleffing to all the people by conftantly being a Government of wife, juft, and conftitutional laws, difcreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all fovereigns and nations (especially fuch as have shewn kindnefs unto us); and to blefs them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increafe of fcience among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind fuch a degree of temporal profperity as he alone knows to be beft.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand feven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington

——————————————————————————–
Source: The Massachusetts Centinel, Wednesday, October 14, 1789

Today commences the diocesan convention of the Virgin Islands. Tomorrow the dioceses of Southeast Florida, Fort Worth, and Central New York meet. The prayer below is adapted from the hymn “Be Thou My Vision.” The tune is called Slane.
Slane Hill is about ten miles from Ta­ra in Coun­ty Meath, Ireland. It was on Slane Hill around 433 AD that St. Pat­rick de­fied a roy­al edict by light­ing can­dles on East­er Eve. High King Lo­gaire of Ta­ra had de­creed that no one could light a fire be­fore Lo­gaire be­gan the pa­gan spring fes­ti­val by light­ing a fire on Ta­ra Hill. Lo­gaire was so im­pressed by Pat­rick’s de­vo­tion that, de­spite his de­fi­ance (or per­haps be­cause of it­), he let him con­tin­ue his mis­sion­ary work. The rest is his­to­ry.
May the work of these conventions and all church meetings at this time be a light upon a hill.

Be Thou their Vision, O Lord of our heart;
Naught be all else to them, save that Thou art.
Thou their best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence their light.

Be Thou their Wisdom, and Thou their true Word;
They ever with Thee and Thou with them, Lord;
Thou their great Father, they Thy true sons;
Thou in them dwelling, and they with Thee one.

Be Thou their battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou their Dignity, Thou their Delight;
Thou their souls’ Shelter, Thou their high Tower:
Raise Thou them heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches they heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou their Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in their heart,
High King of Heaven, their Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, their victory won,
May they reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be their Vision, O Ruler of all.

Words: At­trib­ut­ed to Dal­lan For­gaill, 8th Cen­tu­ry (Rob tu mo bhoile, a Com­di cri­de); trans­lat­ed from an­cient Ir­ish to Eng­lish by Ma­ry E. Byrne, in “Eriú,” Jour­nal of the School of Ir­ish Learn­ing, 1905, and versed by El­ea­nor H. Hull, 1912, alt.

On July 4, 1821, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” John Quincy Adams, the sixth U.S. President. He was also the chairman of the American Bible Society, which he considered his highest and most important role.

Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the privilege of living in a nation founded on Christian principles. In the name of Your Son, we pray that this nation will guard this precious legacy in the elections on Tuesday. Amen.

“The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.” Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States.

Dear Heavenly Father,
We exalt Your humility. We marvel that God became flesh through Your Son Jesus Christ. We marvel that God became author through Your Holy Spirit in the writing of Scripture.
We cry out for the same humility in the voters on Tuesday. Teach them to sit under the Word of God rather than to stand over it. Remove the scales from their eyes. Illumine them by the same Spirit that inspired the writing of the Scripture to discernment of Your will in the reading of the Scripture. In the name of Your Son, we plead that the foundations of our society and government be undergirded by their votes. Amen.