Readings, hymns and sermon ideas for Sunday 5 December 2021, the Second Sunday of Advent

‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight’ (Luke 3: 4) … a tree-lined pathway in Rathkeale, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

Next Sunday, 5 December 2021, is the Second Sunday of Advent.

The readings in the Revised Common Lectionary as adapted for use in the Church of Ireland for next Sunday are:

The Readings: Baruch 5: 1-9 or Malachi 3: 1-4; The Canticle Benedictus (Luke 1: 68-79); Philippians 1: 3-11; Luke 3: 1-6.

These readings can be found HERE

Saint John the Baptist depicted on a pillar in the Church of the Four Martyrs in Rethymnon, Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Introducing the Readings:

Last Sunday (28 November 2021), on the First Sunday of Advent, we began a new Church Year, and the beginning of a new cycle of lectionary readings this year, Year C, drawing mainly on Saint Luke’s Gospel.

Note that next Sunday’s readings provide for the Canticle Benedictus (Luke 1: 68-79) rather than a Psalm, and that because the first reading is from the Apocrypha, an alternative is available from the Book of Malachi.

‘Israel may walk safely in the glory of God. The woods and every fragrant tree have shaded Israel at God’s command’ (Baruch 5: 7-8) … the yew tree walk at Gormanston, Co Meath (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Baruch 5: 1-9:

The Book of Baruch is set during the Babylonian exile, soon after 600 BCE, when some Jews had been deported to Babylon and others had been dispersed around the Mediterranean. However, this book was probably written between 200 and 60 BCE. It is attributed to Baruch, the friend and secretary of Jeremiah.

Both Jeremiah and Baruch are said to have been taken to Egypt in 582 BCE (see Jeremiah 43:1-7). However, a later tradition says that Baruch went to Babylon.

As with several books in the Apocrypha, most of this book is compiled of passages copied or paraphrased from other books in the Hebrew Bible. The passage Baruch 1: 15 to 2: 19 is largely a reinterpretation of Daniel 9: 4-19, so Baruch was written after the Book of Daniel.

The Book of Baruch is set in the time of the Exile. Earlier, the author says the Exile took place because many Jews did not obey the Law of Moses. The words are spoken by Jerusalem, the personified mother of the nation. She is a prophet of events to come. God, she says, has noted the people’s return to obedience to him, so the time of the return home is imminent. The time of the city’s mourning for the loss of her children is nearing its end.

In Sunday’s passage (Baruch 5: 1-9), Baruch responds to these words from Jerusalem, and cries out to Jerusalem in exile. It is time to remove mourning attire, to don forever splendid garments given by God, guarantees and symbols of harmony, security and prosperity.

Exodus tells us that Aaron as priest, wore a diadem or mitre inscribed ‘Holy to the Lord,’ a symbol of divine regal splendour. Now Jerusalem becomes a priest of the Everlasting God, succeeding Aaron, as a sign of God’s power.

The city will receive two titles forever, ‘Righteous Peace’ and ‘Godly Glory.’ From now on, Jerusalem will be a place where justice and peace prevail and where God’s glory will be seen.

From verse 5, Baruch tells of a procession, a pilgrimage to the holy city. The exiles will return from Babylon in the east and from elsewhere. God has spoken the word and has remembered them. They left the city on foot, but now they will return regally, as if borne on thrones.

Baruch then echoes Isaiah (see Isaiah 40: 3-4), words that are repeated with joy in the Gospel reading (Luke 3: 1-6). A road will be levelled through the desert, so the exiles can return safely. The road will be lined with trees that grow miraculously at God’s command. God will be with the exiles with his mercy and his righteousness.

For a people in exile, who find themselves in a culture that is not their own, how do they leave what they have in the present, how do they maintain their hopes from the past, and how do they look forward to the future?

These are questions of anticipation and hope in this season of Advent. Baruch says it is time to end the mourning and to look forward in hope to the future.

Could this be true for us this Advent?

How do we turn from the gloom and fears of the present day to hope for reconciliation and peace?

What would we see in this vision for the future?

‘For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap’ (Malachi 3: 2) … a sanctuary lamp in the Lady Chapel in Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2021)

Malachi 3: 1-4:

The Prophet Malachi in this reading speaks of the coming messenger of God and calls on us to prepare the way of the Lord, who will come suddenly to his Temple (Malachi 3: 1).

We are to be ready and prepared, for when he comes he purifies ‘like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap’ (verse 2).

An icon of the Birth of Saint the Baptist from the Monastery of Anopolis in the Museum of Christian Art in Iraklion, Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

The Canticle Benedictus:

The Canticle Benedictus is the Song of Zechariah (Luke 1: 68-79), provided as the Third Canticle at Morning Prayer and as Canticles 7 and 8 in the Book of Common Prayer.

Zechariah the priest has been struck dumb when he hears that in her old age his wife Elizabeth is pregnant with a child – the child who is to become Saint John the Baptist, who is the focus of our Gospel reading.

After his birth, his parents bring him to be circumcised and named. Elizabeth favours the name John and Zechariah agrees. Now Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, speaks this song of prophecy we know in the Anglican tradition as Benedictus – from the Latin word for ‘Blessed.’

This song tells us of God’s blessing for his people. God is to give them a mighty saviour who will save them from sin. This descendant of David is the fulfilment of promises of the prophets of old, and he will rescue the people from their enemies.

God is fulfilling his promises, made first as an oath with Abraham, and they shall no longer live in fear of his wrath. John the Baptist, who will be thought to be like Elijah, and he will bring the people to a godly, way of living, preparing the way for the Lord.

Christ is ‘the dawn from on high’ that ‘break upon us,’ the one through whom God fulfils his purpose for humanity. At a time when hopes are at a low ebb and people are particularly in need, ‘in darkness and the shadow of death,’ he will be a beacon guiding us ‘into the way of peace.’

‘The dawn from on high shall break upon us. To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace’ (Benedictus) … a winter sunrise at the Rectory in Askeaton, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Philippians 1: 3-11:

Philippi was the centre of Saint Paul’s first mission in continental Europe. It would become an important early centre of the Church in a world that did not yet know Christ or the message of salvation.

On Sunday next, we read from Saint Paul’s letter to the Church in Philippi. This is one of the most positive and encouraging letters of all the Pauline epistles, and Saint Paul’s words are powerful and visionary. In this letter, he offers us a vision of what Church is to be – the very kingdom of God on earth. He believes in a world transformed and reordered by love and grace, in response to love and grace. He believes that in Christ our love will overflow ourselves to one another.

Saint Paul’s vision of the Church is one in which we as the Church recognise that Christ is doing good work in the lives of the other. He writes to the Philippians telling them that his prayer that their love may be so generous that it overflows more and more, so that when Christ returns at his Advent, they will have produced the harvest that gives glory and praise to God.

As baptised members of the Church, we are marked as Christ’s own forever. We belong to God, God has claimed us, and we are ‘the saints of God.’

Following his opening greeting, Saint Paul thanks God for the Christians at Philippi, praying with joy because of their sharing in spreading the good news, from the day of their conversion.

This vision of the community of the baptised is a reminder that for Christians the hallmark of our community is to one of grace and peace. We are inheritors of this godly vision for community.

‘Prepare the way of the Lord … all flesh shall see the salvation of God’ (Luke 3: 4, 6) … the window in the Mortuary Chapel in the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Athlone, depicting Christ in Judgment, by Earley of Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Luke 3: 1-6:

Saint Luke places the events in his Gospel firmly and historically in the time of particular rulers, both political and religious. The ministry of Saint John the Baptist and of Christ are incarnational and take place in real time, in history.

What is to come is a new authority that is inaugurated in very real time and is measured by grace and not power, a challenge to the people of God and to the authorities of the world. It is a time of renewal linked to the past, lived in the present and looking forward to the future.

The words of Saint John the Baptist are not only for a people long ago but words for us today.

Saint John the Baptist is announcing judgment at the end of the era and the beginning of a new pact with God that is available to all. He travels throughout the Jordan Valley, preaching a return to God’s ways and being ethically and spiritually renewed. He quotes from the Prophecy of Isiah we have already heard quoted by Baruch (see Isaiah 40: 3-5).

However, Saint Luke makes one change in the quotation: the word ‘his’ (verse 4) emphasises that it is for Christ that John prepares the way. For Saint Luke, all flesh, all people all people will have the opportunity to be rescued from sin.

The world is a place and we find our home as foreigners in a strange land, longing for the Kingdom of God present, and not yet fully realised. In the wilderness, we long to hear the voice crying out, to hear that we are welcome.

As we heard in the canticle, Saint John the Baptist is the agent to fulfil the promises of the prophets (see Isaiah 40: 3; Malachi 3: 1, 4: 5).

Christ who is coming at Advent is bringing the Good News of the Kingdom of God, and is the living word who brings the promise of transformation and change.

Saint John makes his proclamation to the whole world. The whole of creation will be remade, the world of authority will be turned upside down, the word of salvation will raise up new children of God, and even the stones will shout as the kingdom message becomes a message of embrace and love, with a new order of family and kinship that embraces all people.

In this season of Advent, how do we connect with the real world which is wilderness for so many people?

How do we encourage people in our churches to take the promise of the Kingdom of God outside the walls of the church building, to take the Gospel of grace into the world around us, proclaiming Christ and the opportunity of hope and joy and transformation that he brings with him at his coming?

‘… the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth’ (Luke 3: 5) … a rough way made smooth in Comberford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Luke 3: 1-6 (NRSVA):

1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God”.’

The Triptych of Saint John the Baptist and the Baptism of Christ in the Chapel of Saint John’s Hospital, Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Liturgical resources:

Liturgical colour: Purple (Violet), Advent, Year C

The liturgical provisions suggest that Gloria is omitted in Advent, and it is traditional in Anglicanism to omit Gloria at the end of canticles and psalms during Advent.

The Advent Candle, the Second Sunday of Advent (Second Purple Candle):

The Prophets:

Loving God, your prophets spoke out
in the darkness of suffering and loss,
of a light coming into the world.
May we proclaim the light of Christ
as we stand alongside the marginalised
of your world,
that they may find new strength
and hope in you.
(A prayer from USPG)

Penitential Kyries:

Turn to us again, O God our Saviour,
and let your anger cease from us.

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Show us your mercy, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.

Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Your salvation is near for those that fear you,
that glory may dwell in our land.

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

The Collect:

Father in heaven,
who sent your Son to redeem the world
and will send him again to be our judge:
Give us grace so to imitate him
in the humility and purity of his first coming
that when he comes again,
we may be ready to greet him with joyful love and firm faith;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Collect of the Fifth Sunday before Advent may be used:

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.

The Advent Collect is said after the Collect of the Day until Christmas Eve:

Almighty God,
Give us grace to cast away the works of darkness
and to put on the armour of light
now in the time of this mortal life
in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;
that on the last day
when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Introduction to the Peace:

In the tender mercy of our God,
the dayspring from on high shall break upon us,
to give light to those who dwell in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1: 78, 79)

Preface:

Salvation is your gift
through the coming of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and by him you will make all things new
when he returns in glory to judge the world:

Post-Communion Prayer:

Lord,
here you have nourished us with the food of life.
Through our sharing in this holy sacrament
teach us to judge wisely earthly things
and to yearn for things heavenly.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing:

Christ the sun of righteousness shine upon you,
gladden your hearts
and scatter the darkness from before you:

‘Make way, make way for Christ the King’ (Hymn 134) … a straight pathway lined with trees in Kilmore, near Nenagh, Co Tipperary (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Suggested Hymns:

Baruch 5: 1-9:

418, Here, O my Lord, I see thee face to face
671, Jesus, thy blood and righteousness

Malachi 3, 1-4:

52, Christ, whose glory fills the skies
331, God reveals his presence
634, Love divine, all loves excelling
134, Make way, make way for Christ the King
640, Purify my heart

The Canticle Benedictus (Luke 1: 68-79):

685, Blessed be the God of Israel
52, Christ, whose glory fills the skies
119, Come, thou long-expected Jesus
381, God has spoken – by his prophets
706, O bless the God of Israel

Philippians 1: 3-11:

518, Bind us together, Lord
413, Father, we thank thee who hast planted
567, Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go
588, Light of the minds that know him
81, Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided
601, Teach me, my God and King

Luke 3: 1-6:

126, Hark! a thrilling voice in sounding
134, Make way, make way for Christ the King
306, O Spirit of the living God
136, On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry
204, When Jesus came to Jordan

‘When Jesus came to Jordan’ (Hymn 2014) … the fifth century mosaic of the Baptism of Christ in the Neonian Baptistry in Ravenna (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.

‘The dawn from on high shall break upon us. To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace’ (Benedictus) … a November sunrise at the Rectory in Askeaton, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2021)

‘Walking backwards to Christmas’: preparing for Advent in 2020

‘On the last day when he shall come again in his glorious majesty Christ in Majesty’ (the Advent Collect) … John Piper’s window in the Chapel of the Hospital of Saint John Without the Barrs, Lichfield

Patrick Comerford

When the present pandemic lockdown ends, many of us may find we have to hurriedly organise services and events for Advent.

Advent starts this year at the end of November (29 November 2020) rather than the beginning of December, so many of us may be caught uprepared for the beginning of Advent this year.

This package of resources is offered as a resource to aid those preparations, and are drawn from resources prepared for a day with clergy and readers in the Diocese of Limerick, Killaloe and Ardfert some years ago.

In addition, this posting can be used in an on-line discussion with parishioners; there are additional points for discussion at the end of the posting.

I’m Walking Backwards for Christmas by Spike Milligan and the Goons reached No 4 in the charts … in June 1956

A time of preparation:

It is 64 years since Spike Milligan and the Goons recorded a hit single, I’m Walking Backwards for Christmas. It was originally sung by Spike Milligan in the show to fill in during a strike by musicians, and was one of the 14 singles released by Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan from June 1956 on.

It was released on 25 June 1956, quickly reaching No 4 in the UK singles chart. I am barely old enough to remember it, but I think it was so crazy that it inspired the title of an Advent book by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, when he was Bishop of Chelmsford: Walking Backwards to Christmas: An Advent journey from light to darkness (right).

Most people have learned the Christmas story from school nativity plays and carols, some adults think they know it, but only know because of the libretto of Handel’s Messiah. But most of the familiar tellings of the Christmas story are more concerned with light than darkness.

The backwards approach taken by Archbishop Cottrell in his new book takes the journey in the opposite direction, as he explores the Advent story through the eyes of a variety of characters.

He begins by seeing through the eyes of Anna, the prophetess who encounters Jesus in the Temple; followed by Rachel, who weeps for her children in Bethlehem; King Herod; the wise man Casper; a shepherd named David; Martha, the name he gives to the innkeeper’s wife; Joseph; Elizabeth; Mary; Isaiah and, finally, Moses.

Each imaginative reflection is prefaced by a Bible reading and followed by a prayer, to set it in context, as we are invited to step imaginatively into the Advent Story.

It is certainly a very different approach to preparing for Christmas this year. It is very difficult to prepare for Christmas when Santa has already arrived in every shopping centre, when the Christmas lights are already strung across the Main Street in every town and village, and many of our parish choirs are already singing Christmas carols. Indeed, it is hard to distinguish between Advent and Lent when you find Cadbury’s crème eggs are already on sale.

But even in the Church we often manage to confuse Advent and Lent, probably because they are both seasons of preparation when we change the liturgical colour from Green to Purple or Violet.

The word Advent, from the Latin word adventus, means ‘coming.’ That Latin word is simply a translation of the Greek word παρουσία (parousía), used for the Second Coming of Christ.

This season is a reminder of the original waiting for the coming of the Messiah. But more especially it is a reminder of our waiting for Christ at his the Second Coming.

This season, which begins at the end of this month on the First Sunday of Advent [29 November 2020], is the season when the Church marks a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the coming of Christ, not just as a cuddly child in a Christmas crib, but his coming in glory and as king.

Throughout the four weeks of Advent, our readings, collects, post-communion prayers and the other seasonal provisions in our liturgies try to focus us – yes on Christ’s incarnation, but more particularly (if less successfully) to focus us – on Christ’s coming judgment and reign.

Because of that, the ‘Four Last Things’ – Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell – have been traditional themes for Advent meditation. The characteristic emphasis in Advent, therefore, is expectation, rather than penitence.

Purple is not a penitential colour … it is a rich, royal imperial colour, originally derived from a very rare source. Πορφύρα (porphyra), the rare purple dye from Tyre, could command its weight in silver and was manufactured in classical antiquity from a mucus secreted by the spiny dye-murex snail.

As a seller of purple, Lydia was a wealthy woman of independent means (see Acts 16).

And, as Judith Herrin points out in her beautiful book on the powerful woman of Byzantium, Women in Purple, a child born to a reigning emperor was πορφυρογέννητος (porphyrogénitos), ‘born in the purple.’

So, we change our liturgical colour in Advent to purple to signify we are preparing for the coming of Christ as the King of Kings, the ruler of all, in all his royal, imperial, majesty, splendour and glory.

Although comparisons are too often made with Lent, Advent is a time of preparation rather than a time of penitence, Lent too is a time of preparation for the completion of Christ’s majestic task, seen in his passion, death, burial and Resurrection. It was a time too, in the Early Church, of preparation for baptism, which required penitence and repentance and μετάνοια (metánoia), conversion, turning round to face Christ.

In pre-pandemic times, the office parties, Christmas lunches, early Santas, hastily-planned carol services, and bringing the last posting day forward to the week before Advent, had made it difficult to sustain this sense of being alert and watchful. Yet, can you remember with glee and warmth the child-like waiting and watching you experienced during the build-up for Christmas?

In the cold and dark of winter, can you remember that warm glow you felt as you anticipated such a wonderful festival?

In recent times, the most common, popular observance of Advent is the use of the Advent Calendar, with one door being opened in the calendar, or one new candle being lit, on the Advent Wreath each day or each week leading up to Christmas Eve.

Familiar seasonal customs can be used in the churches and parishes to help restore and build up that sense of anticipation, of watching and waiting, to cheerfully invite people into a time and a space for praying in joyful anticipation, and offer events for this time of year that can be adapted too for our prayerful preparation:

● 1, the Advent Calendar;
● 2, the Advent Wreath;
● 3, the Jess Tree;
● 4, Christingle services;
● 5, the Advent Prose;
● 6, Advent carols;
● 7, good old Saint Nicholas.
● 8, the Readings, Collects and Post-Communion Prayers: working our way through Revised Common Lectionary in Advent.

The Advent Calendar … a choice between Christ and chocolates?

1, The Advent Calendar

As children, many of us have watched the progression of Advent through the doors of an Advent calendar. I remember once looking for an advent calendar for our sons when they were children in a shop one year and being asked cheerfully: Do you want one with the chocolates or one with the child?

An Advent calendar allows us to count down or celebrate the days of Advent, and to build up an anticipation of Christmas. Today, most Advent calendars are made for children. But they can be for adults too.

Advent Calendars do not have to be filled with chocolates and sweets. You can make a simple one in your parish, using a large rectangular card, cutting out the right number of windows, so that one can be opened each day during Advent, revealing an image, a poem, a Scripture text or part of a story related to the Nativity.

The Advent Calendar has its origins among German Lutherans, and may have been a family practice in German-speaking places from the 17th century on. From perhaps the beginning of the 19th century, many German families counted down the 24 days of Advent physically: at first, this meant simply drawing a chalk line on the door each day from 1 December. Some families had more elaborate ways to mark each day – lighting a new candle or hanging a little religious picture on the wall.

The first known Advent Calendar was handmade in 1851, the first printed Advent calendar was produced in Hamburg in 1902 or 1903, and the first commercially produced Advent Calendar, produced in Munich in 1908, had 24 little coloured pictures that could be affixed to a piece of cardboard.

The custom spread from Germany after World War II. Even though we may have put your childhood behind us, we may find an Advent Calendar a source for inspiration for prayers and intercessions during the next few weeks in our parishes throughout these dioceses.

Some years ago, members of all Anglican Churches were invited to mark Advent through prayer, meditation and by contributing to a global Advent calendar on Instagram. The Anglican Communion Office and the Society of Saint John the Evangelist (SSJE) teamed up to offer Anglicans and Episcopalians around the world a daily word, meditation and beautiful image sent to their e-mail inboxes.

These Anglican monks were using technology that allowed their daily Advent e-mail to arrive in inboxes at 5 a.m. wherever in the world the recipient is, so that ‘it’s there when you wake up.’

After reading the meditation, the monks invited people to take a photograph with their phones or tablets to share their interpretation of the word for that day – such as #Abide, #Thrive, #Become, #Imagine – and to post the picture to Instagram adding the day’s tag plus #Adventword.

In a similar vein, the Dean of Lichfield Cathedral, the Very Revd Adrian Dorber, produced a calendar of Advent Devotionals for Advent in different years, allowing readers to spend five minutes a day in appropriate reflections.

The Advent Wreath in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin … the first purple candle recalls the Patriarchs (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

2, The Advent Wreath

Increasingly more-and-more parishes have Advent Wreaths. Traditionally, a new candle is lit in church each week, followed by a Bible reading or selected prayers. Some say the circle symbolises the eternal cycle of the seasons while the evergreens and lit candles signify the persistence of life in the midst of winter.

The Advent wreath is said to have been the idea of Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808-1881), a German pastor and a pioneer in urban mission work among the poor in Hamburg. In December 1838, he made a large wooden ring from an old cartwheel, with 19 small red and four large white candles. A new small candle was lit each weekday in Advent, and a large white candle was lit on Sundays. The custom spread in Germany and evolved into the smaller wreath with four or five candles. The custom spread to Britain in the 19th century, and to North America in 1930s, so that it has global appeal today.

In most Anglican churches today, there are three purple candles and one pink candle in a ring, with a white or gold candle in the centre.

The purple candles reflect the liturgical colour of the season, while pink marks the Third Sunday of Advent, when that colour change briefly to pink.

There are many traditions about the meaning or theme of each candle. But Common Worship and Times and Seasons suggest these five themes:

Advent 1: The Patriarchs (Purple);
Advent 2: The Prophets (Purple);
Advent 3: John the Baptist (Pink);
Advent 4: The Virgin Mary (Purple);
Christmas Day: The Christ (White or Gold).

Each Sunday in Advent, then, reminds us of those who prepared for the coming of Christ:

1, ‘The Patriarchs’ can naturally focus on Abraham, our Father in faith, and David, the ancestor in whose city the Christ Child was born;

2, ‘The Prophets’ invite us to reflect on the way Christ’s coming was foretold;

3, Saint John the Baptist proclaimed Christ as Saviour;

4, The Virgin Mary bore him in her womb and gave birth to him.

The pink candle on the Third Sunday of Advent comes from the mediaeval tradition of adopting a splash of colour on this Sunday, Gaudete Sunday or ‘Rose Sunday,’ reflecting the traditions surrounding Laetare Sunday (Refreshment Sunday), the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

In other traditions, the first candle is called the prophet’s candle and is meant to signify the hope of Christ’s coming. The second is called the Bethlehem candle in honour of the city of Christ’s birth. The third candle is the shepherds’ candle. The final candle is the angels’ candle, symbolising the angelic proclamation of joy at Christ’s birth.

In either case, the accumulation of light is an expression of the growing anticipation of the birth of Christ, the light of the world. The circular wreath represents God’s eternity and unity. Evergreens are a symbol of enduring life.

A number of carols have been written for use with the short liturgy as the Advent candles are lit. A common format is to add an extra verse each week, relating to the symbolism of that week’s candle.

The West End windows in Christ Church Cathedral are another way of illustrating the Jesse Tree (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

3, The Jesse Tree

The Jesse Tree has become a popular teaching aid in many Anglican parishes, although the earliest example probably dates from the 11th century.

The Tree of Jesse depicts the Ancestors of Christ in a tree that rises from Jesse of Bethlehem, the father of King David. The earliest example dates from the 11th century. But it is also inspired by that passage from Isaiah: ‘There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots,’ (Isaiah 11: 1), which is in the Old Testament reading in the Church of Ireland lectionary for the first Tuesday in Advent this year (1 December 2020: Isaiah 11: 1-10).

The lineage of Jesus is traced by two Gospel writers, Saint Matthew and Saint Luke. Saint Matthew’s Gospel opens with the words: ‘The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.’ With this beginning, Saint Matthew makes clear Jesus’ whole lineage: he is of God’s chosen people, by his descent from Abraham, and he is the ‘shoot of Jesse’ by his descent from Jesse’s son, King David. Saint Luke describes the ‘generations of Christ,’ beginning with Jesus himself and tracing backwards through his ‘earthly father’ Joseph back to Adam (see Luke 3).

The figures in a Jesse Tree are drawn from the genealogies in the Gospels, although usually showing only a selection. In many churches, the traditional Jesse Tree is decorated over the course of Advent with symbols representing stories leading up to the Incarnation – for example, a burning bush for Moses, a ram for Isaac or a crown for David.

Christingle services … a good resource for Advent

4, Christingle Services:

The Moravian custom of a Christingle service was introduced to these islands in the late 20th century, and resources are available through the Children’s Society (in the Church of England). Christingle services may take place before or after Christmas, but they are a good resource for Advent.

The ‘O Antiphons’ … a detail from the Ghent Altarpiece, by Jan Van Eyck, 1420s

5, The Advent Prose

In Advent, we often sing the Advent Prose or the Advent Antiphons, an antiphonal plainsong. The ‘Late Advent Weekdays,’ 17 to 24 December, mark the singing of the Great Advent ‘O Antiphons.’

These are the antiphons for the canticle Magnificat at Evensong, Evening Prayer or Vespers day and mark the forthcoming birth of the Messiah. They form the basis for each verse of the popular Advent hymn, O come, O come, Emmanuel.

These antiphons, all beginning with ‘O ...,’ were sung before and after the Canticle Magnificat at Vespers from 17 to 24 December, the seven days before Christmas.

They are addressed to God, calling on him to come as teacher and deliverer, and woven through with scriptural titles and images describing God’s saving work in Christ. This tradition was developed in the Sarum Rite in mediaeval England, and was reflected in The Book of Common Prayer, where the Anglican Reformers retained the title O Sapientia (‘O Wisdom’) as the designation for 16 December.

A recent Advent Carol Service in Lichfield Cathedral … appropriate Advent carols are not the same as Christmas carols

6, Advent carols

It is from this tradition that we have derived one of the best-known Advent carols, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Irish Church Hymnal, 135).

But there are other special Advent carols and hymns for this season. See Irish Church Hymnal, Nos 119 to 145.

Santas and choristers preparing for Advent ... Saint Nicholas robed in green and other figures in the shop in the crypt in Christ Church Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

7, Saint Nicholas

It is worth reminding ourselves that Saint Nicholas is commemorated not on 25 December but on 6 December, even if he does not make an appearance in the Calendar of the Church of Ireland Calendar.

Saint Nicholas was such a favourite saint in mediaeval Ireland that many our principal ports and towns have large churches named after him, including Carrickfergus, Co Antrim; Dundalk, Co Louth; Dublin (two churches); Galway; Cork; Adare, Co Limerick; and, in the mediaeval era, on Nicholas Street, close to Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick.

He is an important figure, not because of the roly-poly figure hijacked by Coca-Cola and advertising.

His willingness to travel, even when his own life was at risk, makes him a role model for the church in mission.

As Bishop Nicholas of Myra, he was a key defender of Trinitarian dogma at the Council of Nicaea (325).

The stories of his bringing the victims of murder back to life is a reminder that Christmas is without meaning unless it is related to and connected with Good Friday and Easter Day, that the significance of the Incarnation is to be found in our Redemption and the Resurrection.

As a bishop who was the protector of vulnerable children and teenagers to point of risking his own place in society, he is an important challenge to some of the ways the whole church has handled some recent difficulties; as the free-giver of gifts, without expecting anything in return he is a reminder that God’s love is given freely and unconditionally at the Incarnation in his Son, Christ Jesus ... and this offers a potential sermon on 6 December which this year coincides with the Second Sunday of Advent.

Chocolate Santas on shelves in a supermarket in Bettystown, Co Meath (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

8, The Readings, Collects and Post-Communion Prayers: working our way through the Advent readings in the Revised Common Lectionary

Advent 1 (29 November 2020):

Readings:

Isaiah 64: 1-9; Psalm 80: 1-8, 18-20; I Corinthians 1: 3-9; Mark 13: 24-37.

The Collect:

Almighty God,
Give us grace to cast away the works of darkness
and to put on the armour of light
now in the time of this mortal life
in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;
that on the last day
when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.. Amen.

Note: This collect is said after the Collect of the day until Christmas Eve.

Advent 2 (6 December 2020):

Readings:

Isaiah 40: 1-11; Psalm 85: 1-2, 8-13; II Peter 3: 8-15a; Mark 1: 1-8.

The Collect:

Father in heaven,
who sent your Son to redeem the world
and will send him again to be our judge:
Give us grace so to imitate him
in the humility and purity of his first coming
that when he comes again,
we may be ready to greet him with joyful love and firm faith;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Advent 3 (13 December 2020):

The Collect:

O Lord Jesus Christ,
who at your first coming sent your messenger
to prepare your way before you:
Grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries
may likewise so prepare and make ready your way
by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
that at your second coming to judge the world
we may be found an acceptable people in your sight;
for you are alive and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end. Amen.

Readings:

Isaiah 61: 1-4, 8-11; Psalm 126 or the Canticle Magnificat; I Thessalonians 5: 16-24; John 1: 6-8, 19-28.

Advent 4 (20 December 2020):

The Collect:

God our redeemer
who prepared the blessed Virgin Mary
to be the mother of your Son:
Grant that, as she looked for his coming as our saviour,
so we may be ready to greet him
when he comes again as our judge;
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Readings:

II Samuel 7: 1-11, 16; the Canticle Magnificat or Psalm 89: 1-14, 19-26; Romans 16: 25-27; Luke 1: 26-38.

Points for a discussion group:

Note how at Advent we begin a new cycle of lectionary readings, beginning to read the Gospel according to Saint Mark.

Note the themes in the Old Testament readings.

How do the collects and Gospel readings relate to the themes symbolised in the Advent wreath?

Three questions for a time of reflection:

1, Are you ready for the coming of Christ?

2, Is this a time of preparation or celebration for you, your parish?

3, Is Christmas more important than Easter in your parish?

Closing poem

In the bleak mid-winter

In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
And a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.

Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air,
But only His mother
In her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.

(Christina Rosetti, 1830-1893, see Irish Church Hymnal, No. 162)

Some resources and reading:

Stephen Cottrell, Walking Backwards to Christmas: An Advent journey from light to darkness (London: SPCK, 2014).

Nick Fawcett, A Chequered Legacy: The good the bad and the ugly: An Advent course. Book 1: The Good (Stowmarket, Suffolk: 2014).

Gordon Giles, O Come, Emmanuel: Reflections on music and readings for Advent and Christmas (Oxford: Bible Reading Fellowship, 2005).

Paul Gooder and Peter Babington, Love Life, Live Advent: Make room for the manger (London: Church House Publishing, 2014).

William Marshall, O Come Emmanuel: a devotional study of the Advent antiphons (Dublin: Columba/APCK, 1993).

Dorothy McRae-McMahon, Liturgies for High Days (London: SPCK, 2006).

Benjamin Gordon-Taylor and Simon Jones, Celebrating Christ’s Appearing: Advent to Candlemas (London: SPCK, 2008; Alcuin Liturgy Guides 5).

Times and Seasons: Services and Prayers for the Church of England (London: Church House Publishing, 2006).

(Revd Canon Professor) Patrick Comerford is Director of Education and Training in the Dioceses of Limerick, Killaloe and Ardfert. These notes were prepared Clergy and Readers in the Dioceses of Limerick, Killaloe and Ardfert.

‘In the bleak mid-winter … Snow had fallen, snow on snow’ (Christina Rosetti, 1830-1893) … snow at Saint Mary’s Church in Askeaton, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Advent resources and praying at the Advent Wreath and candles

Lighting the Advent Wreath ... the first purple candle recalls the Patriarchs and Matriarchs (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

During discussions on ‘Preparing for Advent’ last year [20 November 2017], there were requests for prayer resources suitable for using at the lighting of the candles on the Advent Wreath on each Sunday in Advent.

A new resource on this theme is produced each year by the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel). USPG, which was founded in 1701, partners churches and communities worldwide in God’s mission to enliven faith, strengthen relationships, unlock potential and champion justice.

The USPG Prayer Card for Advent offers prayers to use with the Advent wreath and candles and highlights health work with mothers and children in Ghana

The USPG Prayer Card for Advent 2018, ‘Pray With the World Church at Advent,’ suggests that as we light our Advent candles in anticipation of celebrating the coming of the Christ child, USPG is inviting churches and parishes to pray for mothers and children who are served by the mission of the world church as it responds to the needs of the people and communities it sreves.

We remember the plight of mothers and babies around the world, many of whom struggle with ill health and little access to health services.

For example, in Ghana, Gloria benefitted from the Diocese of Cape Coast’s Integrated Health Programme, which is supported by USPG. Children in Gloria’s village were often falling sick. Then the diocese ran a workshop to explain the importance of washing fruit and vegetable bought at market and washing children’s hands before meal times. Gloria’s children became healthier – and the incidence of waterborne diseases in her village fell dramatically.

These prayers at the Advent Wreath on the Sundays in Advent could also help continue our themes from Mission Sunday last Sunday.

First Sunday of Advent, 2 December 2018 (Purple Candle):

The Patriarchs and Matriarchs

O God of Abraham and Sarah,
we thank you for your faithfulness
throughout all time.
As today we begin our Advent journey,
may the light of your love
surround us and all for whom we pray,
as we watch and wait for your kingdom.

Second Sunday of Advent, 9 December 2019 (Purple Candle):

The Prophets

Loving God, your prophets spoke out
in the darkness of suffering and loss,
of a light coming into the world.
May we proclaim the light of Christ
as we stand alongside the marginalised
of your world,
that they may find new strength
and hope in you.

Third Sunday of Advent, 16 December 2018 (Pink Candle):

Saint John the Baptist

Lord Jesus, your cousin John
prepared the way for your coming.
Bless all who speak out against
injustice and wrong:
so may the light of your truth
burn brightly, and the world become
a fairer and just home for all.

Fourth Sunday of Advent, 23 December 2018 (Purple Candle):

The Virgin Mary

Lord Jesus, your mother Mary
carried you on with tender determination
on the dangerous road to Bethlehem.
May the same flame of love
that drove her on, now bring
courage and hope
to all who carry and nurture children today.

Christmas Day (White Candle):

Jesus Christ

Holy God, your only son was born
with no home and laid in a manger;
fill us with compassion
for all in need today.
Bless all who work for dignity,
healing and peace
and give us generous hearts
to respond to your most generous gift,
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

An Advent gift to USPG could bring health and hope to mothers and babies around the world.

For further copies of this prayer card and to download Advent resources visit:

www.uspg.org.uk/advent2018.

Readings, hymns and sermon ideas for Sunday 3 December 2017

‘Then they will see the Son of Man coming’ (Mark 13: 26) … the King of Kings and Great High Priest, an icon from Mount Athos (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)

Patrick Comerford

Sunday next, 3 December 2017, is the First Sunday of Advent.

The First Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of a new Church year, and we begin a new cycle of readings. There is a three-year cycle in the Revised Common Lectionary, and we are about to begin reading from Saint Mark’s Gospel in Year B, which begins on Sunday. But instead of beginning at the beginning, with the first coming of Christ at his Incarnation, we begin with looking forward to his Second Coming.

The readings for next Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary and set out in the Directory of the Church of Ireland are: Isaiah 64: 1-9; Psalm 80: 1-8, 18-20; I Corinthians 1: 3-9; and Mark 13: 24-37.

There is a direct link to the readings here.

Introduction

A colourful early winter sunrise at the Rectory in Askeaton, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)

With the onset of winter, the sunsets are earlier each evening, and the sunrises are later each morning. So late that most mornings most of us are awake and having breakfast before the sunrise begins to down.

Most mornings these weeks, the sunrise is shrouded in grey clouds and the sky is filled with rain. But some mornings we can see a clear sunrise in the east, when the clouds in the sky are streaked with distinctive shades of pink and purple, with tinges of red and orange.

A dawn like this is always a heavenly pleasure.

Try to take a moment as you read these notes to think back on the places you have visited this year, on family breaks or on holidays, that have been snatches of heaven for you.

I am just back from a city break in Bologna, in warm autumn sunshine in Italy. But in a moment of idleness one recent winter morning, I thought how throughout this year, throughout 2017, I have managed to find myself visiting places that are snatches of heaven to me – waking up looking out onto the banks a river in autumn; a few days here and a few days there back in Lichfield, in Cambridge, and in Crete and Athens; there walks in the countryside in Limerick and Wexford in Ireland, and Staffordshire and East Anglia in England; walks on beaches in theses diocese, including Ballybunion, the Dingle Peninsula and Kilkee, beaches I was introduced to for the first time this year following my move to the Rathkeale and Kilnaughtin Group of Parishes.

There were tender moments of love with those I love and those who love me; and prayerful moments too of being conscious of and anticipating the presence of God.

And I mused, in an idle moment one recent morning, that if these were my last days then this year alone I had managed to visit and to stay in places that are so close to my heart.

It is natural, as the year comes to an end, to think of final things and closing days. Earlier in the month, we had All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day in some churches, and Remembrance Sunday:

At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

At the end of November we then move towards thinking of the end, not in a cataclysmic way, but because with the beginning of Advent we begin to think of the world as we know it giving way to the world as God wants it to be, to the Kingdom of God.

What does the future hold?

A colourful sunset over Limerick seen from the tower of Saint Mary’s Cathedral … what does the future hold? (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)

For many people in Ireland today, the future is full of uncertainties. Although the government and economists assure us we have come out of the recession and there are many signs of economic growth, there is an incalculable number of homeless families – adults and children – living on our streets. Many ordinary people are still living under mountainous burdens of debt, with uncertainty about paying bills, families who have no many left at the end of the month, which means they cannot plan for the future, they have been robbed of hope for their future.

Since the economic collapse of 2008, businesses have closed, jobs have been lost, savings and investments have withered away, and for many people large question marks still hang over their pensions and their provisions for the future.

There is no doubt that in this country two of the major contributors to, causes of, poverty are ill-health and inadequate access to education.

Charging more for health care and for education ensures that more people are going to join those who are in the poverty trap, those who cannot pay more for health care and access to education, and those already there, cannot find hope for the future.

They may feel they are being fed with the bread of tears and given the abundance of tears to drink referred to in the Psalm in these readings (Psalm 80: 6), that they are to become the derision of their neighbours (Psalm 80: 7).

Many economists warn that we may still be teetering on the brink of collapse. And when I look at the poverty on the streets of Greece this year, away from the gaze of most tourists, I realise what was waiting around the corner for this country only ten years ago, for the whole of Europe, and wonder whether we have had a fortuitous escape, or whether it is still threatening us.

The Bank of Greece ... is every European country still waiting for a similar economic collapse? (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

The Readings:
The word often used to describe these fears is apocalyptic – we talk of apocalyptic fears and apocalyptic visions. Our Old Testament and Gospel readings for Sunday morning are classical apocalyptic passages in the Bible. A set of resources for next Sunday’s readings is easily accessible here.

Isaiah 64: 1-9

This part of the Book of Isaiah was probably written ca 530-510 BC, soon after the Jews had returned from exile to Israel. In Chapter 63, the writer recalls God’s action in delivering the slaves from Egypt to freedom. God has always been with them, even when he seems to have deserted them.

Now, the prophet asks to God reveal himself as you did during the Exodus. God replies that he was always ready for those who sought him, but no one came seeking him.

In Advent, are we seeking God, and looking for his coming among us?

Psalm 80: 1-8, 18-20

This psalm is a cry for help to God, asking him to save us with his steadfast love, to deliver us and to care for us.

When we call on God for God’s help, are we prepared to live as though God is already present among us?

I Corinthians 1: 3-9:

Those difficult questions raised in our Old Testament reading and the Psalm are answered in our Epistle reading when the Apostle Paul assures his readers in Corinth that ‘God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord’ (verse 9).

Saint Paul greets them with grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and he encourages them to look forward to ‘the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ God will help us prepare for that day, so that they may be blameless at this second coming.

Mark 13: 24-37:

Winter trees at sunset in the Rectory in Askeaton (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)

The passage in the reading in Saint Mark’s Gospel is part of what is sometimes known as the ‘Little Apocalypse.’

You can imagine the first readers of Saint Mark’s Gospel in, say, Alexandria. They have heard of – perhaps had even seen – the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Like their fellow Christians in other parts of the eastern Mediterranean, perhaps these first Christians in Alexandria have been thrown out of the synagogues, have been disowned by those they once worshipped with, they have been disowned by friends, perhaps even by their closest family members, and face discrimination, loss of social standing, and perhaps even loss of income.

The world as they knew it was coming to an end. In words in the Old Testament reading, they saw their heaven and their earth torn apart (Isaiah 64: 1). And they, like us today, needed some reassurances of love and we, like them, need some signs of hope.

But the tree bearing fruit is a sign that God promises new life. In darkness and in gloom, we can know that God’s summer is always new, there are always rays of hope and glimpses of love (Mark 13: 28).

And everywhere the messengers of God’s good news, the angels, appear in the Gospel, they almost always begin to speak with the words: ‘Be not afraid.’

These are the angel’s opening words to Zechariah in the Temple as he is about to be told of the imminent birth of John the Baptist (Matthew 1: 13).
These are the angel’s words to the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation (Luke 1: 30).

These are the angels’ opening words to the shepherds on the hillside on the first Christmas night (Luke 2: 10).

These are the angel’s opening words to Joseph wondering whether he is facing a future of disdain and a family disaster (Matthew 1: 20).

If we believe in God’s promises, we must not only set aside our fears, we need too to show others how we believe, how we expect and how we look forward to being the beneficiaries of hope, being the recipients, the agents and the messengers or ministering angels of love.

Planting for the future

If the world was going to end tomorrow, would you plant a tree? … old olive trees in an olive grove in the hills above Rethymnon in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)

A few weeks ago, we marked the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther posting his 95 theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg. It is said that Martin Luther was once asked what he would do if he was told the world was going to end tomorrow, and he replied he would plant a tree.

Some years ago, I was given a present of an olive tree and I was hoping to see it grow in my back garden. But heavy rains soon fell in the garden, and as winter closed in its leaves faded and it was taken away with the rains and the wind (see Isaiah 64: 6).

The dead olive tree was replaced with another one, and six years later it is in a much better state of health. But, if these were my closing days, I too would like to plant an olive tree, despite the unmeasurable variations in weather we are experiencing in Ireland in recent winters.

Some of us receive bad news from time to time. More of us know and love someone who has recently received truly bad news.

But if you were told the end is coming, if you were told there was no tomorrow, or no next week, what would you do?

Would you want to spend those last few days closing that business deal?

Would you finish a long-delayed project?

Would you want to take that world cruise?

Would you finish that great novel?

Would you join me in planting another olive tree?

Or would you rise early to glory in the sunrise, listen to the waves rolling in onto the beach, stand beneath the last autumn leaves falling from the trees by the river bank, or prayerfully watch the sunset?

And even though all those are true pleasures and blessings at one and the same time, I think, if I was told that the end is coming, that these are my final days, then most of all I would want to tell those I love how much I love them, and hear once again, what I know already, that I too am loved.

And I would want to tell God how much I love God and to thank God for all the blessings, all the love, that I have received throughout my life. Because of God’s generosity I have not been lacking in anything … in anything that really matters at the end of my days (I Corinthians 1: 4, 7).

So, if that is what we would do if we were told these are the closing days, maybe we should ask: Why not do that now?

Would you tell your children, your partner, your parents, your brothers and sisters, that one last time, that you love them?

Would you wrap the person you should love the most in one long, tender embrace?

We are the doorkeepers of our souls and our hearts (Mark 13: 34-37).

And if Christ comes this evening, tonight, early in the morning, will he find me sleeping on my responsibilities to be a sign of hope and a living example of true, deep, real love? (Mark 13: 35-36).

Will he find the Church sleeping on its call, its mission, to be a sign of the kingdom, a beacon of hope, a true and living sacrament of love?

In days of woe and in days of gloom, the Church must be a sign of hope, a sign of love, a sign that if even if things are not going to be get better for me and for others in my own life time, God’s plan is that they should be better (Mark 13: 27, 31).

In a world that needs hope, in a world that is short on love, then the Church, above all else, must be a visible sign of hope, must be a visible sign of love. If we cannot love one another in the Church, how can expect to find signs of hope and love in the world?

Advent calls us again to be willing to be clay in the hands of God who is our Father and who is the potter (Isaiah 64: 8), so that we can be shaped into his vessels of hope and of love, so that we can be signs of the coming Kingdom, so that our hope and our love give others hope and love too in the dark days of our winters.

Last Monday [20 November 2017], at our training day in Askeaton for clergy and readers, we were discussing ‘Preparing for Advent.’ Advent calls on us to create new space and to reorder our priorities. To be still. To experience some quiet. To be reminded who we are – God’s beloved children.

Mark Twain once said: ‘The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.’

What would you do if the world were to end tomorrow? You do not need to wait. You can do those things now.

Finish the work you started. Be reconciled to those who need you. Be faithful to the people and tasks around you. Undertake some small and wonderful and great endeavour. Be a sign of hope. But most of all – love the ones you want to and ought to love.

Why not? For Christ has come, Christ is coming, and Christ will come again, in the name of love.

Lighting the Advent Wreath ... the first purple candle recalls the Patriarchs and Matriarchs (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

The Advent Wreath on the First Sunday of Advent (Purple Candle):

The prayers at the Advent Wreath on the Sundays in Advent can help us to continue our themes from the previous Sunday [26 November 2017], which we marked in these dioceses as Mission Sunday, supporting projects in Swaziland in co-operation with the Anglican mission agency, the United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG).

As we light our Advent candles in anticipation of celebrating the coming of the Christ child, USPG is inviting churches and parishes to pray for mothers and children who are served by the mission world church in Tanzania, Ghana, Bangladesh and Palestine.

The first candle to light on the Advent Wreath on the First Sunday of Advent is the Purple Candle that recalls the Patriarchs and Matriarchs

USPG suggests this prayer when lighting the first candle:

O God of Abraham and Sarai,
whose promise was fulfilled in the birth of Isaac;
we pray for mothers in Tanzania whose hope for their unborn
children is tainted by the threat of preventable disease.
Bless those who work to overcome this threat
so that children can be born healthy and full of potential.

‘Give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light’ … sunset and winter lights in Askeaton (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)

Liturgical resources:

The liturgical provisions suggest that the Gloria may be omitted during Advent, and it is traditional in Anglicanism to omit the Gloria at the end of canticles and psalms during Advent.

These additional liturgical resources are provided for Advent in the Book of Common Prayer (2004):

Penitential Kyries:

Turn to us again, O God our Saviour,
and let your anger cease from us.

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Show us your mercy, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.

Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Your salvation is near for those that fear you,
that glory may dwell in our land.

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Introduction to the Peace:

In the tender mercy of our God,
the dayspring from on high shall break upon us,
to give light to those who dwell in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1: 78, 79)

Preface:

Salvation is your gift
through the coming of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and by him you will make all things new
when he returns in glory to judge the world:

Blessing:

Christ the sun of righteousness shine upon you,
gladden your hearts
and scatter the darkness from before you:

Collect:

Almighty God,
Give us grace to cast away the works of darkness
and to put on the armour of light
now in the time of this mortal life
in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;
that on the last day
when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Post Communion Prayer:

God our deliverer,
Awaken our hearts
to prepare the way for the advent of your Son,
that, with minds purified by the grace of his coming,
we may serve you faithfully all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

‘Drop down, ye heavens, from above’ … sunset at ‘World’s End’ in Castleconnel, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)

Suggested Hymns:

Isaiah 64: 1-9

122: Drop down, ye heavens, from above
336: Jesus, where’er thy people meet
132: Lo! he comes with clouds descending
594: O Lord of creation, to you be all praise

Psalm 80: 1-8, 18-20

10: All my hope on God is founded
695: God of mercy, God of grace
614: Great Shepherd of your people, hear
305: O Breath of life, come sweeping through us

I Corinthians 1: 3-9

327: Christ is our corner stone
508: Peace to you
531: Where love and loving–kindness dwell

Mark 13: 24-37

119: Come, thou long–expected Jesus
567: Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go
668: God is our fortress and our rock
125: Hail to the Lord’s anointed
126: Hark! a thrilling voice is sounding
127: Hark what a sound and too divine for hearing
130: Jesus came, the heavens adoring
132: Lo! he comes with clouds descending
369: Songs of praise the angels sang
197: Songs of thankfulness and praise
678: Ten thousand times ten thousand
73: The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended
140: The Lord will come and not be slow
142: Wake, O wake with tidings thrilling
145: You servants of the Lord

‘The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended’ … sunset in Athens (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)