Showing posts with label Epiphanytide. Show all posts

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Proper Prayers for the 3rd Sunday after Epiphany (RCL Proper 3A, 26 January 2020)

Proper Prayers for RCL Epiphany 3A

Isaiah 9.1-4; Psalm 27.1, 5-13 (NRSV 27.1, 4-9); 1 Corinthians 1.10-18; Matthew 4.12-23

Collect of the Day

Almighty God, by grace alone you call us, and accept us in your service. Strengthen us by your Spirit, and make us worthy of your call; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. [1]

Lord God, your loving-kindness always goes before us and follows after us. Summon us into your light, and direct our steps in the ways of goodness that come through the cross of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen. [2]

God of blazing light, through the power of the cross you shattered our darkness and set us free to live as your children. Give us courage and conviction, so that we may joyfully turn and follow you, led by the light that shines through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen. [3]

God of all people, you sent your Son into our shadowed world. May his dawning light give hope to the broken, the persecuted, the alien and the excluded, so that we might feel the kingdom drawing near and turn to follow him; through Jesus Christ, the morning star. Amen. [3]

God of our salvation, the splendour of your glory dispels the darkness of earth, for in Christ we behold the nearness of your kingdom. Now make us quick to follow where he beckons, eager to embrace the tasks of the gospel. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. [4]

Prayer over the Gifts

Loving God, before the world began you called us. Make holy all we offer you this day, and strengthen us in that calling. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. [1]

Holy God, gracious and merciful, you bring forth food from the earth and nourish your whole creation. Turn our hearts toward those who hunger in any way, so that all may know your care; and prepare us now to feast on the bread of life, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen. [3]

God of all creation, all you have made is good, and your love endures forever. You bring forth bread from the earth and fruit from the vine. Nourish us with these gifts, so that we might for the world signs of your gracious presence in Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen. [3]

Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts: our selves, our time and our possessions. Use us, and what we have gathered, in feeding the world with your love, through the one who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen. [3]

God of mercy and grace, the eyes of all wait upon you, and you open your hand in blessing. Fill us with good things at your table, so that we may come to the help of all in need, through Jesus Christ, our redeemer and Lord. Amen. [3]

Merciful God, as grains of wheat scattered upon the hills were gathered together to become one bread, so let your church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom, for yours is the glory through Jesus Christ, now and for ever. Amen. [3]

Preface

Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; you are the source of light and life for all your creation, you made us in your own image, and call us to new life in Jesus Christ our Saviour. Therefore we praise you, joining our voices to proclaim the glory of your name. [1]

Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; we give you thanks and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord, who on this first day of the week overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life. In our unending joy we echo on earth the song of the angels in heaven as we raise our voices to proclaim the glory of your name. [1]

Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; by water and the Holy Spirit you have made us a holy people in Jesus Christ our Lord; you renew that mystery in bread and wine and nourish us, to show forth your glory in all the world. Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the holy people who have served you in every age, we raise our voices to proclaim the glory of your name. [1]

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Saviour Jesus Christ; who on this day overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn: [2]

Prayer after Communion

Gracious God, our hands have taken holy things; our lives have been nourished by the body of your Son. May we who have eaten at this holy table be strengthened for service in your world. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. [1]

We give you thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us through the healing power of this gift of life. In your mercy, strengthen us through this gift, in faith toward you and in fervent love toward one another; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [3]

O God, we give you thanks that you have set before us this feast, the body and blood of your Son. By your Spirit strengthen us to serve all in need and to give ourselves away as bread for the hungry, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [3]

God of abundance, with this bread of life and cup of salvation you have united us with Christ, making us one with all your people. Now send us forth in the power of your Spirit, so that we may proclaim your redeeming love to the world and continue forever in the risen life of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. [3]

Gracious God, in this meal you have drawn us to your heart, and nourished us at your table with food and drink, the body and blood of Christ. Now send us forth to be your people in the world, and to proclaim your truth this day and evermore, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen. [3]

O God, our life, our strength, our food, we give you thanks for sustaining us with the body and blood of your Son. By your Holy Spirit, enliven us to be his body in the world, so that more and more we will give you praise and serve your earth and its many peoples, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen. [3]

Notes

[1] The Book of Alternative Services 1985

[2] Evangelical Lutheran Worship 2006

[2a] Evangelical Lutheran Worship: Leaders Desk Edition 2006

[3] Alternative Collects for Years A, B & C of the RCL and Seasonal Prayers over the Gifts and after Communion 2019

[4] Opening Prayers: Collects in Contemporary Language 1997

[5] Prayers for an Inclusive Church 2009

[6] Revised Common Lectionary Prayers 2002

[7] Book of Occasional Services 2003

N.B. Text in italics are possible alternatives suggested by the Ven. Richard Geoffrey Leggett, Ph.D.

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Lifting the Veil: Reflections on Luke 9.28-36

Lifting the Veil

Reflections on Luke 9.28-36

RCL Last Sunday after Epiphany C

3 March 2019

Holy Trinity Cathedral

New Westminster BC

Click here to listen to the Sermon as preached at the 10.00 a.m. Eucharist on Sunday.

Luke 9.28-36

^9.28Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³⁰Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. ³¹They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³²Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” — not knowing what he said. ³⁴While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. ³⁵Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” ³⁶When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

The mid- to late-nineteenth century was a time of religious upheaval in the churches of the Anglican Communion. Social and cultural developments such as changing attitudes towards the role of women in society and the ‘rush towards empire’ that afflicted even smaller European countries such as Belgium contributed to this turmoil. But within the Anglican world, the world that gave rise to this cathedral church building in which we are worshipping today, the most visible conflict was around worship.

In the 1830’s a group of Oxford academics had rediscovered the theology and worship of the early church and of the English church before the Reformation. Along with some of their colleagues in Cambridge they began a movement that is sometimes called the ‘High Church’ movement or the ‘Anglo-Catholic’ movement. They dared to resurrect the teachings of some of theologians and bishops of the early seventeenth century who had fallen out of favour in the years following the English Civil War. These teachers had spoken of the ‘beauty of holiness’ and they dared to bless God ‘for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for [God’s] immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory’. [1]

This movement inspired many younger clergy whose views were not always welcomed by their bishops. These new priests were often assigned parishes in the inner city, parishes whose buildings were often in need of repair and whose parishioners were among the poorer residents. These priests threw themselves into beautifying their churches and enriching the worship of the congregation with vestments and music and even incense. What these priests wanted to do was to show their parishioners who God intended them to be, beloved children of God called to share in the heavenly banquet, and to show them that beauty was not just for the wealthy and the privileged, beauty was God’s gift to every human being. For some of these young priests their motto was ‘See who you are. Become what you see.’

This work of showing us who we are and helping us become what we see has continued ever since. When I was a boy, this Sunday was called ‘Quinquagesima’ because it comes fifty days before Easter and we read the story of the healing of a blind beggar. Now it is the Last Sunday after Epiphany, a reminder that we have been hearing stories of the revelation of Christ in the lives of ordinary women and men, and we hear the story of the transfiguration, the revelation of who Jesus of Nazareth is, the Beloved of God, the Chosen, who has shared our humanity so that we can share in his divinity.

Even our attitude towards Lent which begins in three days has changed. As a boy Lent seemed to me to be a time of self-denial to remedy a year spent falling short of God’s expectations. Somehow my friends and I thought that God could be appeased by our righteousness abstinence from Brussel sprouts, spinach and other such foods as our parents tried to foist upon us. To learn that Lent from its earliest origins was about walking with those people who were going to be baptized at Easter, that Lent is about examining our priorities and, yes, perhaps giving some harmful and perhaps even some good things up, that Lent is about growing into Christ, our baptismal identity, was and continues to be a revelation.

Although the story we heard read today seems to focus on the transformation of Jesus, the dramatic change in his appearance, the real story is this. On the mountaintop Peter, James and John see Jesus as he really is. The Jesus with whom they have been travelling throughout the towns and villages of Roman Palestine is more than they could ask or imagine. The Jesus whom they call ‘Teacher’ is the Chosen in whom God reveals God’s very self. This has been true from the first day and will remain true today and tomorrow. What changes is the relationship that Peter, James and John have with Jesus. When relationships change, we are compelled to re-think, re-imagine, re-create ourselves in the light of this new relationship.

Every Sunday as we celebrate the eucharist, we say words that have the potential to change relationships and to transform ourselves. When the presider says, ‘The peace of the Lord be always with you,’ and we respond, ‘And also with you,’ we are invited to look at one another differently as we exchange a sign of that peace. If I have exchanged the peace of God with you, then how shall I live and work with you once this assembly is over? When the presider says, ‘These are the gifts of God for the people of God,’ what are the consequences of acknowledging that we who receive these precious gifts are now called to become the gift we have received? Do we ever ponder the risk we take when we ask God to forgive our sins as we forgive the sins of others?

Every Sunday, every eucharist, every gathering of the Christian people, is a time of transfiguration when, in one way or another, God speaks to us, saying ‘See who you are. Become what you see.’ Every Sunday, every eucharist, every gathering of the Christian people, is a time of transfiguration when, in one way or another, we catch a glimpse of the glory of God dwelling in the person sitting next to us, in front of us, behind us, within us, and the possibility of renewed and life-giving relationships lies open before us.

Here we are invited to behold and to participate in the beauty of holiness in order that we may see ourselves as God sees us and become agents of transfiguration wherever God sends us. Here we are empowered to go into the world to lift the veil that prevents our neighbours and friends from seeing ‘. . . all that gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ’. [2] This is what transfiguration is all about, the revelation in the lives of ordinary women, men and children of our true selves, made in the image of God, called to be agents of God’s love and reconciliation and destined for glory.

[1]The Book of Alternative Services1985, 129.

[2]The Book of Alternative Services 1985, 128.

Friday, February 22, 2019

Measurable Good, Immeasurable Blessing: Reflections on Luke 6.27-38 (RCL Epiphany 7C, 24 February 2019)

A short and simple message for a Sunday on which the good people of Holy Trinity Cathedral will gather to take counsel in our Annual Vestry.

Measurable Good, Immeasurable Blessing

Reflections on Luke 6.27-38

RCL Epiphany 7C

24 February 2019

Holy Trinity Cathedral

New Westminster BC

Click here to listen to the Sermon as preached at the 10.00 Eucharist on Sunday the 24th.

Luke 6.27-38

^6.27[Jesus said,] “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. ²⁹If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. ³⁰Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. ³¹Do to others as you would have them do to you.

³²“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. ³⁵But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. ³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

³⁷“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; ³⁸give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

Bill Burnett was Archbishop of Cape Town from 1974 to 1981. During those years the Anglican Church in South Africa was on the forefront of the religious opposition to apartheid. Burnett, who spoke both English and Afrikaans, was well-known to the government of the day for his commitment to seeing an end to racial segregation in South Africa.

Shortly after I was ordained in 1981, the year Burnett retired, I heard a story about him. I was told that he woke up one morning with the realization that he needed to ‘love the government’. Such a realization could not have come easily to a man opposed to the government’s support of white supremacy, but Burnett accepted the call he had heard.

He began by inviting government ministers and deputy ministers for coffee or breakfast, usually one on one, but occasionally in pairs or trios. I’m sure that it took some time before anyone on the government benches accepted his invitations, but eventually they did. I equally sure that the Archbishop’s guests were very surprised by the conversation they had with the Archbishop. Burnett did not harangue them or pressure them. He asked about their work and their families, about their hopes and their dreams, about their fears and their concerns for the future.

Archbishop Burnett died in August of 1994, some thirteen years after he retired from the Diocese of Cape Town. He lived long enough to celebrate the election of a black Archbishop of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu, in 1986, to see the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990 and to witness Mandela’s election as President of South Africa in April of 1994, just four months before Burnett’s death. There is a part of me that wonders whether Burnett’s quiet and unheralded initiative to ‘love the government’ contributed to the emergence of a multi-racial and increasingly democratic South Africa.

“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” [1]

I believe that we often underestimate the power of quiet acts of goodness down without expectation of reward and without any recognition. In the food court of a mall I regularly visit, the trays are taken to a central location where staff members sort the recyclable items from the compostable waste and trash, an effort to be a ‘greener’ public place. I try to thank the staff whenever I can catch their eye for what they are doing. I know that it is what they are paid to do, but what they are doing benefits all of us in one way or another. I am sometimes rewarded by a shy smile or even a ‘you’re welcome’. Mutual acts of goodness that mean we see each other for who we are, people who share this place and who need each other.

I am convinced that the accumulated weight of the acts of quiet goodness undertaken by people whom we do not know or whom we can easily ignore or with whom we share our daily lives are what sustain the world in which we live. The evils and tragedies of our times are well and truly documented, but I believe that these acts of quiet goodness bend the trajectory of human history towards the doing of justice, the loving of mercy and walking in humility before our Creator. Our acts of quiet goodness fuel the engine of God’s purposes working in and through us and bring us ever closer to that Day long desired by humanity from the first moment our species experienced self-awareness.

In the meantime there is still much to be done. The chaos and debris of human sin litter the path towards that promised Day of God’s promised reign. We zig and we zag as we navigate our way forward. But we do not lose hope even when our efforts go unrewarded, at least in worldly ways, or unnoticed by those we wish would pay some mind for all that with do. No, we do not lose hope as we proclaim to all who have ears to hear, eyes to see, hearts to love and hands to help:

Glory to God,

whose power, working in us,

can do --- and has done --- infinitely more

than we can ask or imagine.

Glory to God from generation to generation,

in the Church and in Christ Jesus,

for ever and ever. Amen.

[1]Luke 6.35-36.

Monday, February 18, 2019

Knowing the World as It Is; Hoping for What It Might Become: Reflections on Luke 6.17-26 (RCL Epiphany 6C, 17 February 2019)

On Sunday our Honorary Assistant, Neil Fernyhough, preached on living in a hope that is rooted in a realistic appraisal of the world as it is and that fuels our work towards the world as God would have it become.

Click here to listen to the Sermon as preached at the 10.00 Eucharist on the 17th.

Richard +
Vicar

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Proper Prayers for the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany (RCL Proper 6C)

Proper Prayers for the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany (RCL Proper 5C)

Jeremiah 17.5-10; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15.12-20; Luke 6.17-26

Collect of the Day

Almighty and everliving God, whose Son Jesus Christ healed the sick and restored them to wholeness of life, look with compassion on the anguish of the world, and by your power make whole all peoples and nations; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. [1]

Living God, in Christ you make all things new. Transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your glory, through Jesus Christ, our Saviourand Lord. Amen. [2]

God, you root those who trust in you by streams of healing water. Release us from the bonds of disease, free us from the power of evil, and turn us from falsehood and illusion, so that we may find the blessing of new life in you through the power of Christ. Amen. [3]

God of blessing and woe, disturbing the deadly order of the world: give us faith tested in poverty, hunger for what really satisfies, eyes softened by tears and hearts ready to laugh at all that is false and pompous, so that we might be witnesses to the dignity of life: through Jesus Christ, who turns the world upside down. Amen. [3]

O God, who alone can satisfy our deepest hungers, protect us from the lure of wealth and power; move our hearts to seek first your kingdom, so thatours may be the security and joy of those who place their trust in you. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. [4]

Prayer over the Gifts

Eternal God, you are the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers, receive all we offer you this day; turn our sickness into health and our sorrow into joy. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. [1]

Proper Preface of the Lord’s Day

Prayer after Communion

God of tender care, in this eucharist we celebrate your love for us and for all people. May we show your love in our lives and know its fulfilment in your presence. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. [1]

O God, our life, our strength, our food, we give you thanks for sustaining us with the body and blood of your Son. By your Holy Spirit, enliven us to be his body in the world, so that more and more we will you praise and serve your earth and its many peoples, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen. [3]

O God, you spoke your word and revealed your good news in Jesus the Christ. Fill all creation with that word again, so that by proclaiming your joyful promises to all nations and singing of your glorious hope to all peoples, we may become one living body, through Jesus Christ who with you and the Holy Spirit live and reign, God for ever and ever. Amen. [6 alt.]

Holy God, you gather the whole universe into your radiant presence and continually reveal your Son as our Saviour. Bring healing to all wounds, make whole all that is broken, speak truth to all illusion and shed light in every darkness, so that all creation will see your glory and know your Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. [6 alt.]

Sources

[1] The Book of Alternative Services 1985

[2] Evangelical Lutheran Worship 2006

[3] Trial Use Collects for Years A, B & C and Seasonal Prayers over the Gifts and after Communion 2016

[4] Opening Prayers: Collects in Contemporary Language 1997, 1999, 2001

[5] Prayers for an Inclusive Church 2009

[6] Revised Common Lectionary Prayers 2002

N.B. When a word or phrase appears is italicized in a liturgical text, it is an alteration made by the Ven. Richard Geoffrey Leggett to the original text.

Monday, February 11, 2019

Casting Our Lines: Reflections on Luke 5.1-11 (RCL Epiphany 5C, 10 February 2019)

On the 5th Sunday after Epiphany our Deacon, Carole Neilson, preached at both the 8.00 and the 10.00 eucharists.

Click here to listen to Carole's sermon as preached at the 10.00 Eucharist on Sunday the 10th.

Richard +
Vicar

Friday, February 1, 2019

Time and Timelessness: Reflections on Luke 2.22-40 (Presentation of the Lord, 3 February 2019)

Time and Timelessness

Reflections on Luke 2.22-40

Presentation of the Lord

3 February 2019

Holy Trinity Cathedral

New Westminster BC

Click here to listen to the Sermon as preached at the 10.00 Eucharist on Sunday the 3rd.

Luke 2.22-40

^2.22When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), ²⁴and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. ²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, ²⁸Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, ²⁹“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; ³⁰for my eyes have seen your salvation, ³¹which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, ³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

³³And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed ³⁵so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed — and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

³⁶There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

³⁹When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.

One of the deepest mysteries we encounter in our lives is the mystery of time. We are aware of time both as something that can be measured and as something that transcends measurement. Even as we calculate seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades and centuries, we area aware that certain moments of our lives are timeless, moments when it seems the earth stops spinning on its axis and pauses in its journey around the sun.

The writers of the New Testament scriptures used two different words to describe our experience of time. Chronoswas used to describe measurable time. This word lives on when we speak of chronologyor chronometersor chronic. The other word they used was kairos. Kairosmeans the ‘right time’ or ‘kingdom time’ or ‘a quality of time’. Jesus uses this word many times in the gospels when he is speaking about the coming of the reign of God at the ‘right’ time or in ‘God’s’ good time.’

These two aspects of time come to the fore in today’s gospel. Mary and Joseph come to the Temple at the ‘appointed’ time, forty days after Jesus’ birth --- chronos. Simeon and Anna come to the Temple to participate in the appointed times for prayer and sacrifice --- chronos. But all four are soon to have an experience of kairos, a moment when God’s promised reign, long-awaited by the Jewish people, will break in upon them. Time will stand still and ‘the dawn from on high will break upon [them]’.

For Simeon and Anna their patience in waiting to see the fulfillment of God’s promise to send the Messiah will be rewarded. They will hold in their arms the living, breathing embodiment of God’s covenant with the people of Israel. In this child the promises God made to Adam, to Noah, to Abraham and to Moses are honoured and the future secured.

For Mary and Joseph their faithfulness and courage in saying ‘yes’ to God’s heavenly messengers is affirmed. Their child will be ‘a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to [God’s] people Israel’. In this child ancient walls of prejudice will be torn down and all of humanity will have the opportunity to know the Holy One of Israel, the Author of creation, the Source of all life and love. At the same time God speaks through Simeon to warn Mary and Joseph --- and to you and me --- that believing that Jesus is the Messiah will bring sorrow and conflict as well as joy and reconciliation. Time stands still, if only for a moment, and then chronospulls the Holy Family and the disciples of Jesus away to follow a path that will lead to the cross and the resurrection.

Today we join Simeon and Anna, Mary and Joseph, in the mystery of God’s kairosrevealed in our chronos. Sunday has come again and forty days have past since our Christmas celebrations. The pages of our calendars, whether digital or print, have turned to follow the rhythm of chronos, some might even say the tyranny of chronos. By noon today most if not all of us will be gone and doing whatever our diaries tell us needs to be done. It will be just another Sunday in Metro Vancouver.

Or will it be just another Sunday? Is it possible that in the midst of our chronosGod’s kairosmight slip in to surprise us? Perhaps there will be someone here among us for the first time to be a light to us. Perhaps some word or phrase in a prayer or a hymn or a reading from the scriptures will catch our attention and be glory to us. All we have done before today, all our regularity in worship, all our familiarity with the faces and the customs of this community, so measured, so predictable, have prepared us to be surprised by grace, to be drawn out of earthly time into the timelessness of God’s reign.

The candles we bless today are tokens, reminders that the Light that enlightens the whole creation comes unexpectedly. Like Simeon and Anna, like Mary and Joseph, we do what is appointedin the hope that the ordinary chronosof our lives will be disrupted and transformed by the extraordinary kairosof God.

So be ready. Be prepared. For the time may just be a-changing into the timelessness of God.

Monday, January 28, 2019

Suggested Prayers for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany (RCL Proper 4C --- 3 February 2019)

Proper Prayers for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany (RCL Proper 4C)

Jeremiah 1.4-10; Psalm 71.1-6; 1 Corinthians 13.1-13; Luke 4.21-30

Collect of the Day

Living God, in Christ you make all things new. Transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one god, now and for ever. Amen. [1]

Almighty and ever-living God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope and love; and so thatwe may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord. Amen. [2]

Provoking God, calling us through the face of the Other: free our fickle hearts from our need to divide and exclude both the foreign and the misfit; lead us through the storms of rage to a clear and new beginning; through Jesus Christ, whom hatred cannot touch. Amen. [3]

Loving God, who has formed us and known us from our mother's womb, may we discern your call to us, so that we may recognize your call to others. In the name of him who calls us from our homes to the ends of the earth. Amen. [3]

Prophetic God, strengthen and encourage us to hear those who speak your uncomfortable truths and who challenge our dearest prejudices, so that we may know and heed prophets of our age; through Jesus, the son of Joseph. Amen. [3]

God of salvation, in your Prophet, Jesus the Christ, you announce freedom and summon us to conversion. As we marvel at the grace and power of your word, enlighten us to see the beauty of the gospel and strength us to embrace its demands. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. [4]

O God of all the prophets, you knew us and chose us in the womb. Fill us with faith that speaks your word, hope that does not disappoint, and love that bears all things for your sake, until that day when we shall know you fully, even as we are known by you who lives and reigns with the Word and the Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. [6 alt.]

Prayer over the Gifts

God of steadfast love, may our offering this day, by the power of your Holy Spirit, renew us for your service. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. [1]

Proper Preface of the Lord’s Day

Prayer after Communion

Source of all goodness, in this eucharist we are nourished by the bread of heaven and invigorated with new wine. May these gifts renew our lives, so thatwe may show your glory to all the world, in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. [1]

O God, our life, our strength, our food, we give you thanks for sustaining us with the body and blood of your Son. By your Holy Spirit, enliven us to be his body in the world, so that more and more we will you praise and serve your earth and its many peoples, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen. [3]

Sources

[1] The Book of Alternative Services 1985

[2] Evangelical Lutheran Worship 2006

[3] Trial Use Collects for Years A, B & C and Seasonal Prayers over the Gifts and after Communion 2016

[4] Opening Prayers: Collects in Contemporary Language 1997, 1999, 2001

[5] Prayers for an Inclusive Church 2009

[6] Revised Common Lectionary Prayers 2002

N.B. When a word or phrase appears is italicized in a liturgical text, it is an alteration made by the Ven. Richard Geoffrey Leggett to the original text.