Fr. Tony’s Letter to the Trinitarians
December
2014
A Collect for Advent
“Almighty God, give us grace to cast
away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of
this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great
humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious
majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life
immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.”
Archbishop of
Canterbury Thomas Cranmer wrote this collect and placed it in the first English
Book of Common Prayer (1549) for the first Sunday of Advent. From 1662 on,
prayer books have given the instruction that it be said daily throughout the
entire Advent Season. It is based on the
epistle for the First Sunday of Advent, Romans 13:8-14:
“Let no debt remain outstanding,
except the continuing debt to love one another, for those who love others have
fulfilled the law. The commandments,
"Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not
steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may
be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor.
Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, because you recognize what
time it is in which we live. The hour has come for you to wake up from your
sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first came to faith. The night is nearly over; day is almost
here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us conduct ourselves properly as in
the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and licentiousness,
not in rivalry and jealousy. Rather,
clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and stop worrying about how to
gratify the raging desires of the you that resists God.”
(my translation)
I am somewhat
bemused at those who get all worked up and say, as part of a fear-based
political narrative, “Let’s put the CHRIST back into Christmas!” We who follow the more ancient traditions of
the Church, like keeping advent as a season of preparation, gentle expectation,
and reflection rather than a breathless commercial run-up to the big
unwrap-the-expensive-gifts day, might as easily say, “Let’s put the MASS back
into Christmas!” The fact that the
feast of our Lord’s nativity has become an occasion for public joy and fun
regardless of the meaning one puts into it should be a matter of joy for us,
not one of resentment.
I invite all of
us to say the advent collect daily throughout this season, and then celebrate
joyfully in some way all twelve days of the Christmas feast, not just December
25.
Hoping with a
smile to see you in church in advent, and at one of the Christmas Eve or Day
services, I wish you and yours
Grace and
Peace, Fr. Tony+
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