Sunday next before Advent

This Sunday is the last Sunday of the liturgical year, and there have been various ways of dealing with it. Sometimes it has not been given special attention; some modern calendars have added new observances such as the feast of Christ the King. The 1928 Book of Common Prayer went back to the Sarum tradition for the name of the day and for the collect and lessons. A popular medieval English name was "Stir up Sunday." This nickname comes from the opening words of the collect which says:

Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We see a similar theme in the liturgical epistle which is actually a selection from the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah 23:5 looks to the day when the Lord God will raise up a new king to lead His people in justice and righteousness. Thus, both the collect and epistle point to the need for a new beginning.

As long as this world endures, human beings will always need new beginnings. Because of our fallen and sinful condition, we need for God to stir us up. We need to look to Christ our King to lead us into greater righteousness. We need His grace to renew in us those good works which are the fruits of faith.

Transfiguration of Christ- 6 August- Luke 9:28-36

The feast of the Transfiguration of Christ commemorates an important and mysterious event from the Gospels (e.g., St. Luke 9:28-36). Strangely enough, however, the feast of the Transfiguration has not always received very much emphasis. In the Eastern church, the observance goes back to the fourth century, but it did not spread in the Western church before the ninth century. It did not become a universal feast of the Latin church until 1457. In the English Church, the feast was removed in 1549 and was restored as a "Black Letter Day" in 1561. In the American Book of Common Prayer, the Transfiguration was restored with liturgical propers in 1892.

In the Gospels, our Lord takes Peter, John, and James up onto a mountain where He has a shining appearance during prayer. Moses and Elijah appear and converse with Jesus, and a divine voice proclaims, "This is my beloved Son, hear him."

This event says three things about Jesus: 1) the Law and the Prophets witness to Him as He continues their work, 2) His work involves dying at Jerusalem and 3) He is the unique, glorious, and beloved Son of the heavenly Father.

First Sunday in Lent

The traditional Epistle and Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent are very different in approach, but both point us to a great irony of the human condition: whenever we try to become closer to God and try to improve our spiritual and moral lives, the greatest temptations arise. The Gospel from St. Matthew 4:1-11 recounts the story of Christ's temptations. He was in the desert fasting, praying and communing with the heavenly Father. He was preparing for His great public ministry. Then the Tempter came and offered the things that turn most people aside: material comfort in the form of food, human praise for impressive deeds and worldly power over other people. Our Lord was strong enough to resist those temptations, but on our own, we are not that strong. Only by depending on God's grace can we even make a good beginning. And even when we do make a good beginning, we are frail creatures who often fall and have to return to His grace for renewal.

The Epistle from II Corinthians 6:1-10 also refers to temptations. St. Paul appeals to the Corinthian Christians "receive not the grace of God in vain"(6:1). Any moment of a believer's life can be a moment of decision and dedication: "behold, now is the day of salvation" (6:2). Addressing Christians who have lost some of their initial enthusiasm for doing good, the Apostle points to various earthly trials and temptations. He stresses the irony that even in the midst of suffering, trials and weakness, Christians can rejoice and be rich in spiritual matters.

Lent is a time of preparation when we dedicate ourselves anew to follow Christ. Hopefully, we begin this season with enthusiasm and a strong sense of purpose. We intend to be more devoted in a variety of ways. As we do this, however, we must also beware of temptation. The more we try to draw near to God in Christ, the more the tempter tries to dissuade us. Little and big temptations keep coming up in our lives. On our own, we are not even strong enough to have six good spiritual weeks in Lent. We are always dependent upon Christ who has already triumphed over temptation for us. So let us turn to Him in loving faith again and again while striving to be more disciplined in our pursuit of goodness.

Epiphany V- Tares

The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany does not occur every year in the traditional western calendar. (In fact, the propers for this Sunday are as likely to be used near the end of the Trinity season.) This part of the church year depends upon the date of Easter which not only determines the dates of Lent but also of the Pre-Lenten season. This year, Easter is late, and there are six Sundays after Epiphany before Pre-Lent (the "Gesimas").

The Gospel for today (St. Matthew 13:24-30) is the familiar parable of the tares or weeds. One theme of Epiphany is the spread of goodness and light, but this story then reminds us that the spread of goodness is not always upward and onward. There are also problems. As goodness is growing, there is also evil growing beside it. The church in the world is God's field, but all is not as it should be. God's spiritual enemy has scattered bad seed in the field. By the parable of the tares, our Lord reminds us that life in the world, including life in the earthly church, is a mixture. Of course, there is a need for individual and community discipline. There are times when certain obvious sinners should be excluded from the church. Yet, although we may long for perfection, it is not attainable in this world. Until the final harvest, there will be weeds growing beside the good grain in God's field. We should recognize that reality, and then we should accept divine grace to grow in goodness ourselves and to encourage its growth around us.

Anglican Catechism- Supplement

In previous posts, I have dealt with the Catechism in the Book of Common Prayer as it existed from 1549 with additions through 1662. As in many traditional Catechisms, there is a treatment of the Creed, the Commandments, the Lord's Prayer and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. The phraseology is beautiful and gives an Anglican twist in presenting the core of the Faith, but over the years, some Anglicans felt that a Catechism should include a few more items, especially on the Church, Confirmation, and the Ministry. In 1887 a proposed supplement was presented to and approved by the lower house of the Canterbury Convocation. Although that proposal did not obtain further approval in England, it seems to have been used by many and became the basis of catechetical modifications in the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer and in the 1962 Canadian Book of Common Prayer. The American expression is found in the Second Office of Instruction (pp. 290,291, 294), and the Canadian version is found at the end of the Catechism as "A Supplementary Instruction" (pp. 552-555).

Here is the 1928 version excerpted from the Second Office of Instruction:

Question. WHEN were you made a member of the Church?
Answer. I was made a member of the Church when I was baptized.

Question. What is the Church?
Answer. The Church is the Body of which Jesus Christ is the Head, and all baptized people are the members.

Comment: These two questions and answers point us to the basic reality of the visible Church. The Church is the Body of Christ, and He alone is its true Head. Under ordinary circumstances, individuals are united to Christ and grafted into His Body through Baptism in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit. Many of those baptized may not be faithful or edifying examples, and many other things may be necessary for the fullness of the Church and its mission, but wherever there are baptized people, the Church is already present to some degree.

Question. How is the Church described in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds?
Answer. The Church is described in the Creeds as One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.

Question. What do we mean by these words?
Answer. We mean that the Church is One; because it is one Body under one Head; Holy; because the Holy Spirit dwells in it, and sanctifies its members; Catholic; because it is universal, holding earnestly the Faith for all time, in all countries, and for all people; and is sent to preach the Gospel to the whole world; Apostolic; because it continues stedfastly in the Apostles' teaching and fellowship.

Comment. The historic creeds based on the early Church's consensus and summary of Scriptural teaching describe the Church by four words. There have been many debates on the marks of the Church, and different individuals and subgroups may have a variety of ideas and interpretations. Yet, for Anglicans and for others who affirm the historic creeds, there is a broad agreement. Whether Christians agree with one another or like one another, the Church of all the faithful baptized is one under Christ, the Head of the Body. The Church is also holy, not because of us, but because it belongs to God who works to sanctify it by His Spirit. This Church is catholic because its basic message of salvation through faith in Christ remains the same for all times, places, and peoples. And the Church is apostolic because the core teachings of the Apostles about Christ are affirmed and because despite the ups and downs of history, all the faithful belong in some degree to an unbroken fellowship of clergy and believers stretching back to the New Testament.

Question. What is your bounden duty as a member of the Church?
Answer. My bounden duty is to follow Christ, to worship God every Sunday in his Church; and to work and pray and give for the spread of his kingdom.

Comment. In addition to the general human duties toward God and the neighbor which are summarized in the section of the Catechism about the Commandments, all those who have been baptized have more specific "churchly" duties: follow Christ, worship on Sundays, contribute to and work for the spread of God's rule.

Question. What special means does the Church provide to help you to do all these things?
Answer. The Church provides the Laying on of Hands, or Confirmation, wherein, after renewing the promises and vows of my Baptism, and declaring my loyalty and devotion to Christ as my Master, I receive the strengthening gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Question. After you have been confirmed, what great privilege doth our Lord provide for you? 

Answer. Our Lord provides the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion, for the continual
 strengthening and refreshing of my soul.


Comment. These two questions and answers are more specifically Anglican. In our tradition, Confirmation has two sides. 1) Those already baptized profess their faith in Christ, and 2) through the bishop's Laying on of Hands (often including anointing) with prayer, they are offered the strengthening grace of God the Holy Spirit. Barring exceptional circumstances, Anglicans have traditionally expected that beginning to partake of Holy Communion would come after instruction, a public profession of the Faith, and the bishop's blessing.

Question. What orders of Ministers are there in the Church?
Answer. Bishops, Priests, and Deacons; which orders have been in the Church from the earliest times.

Question. What is the office of a Bishop?
Answer. The office of a Bishop is, to be a chief pastor in the Church; to confer Holy Orders; and to administer Confirmation.

Question. What is the office of a Priest?
Answer. The office of a Priest is, to minister to the people committed to his care; to preach the Word of God; to baptize; to celebrate the Holy Communion; and to pronounce Absolution and Blessing in God's Name.

Question. What is the office of a Deacon?
Answer. The office of a Deacon is, to assist the Priest in Divine Service, and in his other ministrations, under the direction of the Bishop.

Comment. Here is a simple traditional Anglican view of the ordained ministry. This summary does not go into the differing party views which have existed in Anglicanism, but it stresses the positive elements. Bishops, priests or presbyters, and deacons are mentioned in the New Testament, and they were separate ministries during the second century. Bishops are the chief pastors; they have special functions for the good of the whole Church, and they continue to exercise those functions of pastoral leadership which they also confer upon priests. Priests are the pastors that most Anglicans see on a regular basis, and they perform a wide range of pastoral tasks under the bishop's oversight. Deacons are ordained to assist bishops and priests, both in worship and in other types of Christian service.

To conclude, the supplement to the traditional Catechism continues to reflect traditional Anglican views. These questions and answers cover topics important in Church life, topics that have usually been covered in confirmation/inquirers classes. While fairly general, the supplement also includes a bit more of a specifically Anglican perspective in addition to the basic Christian matters covered in the traditional Catechism.

Epiphany I

Historically, the First Sunday after Epiphany has had several associations. At some points in church history, it has simply been the Sunday within the octave (ecclesiastical week) of Epiphany and repeated the collect and lessons of that ancient festival. From early times, it was also associated with Christ's Baptism (the 1928 American BCP, the Baptism is for Epiphany II). In traditional Books of Common Prayer, the Gospel continues Luke's Christmas-Epiphany sequence with the one recorded episode from Christ's later childhood: the episode of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple (St. Luke 2:41-52).

This Gospel shows how Jesus continued to fulfill all righteousness in His human nature. As a pious Jew, He was concerned about studying and applying the Scriptures. In His case, there was a special awareness that He was about His "Father's business" (St. Luke 2:49). Along with this awareness, He remained the ideal son who at that age was subject to His earthly parents' authority.

The episode also shows something unique. It is a manifestation or epiphany of God the Son incarnate as the perfect human being. At the same time, it is a call to us to follow Jesus' example. As sinners, we never follow His example perfectly, but aided by His grace, we are called to be about our heavenly Father's business and to seek to grow in service.

Epiphany

A blessed Epiphany to all! 

The Collect:        O GOD, who by the leading of a star didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles; Mercifully grant that we, who know thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruition of thy glorious Godhead; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

(According to the 1928 American BCP rubrics, "this Collect is to be said daily throughout the Octave." )