ASBO Jesus offers two views of how large we let God’s Word loom in our lives. I think they are both true.
In the Episcopal Church, I think we tend to do the former more often than the latter, but I’m not entirely sure one is much better than the other. My experience is that real encounters with God’s Word transform us and our congregations. If that were happening more often, we wouldn’t be declining at a rate of 3% attendance per year. So let’s fix that, OK?
Comments(6) As the entire blogosphere knows, Father Tim Schenck is my archnemesis. OK, maybe only 7WD readers know this, but let’s just say at least several dozen people are aware of the situation. In any case, this means I must relentlessly follow Tim’s blog and correct the numerous errors over there. Case in point: Tim claims to have found the “worst ever” Advent calendar. Bah.
He is scandalized by his little calendar because it conflates Advent and Christmas. In case he hasn’t noticed, they’re not playing “O come, O come Emmanuel” over at the mall. And Santa isn’t wearing Sarum blue. There’s a whole cottage industry around so-called Advent calendars in which the “12 days of Christmas” begin on December 13. Hey, I’m not saying this is good. I’m just saying it’s not all that unusual. (This reminds me: I must create an “O antiphon bon bon” calendar next year.)
Here are a few calendars that make Tim’s calendar tame by comparison.
What other hymn would one post for the final Sunday in Advent? I loved singing this as our opening hymn at Christ Church — all eight verses.
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Wisdom from on high,
who orderest all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go. Refrain
Comments(2) As longtime 7WD readers will know, I have served on various committees in an advisory capacity to the Episcopal Church’s communications staff. Until 2009, the principal advisory group held the grandiose title of Board of Governors. More recently, we’ve had the more functional but less exalted title of Episcopal News Service Advisory Committee (ENSAC is the unfortunate acronym). Anyway, our committee received the news a few weeks ago that the newspaper of the Episcopal Church would cease publication after the January 2011 issue.
This wasn’t much of a surprise. The paper nearly bit the dust at General Convention 2009. Some tweaking and budget magic resulted in a new lease on life for the paper, which gets into peoples’ homes mostly through printing partnerships with dioceses across the country. Within ENSAC, there is a range of views on the viability of print media. To put it another way, we don’t all hold the same view on precisely when print media crosses the line of diminishing returns to become more costly than it’s worth.
It isn’t very fashionable to speak of Advent as a penitential season these days, but that is certainly a part of its character. Don’t agree? Check out the lections for the Sundays and weekdays of Advent. It’s not all hope and joy; these notions are accompanied by longing, sorrow, repentance, and self-renewal. I enter today’s evening psalm into evidence to support my case.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; *
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
Wash me through and through from my wickedness *
and cleanse me from my sin.
Comments(1) An Advent classic.
Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Comments(2) This isn’t, strictly speaking, poetry. So despite our little departure from Advent-fest 2010, I wanted to get in one last ditty having to do with John the Baptist. Of course, I’m referring to the brilliant verse anthem by Orlando Gibbons.
I have shamelessly stolen the title of this post from Boing Boing. Moreover, I have little further to add, other than to point you toward these amazing photo collages.
These are fake as opposed to this real photo, which only appears to be anachronistic. Neat, eh?
The evening psalmody in today’s office readings includes Psalm 47. Here’s a suitably Adventy setting by Christopher Tye. I’ll save more bombastic settings for Ascensiontide. Until then, enjoy…
Still basking in the glow of John the Baptist from yesterday, I give you this…
Comfort, comfort ye my people,
speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
comfort those who sit in darkness,
mourning ‘neath their sorrow’s load;
speak ye to Jerusalem
of the peace that waits for them;
tell her that her sins I cover,
and her warfare now is over.
For the herald’s voice is crying
in the desert far and near,
bidding all men to repentance,
since the kingdom now is here.
O that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way!
Let the valleys rise to meet him,
and the hills bow down to greet him.
On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry
announces that the Lord is nigh;
awake and hearken, for he brings
glad tidings of the King of kings.
Then cleansed be every breast from sin;
make straight the way for God within,
prepare we in our hearts a home
where such a mighty Guest may come.
Blest be the King whose coming is in the name of God!
For him let doors be opened, no hearts against him barred!
Not robed in royal splendour, in power and pomp comes he:
but clad as are the poorest – such his humility.
Blest be the King whose coming is in the name of God!
By those who truly listen his voice is truly heard.
Pity the proud and haughty, who have not learned to heed
the Christ who is the promise and has our ransom paid.
Original content here written by Scott A. Gunn.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
