Christmas 2025

The Christian tradition is marked by two great periods based on events in the life of Jesus. The central commemorations are related to the redemptive acts at Holy Week and Easter; the second period centers on Christmas. Christmas and Holy Week/Easter Sunday bring the same Gospel message in different ways.

The church calendar associates many meaningful and beautiful passages of Scripture with the birth of Jesus, the eternal Son of God, who came to earth as a human infant. There are numerous Old Testament prophecies from Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others. There are epistle readings such as Hebrews 1, Titus 2, and Galatians 4. And of course, there are the Gospel accounts from Matthew, Luke, and John. Each of these Gospels has its own beauty and deep significance. One can say that Matthew 1& 2 focus on Joseph's perspective, that Luke 1& 2 reflect the point of view of the Virgin Mary, and that John 1 emphasizes the timeless theological meaning. 

All these Scriptures complement one another and provide believers with a broad vista for meditating on the meaning of Christ's Birth. They help us move beyond the beautiful but simplistic imagery of a childhood pageant, and they provide deep nourishment for heart, mind, and soul. They teach us the truth that Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, "came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man" for us and for our salvation (Nicene Creed). In other words, Scripture teaches us that Christmas is about more than a family festival or the birth of a great man; it is about our eternal salvation. That spiritual reality is where we need to put our emphasis, not merely for a few moments on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, but for twelve days and more!

Alleluia. Unto us a child is born; * O come, let us adore him. Alleluia. (Christmas Antiphon for Morning Prayer, 1928 Book of Common Prayer.)

Easter Even or Holy Saturday- Matthew 27:57-66; I Peter 3:17-22

 Traditional Books of Common Prayer call this day "Easter Even," while more recent liturgies use the name Holy Saturday. In either case, it is a very low-key day liturgically. There is no celebration of the Eucharist during this day. [Any Easter Vigil Eucharist is technically for Easter Day and should be after sundown].  Nevertheless, although subdued, this is an important day that should not be ignored.

The Scriptures for the day emphasize the reality of Christ's death and His Sabbath in the tomb, and they call believers to quiet reflection. The Gospel from Matthew 27 begins late Friday with the burial of Jesus, and it shows both the private mourning of Christ's followers and the continued plotting of His enemies. The Epistle from I Peter 3:17-22 speaks of the reality of Jesus' physical death as well as His spiritual survival. Even in death, our Lord continues to minister. He preaches to the dead. I Peter 3:19 (and also possibly Ephesians 4: 9-10) form the basis of the article in the Apostles' Creed, "He descended into hell." In other words, Jesus really spent time among the dead.

So as we look back to the Cross and anticipate the Resurrection, we should not neglect the time between. Except for sin, Jesus of Nazareth fully identified with the human experience. He really died and experienced the separation of body and spirit. That fact indicates the drastic importance of His Resurrection. It is truly powerful and transformative. His time among the dead also means that His Resurrection is more meaningful and hope-filled for us human mortals!

Trinity XI- Luke 18: 9-14; I Corinthians 15:1-11

Both the Epistle and the Gospel for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity are especially rich passages. In I Corinthians 15:1-11, St. Paul speaks of two related topics, the core Christian message and his ministry as an Apostle. He affirms that he hands on the message that he received about Jesus Christ. This summary message is a sort of early Christian creed somewhat similar to the second article or section of the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. Christ suffered and died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead to be seen by numerous faithful witnesses. And Paul's apostolic ministry proclaims this Christ-centered message through divine grace.

The Gospel from St. Luke 18:9-14 is the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector going to the Temple to pray. This parable is a warning against pride and self-righteousness and an encouragement to repentance and humble faith in divine mercy. We should pursue goodness and holiness, but even at our best, we are still sinners who must seek God's forgiveness, mercy, and grace.

Anglicans and the Reformation

Late October is a time when many Christians think about Martin Luther and the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation in 1517. Although Anglicans sometimes have divergent views about the 16th-17th century reforms, the Reformation clearly influenced the beliefs and practices of the English Church.

In the early years of the Reformation, some English Reformers were influenced by Luther. For example, William Tyndale was described as and martyred as a "Lutheran." His Bible translation, which has influenced subsequent English versions, was guided in many respects by the Luther Bible. Lutheran liturgical reforms influenced the Anglican Daily Office, the Order for Holy Communion, and the Litany. The Anglican Thirty-Nine Articles of  Religion were influenced by the Augsburg Confession and by some Reformed or "Calvinist" documents. Furthermore, many collects and other prayers were revised or rewritten under Reformation influence to emphasize grace and faith and to minimize ideas of human merit. 

As time went on, various continental and native reformers became influential in England, but the English Reformation followed a conservative Reformation model. It emphasized Scripture while affirming the ancient Creeds, preserving liturgical worship, and keeping traditional forms of ministry. The English Church sought to reform itself while avoiding radical discontinuity with the Christianity that had gone before. It rejected more extreme reforms as well as papal authority and some medieval doctrines. 

In general terms, observers within and without the English Church considered it Protestant.  Although influenced by European Protestantism, English thinkers such as Jewel, Hooker, and Andrewes began to develop unique English tendencies. Anglicans developed a different ethos from other Reformation heritages. While still honoring the ancient catholic tradition, Anglicans asserted that the medieval Church needed reforming. They honored certain observations and principles of the Reformation. Anglicans placed Scriptural authority first; they emphasized grace and justification by faith, and they saw sanctification as a fruit of grace and faith. Anglicans viewed these Reformation principles as consistent with the best in the catholic or universal Christian heritage of all times and all places.

Trinity Sunday & the Athanasian Creed

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is the key Christian belief rooted in the Bible and summarizing the self-revelation of God in Holy Scripture. In the words of the preface in the Order for Holy Communion, "It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting God. Who with thine only-begotten Son, and the Holy  Ghost, art one God, one Lord, in Trinity of Persons and in Unity of Substance. For that which we believe of thy glory, O Father, the same we believe of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, without any difference of inequality."

Beginning in the early 900's, the custom of observing the first Sunday after Pentecost in honor of the Holy Trinity arose in Liege and soon spread in northern and western Europe. In particular, St. Thomas a Becket promoted this feast in England. Eventually, the observance of Trinity Sunday spread in all the Latin Church, and it was made a universal feast under the papacy in 1334. In the liturgical traditions of northern Europe including England, this Sunday also gave its name to the following season to the end of the church year.

In addition, the Western Church honored the doctrine of the Trinity with the creedal canticle often called the Athanasian Creed. Although influenced by the thought of  St. Athanasius of Alexandria, this document probably originated in the 400's in Latin and spread throughout the West. From 1549 through 1662, English Books of Common Prayer appointed it to be said at Morning Prayer on several major feasts in place of the Apostles' Creed. (The 1962 Canadian BCP includes it. American Prayer Books did not mention it until 1979 and 2019.) This ancient creed stresses the doctrine of the Trinity and Christ's Incarnation. It is a bulwark against many heresies, ancient and modern, and deserves our attention and affirmation.

The Athanasian Creed also known by its first words in Latin, Quicumque Vult

     Whosoever would be saved / needeth before all things to hold fast the Catholic Faith.
     2 Which Faith except a man keep whole and undefiled, / without doubt he will perish eternally.
     3 Now the Catholic Faith is this, / that we worship one God in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity;
     4 Neither confusing the Persons, / nor dividing the Substance.
     5 For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, / another of the Holy Ghost;
     6 But the Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is all one, / the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.
     7 Such as the Father is, such is the Son, / and such is the Holy Ghost;
     8 The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Ghost uncreated;
     9 The Father infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Ghost infinite;
     10 The Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Ghost eternal;
     11 And yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal;
     12 As also there are not three uncreated, nor three infinites, / but one infinite, and one uncreated.
     13 So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, / the Holy Ghost almighty;
     14 And yet there are not three almighties, but one almighty.
     15 So the Father is God, the Son God, the Holy Ghost God;
     16 And yet there are not three Gods, / but one God.
     17 So the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, / the Holy Ghost Lord;
     18 And yet there are not three Lords, / but one Lord.
     19 For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity / to confess each Person by himself to be both God and Lord;
     20 So are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion / to speak of three Gods or three Lords.
     21 The Father is made of none, / nor created, nor begotten.
     22 The Son is of the Father alone; / not made, nor created, but begotten.
     23 The Holy Ghost is of the Father and the Son; / not made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
     24 There is therefore one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; / one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.
     25 And in this Trinity there is no before or after, / no greater or less;
     26 But all three Persons are co-eternal together, / and co-equal.
     27 So that in all ways, as is aforesaid, / both the Trinity is to be worshipped in Unity, and the Unity in Trinity.
     28 He therefore that would be saved, / let him thus think of the Trinity.
     29 Furthermore, it is necessary to eternal salvation, / that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
     30 Now the right Faith is that we believe and confess / that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both God and Man.
     31 He is God, of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; / and he is Man, of the Substance of his Mother, born in the world;
     32 Perfect God; / perfect Man, of reasoning soul and human flesh subsisting;
     33 Equal to the Father as touching his Godhead;/ less than the Father as touching his Manhood.
     34 Who although he be God and Man, / yet he is not two, but is one Christ;
     35 One, however, not by conversion of Godhead into flesh, / but by taking of Manhood into God;
     36 One altogether; / not by confusion of Substance, but by unity of Person.
     37 For as reasoning soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ;
     38 Who suffered for our salvation, / descended into hell, rose again from the dead;
     39 Ascended into heaven, sat down at the right hand of the Father, / from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
     40 At whose coming all men must rise again with their bodies, / and shall give account for their own deeds.
     41 And they that have done good will go into life eternal; / they that have done evil into eternal fire.
     42 This is the Catholic Faith, / which except a man do faithfully and stedfastly believe, he cannot be saved.

     Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Ghost;
     As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, / world without end. Amen.

A Short Exposition of the Apostles' Creed

A study group in our parish recently asked to review the Apostles' Creed. This is always a useful undertaking for Christians, and such a review is especially appropriate during Lent. 

In the traditional Prayer Book Catechism, we have the following credal affirmations.

Catechist. Rehearse the Articles of thy Belief.

Answer. I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary: Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty: From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost: The holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints: The Forgiveness of sins: The Resurrection of the body: And the Life everlasting. Amen.

Comment:  Throughout the Scriptures, especially in the New Testament, there are summaries of things that God’s people should believe. In the Acts of the Apostles, there are several notable summaries of beliefs about Christ in sermons and at Baptisms. There are also passages such as I Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. “

During the second and third centuries, various local baptismal creeds developed. They were usually in three parts (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Although local versions were slightly different, they covered the same basic points. One of these summaries of basic Christian belief developed at Rome in Latin and became known as the Apostles' Creed. Although not literally composed by the Apostles in the first century, it summarizes their preaching and teaching contained in the book of Acts and the New Testament epistles.

In the year 325, the bishops at the First Council of Nicea took a similar Eastern baptismal creed (maybe from Jerusalem) and added words to be clear about Christ’s divinity. In 381, the bishops at the council of Constantinople added details about the divinity of Christ and the Holy Spirit. With these modifications, the creed we know as the Nicene Creed developed. Later, the Western church added that the Holy Spirit proceeds “from the Son.”  From 1549, English Prayer Books omitted “holy” before “catholic” in the Nicene Creed (but not in the Apostles’ Creed). Some have suggested a printer’s error, but research also shows its omission in some medieval Latin texts.

Now let us notice the short summary in the next Catechism question.

  

Question. What dost thou chiefly learn in these Articles of thy Belief?

Answer. First, I learn to believe in God the Father, who hath made me, and all the world. Secondly, in God the Son, who hath redeemed me, and all mankind. Thirdly, in God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth me, and all the people of God.

Comment: The Apostles' Creed like many Christian statements of faith and acts of worship has a three-part form, a Trinitarian structure. The first part of the Creed is about God the Father, the Creator. All of Scripture and much in nature teaches us about Him.  

God’s creation is basically good because He is good. One good part of His creation is freedom for higher creatures such as angels and human beings. Unfortunately, a heavenly creature, Lucifer or Satan, rebelled, was cast out of heaven and pursued his rebellion on earth. And the first human creatures succumbed to temptation and also rebelled against the holy Creator. This Fall into sin disrupted the relationship between God and His creation, but it did not destroy the Creator’s love. So God reached out with a series of promises and demands called covenants. An important example was the covenant with Abraham and his descendants. The early covenants are recorded in the Scriptures we call the Old Testament, and they were designed to prepare human beings for the great new and final covenant through Jesus Christ.

Although nature and Scripture teach us much about the Creator, this part of the Creed is short. It seems to assume that most human beings acknowledge a Creator and some kind of moral law, and it moves quickly to the beliefs that are more uniquely Christian.

The second part of the Creed is about God the Son, Jesus the Christ. Our beliefs about Jesus are what characterize us as Christians. This part of the Creed summarizes the Gospels and many other parts of the New Testament. We believe that Jesus Christ is the only and unique Son of God, of one essence with the Father; He was conceived by the Spirit of God and born of the Virgin Mary.  Thus, He is true man and true God. He came to earth to reveal God in the Incarnation, to redeem or save us from our sins, and to offer us eternal life in God's presence.

Among the many things that He did during His life on earth, the Creed stresses the central events which are His death on the Cross for our sins, and His resurrection to offer us new life. He was a real man who, at a particular moment in history (under the Roman governor Pilate), truly suffered, died, and descended to the dead. He freely gave Himself and paid the debt that a fallen humanity was incapable of paying.  Because He was both innocent man and true God, death could not hold Him, and He rose from the dead in bodily form. This is the source of Christian hope; without it, His story would be meaningless and our hope futile. After His resurrection, He appeared forty days to His disciples, and then He ascended into heaven to pray for us and to watch over us. And at the end of earthly history, He will come again to take up the role of judge of all.

The third part of the Creed is about God the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit. Not only did God create the universe and come to earth in the man Jesus, He continues to reach out and work in the world in invisible but powerful spiritual ways. As He works in the world, He sanctifies or makes holy. He works through each individual believer. There are several aspects of this spiritual work in individual lives.

It is the Spirit that reaches out through Baptism and proclamation of the Gospel to redeem fallen human beings. When the Spirit starts this process of redemption, it is called regeneration. When the individual responds by faith in Christ, we speak of justification, and when the Spirit helps one grow in holiness, we speak of sanctification.

As is shown in the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit also works in a special way through the fellowship or communion of believers, the Church.  There is only one Church. Despite human failings, this Church is holy because it belongs to God. It is also catholic or universal. It extends across languages, races, cultures, political boundaries, and time. It holds to the same basic beliefs and moral standards everywhere- in this world and beyond. The Church is apostolic because it is based on the teaching and ministry of the Apostles. The Spirit makes the Church a communion of saints, a fellowship of those made holy by the grace of God in Christ.

The basic visible foundation of the Church is Christian Baptism. Wherever there are baptized persons who profess the faith into which they have been baptized, the Church exists in a basic way. The Church also exists as an institution that continues through history. Into the Church and the lives of its members, the Holy Spirit brings blessings such as the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness is related to Baptism, the proclamation of the Gospel, and in various ways to all the rites of the Church. The Holy Spirit will also be active in the future resurrection of the body for judgment and in eternal life in God's presence. We end with “Amen,” which implies both "it is true" and “so be it”

Second Sunday in Advent- Scripture

The Second Sunday in Advent has often been called "Bible Sunday," and the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel for this Sunday all stress the importance of Holy Scripture. As Anglicans, we should always remember that God’s revelation is basic. All that is necessary for salvation is found in Scripture. Yet, Scripture is closely connected with Christ's Church. Scripture and the Church have always been intertwined. Scripture reveals divine truth. It is the foundation of faith. It guides and corrects the Church, but the Church also serves as God’s instrument to preserve and interpret Scripture.

Personal acceptance and applications of Scripture are necessary, and individual opinions about Scripture can be valuable, but corporate understandings of Scripture are a safeguard. While 1 Peter 2:9 assures us that all believers are priests in a general sense, 2 Peter 1:20 warns, “no prophecy of scripture is of a private interpretation.” Properly understanding Scripture depends upon the work of the Holy Spirit within the Body of Christ, the universal Church. Great thinkers and even pious believers can make mistakes about some biblical ideas and texts. Even large Christian organizations and denominations have erred on some points. At times in history, many Christians have accepted poor explanations on some points of faith or morals.

Yet, God's Word remains forever (1 Peter 1:25), and Christ promises that the gates of hell shall not prevail against His universal Church (Matt. 16:18). Divine truth and faithful believers will continue till the end. So we look to the understanding of Scripture that has survived in the Church through the centuries. We look to the catholic or universal faith of the ancient Church, “what has been believed everywhere, always, by all” (St. Vincent of Lerins). These are the beliefs reflected in the church fathers and summarized in the ancient creeds. They are found among the Reformers and in the Prayer Book Catechism. They are expressed in the historic liturgies. There may be differences about interpreting some details, but the core of Scripture is clear. And that core of Scripture centered on Christ the eternal Word of God calls for our faithful response. May Advent be a time for us to renew our commitment to an orthodox Christian understanding of Scripture!