The window depicting Christ the healer in the Chapel of Saint John’s Hospital, Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2021)
Patrick Comerford
Next Sunday, 24 October 2021, is the Fifth Sunday before Advent, with the Liturgical Provisions for Proper 25.
The readings in the
Revised Common Lectionary as adapted for use in the Church of Ireland are:
The Continuous readings: Job 42: 1-6, 10-17; Psalm 34: 1-8 (19-22); Hebrews 7: 23-28; Mark 10: 46-52.
The Paired Readings: Jeremiah 31: 7-9; Psalm 126; Hebrews 7: 23-28; Mark 10: 46-52.
There is link to the readings
HERE.
In addition, next Sunday may be observed as Bible Sunday, when the readings are:
The Readings: Isaiah 55: 1-11; Psalm 19: 7-14; II Timothy 3: 14 to 4: 5; John 5: 36b-47.
Part 1 of this posting looks at the readings and liturgical resources for Sunday 24 October as the Fifth Sunday before Advent (Proper 25).
Part 2 looks at the readings and resources for Sunday 24 October as Bible Sunday.
Part 1: The Fifth Sunday before Advent:
An icon of Christ the Blessed Silence … how do we respond when God seems to be silent? And when should we be silent in the presence of God?
Introducing the readings:
The lectionary readings for the next Sunday offer an interesting contrast between silence and listening to God.
In his sufferings, Job has been silenced before God, and now realises his need to listen to God (see Job 42: 1-6, 10-17). The Psalmist wishes to praise God all the time so that ‘his praise shall ever be in my mouth’ (Psalm 34: 1). The response provided for this Psalm is: ‘I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me out of my terror’ (Psalm 34: 4).
In the Gospel reading (Mark 10: 46-52), when Bartimaeus the blind beggar realises he is in the presence of Christ outside the gates of Jericho, ‘many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly’ (verse 48).
There are moments to cry out loudly in the presence of God, and there are moments when silence is so appropriate. But there are times too when the seeming silence of God is more difficult to understand and to wrestle with than our own silence, as Job realised in the earlier readings from the Book of Job over recent weeks.
So, in my prayers and silent reflections as I prepared these notes, my thoughts turned to the icon of Christ the Blessed Silence, an icon found in some traditions in the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches, but that is not so well known outside Orthodoxy.
‘I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you’ (Job 42: 5) … street art in Brick Lane in London’s East End (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Job 42: 1-6, 10-17:
Earlier in this book, Job was deprived of all his worldly possessions, his children, and his health. These experiences tested whether he really is a person of great integrity and faith. He has wondered why misfortune has happened to him, for surely punishment is reserved for the ungodly.
Job’s comforters were three apparent friends who argued that his suffering must mean he has lived contrary to God’s ways.
But God has met Job and has asked him who he is to doubt God’s plans and works? Job has come to realise that neither he nor his friends understand the world, and that he has no grounds for complaint against God.
Job now acknowledges God’s purpose. God has taught him a lesson, and Job acknowledges God’s sovereignty.
In this passage, as the book reaches its conclusion, Job quotes God’s words spoken earlier. He admits his ignorance. He has long had faith in God, but this has now been replaced by seeing and experiencing God. God has come to him, and he now seeks no explanation for his suffering.
In an about-turn, God chastises Eliphaz and Job’s other comforters for their ungodliness and tells orders them to ask Job to intercede on their behalf. God then accepts Job’s prayer for them.
As we come to the end of our set of readings from the Book of Job, Job is restored to him all that he had lost at the beginning of this book, some in double measure. He is no longer shunned by his relatives, and his possessions and his children are blessed.
‘I am going to … gather them from the farthest parts … among them the blind and the lame’ (Jeremiah 31: 8) … an inscription above the former Blind School on Hope Street, Liverpool (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Jeremiah 31: 7-9:
Jeremiah probably wrote this message of hope about 600 BCE. Most of his book is directed to the people of Judah, the southern kingdom, which was conquered by Babylon in 587 BCE. However, this passage is directed to Israel, the northern kingdom, which at the time was loosely subject to Assyrian rule.
Verses 7-8 are a call for celebration. The name Jacob (verse 7) refers to Israel. The ‘chief of the nations’ (verse 7) means Israel is paramount because God cares for it.
The ‘land of the north’ (verse 8) is Assyria.
The people were deported in 722 BCE. Now, God promises that even the ‘blind and the lame’ will be gathered together and will return from exile. Such a caravan of people crossing the desert will indeed be a miraculous event.
As they return, joy will be mixed with weeping (verse 9). God will bring them back with ‘consolations’ or compassion. But, unlike the experience in the first Exodus, the going will be easy. Water was in short supply at the time (see Exodus 17: 1-7), but this time the supply of water will be plentiful. As a loving father, God will restore the nation to the land.
‘Look upon him and be radiant and your faces shall not be ashamed’ (Psalm 34: 5) … street art in Brick Lane in London’s East End (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Psalm 34: 1-8 (19-22):
When King David was fleeing from King Saul, he took refuge in the Philistine city of Gath. There, however, he was recognised, and once again his life was in danger. Feigning insanity in order to appear harmless, he was dismissed by the king, and was able to escape (see I Samuel 21: 10-15).
Psalm 34 is written as an alphabetical acrostic. An extra verse was added at the end to avoid closing on a negative note.
When we bless the Lord, the humble hear and are glad (verses 1-2).
Verse 3 (‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together’) is said by the Jewish Sages to be the source of the institution of summoning to prayer, as in the Grace after Meals.
God answers those who seek his help, and he delivers them from their fears (verse 4). They shall be protected by the angels and delivered (verse 7).
We are invited to ‘taste and see that the Lord is gracious’ (verse 8). Religious experience precedes religious understanding.
As the psalm continues, we are told that, as his ‘holy ones,’ we shall fear the Lord and lack nothing (verses 9-10), for God meets all our needs. We are called to keep our tongues from evil, to keep our tongues from speaking deceit (verse 13), to depart from evil and to do good, and to seek peace and pursue it (verse 14).
God’s way includes doing good, abstaining from evil deeds, and seeking and working for peace, and these lead to promises of a rich and long life. God hears the pleas of the godly when they suffer and rescues them. Although they may suffer, they will be restored to health. But the evildoers will be forgotten when they die, while God will free those who trust in him.
‘Those who sow in tears shall reap with songs of joy’ (Psalm 126: 6) … street art in Plaza de la Judería in Málaga (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Psalm 126:
Psalm 126 is a liturgical song, part of public worship, but its interpretation is made difficult with the change of tenses from past (verses 1-3) to future (verses 4-6). Yet, it may be oriented towards the future entirely, anticipating the ingathering of the exiles and the restoration of the people. Or it may be that the psalmist is praying for the future return of exiles as he recalls events in the past.
When the people first returned from exile in Babylon, they could hardly believe their good fortune and ‘were like those who dream’ (verse 1).
So great was their success that other nations then recognised God’s mighty works on Israel’s behalf, and the people rejoiced (verse 2-3).
However, after their initial euphoria, they settle down and find that life is difficult. They ask God to restore their fortunes in a dry land, asking for water that may bring growth to the seeds they sow, and that they may bring home the harvest in joy.
‘A high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens’ (Hebrew 7: 26) … Christ the Great High priest in an icon in Saint Nektarios Church in Rethymnon in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2021)
Hebrews 7: 23-28:
The writer of this letter has already told his readers: ‘we have a great high priest’ (4: 14). In this reading, he sees the former Temple priests as transitory, because previous high priests have died, while Christ is the eternal high priest who continues forever.
He is, for all time, the way to God and to salvation and as our high priest intercedes with God on our behalf. He is a perfect priest forever.
The healing of the young blind man depicted in a Byzantine-style fresco in Analipsi Church or the Church of the Ascension in Georgioupoli, Crete … those looking on can hardly believe what they see (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Mark 10: 46-52:
The story of a blind man or blind men at the gate of Jericho is told in all three Synoptic Gospels: see Matthew 20: 29-34, Mark 10: 46-52 and Luke 18: 35-43.
In Saint Matthew’s account, there are two, unnamed blind men sitting by the roadside outside Jericho. In Saint Luke’s version, the blind man is sitting by the roadside begging as Christ approaches Jericho.
In all three accounts, the location of Jericho is important. It claims to be the oldest inhabited and the oldest walled city in the world.
The Battle of Jericho is the first battle in the conquest of Canaan in the Book of Joshua. The walls of Jericho fall after Joshua’s Israelite army marches around the city blowing their trumpets (Joshua 6: 1-27).
In later times, Jericho was a private estate of Alexander the Great and then a garden city in the royal estates of the Hasmoneans, the priestly ruling dynasty. Mark Anthony gave Jericho to Cleopatra as a gift, but Herod leased it back again and the Herodians had their winter palace here, with their winter gardens.
By the time of Christ, Jericho is an important commercial city, a crossroads, the winter resort for Jerusalem’s aristocracy and the ruling priestly class. Which explains why, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, a priest and a Levite were regular passers-by on the road from Jericho to Jerusalem (Luke 10: 30-37).
Jericho was also the home of Zacchaeus, the repentant tax collector (Luke 19: 1-10).
Christ and his disciples are now near the end of their journey from Caesarea Philippi in the north to Jerusalem: Jericho is about 25 km from Jerusalem. On their journey, the disciples have misunderstood the message of Jesus and have been blind to who he truly is. But in this Gospel reading, it is a blind man who sees who Christ truly is.
Earlier in the Gospel – but not in the lectionary readings provided for this year – Saint Mark is alone in telling the story of an unnamed blind man who is healed gradually at Bethsaida (Mark 8: 22-26).
In Sunday’s reading, Saint Mark gives tells us – or seems to tell us – the name of this blind beggar, ‘Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, a blind beggar’ (verse 46).
But the name Bartimaeus literally means ‘Son of Timaeus,’ and so we are told only the name of this man’s father. Bartimaeus is an unusual Semitic-Greek hybrid, and Timaeus is an unusual Greek name for this place and at that time.
The culturally significant occurrence of this name is in
Timaeus (Τίμαιος), one of Plato’s dialogues, mostly in the form of a long monologue by the title character Timaeus of Locri. He delivers Plato’s most important cosmological and theological treatise, involving sight as the foundation of knowledge, and describing the nature of the physical world, the purpose of the universe, and the creation of the soul.
The blind son of Timaeus cries out to ‘Jesus, Son of David’ and asks for mercy. This cry is one of the Biblical foundations of the Jesus Prayer, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.’
Until now, the disciples have been blind to who Jesus truly is. It takes a blind man to see the truth. When he does, Bartimaeus makes a politically charged statement. Jesus is ‘Son of David,’ King of the Jews, and Messiah. In other places, Christ orders silence on the matter, but not here. His time is approaching.
The cloak Bartimaeus throws off (verse 50) is probably the cloth he uses to receive alms he is begging for. When he throws away his cloak away, he gives up all he has to follow Christ. In this Gospel, garments often indicate the old order, so Bartimaeus accepts the new order.
The question Christ now puts to Bartimaeus – ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ (verse 51) – is the same question he put in the previous Sunday’s reading to James and John when they sought status in the kingdom: ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ (Mark 10: 36).
James and John asked to be seated at his right hand and his left hand, symbolising power and prestige (see Mark 10: 37). But Bartimaeus is humble in his reply: ‘My teacher, let me see again’ (verse 51).
Christ tells him simply that his faith ‘has made you well.’ Bartimaeus is not only cured immediately, but he follows Jesus on the way (verse 52).
The way is not going to be an easy one. As the parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us, in the time of Christ, the road from Jericho to Jerusalem was notorious for its danger and difficulty. It was known as the ‘Way of Blood’ because of the blood which is often shed there by robbers.
But Christ is also about to shed his blood. He is now on the road used by priests and by kings as they set out from Jericho to Jerusalem, and the next chapter of Saint Mark’s Gospel brings us to Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11: 1-11).
What can blind Bartimaeus see that the 12 have passed by? (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
A reflection on Bartimaeus
Have you ever noticed that when you are trying really hard to concentrate, you sometimes close your eyes to help you to focus?
Throughout the Talmud, the blind are called
sagi nahor – ‘enough of light’ or ‘full of light.’ Jewish tradition says this is so because one’s physical sight, which gazes out at the mundane and materialistic world, often contradicts and weakens one’s inner or spiritual sight.
It is a universal Jewish custom to cover the eyes with the right hand when saying the first six words of the
Shema, the fundamental Jewish declaration of faith. It is said that in doing this, the person who is praying is enabled to concentrate properly without visual distractions.
It is also said it is even more important to have the proper intention when reciting the first verse of the
Shema than when reciting other parts of prayer. As the words are said, the focus is not just on the meaning of the words, but also on accepting the yoke of heaven.
The person saying the
Shema is expected to concentrate on the idea that God is the one and only true reality. This intention is so important that one who recites the words of this verse but does not think about its meaning is expected to recite it again.
Saint Mark gives tells us – or seems to tell us – the name of this blind beggar, ‘Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, a blind beggar’ (verse 46). But the name Bartimaeus literally means ‘Son of Timaeus,’ and so we are told only the name of this man’s father.
Bartimaeus is an unusual Semitic-Greek hybrid, and Timaeus is an unusual Greek name for this place and at that time. Indeed, Timaeus may not be his father’s name at all, no more than James and John in the previous week’s reading are not the sons of ‘Thunder,’ but the sons of Zebedee.
So, who was Timaeus, and what is the significance of this apparently Greek name at this point in the Gospel story?
The culturally significant occurrence of this name may lie in the name of
Timaeus (Τίμαιος), one of Plato’s dialogues, mostly in the form of a long monologue by the title character, Timaeus of Locri. He delivers Plato’s most important cosmological and theological treatise, involving sight as the foundation of knowledge, and describing the nature of the physical world, the purpose of the universe, and the creation of the soul.
The blind son of Timaeus cries out to ‘Jesus, Son of David’ and asks for mercy. This cry is one of the Biblical foundations of the Jesus Prayer, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.’
Until now, the disciples have been blind to who Jesus truly is. It takes a blind man to see the truth. When he does, Bartimaeus makes a politically charged statement. Jesus is ‘Son of David,’ King of the Jews, and Messiah. In other places, Christ orders silence on the matter, but not here. His time is approaching.
The cloak Bartimaeus throws off (verse 50) is probably the cloth he uses to receive alms he is begging for. When he throws away his cloak away, he gives up all he has to follow Christ. In this Gospel, garments often indicate the old order, so Bartimaeus accepts the new order.
Plato is depicted in Raphael’s
The School of Athens carrying a bound copy of
Timaeus. Plato’s
Timaeus (Τίμαιος), written
ca 360 BC, speculates on the nature of the physical world and human beings, and is followed by the dialogue
Critias.
The participants in the dialogue include Socrates, Timaeus, Hermocrates, and Critias. Some scholars believe that it is not the Critias of the
Thirty Tyrants who appeares in this dialogue, but his grandfather, who is also named Critias. It has been suggested that
Timaeus was influenced by a book about Pythagoras, written by Philolaus.
The dialogue takes place the day after Socrates describes his ideal state. In Plato’s works, such a discussion occurs in the
Republic. Socrates feels that his description of the ideal state was not sufficient for the purposes of entertainment and that ‘I would be glad to hear some account of it engaging in transactions with other states.’
Hermocrates wishes to oblige Socrates and mentions that Critias knows just the account to do so. Critias proceeds to tell the story of Solon’s journey to Egypt where he hears the story of Atlantis, and how Athens used to be an ideal state that subsequently waged war against Atlantis. Critias believes that he is getting ahead of himself, and mentions that Timaeus will tell part of the account from the origin of the universe to humanity.
Timaeus begins with a distinction between the physical world, and the eternal world. The physical one is the world that changes and perishes: therefore, it is the object of opinion and unreasoned sensation. The eternal one never changes: therefore it is apprehended by reason: ‘As being is to becoming, so is truth to belief.’
Timaeus suggests that since nothing becomes or changes without cause, then the cause of the universe must be the father and maker of the universe.
Timaeus continues with an explanation of the creation of the universe, which he ascribes to the handiwork of a divine craftsman.
‘Wherefore, using the language of probability, we may say that the world became a living creature truly endowed with soul and intelligence by the providence of God.’
Timaeus explains how the soul of the world was created, with two bands in their middle, like in the letter Χ (
chi).
The
Timaeus conjectures on the composition of the four elements that some ancient Greeks thought constituted the physical universe: earth, water, air, and fire. The dodecahedron, with 12 faces, was taken to represent the shape of the Universe as a whole, and was the shape into which God had formed the Universe.
The
Timaeus was the only Platonic dialogue, and one of the few works of classical natural philosophy, available to Latin readers in the early Middle Ages. It had a strong influence on mediaeval Neoplatonic cosmology and was commented on particularly by 12th century Christian philosophers of the Chartres School, such as Thierry of Chartres and William of Conches, who, interpreting it in the light of the Christian faith, and understood the dialogue to refer to a
creatio ex nihilo.
Perhaps we pass over the name of Bartimaeus too quickly, and need to understand how significant a role he plays. He is to be found outside the gates, he names who Christ is, and he has other insights into the significance of the Twelve and the Universe than the disciples can ever grasp on the final part of the journey along the road to Jerusalem.
Plato is depicted in Raphael’s ‘The School of Athens’ carrying a bound copy of ‘The Timaeus’
Mark 10: 46-52 (NRSVA):
[Jesus and his disciples] 46 [They] came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ 48 Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ 49 Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ 50 So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ 52 Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
Green (Ordinary Time, Year B)
The Collect of the Day:
Blessed Lord,
who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Help us to hear them,
to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them
that, through patience, and the comfort of your holy word,
we may embrace and for ever hold fast
the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Collect of the Word:
O God,
you give light to the blind
and comfort to the sorrowing,
and in your Son you have given us a High Priest
who has offered the true sacrifice for us
and yet can sympathise with us in our weakness:
hear the cry of your people
and lead us home to our true country,
where with your Son
and the Holy Spirit
you live and reign, one God,
in glory everlasting.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
God of all grace,
your Son Jesus Christ fed the hungry
with the bread of his life and the word of his kingdom.
Renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your true and living bread,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
‘Christ Healing the Blind’ (ca 1570) by El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) … in the Met, New York
Suggested Hymns:
Job 42: 1-6, 10-17:
549, Dear Lord and Father of mankind
13, God moves in a mysterious way
226, It is a thing most wonderful
Psalm 34: 1-8 (19-22):
86, Christ is the King! O friends, rejoice
99, Jesus, the name high over all
634, Love divine, all loves excelling
372, Through all the changing scenes of life
376, Ye holy angels bright
Jeremiah 31: 7-9:
128, Hills of the north, rejoice
593, O Jesus, I have promised
366, Praise, my soul, the King of heaven
20, The King of love my shepherd is
Psalm 126:
567, Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go
356, I will sing, I will sing a song unto the Lord
712, Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
373, To God be the glory! Great things he has done!
Hebrews 7: 23-28:
398, Alleluia! sing to Jesus
258, Christ the Lord is risen again
406, Christians. Lift your hearts and voices
454, Forth in the peace of Christ we go
266, Hail the day that sees him rise (verses 1-2, 5-6)
268, Hail, thou once-despisèd Jesus
431, Lord, enthroned in heavenly splendour
105, O the deep, deep love of Jesus
439, Once, only once, and once for all
527, Son of God, eternal Saviour
291, Where high the heavenly temple stands
Mark 10: 46-52:
42, Amazing grace
218, And can it be that I should gain
52, Christ, whose glory fills the skies
294, Come down, O Love divine
563, Commit your ways to God
613, Eternal Light, shine in my heart
324, God, whose almighty word
357, I’ll praise my maker while I’ve breath
553, Jesu, lover of my soul
587, Just as I am, without one plea
554, Lord Jesus, think on me
104, O for a thousand tongues to sing
374, When all thy mercies, O my God
‘Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning’ (the Collect) … pages from Saint John’s Gospel, the first complete hand-written and illuminated Bible since the Renaissance, in a recent exhibition in Lichfield Cathedral; Sunday may also be marked as Bible Sunday (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Part 2: Bible Sunday:
In addition, next Sunday may be observed as Bible Sunday, when the readings are:
The Readings: Isaiah 55: 1-11; Psalm 19: 7-14; II Timothy 3: 14 to 4: 5; John 5: 36b-47.
A Bible printed in Chinese … Cranmer’s collect gives three reasons to ask God to help us learn the Scriptures (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Introducing Bible Sunday:
As we were growing up, many of us were familiar with the phrase ‘to hear … read, mark, learn and inwardly digest …’
These familiar words were used by teachers to emphasise and underline to learn particular aspects of any one subject. Traditionally, they were part of the Collect written for the Second Sunday of Advent.
In reality, most people do not know the Scriptures as well as we should. This collect draws on the words of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Cranmer, in the preface to the 1549
Book of Common Prayer, where he expresses his desire for the people of England to ‘hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest’ the Bible. In this collect, we ask God to grant us the ability to do just this.
Cranmer hoped to encourage churchgoers early in the Church year to realise the importance of not only reading the Bible, but of becoming thoroughly familiar with it.
The original collect reads: ‘Blessed Lord, which hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.’
The first point to notice in this Collect is the confession that God ‘caused all holy Scriptures to be written.’ Here we acknowledge that, even though the Bible was penned by humans, it is ultimately of divine origin. Additionally, the Scriptures were given by God ‘for our learning,’ that we would understand them – and, through them, God himself – at a deep level.
But we should note precisely what we are asking for. It is an intensely personal and involved process of studying the Scriptures for the sake of learning what they say. Even so, the prayer moves quickly from head knowledge (information) to heart knowledge (wisdom). For when we ‘hear, read, and mark’ the Scriptures, it is primarily to learn the content for our minds. But when we ‘inwardly digest’ them, it is to let the message and meaning of the Scriptures sink into our inner being.
The prayer gives three reasons why we should ask God to help us learn the Scriptures:
1, First, the Scriptures are from God, and as such, they bear the character of their author. The Scriptures are the revelation of the person of Christ, who is the final revelation of God. They are true, trustworthy, life-giving words that ground the people of God through the storms of life, because they lead to Christ himself.
2, However, the Scriptures cannot be understood without the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit. The same God who inspired the writing of Scripture is the one who now opens the minds and hearts of Christians to ‘inwardly digest’ it for themselves. Apart from his help, the Scriptures will remain just another book.
3, Lastly, the collect tells us why we should learn and inwardly digest scripture: so ‘that by patience and the comfort of your Holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life.’
Having revealed God to us, the Scriptures are able to encourage us in our hope of everlasting life by reminding us of the trustworthiness of the God who promised to come again and bring us to himself.
Beginning in the 1970s, some Anglican prayer books moved the collect from the Second Sunday of Advent to a different Sunday. Today, Bible Sunday is marked on the Fifth Sunday before Advent in a global programme supported and resourced by Bible Societies around the world. This collect is prayed at the end of October in the Church of England, Ordinary 32 (Proper 27) in Canada, Australia, and other places, and is prayed on Ordinary 33 (Proper 28) in The Episcopal Church and elsewhere.
Bible Sunday is a reminder of the call of the Church to place the Bible at the centre and the source of our spirituality.
Yet, of the more than 7,000 known languages in the world today, the Bible is not available in over half those languages. This means that 209 million people do not, or cannot, have any part of the Bible in their own language.
‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’ (Isaiah 55: 9) … evening skies in Otober at Ballybunion, Co Kerry (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2021)
Isaiah 55: 1-11:
When God asks Isaiah to bring his message to the kingdom of Judah, he speaks out, proclaiming God to both kings and commoners over a period of about 40 years.
Chapter 55 lies in the second part of this message, specifically speaking to the future exiles in Babylon. The message encourages them to return to the Promised Land, giving hope and blessing to those who turn back to God.
These were turbulent times in the southern kingdom of Judah, then under threat from surrounding nations. There was idol worship, the poor were being oppressed and marginalised, people were going against God’s law, and Isaiah was a messenger to the people at a time of crisis.
God’s message to Judah is to ‘Come to the waters.’ Isaiah often refers to God’s kingdom and its divine blessings as an abundance of water. He invites the people to ‘come to the waters’ (55:1); for the thirsty to find refreshment and sustenance in God’s kingdom.
This invitation to come to the waters is extended to all people. Indeed, the only requirement that Isaiah puts on it is that you must be thirsty. The invitation to the kingdom, to salvation, is offered to all – it is a free and gracious gift to all who desire it. This gift is invaluable, we cannot put a price on it; neither are we asked to.
This offer of salvation is extended to the people of Judah as it was to David (55: 3). Nor does this offer stop at water: ‘Come, buy wine and milk’ (55: 1). God offers to quench our thirst, to nourish the body and to revive the spirit.
Are we thirsty for God’s gift? Isaiah tells the people to ‘come, buy and eat’ (55: 1). The response to this invitation is to accept it, to approach the waters. But we must remember to take it and ‘eat.’ We must use what we are given rather than simply laying it to one side. When we receive this gift, weare transformed and those around grasp the invitation too. It is an extravagant and abundant gift that is hard to comprehend. All people – rich and poor, oppressed and blessed, shackled and free – all can turn to the Lord and he will have mercy on them (55: 7). But Isaiah reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways (55: 8-9). God’s generosity exceeds anything we can imagine. We cannot limit the power of God or the movement of the Spirit.
Isaiah reminds the people that the Word of God is not controlled by human thoughts and plans. As the rain falls and produces plants, so God’s words fall and accomplish exactly what he desires (55: 10-11). There is power and purpose in the Word of God.
Isaiah tells us that God’s Word has a purpose and will create a response. God has sent out the invitation, but how will we respond?
The people of Judah were not living the way God desired, but still were invited. Are we making sure that people know they are invited, that all can hear the the word of God, can be reached by the word of God?
‘More to be desired are they than gold’ (Psalm 19: 10) … a Torah Scroll crown in the Jewish Museum in Vienna (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Psalm 19: 7-14:
In this Psalm, verses 7-9 present the wonders of the law, as an expression of God’s will for Israel. Here we find synonyms for the Law, characteristics of it, and its benefits for humanity. It makes ‘wise the simple,’ those immature in understanding and judgment. It warns the psalmist or God’s servant (verse 11). If he should accidentally break it (verse 12), may God forgive him. May God protect him from those who intentionally go against God’s ways (verse 13), lest he should sin intentionally. May his words and his thoughts be acceptable to God, who restores him to godliness (verse 14).
‘All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness’ (II Timothy 3: 16) … Bibles and prayer books on a shelf in a synagogue in Thessaloniki (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
II Timothy 3: 14 to 4: 5:
Saint Timothy has the example of the Apostle Paul to follow, and has shared with him as he endured and suffered persecutions (3: 11). Timothy continues in what he has learned and in what he believes. He and his household have known the Scriptures or Sacred Writings and interpreted them in the Christian community and taught them.
In case any one should doubt the importance of those Sacred Writings, Saint Paul reminds them all scripture is inspired by God, and is ‘useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.’
Saint Timothy is urged, and all in ministry in turn are urged, to ‘proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching.’
Saint Paul warns that false teachers are undermining the faith. The time is coming when people will no longer adhere to the true faith. Timothy is urged to be sober, to endure suffering, and to continue in his ministry.
In this reading, Saint Paul gives us five reasons to take the Bible seriously and to make it available to everyone:
● Scripture makes us wise for salvation (3: 15)
● Scripture brings us intimacy with God (3: 16)
● Scripture is God’s means of our development and growth as Christians (3: 16)
● Scripture equips us for every good deed (3: 17)
● Scripture keeps us on God’s path (4: 3-4)
‘You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life’ (John 5: 39) … an icon from Crete depicting Christ holding the Bible (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
John 5: 36b-47:
Christ is in Jerusalem for a festival, and after healing a lame man at the Pool of Bethzatha, he is teaching on the Sabbath.
His critics are opposed to his healing on the Sabbath, but Jesus answers them fully, and criticises their use of Scripture.
They do not have God’s word abiding in them because they do not understand or believe God’s purposes. Although they ‘search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life,’ they do not have the love of God in their hearts.
How can we possibly say we believe in the Bible if, in our actons, we do not show the love of God made manifest in the life of Christ?
Bibles, prayer books and prayer shawls on a shelf in the synagogue in Porto (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
John 5: 36b-47 (NRSVA):
[Jesus said:] 36 ‘But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent.
39 ‘You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. 41 I do not accept glory from human beings. 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?’
Bibles, prayer books and prayer shawls on a shelf in Etz Hayyim Synagogue in Chania, Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
The Collect:
Blessed Lord,
who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Help us to hear them,
to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them
that, through patience, and the comfort of your holy word,
we may embrace and for ever hold fast
the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Post-Communion Prayer:
God of all grace,
your Son Jesus Christ fed the hungry
with the bread of his life and the word of his kingdom.
Renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your true and living bread,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Old Bibles and prayer books on a bookshelf in the Chapter Room, Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Suggested Hymns:
Isaiah 55: 1-11:
646, Gloroious things of thee are spoken
576, I heard the voice of Jesus say
557, Rock of ages, cleft for me
448, The trumpets sound, the angels sing
Psalm 19: 7-14:
631, God be in my head
696, God, we praise you! God we bless you!
616, In my life, Lord, be glorified
384, Lord, thy word abideth
432, Love is his word, love is his way
638, O for a heart to praise my God
II Timothy 3: 14 to 4: 5:
324, God, whose almighty word
382, Help us, O Lord, to learn
81, Lord for the years your love has kept and guided
384, Lord, thy word abideth
387, Thanks be to God, whose Word was spoken
John 5: 36b-47:
321, Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty
6, Immortal, invisible, God only wise
‘More to be desired are they than gold’ (Psalm 19: 10) … gold furnishings in the Mezquite, the Mosque-Cathedral, in Córdoba (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Scripture quotations are from the
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
http://nrsvbibles.org
The hymn suggestions are provided in
Sing to the Word (2000), edited by Bishop Edward Darling. The hymn numbers refer to the Church of Ireland’s
Church Hymnal (5th edition, Oxford: OUP, 2000)
Material from the
Book of Common Prayer is copyright © 2004, Representative Body of the Church of Ireland.
