Posted on by Fr. Brench

Michaelmas throughout the Scriptures

September 29th is the feast of Holy Michael the Archangel, and most calendars today extend this feast to the celebration of All Angels alongside him. As I’ve done a few times before here, I’d like to reverse-engineer this holy day by walking through several texts of Scripture that have been used over the years to celebrate this great feast.

Prologue: Daniel 10 & Revelation 5

We begin with a pair of great visions, one by the Prophet Daniel and one by Saint John. Daniel ch. 10 is the vision in which an angel comes to speak to Daniel, and he is terrified, as is the usual response to angel visitations. But the angel strengthens him with a touch on the mouth and words of his own, particularly mentioning two different times that the Archangel Michael helped him fight against the “prince of” (read: demon behind) Persia so that he could get to Daniel to deliver this message. Michael is further described as “your prince”, that is, a guardian angel in defense of all God’s people. In Christian religious language, that’d be rendered as Michael being the Patron of the Church. This is of great comfort to Daniel, and it should also be of great comfort to us – that we have such a terrifyingly powerful being fighting on our behalf against the spiritual powers behind or within this dark world of sin.

The vision in Revelation 5 takes this even further up the heavenly ladder: there is a scroll that nobody in heaven seems worthy to open: not even these mighty angels! But there is one who is worthy: the seven-horned lamb standing on a throne as if slain. That’s a terrifying appearance too, perhaps even more than the angel who visited Daniel. Yet we know that this lamb is actually a depiction of the Lord Jesus, who is exalted above all heavenly beings, being God himself. So we enter into this holy day celebrating the angelic hosts and their great Captain, Michael, with a reminder both of their mighty power and of their Lord and ours: Jesus the Son of God.

In the Morning: Psalm 82, Daniel 12, and Revelation 8

Us modern and post-modern folks have a frequently-recurring problem with the supernatural. We tend either toward denial or dualism: denial being that atheistic or de-mythologizing tendency to ignore the existence of spiritual things (or at least downplay their reality), and dualism being the attitude that matter and spirit are utterly separate, and the human soul’s ultimate goal is to escape this mortal flesh and become pure spirit like God. This Psalm and these two lessons smash these false teachings to bits like they’re nothing, and rightly so!

In Psalm 82 God addresses “you princes” and “you gods”. From other examples of Old Testament language (like Daniel 10, above), a prince can refer not only to a powerful human ruler but also to a powerful spirit – a high-ranking angel or a demon. As God sits in judgment in and over the council of princes we hear his calling to defend the poor, deliver the outcast, save the weak from the hand of the ungodly. He acknowledges that these “princes” are “gods” but that they shall die like mortals. Whether it’s an angel or a human, both alike stand before God as subjects. All nations – earthly and heavenly – shall be taken by God as his own inheritance.

This is further promised in Daniel 12, where the angel tells Daniel that Michael the Archangel will arise and commence a great deliverance of God’s people in their time of greatest need. Daniel doesn’t fully understand, but is assured that God has a timetable, the days of suffering are numbered (not endless), and that Daniel himself will have his place to stand (that is, to be vindicated in judgment) on the Last Day.

Revelation 8 also depicts that time of judgement: the Lamb has opened the last seal of the scroll mentioned earlier (in chapter 5, above) and this unleashes a round of judgment upon the earth. And, just like how Psalm 82 blurs the distinction between angelic princes and human princes, Revelation 8 details the offering of the “prayers of the saints” as incense from the hand of an angel: in short, heavenly worship and earthly worship, angelic worship and human worship, is all one, intertwined and inseparable. Thus when we celebrate Holy Michael and All Angels, we do celebrate an order of beings that is quite distinct from us, yet we do so acknowledging that they are also a sort of kin to us; we are one with the angels in service to Christ!

At the modern Eucharist:
Genesis 28:10-17, Psalm 103, Revelation 12:7-12, and John 1:47-51

At the principle worship service of the day, we hear a smattering of texts that further depict this link between earth and heaven. Genesis 28 contains the story of Jacob’s Ladder, in which that ancient patriarch has a dream and sees angels climbing up and down a ladder between heaven and earth. This has forever since served as one of the primary images of the Christian life: aided upwards by angels and discouraged downwards by demons, we are ascending from one world to another. The reading from John 1 is the main New Testament acknowledgement of this image: Jesus tells Nathaniel (Bartholomew) that he will see angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. Thus Jesus makes himself out to be Jacob’s Ladder, the very Way to heaven!

Psalm 103 contributes a separate word of connection between earth and heaven. In the same vein as Revelation 8 (above) we here call upon the angels and heavenly hosts to bless the Lord along with us.

And in Revelation 12 we read of the epic battle between Michael (the Archangel) and the dragon (Satan), which represents a cosmic or supernatural or spiritual perspective of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether you look at “the war in heaven” or at the Cross of Christ, you see the same result: “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come“.

At a traditional Eucharist: Isaiah 14:12-17, Psalm 148:1-3, Matthew 18:1-10

Instead of (or in addition to) those readings, a traditional eucharistic service might also present us with readings such as these.

Isaiah 14 contains the great contrast to Holy Michael by addressing the dragon, his opponent, the false “Day Star”, Satan. This was once a great and holy being but he chose to “ascend to heaven above the stars of God” without climbing the ladder that is Christ. He sought to make himself “like the Most High” but instead is brought down to Sheol, the place of the dead.

Psalm 148 begins like Psalm 103 ends: with a call to the angels to praise the Lord alongside us and all creation. Again, this emphasizes the unity of heaven and earth, of angel and human, giving us a common identity and calling in the unending worship of God.

And Matthew 18, finally, returns us to the concept of a guardian angel (cf. Daniel 10, above). Here, Jesus warns us not cause “little ones” (that is, children either in age or in spiritual maturity) to sin, for “their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” In other words, there are angelic beings watching over the weak, and if we mistreat or mislead them, we shall be held accountable. Thus the angels remain very much attentive to human affairs.

In the Evening: Genesis 32 & Acts 12:1-11

The celebration of this holy day wraps up with two last images: Jacob’s wrestling with the Angel of the Lord, and Peter’s angelic breakout from prison. In the former case, the “Angel of the Lord” is so closely associated with God himself that this angel is often understood to be Jesus, before he was incarnate (or made man). This is evidenced in the Angel’s refusal to tell Jacob his name (as a couple other angels were happy to disclose their names to people); for the holy name of Jesus was not yet given. Meanwhile in Acts 12, an angel breaks St. Peter out of prison and leads him to safety.

In both of these cases, the spiritual realms are interposed upon the material world, the heavenly invades the earthly. The Angel of the Lord comes to strengthen and bless Jacob in his night of anguish and fear, and an angel comes to rescue Peter from a possible death sentence before his time. After all those cosmic, large-scale pictures of the union of heaven of earth and the cooperation of angels and men, it helps to conclude with these two, more personal stories. For it sends us away from this holiday thinking not just about the grand idea of angels, but also of specific tangible personal examples of angelic assistance. It’s one thing to say “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2), but it’s all the more real to us when we are reminded of these one-on-one encounters.

May Holy Michael and the angelic hosts of the Lord Jesus be not only an inspiration to you, but a true and powerful help in times of trouble.

Posted on by Fr. Brench

The Many Texts of Pentecost

Although less popularized than Christmas and Easter, the feast of Pentecost is liturgically just as exalted, and is equally rich with seemingly endless appropriate Scripture readings to aid our celebration, edification, and instruction. As I treated the feast of the Visitation a week and a half ago, I’d like to list and identify a number of scripture readings that you can pull up to enrich your experience of the great feast of Pentecost.

For, at least traditionally, Pentecost is not just one day. In ancient times it had a full octave – eight days of liturgical commemoration starting on Sunday (yesterday) and culminating on the following Sunday, which became known as Trinity Sunday. In the Prayer Book tradition this was simplified to Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, with Trinity Sunday being the theologically-oriented follow-up. Sadly, the modern calendar and lectionary has done away even with that, leaving us with only a single day, officially. Of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t continue the celebration despite the lack of rubrical direction! So let’s get to it.

The Main Event

Without a doubt, the primary text for the Christian holiday of Pentecost is Acts 2:1-11. There we read of the descent of the Holy Spirit in power, enabling the disciples to preach the Gospel in many languages to the multi-national crowd that was in Jerusalem at the time. Thousands came to believe in Jesus within days! For all intents and purposes, the New Covenant Church completed its secret gestation and was born into this world.

Although it doesn’t normally show up in the traditional lectionaries, the rest of Acts 2 is good reading also. It continues the story, chronicling the preaching of Saint Peter and the largely-positive response of the crowds who heard.

One of the key texts that he cites in the course of his preaching, however, is one of the commonly-appointed readings for Pentecost: Joel 2:28-32. God promises through the ancient prophet that he will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh, all his people will receive him, and Peter is pointing out that the events of his day were seeing this promise fulfilled.

The Old Testament Foundation

Pentecost, of course, was already a major Jewish holiday. In fact, it was one of the top three holy days where the Law of Moses required all men to come to the appointed place (Jerusalem) to offer sacrifice. Thus we find another traditional scripture reading: Deuteronomy 16:9-12, which could be extended to cover verses 1-17 if you want to read about the other two top feasts of the Old Covenant sacred calendar. Here Pentecost is called the Feast of Weeks, so named because of its placement seven weeks after the Passover, which remains true in the New Covenant sacred calendar: Pentecost is seven weeks after Easter. And the name “Pentecost” by the way is just the Greek-language version of this, noting the fifty days distance from Easter/Passover.

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus

The Gospel texts appointed for the feast of Pentecost are, unusually, a little sparse, since its primary text is in Acts instead. The historic liturgical appointment for the Gospel lesson on the day of Pentecost is John 14:15-31a, and in the modern lectionaries it’s John 14:8-17, so there’s a bit of overlap there. Both readings include these words of Christ:

 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

The older emphasis went on to read the continuing explanation of the Holy Spirit as the Helper who is to come, while the new order is to read of the unity between the Father and the Son, making the giving and indwelling of the Spirit to be the climax of the lesson.

On the subsequent days, the Prayer Book appointed Gospels are John 3:16-21 and John 10:1-10. The former is the famous text about God loving the world in such a way that he sent his only-begotten Son to give life to the dead. The latter is the beginning of Jesus’ Good Shepherd Discourse, in which he says much the same thing: “If anyone enters by me, he will be saved…” While neither of these readings speak directly of the Holy Spirit, their placement on Pentecost Monday and Tuesday invites us to recognize the realities that Jesus describes as things that are brought about in us because of the Holy Spirit’s work within us.

There’s also John 16:1-15 which pops up in the 2019 Prayer Book. Like much of the Upper Room Discourse of chapters 14-17, it is likely to have been read already on one of the previous Sundays. Here, the Spirit is again named as the Helper, but also as the Spirit of Truth who teaches and guides God’s people.

Subsequent Echoes of Pentecost

The Day of Pentecost in the book of Acts is a pivotal event, and like most pivotal events it has echoes where things kind of repeat themselves in new settings. St. Luke was clever in the way he wrote this book, for while he started with the thoroughly Jewish Pentecost in Jerusalem, he then went on to write about a similar event taking place in Samaria in Acts 8:14-17 and again among Gentiles in Acts 10:34-48. Both of these (albeit in reverse order) are the traditionally appointed readings on Pentecost Monday and Tuesday, keeping the theme and our attentions firmly anchored on the powerful gift of the Holy Spirit.

Another interesting event takes place in Acts 18:24-19:7. While this is less flashy than the previous readings, it does bring the experience down to earth a bit more, and it provides some important teaching along the way. Here, we find two brief scenarios where devoted believers in Jesus have not heard about Christian Baptism, having known only the baptism of John (the Forerunner of Christ). These short encounters provide us with the further teaching that Christian Baptism is also our primary reception of the Holy Spirit into our lives, and that without it we are severely lacking.

As it happens, the New Testament’s most prolific author, Saint Paul, missed almost all these. For most of that time he was raging against this “new sect” and trying to put Christians to death. And so his experience of the giving and the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit was a little bit different. Rather than focusing on specific moments in history which are descriptive, he gives us some straight-forward teaching which is prescriptive.

Romans 8:12-39 is one standout example. Through the Spirit, he writes, we receive adoption as sons of God. Indeed, the Holy Spirit serves as a sort of midwife not only for us but for all of creation, groaning for new life. And only for the start of our Christian life, the Holy Spirit continues to be our Helper through every stage of growth, all the way to the promise of eternal glory. Therefore we can live with confidence, as “more than conquerors“, knowing that the presence of the Holy Spirit within us makes us inseparable from the Father and the Son.

For a longer discourse on the gifts and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we can also turn to 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and 14. There we read of the unity of the Body of Christ, the Spirit giving both diversity of gifts and ministries as well as unity of purpose and mutual interdependence as one Church. And although he does list a number “gifts of the Spirit,” he goes on to highlight the most important of them is love. With that in mind, he is then able to go on to write more about some of the different gifts of the Spirit like tongues and prophecy, and then wrap it up with exhortations to conducting sound worship in which everything is intelligible, decent, and in order. The Spirit is not a spirit “of confusion, but of peace.”

Saint Peter also chimes in on the primacy of love as characteristic of a Spirit-filled Christian in another scripture lesson appointed for Pentecost Tuesday in one or two Prayer Books: 1 Peter 1:17-23. There he exhorts our love as a result of our new birth from “imperishable seed“, indicating also thereby that the gift of the Spirit is not just any new life, but eternal life.

Other Old Testament Types and Shadows

Besides the establishment of the original Jewish Pentecost in the books of the Law, and the prophecy of Joel, there are countless other Old Testament texts which point forward to the feast of Pentecost in some way. At this point we’ll finish our scriptural tour in canonical order, rather than tracing any more specific topics or themes.

Genesis 11:1-9 is the story of the Tower of Babel. Its connection to Pentecost is that, here, the manifestation of multiple languages was used to divide the people, whereas on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 the gift of tongues was used to unite people around the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Numbers 11, or especially verses 24-30, tells the story of God sharing “the spirit upon Moses” with seventy other elders of Israel. When the Spirit comes upon them they prophecy, and Moses famously quips “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” This, too, has been fulfilled in the gift of Pentecost.

The story of the plague and the bronze serpent in Numbers 21:4-9 is normally associated with John 12 and the crucifixion of Christ. But it can also serve here as a backup to the preaching of St. Peter throughout the first half of the book of Acts. It also provides a handy illustration of living by faith: look up to Jesus and rely on God’s strength rather than grumbling about in your sins. Life in the Spirit changes us and redirects our attentions.

Psalm 48 is a celebration of the heavenly Jerusalem, or Zion, from where God reigns, and beneath which we wait, watch, and worship. The blowing of the East Wind and the loving-kindness of God in the midst of his Temple also can evoke pictures of the Holy Spirit’s power and presence among us his people.

Much of Psalm 68 is associated with the Ascension of Jesus, but specifically verses 1-10 also has a place among the Pentecost psalms because these verses focus a lot on the benefits that God’s people enjoy as a result of his “arising.” Pentecost is very much the promised result of Christ’s ascension, so it is sensible to continue some ascension-themed material to its fulfillment now.

Psalm 104 is a celebration of God’s work of creation. In particular, verses 24-35 summarize the psalm’s theme in identifying God’s wisdom in creating all creatures, and that it is the giving of his breath, or Spirit, that all things are made and given life.

Although a more generic psalm of praise, Psalm 116:1-4 and 12-16 show up in ancient liturgical appointments for Pentecost Tuesday. While not directly mentioning the Spirit of God, it does direct us to respond to his grace, his deliverance, all his benefits, with vows and praises and sacrifices. The gift of the Holy Spirit not only enables us, but compels us to worship him.

The last of the traditionally appointed psalms is Psalm 145, which praises God for his everlasting goodness and his unending kingdom. Its language of God giving “food in due season” and preserving “those who love him” is reminiscent of the themes in Psalm 104.

Ezekiel 36:22-28 is one of the great prophecies of the giving of the New Covenant, and this one, specifically, is the one that uses the language of removing our heart of stone and giving us a heart of flesh. This promise is flanked by two important details: “I will sprinkle clean water on you” and “I will put my Spirit within you,” thus giving us a picture of Holy Baptism and its benefits.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 follows the above prophecy with the Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones. Just as a heart of stone indicates a person who is dead inside, so too do dry bones indicate a body that is thoroughly deceased. And while the word of prophecy can reassemble and enflesh the dead, it is the breath of the Spirit of God that animates them, bringing new life. Once again, this is a major role of the Spirit in creation, and in the new creation.

Having explored the law and the prophets, we now turn to the writings. In Wisdom 7:15-8:1 we read of the role of divine wisdom, personified as a women (as found also throughout the book of Proverbs). Now, the church has traditionally found the most appropriate interpretation of Lady Wisdom to be a type of Jesus, God the Son (hence the final verse of this reading giving us the lyrics “O come Thou wisdom from on high” in the song O come O come Emmanuel). Nevertheless, as the Holy Spirit is our Helper and Guide and Teacher, and even more importantly the one who unites us with Christ, this text still reminds us of one of the great benefits of the post-Pentecostal reality of being indwelt with the Holy Spirit.

Wisdom 9:1-6, finally, is a prayer for wisdom written as if by King Solomon. The entire chapter is the full prayer, but the first six verses give us the gist of it, especially in the final line: “without the wisdom that comes from [God] he will be regarded as nothing.” Again, life without the Holy Spirit, is no life at all.

Thanks be to God for this, his greatest of gifts to his people.

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Celebrating the Visitation of the Virgin Mary with Scripture

One of my hobbies of late, in this long period of quietness online, has been gathering the appointed readings from various Prayer Books for the holy days in the Church year and lining them up as additional readings for the Daily Office for a deeper dive into these commemorations. In the case of today’s holiday, the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, most of the Prayer Book tradition did not appoint or observe this feast, so there aren’t as many different sources to pull from. But there are still enough readings to run with.

Preparation Readings

Isaiah 11:1-10 = One of Isaiah’s prophecies of the shoot (or branch) from the stump of Jesse, this is where we read the traditional sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit often associated with Confirmation, and pictures of nature at peace with itself because of the perfect reign of the Righteous Branch (Jesus). The inspiration of the Holy Spirit at the presence of the pre-natal Jesus is going to feature prominently in this holiday’s main story.

Hebrews 2:11-18 = Jesus is not afraid to call us (humanity) brothers, because he became incarnate, true man. His compassion and aid are thereby assured in his incarnation, which we are about to celebrate today.

Beginning the Feast

1 Samuel 1:1-20 = A barren woman receives a miraculous pregnancy! Hannah serves as a sort of type (or picture) both of Mary and of Elizabeth, who also experienced miraculous pregnancies from God. Hannah promises to dedicate her child (before he’s even born) to the Lord, just like with Mary and Elizabeth’s sons (Jesus and John).

Hebrews 3:1-6 = Christ is faithful over God’s house as a Son and heir. Again, his incarnation brings about a new layer of relationship with his people that confirms his greatness (even above Moses) as well as his faithfulness and effectiveness.

The Main Event

Luke 1:39-56 = This is the holiday’s commemoration. Here we read of the Virgin Mary visiting her relative Elizabeth, both pregnant, and the pre-natal John leaps for joy at the presence of the pre-natal Christ! Elizabeth blesses Mary for it, and Mary delivers her Magnificat, that great song (or canticle) of praise that serves as part of the Church’s daily prayers to this day.

Zephaniah 3:14-18 = Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion, the prophet writes, in anticipation of Mary’s words in the approaching Gospel. The prophet’s words of restoration and hope also set the stage for what Mary herself proclaimed.

Psalm 113 = He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children, this Psalm proclaims among the various blessings of our benevolent Lord. With the memory of the story Hannah echoing in our minds from earlier, this psalm is thus a popular choice for holidays that have to do with the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Colossians 3:12-17 = Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as he once did in Mary, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs such as hers as well.

The Wrap-Up

Zechariah 2:10-13 = Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for God will dwell in your midst! Mary is the Daughter of Zion par excellance, and indeed she delivered quite the song in response to God dwelling within her. We all are now admonished to keep our flesh silent in worshipful adoration before the arising of Christ from his holy dwelling of the womb of Mary.

John 3:25-30 = Years later, John made this great statement about Jesus: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John the Baptizer never ceased jumping for joy at the presence of his Savior, and his final recorded command is for us to join him in following Christ. May it ever be so.

Almighty God, by whose grace Elizabeth rejoiced with the Blessed Virgin Mary and greeted her as the mother of the Lord: Look with favor on your lowly servants, that, with Mary, we may magnify your holy Name and rejoice to acclaim her Son as our Savior; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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Passion Week: anticipating Holy Week

Users of the 2019 Prayer Book may notice that yesterday (the 5th Sunday in Lent) is labeled “Passion Sunday”. This can be a little confusing for those unaccustomed to the classical Prayer Book tradition, or pre-modern Western Catholicism in general, because we’re used to thinking of Palm Sunday as the day when we observe the passion and death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let’s briefly explain that.

Most major Sundays in the calendar have a follow-up Sunday to give it further explanation and context: Easter Sunday is followed by a Sunday that looks at the events of Easter evening; Pentecost is followed by Trinity Sunday to explain how this third person of the godhead still does not threaten monotheism; Christmas is followed by the Circumcision (before 1928 anyway; since then there’s been a 2nd Sunday in Christmas which fulfills the same role with different scripture readings). But Palm Sunday doesn’t have room for a follow-up Sunday, because the next Sunday after that is Easter Day. Granted, the entirety of Holy Week is a wonderfully slow-motion examination of the events of Palm Sunday, but in terms of having an actual Sunday dedicated to giving it further context you have to look backwards instead of forwards, and that gives us the 5th Sunday in Lent. So on this “Passion Sunday” we anticipate Palm Sunday by looking at the blood of the covenant. The traditional Epistle lesson is from Hebrews 9, examining the blood of Christ as the giving of the New and better Covenant, over against the Old Mosaic Covenant. On Passion Sunday we examine the sacrifice of Jesus as our Great High Priest, in preparation for examining the sacrifice of Jesus as the Spotless Victim on Palm Sunday.

With that traditional background in mind, I’d like to recommend a modern take on observing “Passion Week” in preparation for Holy Week. Specifically, as Holy Week walks through the events that surround our Lord’s crucifixion (Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19), why not look at the ‘previous chapter’ throughout this week? Let’s pick up where Jesus and his disciples leave the Upper Room and head over to the Garden of Gethsemane.

#1: Peter’s Denial Foretold
Hebrews 3:12-19, Psalm 53, Matthew 26:30-35 or Mark 14:26-31

Saint Peter and the others express confidence that they will never fall away, despite Jesus’ warning. The reading from Hebrews continues that warning against falling away and points it toward us, and the Psalm hammers that home even further with the indictment: “The fool says in his heart, ‘there is no God’.“

#2: Our Lord’s Prayer in the Garden
1 Samuel 3, Psalm 116:12-end, Matthew 26:36-46 or Mark 14:32-42 or Luke 22:39-46

As Samuel learned to pray and listen to God’s voice in the middle of the night, so Jesus shows the perfected art of nighttime vigil, pleading with the Father for mercy yet submitting his human will to the divine will. The Psalm allows us to join in with his prayer, lifting up the cup of salvation and recognizing the blessedness of the death the Holy One.

#3 (and #8): Our Lord’s Betrayal
Isaiah 33:1-10, Psalm 109:1-15, John 18:1-14

As Judas betrays his Lord, we are reminded in Psalm 109 of the curse that Peter would later identify against him for his treachery. Isaiah’s prophecy also speaks against the likes of Judas, promising destruction upon the destroyer.

#4: Our Lord’s Betrayal Arrest
Colossians 1:9-13, Psalm 107:10-18, Matt. 26:47-56 or Mark 14:43-52 or Luke 22:47-53

When Jesus is arrested we see the long-building of conflict between worldly darkness and divine light coming to a head. It is ironic that the crowd must carry torches to light the way through their own dark world in order capture and detain the Light of the World. The Epistle and the Psalm, therefore, direct us to reflect on our redemption from the domain of darkness.

#5 (or #9): Peter’s Denial Before the Cock Crows
Isaiah 22:1-4, Psalm 88:13-end, Luke 22:54-62 or Matt. 26:69-75 or Mark 14:66-72

Jesus is totally abandoned by his earthly companions. Isaiah’s prophecy call out the “leaders” for their flight, Psalm 88 expresses our Lord’s loneliness having lost all his friends from sight, and Saint Peter realizes his shame yet cannot now repent of his denials.

#6: Our Lord is Mocked and Beaten
Isaiah 65:1-7, Psalm 74:9-19, Luke 22:63-65

Isaiah speaks of a holy servant of God who stands silent before his mockers, and that is what we read here fulfilled in Luke’s account. “How long is the enemy to scoff?” we ask ourselves in the Psalm, and then go on to encourage ourselves with the truth of our Lord’s reign despite the appearances the moment.

#7: Our Lord’s Trial before the Jewish Council
Jeremiah 38:14-28, Psalm 110, Matthew 26:57-68 or Mark 14:53-65 or Luke 22:66-71

The Prophet Jeremiah was subjected to a stacked court, and was only saved at the last minute by the King. Jesus, too, is subjected to an unfair (and even illegal) trial, with false accusations being thrown at him. In both scenarios it is the Word of the God which they both speak which finally earns them a verdict of blasphemy. Psalm 110 stands as a testimony of God’s eternal promises to his Anointed One.

#8 (or #3 continued): The Unfaithfulness of Annas and Peter
Isaiah 33:1-10, Psalm 109:1-15, John 18:15-27

Peter begins to deny his association with Jesus while the senior priest Annas also demands Jesus’ respect and rejects his teachings. As before against Judas, Isaiah 33 and Psalm 109 speak against those who betray the Lord’s Christ.

#9 (or #5): Peter’s Denial Before the Cock Crows
Isaiah 22:1-4, Psalm 88:13-end, Matt. 26:69-75 or Mark 14:66-72 or Luke 22:54-62

Jesus is totally abandoned by his earthly companions. Isaiah’s prophecy call out the “leaders” for their flight, Psalm 88 expresses our Lord’s loneliness having lost all his friends from sight, and Saint Peter realizes his shame yet cannot now repent of his denials.

#10: Our Lord’s Trial before Pontius Pilate
Sirach 4:20-28, Psalm 45:1-9, John 18:28-40

The wisdom of Sirach cautions us never to speak against truth, even before rulers, even unto death, and that is precisely what Jesus does until Pilate finally scoff’s “What is truth?” Psalm 45, in turn, celebrates the true and beautiful lordship of Christ.

If you want to see a roadmap for how you can organize these devotions through all three of the modern lectionary years, here’s a handy table:

Year AYear BYear C
Monday
Hebrews 3:12-19
Psalm 53
Matthew 26:30-35		Monday
Hebrews 3:12-19
Psalm 53
Mark 14:26-31		 
Tuesday
1 Samuel 3
Psalm 116:12-end
Matthew 26:36-46		Tuesday
1 Samuel 3
Psalm 116:12-end
Mark 14:32-42		Monday
1 Samuel 3
Psalm 116:12-end
Luke 22:39-46
Wednesday
Isaiah 33:1-10
Psalm 109:1-15
John 18:1-14		  
Thursday
Colossians 1:9-13
Psalm 107:10-18
Matthew 26:47-56		Wednesday
Colossians 1:9-13
Psalm 107:10-18
Mark 14:43-52		Tuesday
Colossians 1:9-13
Psalm 107:10-18
Luke 22:47-53
  Wednesday
Isaiah 22:1-4
Psalm 88:13-end
Luke 22:54-62
  Thursday
Isaiah 65:1-7
Psalm 74:9-19
Luke 22:63-65
Friday
Jeremiah 38:14-28
Psalm 110
Matthew 26:57-68		Thursday
Jeremiah 38:14-28
Psalm 110
Mark 14:53-65		Friday
Jeremiah 38:14-28
Psalm 110
Luke 22:66-71
 Friday
Isaiah 33:1-10
Psalm 109:1-15
John 18:15-27		 
Saturday
Isaiah 22:1-4
Psalm 88:13-end
Matthew 26:69-75		Saturday
Isaiah 22:1-4
Psalm 88:13-end
Mark 14:66-72		 
  Saturday
Sirach 4:20-28
Psalm 45:1-9
John 18:28-40
Posted on by Fr. Brench

Telling the Story of Ash Wednesday: A Scriptural Tour

While there are a great many church traditions and history lessons that can be explored and explained, oftentimes the best way to understand “Why we do what we do” on various holy days throughout the year is to look at the use of Scripture on and around those days.

Ash Wednesday is rich with scriptural material to explain its purpose and position in the church calendar.

By far the best place to start is the traditional first reading at the mass, or service of Holy Communion. Normally this would be an Epistle but Ash Wednesday is one of the extremely rare occasions that called for an Old Testament lesson instead: Joel 2:12-17. (Modern Prayer Books often appoint verses 1 & 2 as well.) This is one of the iconic calls to corporate fasting in the writings of the Prophets, and even on its own stands as a remarkably clear introduction to the season of Lent. Reading this text aloud almost feels like issuing a public announcement in and to the Church. We now call a solemn assembly to consecrate a fast with weeping and mourning, to rend our hearts and not our garments, for all of us old and young have sinned against the Lord and are called to repent.

This is followed by the traditional Gospel, Matthew 6:16-21 (again, with modern lectionaries often adding verses 1-4 for further context). Here, Jesus is teaching us us how to go about fasting, as if in response to Joel’s proclamation to begin a communal time of fasting. “When” (not if!) “you fast, do not look gloomy… [but] anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting may not be seen by others.” As if Joel wasn’t clear enough about the sincerity of repentance to which we’re called, the Gospel of Jesus Christ sets the record straight: this is not a performative spiritual discipline, but one we are to undertake wholeheartedly with sincerity.

The next text of Scripture which is iconic for use on Ash Wednesday is Psalm 51. This is the Penitential Psalm par excellance, the most famous and the most heartfelt of all the penitential psalms in the Bible. The praying or chanting of this psalm is a typical component of the Ash Wednesday penitential service, and even in churches outside the liturgical tradition there are echoes of this psalm throughout other traditions of worship and lament. If you are not in the habit of praying the Psalms, Psalm 51 on Ash Wednesday is a perfect place to start.

Other psalms often associated with worship services on the first day of Lent include Psalms 6, 32, 38, 57, 102, 103, 130, and 143.

Modern liturgies tend to favor three readings of Scripture at services of Holy Communion, so to Joel 2 and Matthew 6 is now added an Epistle lesson. There are three main possibilities, depending upon the particular tradition you dip into. One is Hebrews 12:1-14, where we are exhorted to pick ourselves up despite the discipline of the Lord, and to receive his chastisement of evidence of his loving desire to see us grow unto perfection. Another is 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 (starting with “We implore you on behalf of Christ…”). “Now is the favorable time… now is the day of salvation”, St. Paul declares, as he recounts his many sufferings which commend his legitimacy as a true Apostle of Christ and encourages us likewise not to receive the grace of Christ in vain. The third is James 4:1-10 which speaks of God’s desire for us and the call to humble ourselves before him so that the devil may flee from us and that God may exalt us.

To these core Scripture lessons we can add a number of additional readings, drawn from various Prayer Books over the centuries, to give us further context and instruction. Let us consider them in canonical (rather than logical) order…

Isaiah 58 – This is a classic text on the nature of true fasting, noting (like Jesus did) that a true fast is one that inwardly kept, not merely outwardly performed. Here the other traditional Lenten disciplines of alms-giving and prayer are introduced alongside fasting, making the three a composite whole of godly spirituality.

Isaiah 59 – More in the vein of Joel 2, this chapter decries the sinfulness of God’s people and the lack of justice in their midst and the justice that God promises to bring (either for or against them) in the end. This is should help us further our meditations on our own sinfulness.

Jonah 3 (& 4) – The story of Jonah preaching repentance to Nineveh (and his subsequent anger at the fact that they actually did repent and were spared by the Lord) is another effective entrance into the Lenten season. We should follow the example of the wicked Ninevites who actually repented in sackcloth and ashes, rather than the example of Jonah who just wanted to see them all dead.

Luke 15 – The parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son are beautiful pictures of God’s compassion toward sinners and his desire to see us repent. In a way this reading can be seen as an extension of the lesson of James 4, mentioned above.

Luke 18:9-14 – The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector gives us a further illustration of the teachings of Isaiah 58 and Matthew 6. Only the tax collector returns home justified because his prayer came from a truly contrite heart, as opposed to the pharisee’s prayer of prideful access.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 – This epistle text is the same as that traditionally appointed on Septuagesima Sunday, nearly three weeks before Lent begins. Here we read of the call to self-discipline as a spiritual exercise, as in running a race. This invites us to enter the Lenten fast with vigor and intent.

Hebrews 3:12-4:13 – The discourse in the early chapters of Hebrews deals with the promised “Rest”, the ultimate Sabbath, to which God’s people are called, and how neither Moses nor Joshua ultimately brought anyone to the true spiritual land of rest. This gives another layer of vision to our conception of Lent: our spiritual disciplines at this time comprise our “striving to enter that rest” to which we look forward.

2 Peter 3 – Finally, this chapter gives Lent a slightly eschatological flavor to it, which is more typical of Advent. Nevertheless, this period of discipline pointing toward the ultimate hope of glory does have an “endtimes” sort of vibe to it, and the call to holy living issued here by St. Peter neatly ties together the themes of spiritual discipline, holy living, and preparation for the glory of the eternal life to come.

All of these readings and themes can be said to be collected up in this prayer:

Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made,
and dost forgive the sins of all them that are penitent:
Create and make in us new and contrite hearts,
that we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.
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Encountering the Scriptures in Anglican Worship

One of the modern tag-lines used to describe the Book of Common Prayer is that it is “The Bible arranged for worship.” Much can and has been said about the sheer bulk of its pages being that of Scriptures, verbatim or referenced, most particularly the full Psalter. What I thought I’d describe today is the range of ways in which this descriptor is proven true. We Anglicans boast, quite rightly I daresay, that ours is the most biblical of liturgies the Church has ever had – let’s take a moment here to defend that claim and explore the major ways in which this is so.

In brief, the Scriptures are (1) heard spoken aloud, (2) they are preached, and (3) they are paraphrased or synthesized in prayer.

The Scriptures are heard spoken aloud.

There are three primary ways in which the Scriptures are encountered audibly in our worship: there are lessons, sentences, and prayers.

The LESSONS are distinct times of Bible-reading during a worship service. All churches that retain a liturgical tradition have Bible readings, though many in the “free church” tradition have sadly lost this crucial staple of worship, relegating the reading of a sermon text to within the sermon. Modern Anglican liturgies most typically have three lessons at Holy Communion: an Old Testament text, an Epistle text, and a Gospel text. The classical Prayer Book tradition typically had two: an Epistle and a Gospel. The Daily Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer also have two: typically one Old Testament and one New Testament. Exceptions to these patterns exist, but at a typical worship service that is what you can expect. In almost every case, though, these lessons are introduced with a citation of which book of the Bible they come from, and frequently which chapter, and even verses.

Sometimes simply one SENTENCE of Scripture is read, and it may or may not be introduced with a citation. This may be an “opening sentence” at the start of Morning or Evening Prayer, an Offertory Sentence before the collection, a Communion Sentence right after everyone has received the consecrated bread and wine, or a sort of mini-lesson in Midday Prayer or Compline. These are moments of devotional impact, not typically to be expounded further or given additional context or explanation. These are simply moments that are ornamented with the Word of God for beauty, for gravity, and for meaning.

And, of course, there are many ways in which we experience the Scriptures as PRAYERS. When we hear part of a Psalm at the Communion service – be it a traditional introit or gradual, or a responsory psalm after the Old Testament Lesson – we are praying that text. In the Daily Offices, often multiple Psalms are prayed in full! These are readings, but not lessons; we don’t sit back and listen, but we sit up (or even stand) and make those words our own in prayer. There are many traditions of chanting or singing the Psalms, also emphasizing this posture of prayer rather than only listening. Besides the Psalms there are other psalm-like texts which are also prayed. These are usually called Canticles, and various forms of the liturgical tradition call for different specific examples. There are a few from Isaiah and Exodus, and a couple from Revelation, but the three most significant canticles are from the Gospel of Luke: the Song of Zechariah, the Song of Mary, and the Song of Simeon.

The Scriptures are preached.

This is hardly unique to the Anglican tradition; all Christian churches include preaching in some manner in their worship services. But something that is relatively unique to the Prayer Book tradition is its collection of “exhortations” found in various liturgies. The famous “Dearly beloved…” speech at the start of the marriage ceremony is perhaps the most well-known example, which references several parts of Scripture and sets out a summary of the biblical doctrine of marriage – it is basically a two-minute sermon! There are a handful of such exhortations in the Prayer Book: some calling people to participate in Holy Communion, some shorter ones calling people to confess their sins before God, some outlining the duties of a bishop, or priest, or deacon at a service of Ordination. These are brief moments in which the minister is speaking to the congregation and expounding the Scriptures on one topic or another, providing biblical teaching to help them participate in the worship that is to follow.

The Scriptures are paraphrased or synthesized in prayer.

Like the several Exhortations in the Prayer Book, our tradition also bears a great many prayers that bring together biblical material to celebrate or proclaim various truths from the Word of God.

One of the greatest examples of this is the wealth of COLLECTS in the Prayer Book. Although not unique to the Anglican tradition, our liturgies do emphasize the use of these stylized prayers more than most other churches do. A collect is made up of an address to God which usually identifies something about his character or works, a petition which we ask, and a purpose undergirding that petition, often tying it back to the relevant thing about God’s character or works. Many of these collects quote or paraphrase Scripture, and all of them reflect on some biblical truth.

Besides the collects, many other prayers in the Book of Common Prayer contain biblical quotes, references, paraphrases, and allusions that together express a coherent theology built upon the Bible. The Prayers of the People make reference to some New Testament teachings on how the church should pray, and draw from biblical language in so doing. The Communion prayers include the Words of Institution (the words of Christ at the Last Supper) amidst a host of other biblical references. Other prayers at baptism, marriage, funerals, for the penitent, for the sick, prayers of thanksgiving, also bring together biblical material.

This is a double benefit.

For evangelicals who grew up with a heavy emphasis on Bible Study, discovering the traditional liturgy can be a great joy as they find a truly endless stream of biblical material in the prayers of the Church. This is a part of my own story. And it works the other way, too: those who grow up hearing the Prayer Book liturgy but received less instruction in the Bible find great joy in discovering the language of the liturgy in the Scriptures. As a priest and pastor I have seen folks in both positions experiencing the same joy of connecting biblical familiarity and liturgical familiarity. It is a joy and passion of mine to help people connect those dots.

I call this a double benefit because, rightly used, the Bible and the Liturgy reinforce one another in the lives of the worshipers. As we read the Bible and learn its words and teachings, and as we participate in the liturgy and learn from its content as well, we find that they reinforce one another. When the Church’s worship (or liturgy) is truly biblical, then it can be celebrated and enjoyed with confidence and joy, knowing that knowledge and study of the Bible will confirm its value. It also reminds us that worship and prayer are not arbitrary, disconnected from theology and Bible study. Rather, the doctrine and discipline of the Church is intertwined, synthesized, a coherent and unified whole. There should not be any competition or strife between the two, they are ultimately one and the same: the proclamation of the God who makes us, loves us, redeems us.

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The Preachiest Wedding Ever.

It’s been a long time, but today I’m bringing back Weird Rubric Wednesday with another wacky idea that could be done, though probably shouldn’t.

We all want a God-honoring, biblical, Christian wedding, don’t we? The state of marriage in the West is pretty dismal, and it’s an uphill battle reeducating our fellow believers in the scriptural doctrine of holy matrimony. So let’s take a look at what the Prayer Book says about the wedding service.

THE LESSONS

One or more of the following passages is read.

Between the Lessons, a Psalm, hymn, or anthem may be sung or said. Appropriate Psalms are 45, 67, 127, or 128.

BCP 2019 page 204

Along with these rubrics are listed fifteen Scripture readings to choose from.

So if we’re looking at designing the Most Biblical Wedding Ever (TM) without violating the Prayer Book rubrics, let’s choose the best readings. Let’s choose the longest readings! Let’s choose ALL TEH READINGZ!!!1!one!

And, like good Anglicans informed by the regular recitation of the Daily Office, we’re going to follow each lesson with a Psalm, hymn, canticle, or anthem. Ready? Here goes…

  • Genesis 1:25-28 (Male and female he created them)
  • Psalm 67
  • Genesis 2:4-9, 15-24 (A man holds fast to his wife and they become one flesh)
  • Psalm 127
  • Song of Solomon 2:10-13; 8:6-7 (Many waters cannot quench love)
  • Psalm 45
  • Tobit 8:5b-8 (That she and I may grow old together)
  • Psalm 128
  • 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (Love is patient and kind)
  • Hymn: Though angel tongues adorn my human voice (Magnify the Lord #590)
  • Ephesians 3:14-19 (The Father from whom every family is named)
  • Hymn: Lord of Glory, who hast bought us (Magnify the Lord #594)
  • Ephesians 5:1-2, 21-33 (Walk in love, as Christ loved us)
  • Pascha Nostrum (BCP 16)
  • Colossians 3:12-17 (Love which binds everything together in harmony)
  • Hymn: Blest be the tie that binds (Magnify the Lord #494)
  • 1 John 4:7-16 (Let us love one another, for love is of God)
  • Hymn: O perfect Love (Magnify the Lord #306/307)
  • Matthew 5:1-10 (The Beatitudes)
  • Te Deum (BCP 17)
  • Matthew 5:13-16 (You are the light… Let your light shine)
  • Nunc Dimittis (BCP 46)
  • Matthew 7:24-29 (Like a wise man who built his house on the rock)
  • Hymn: Seek ye first the kingdom of God (Magnify the Lord #625)
  • Mark 10:6-16 (They are no longer two but one)
  • Hymn: Love, fixed before the worlds were framed (Magnify the Lord #589)
  • John 2:1-11 (The wedding at Cana)
  • Hymn: O Father, all creating (Magnify the Lord #308)
  • John 15:9-12 (Love one another as I have loved you)

And of course a nice long sermon must follow, being sure to tie together this rich breadth of teaching on the nature and duties of Christian marriage.

In actual seriousness, this is obviously overkill for a normal wedding service. However, if you’re planning a wedding and need help lining up Scripture lessons with psalms or musical responses, much of this list is actually pretty thought-through; feel free to draw from it. Alternatively, if a special service of prayer is desired – perhaps for a special day of teaching or celebration or intercession on the subject of holy matrimony, this order can be a good resource for public worship and devotion.

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Seven Weeks of Advent?

Something that I and other preachers often observe throughout the month of November is how the Sunday Communion lectionary transitions so smoothly into Advent from the end of the Trinitytide season. Whether it’s the traditional calendar or the modern, the readings naturally anticipate many of the major Advent themes: eternity, Christ’s judgement & reign, the Kingdom of God, our glorification in Christ. In both cases Advent does not come out of nowhere, but is a natural “next step” in the calendar’s cyclical presentation of the whole Gospel of Christ throughout the year.

But Advent has some pretty tough opponents these days. It normally begins on the coattails of Thanksgiving in the USA, and the commercialization of Christmas tends to drown out the distinction of Advent from Christmas. The hustle and bustle of culture, school, and general “holiday prep” makes it all too easy for the Christian today to miss the season of Advent completely. What can be a beautiful, quiet, and deeply spiritual experience is frequently truncated to a cardboard box with 24 numbers on it and chocolates inside.

I know what we need, MORE ADVENT!

Some eleven years ago now, a group of Episcopalians and Methodists came up with the idea of extending Advent from four weeks to seven, and thus The Advent Project was born. Nothing much came of it, and it never left the confines of liberal Protestantism. Unlike most liturgical innovations from that crowd, however, this idea was based on some rather sound principles: (1) Advent was a 40-week fast in the Early Church, (2) the secularization of Advent & Christmas needs to be combated, and (3) this could be accomplished without substantially changing the lectionary as it stands.

It’s also worth noting that the modern calendar authorized in the Church of England actually sets forth a sequence of “Sundays before Advent” (sometimes nicknamed Kingdomtide) which deliberately explores some pre-Advent themes. The liturgical color of red is put forth there as an alternative to the more traditional green.

The Advent Project’s 7-week plan, however, makes a lot of sense. When the popular secular and church cultures alike have made a mess of something like the season of Advent, why not turn to the Early Church for help? And if we can do that without yet another change to the lectionary, doesn’t that sound like the perfect solution?

Actually this is a silly idea.

But every good idea has its downsides. If you extend Advent to seven weeks in length, that means it begins on the Sunday within November 6th through 12th, meaning that roughly two years out of seven there is going to be a conflict between All Saints Sunday and the First Sunday of Extended Advent. Celebrating All Saints’ on the first Sunday of November is actually a 20th-century innovation, but the sort of congregation that is likely to adopt the 7-week Advent is probably also the sort that observes All Saints’ on the first Sunday of November, and thus there will be this conundrum to face on a regular basis.

Furthermore, the idea that Advent is so special that it needs its own pre-season reveals a telling bias. The traditional calendar has three weeks of Pre-Lent, smoothing the transition beautifully from Epiphanytide to Lent; but the modern calendar has thrown them out, resulting in a jarring shift of gears from Epiphany/Ordinary Time to Lent with only one Sunday (unique to Anglicans and Episcopalians I think) to bridge the gap between them. (That Sunday does, admittedly, use the Transfiguration as a brilliant hinge to make that shift from Epiphany to Lent, but it’s still just one little day with Ash Wednesday following too soon for anyone to prepare themselves spiritually.) The fact that there is interest in restoring dignity to Advent while neglecting Lent indicates what might be considered an imbalanced set of spiritual and theological priorities.

Also, let’s be real, what are the odds that a proposal like this, which has been dead in the water since 2011, will ever catch on?

Let’s see how it works!

Having played devil’s advocate, I want to turn now to providing some positive suggestions on how the spirit of the extended Advent idea can be used fruitfully, particularly in my context, using the authorized 2019 Prayer Book of the Anglican Church in North America.

The Advent Project had a clever idea: take the seven O Antiphons and appoint each of them as the theme or motif for each of the seven Sundays of Extended Advent. If you present them in their traditional order (with just one pair switched) they line up with the modern lectionary quite nicely. The collects in the 2019 BCP are different from those in the 1979 BCP, so many of the original idea-matches from the Advent Project are not applicable. But there are different ways that the same idea can work. Let’s walk through them:

Proper 27 / Third Sunday before Advent / Superadvent I: O Sapientia

SUNG VERSE: O come, thou wisdom from on high, who ord’rest all things mightily…

COLLECT: As the song prays that we might follow in the ways of Wisdom, so too does the collect pray that we purify ourselves as Christ (our wisdom) is pure so that we will be like him upon his second advent.

GOSPELS: Matthew 25:1-13 Parable of the WISE and foolish virgins
Mark 12:38-44 The learned scribes are unwise in their conduct, the poor widow is wise in her generosity
Luke 20:27-38 God is God of the living, not the dead; the Sadducees were not wise to understand this

Proper 28 / Second Sunday before Advent / Superadvent II: O Adonai

SUNG VERSE: O come, thou Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height…

COLLECT: As the song remembers the giving the Law, the collect prays for an abundance of good works (which the Law directed but was powerless itself to bring about).

GOSPELS: Matthew 25:14-30 Parable of the talents, in which one servant fails to invest his talent
Mark 13:14-23 & Luke 21:5-19 Do not be deceived by false Lords (adonai’s)

Proper 29 (Christ the King) / Last Sunday before Advent / Superadvent III: O Rex gentium

SUNG VERSE: O come, Desire of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind…

COLLECT: The song and the collect both pray for the end of human division under the unifying reign of Christ the King.

GOSPELS: Matthew 25:31-46 The King will judge the sheep from the goats for his kingdom
John 18:33-37 Jesus admits to Pilate that he is a king
Luke 23:35-43 This is the King of the Jews

Advent I / Superadvent IV: O radix Jesse

SUNG VERSE: O come, thou Rod of Jesse’s stem, from ev’ry foe deliver them…

COLLECT: The song prays for deliverance and victory, matched in the collect’s reference to putting on the armor of light.

GOSPELS: Matthew 24:29-44 & Mark 13:24-37 At the coming of the Son of Man, his elect will be delivered
Luke 21:25-33 Keep watch and pray that you will escape all these things at the end of the age

Advent II / Superadvent V: O clavis David

SUNG VERSE: O come, thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heav’nly home…

COLLECT: The song prays for the path to misery be shut and the heavenly way opened, and the collect sets forth the Scriptures as a vehicle for blessed hope.

GOSPELS: Matthew 3:1-12 & Mark 1:1-8 & Luke 3:1-6 John the Baptist’s preaching points the way/highway/path to Christ

Advent III / Superadvent VI: O Oriens

SUNG VERSE O come, thou Day-spring from on high, and cheer us by thy drawing nigh…

COLLECT: The song’s language of dispelling darkness and night is matched in the collect’s prayer for repentance and cleansing upon hearing the prophets’ preaching.

GOSPELS: Matthew 11:2-19 Jesus affirms to John’s disciples that he is dispelling the darkness as promised
John 1:19-28 & Luke 3:7-20 John the Baptist proclaims that the Christ is drawing nigh

Advent IV / Superadvent VII: O Emmanuel

SUNG VERSE: O come, o come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel…

COLLECT: The song bids us await the appearance of the Son of God, and the collect also prays for him to come among us.

GOSPELS: Matthew 1:18-25 They shall call his name Emmanuel
Luke 1:26-38 He will be called the Son of the Most High
Luke 1:39-56 Fetal John the Baptist recognizes the newly-conceived Jesus

A final personal note of recommendation.

Surely if you dig through the Epistles and Old Testament lessons of the modern lectionary you will find further connections to these themes. But it should be emphasizes that this schema is not how the lectionary was designed to be interpreted. Using these seven O Antiphons in this manner only gives coincidental lines of interpretation. They’re not bad lines of interpretation, but they don’t account for everything, nor do they even begin to exhaust the potential of these Sundays’ themes and lessons.

I have used this Extended Advent concept once, a few years ago, and plan to use it again in 2023. I did not, and will not, rename the Sundays before Advent as if to make an official Pre-Advent season; rather, I treated it like a sermon series, preaching on Jesus in the Old Testament images that those seven antiphons/verses portray. We also sang the corresponding verse of the hymn each week, needless to say. I do recommend other priests and pastors give this a try sometime, too. 2023 is a good opportunity for it because All Saints’ Sunday won’t conflict with the first day of this sequence!

That having been said, there are plenty of other ways to anticipate Advent in the final Sundays of the church year. As early as “Proper 24” (Oct. 16-22) the Collects of the Day give themes that summarize the course of Christian life and discipleship and anticipate eternity – bondage from sin (24), live among things that are passing away (26), and so on – not to mention the lectionary’s meanderings into the later Prophets, and 1 & 2 Thessalonians around the same time. (I suppose Year B is the weak one of the three, when it comes to explicit anticipation of Advent.) The seven-week Advent idea is a nifty one, and can be used gently to draw upon the wisdom and resources of the Early Church without having to tinker with the liturgy we’ve received by authority in our own day. But it’s one approach of many, and I pray that you and yours will be enriched with the blessed hope of eternal life that this time of year directs us toward!

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The Lessons at Compline

Traditional orders for Compline did not have a Scripture lesson as such, though the devotional reading of 1 Peter 5:8-9a has been a mainstay of the office – often near the beginning of the liturgy.  As the Office of Compline entered into the 20th century the lessons (both in Anglican and Roman practice) took on a distinct position in the liturgy, mirroring the other Offices in the daytime.  The Canadian and American Prayer Books of 1962 and 1979 included three readings from Jeremiah 14, Matthew 11, and Hebrews 13, as does the Church of England’s Common Prayer (2000).  The additional readings from 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, 5:23, and Ephesians 4:26-27 (and Jeremiah 14:9a again) are drawn by the modern Roman Liturgy of the Hours.

The Four Primary Scripture Lessons in the 2019 Prayer Book:

Jeremiah 14:9

Particularly appropriate for Fridays and other penitential days, this verse comes from a plea for mercy despite Israel’s sins.  Famine and disaster has struck, yet despite their unworthiness Jeremiah pleads for God to save his people once more.  As the worshiper prepares to sleep, this verse echoes the same cry of the heart: “Leave us not!”

Matthew 11:28-30

One of the Comfortable Words in the Communion service is found here, taking a more literal context of finding “rest” after the burden of the day.

Hebrews 13:20-21

These verses are a benediction, delivering the blessed promise of sanctification at God’s hand.  The image of being “brought again from the dead” is a source of peace in preparation for sleep.

1 Peter 5:8-9

This is the quintessential Compline verse.  It highlights the spiritual danger typified by sleep, and the need for wakefulness.  In this sense it also provides the raison d’être for the service of Compline: it is our act of sober-minded watchfulness at night, resisting the prowling darkness that surrounds us at this time of night.

The Seven Additional Scripture Lessons:

Isaiah 26:3-4

The promise of God’s “perfect peace” upon those “whose mind is stayed” on him is “an everlasting rock” of hope, appropriate for bedtime.

Isaiah 30:15

This is the verse that inspired the popular Collet for Quiet Confidence (#82 on BCP 670), and provides another liturgical purpose for the Office of Compline: return and rest in the Lord.

Matthew 6:31-34

Putting the mind at ease at the end of the day can be difficult, and the Lord’s exhortation “Seek first the kingdom of God… do not be anxious about tomorrow” can be precisely the correction one needs right before bed.

2 Corinthians 4:6

The imagery of light shining out of darkness is a straight-forward connection to the devotional place of Compline in the overall life of worship.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

The death/sleep versus life/awake theme is evoked in these verses, infusing our act of going to sleep as an act of faith and trust in God’s predestination and Christ’s death for us.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

This verse is another benediction, and the language of being “kept” is appropriate for the context of Compline.  As we sleep, only God can keep us; in the same way, only God can keep us blameless and sanctify us completely before the dawn of Christ’s return.

Ephesians 4:26-27

Similar to 1 Peter 5:8-9, these verses remind us of the active danger of the devil and our need to take action to give him “no opportunity.” Specifically, the worshiper is reminded to give up sinful anger before the day is over – Compline is our last chance to repent before we sleep!

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Faithfully Stay the Course

February 24th is Saint Matthias Day in the traditional liturgical calendar. Some churches and provinces have moved him over to May 14, closer to Ascension Day and Pentecost, where his story in Acts 1 fits right in from a biblical-narrative perspective. But we’ve still got him in late February, usually in Lent. It’s always nice to have a feast day in Lent – we get a little break from the penitential tone! – but there’s also something appropriate about observing this Saint during Lent: Matthias is only one of the twelve Apostles because he was selected to replace Judas, the traitor.

There are two lessons that I’d like to draw from this liturgical observance (and from Acts 1:12-26).

  1. Apostolic authority is a critical point for the unity of the Church.
  2. Every Christian must faithfully stay the course of the faith.

On the point of apostolic authority, this is something I like to try to mention during Ascensiontide but often don’t have time – (there is a lot of fantastic theology and lessons about Jesus and his ministry to us to tease out in that brief mini-season, and I seldom have opportunity to write or preach about ecclesiology then) – the eleven considered it vitally important that they replace Judas and restore their number to twelve apostles. Jesus had just told them that while it was not for them to know “the times or seasons” concerning the Kingdom of God, but that they would “receive power” when the Holy Spirit would descend upon them. And this wasn’t entirely in the future; Jesus had already “breathed on them the Holy Spirit” giving them authority to forgive and retain sins. In that authority they’d already been entrusted with, they took it upon them to select and ordain a new twelfth man – Matthias. St. Peter even quotes Psalm 109 to acknowledge the necessity of this act: “Let another take his office.” And in the Greek, the word translated “office” is the source for the word “episcopate” – the office of an overseer, or bishop.

They knew that when the Holy Spirit would descend upon the whole church (on the day of Pentecost) the leadership had to be ready. Ancient Israel was founded with Twelve Tribes, and the New Israel was to be re-founded with Twelve Apostles – this was a very self-conscious and -aware decision, they knew the significance of what they were doing.

And, although the nature of the authority of those first Apostles is different from the authority that has been passed down among the Bishops ever since, the apostolic role of the bishops assembled is still critical for the church today. On their own, bishops might be little more than super-priests, pastors of megachurches, or of multi-site churches. That’s where cynicism from tired or burned church-goers (or skepticism from presbyterians and congregationalists) thrives. The real power, or authority, of the bishop is not so much in the individual as in the episcopacy as an institution and a group. One bishop can go astray about as easily as one priest or pastor, honestly. But a group, or college, of bishops, is another matter. Yes, a group can be corrupted too – we consider the entire Roman Church to be in error for example. But a church is at its best when its bishops speak together with one voice, in accord with the Church global and temporal.

An example of this was just demonstrated last month when the College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America concluded a year of deliberations concerning the issues of ministering to people with same-sex attraction. It’s one of the greatest ministry challenges of our time, and must be met with careful biblical attention and loving attention to the situation of people today. Their excellent statement can be read online here.

But of course, there are always people who want to add their own nuances, pick at words, and even twist or re-cast what has been said. No small online furor has followed, muddying the waters and making some people wonder what the exodus from the Episcopal Church was all about if we’re just going to re-tread the same ground all over again. One of the angles of corrective response is an article in which a respected Anglican examines for us the nature of the teaching authority of bishops as a unified body. I commend that reading to you also!

But this also leads us to the second point about the election of Matthias to be the new 12th Apostle – he was “one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us“. And, critically unlike Judas Iscariot, Matthias faithfully stayed the course. He did not falter from the way of Christ; he remained constant like the other eleven.

Other Scriptures read on this day attest to this also: Psalm 15 asks the hard-yet-important question of who can dwell on God’s holy hill; Philippians 3 gives us the example of “press[ing] on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus“. Simply put, there is a way that leads to life, and a way that leads to death. Judas chose the latter for himself; we must choose the former. Yes, salvation is not simply about what you choose – the real work of salvation is Jesus’ death on the Cross for the sins of the world, but if you reject his sacrifice on your behalf then you’ll have to find another way to pay for your sins… and there isn’t one.

The story of St. Matthias taking Judas’ office, or episcopacy, is a sobering reminder. Please, faithfully stay the course of the faith. In Christ alone is salvation wrought, and only his Body (the Church) offers him to us.