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Morning Devotion for the Season of Advent
December 20, 2023
Invitatory
Our King and Savior now draws near: Come let us adore him.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Prayer for the candidates from the Book of Common Prayer Confirmation Liturgy:
Almighty God, we thank you that by the death and
resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ you have overcome sin
and brought us to yourself, and that by the sealing of your
Holy Spirit you have bound us to your service. Renew in
these your servants the covenant you have made with them at their
Baptism. Send them forth in the power of that Spirit to
perform the service you set before them; through Jesus Christ
your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Meditation-Rebecca Northington
Many of you may be thinking, ‘why are we reading Confirmation Liturgy five days from Christmas.’ Or more specifically, ‘why are we reading a prayer focused on Christ’s death as we prepare for his birth.’ For Redeemer this year, Confirmation happens on Epiphany and all of the preparations for that service must be taken care of before Christmas and the quiet that follows. The Bishop has requested short letters from each confirmand that include answers to these two questions: What does confirmation mean to you, and who is Jesus to you? Winnie has tirelessly collected these letters and she and I have held a handful of make-up classes, including one on the night of December 18th.
Who is Jesus to you is actually an incredible question for the season of Advent, and one, I would venture to say, that could cause consternation for many of us. The month of December is a production of immeasurable energies: monies, foods/drinks, consumption, abundance, festivities, music, lights, colors, and celebrations. Who and where is Jesus in the midst of it all?
Two of the kids we met with this past Monday evening approached the question with appropriate awe. One of them described an energy, a force, an aura, that was always with us-giving us strength and guidance. Winnie aptly suggested that that might be the Holy Spirit, one part of the Trinity with us. Another student considered Jesus in Heaven watching over us, in us, and through us; in this way helping us to stay on track, to make the right decisions, and to treat people according to the two most important commandments: to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to love God above all. This concept gave this student strength and courage.
Somehow kids know how to synthesize that which we make too complicated as adults. These discussions in this season seem more than timely. They help us to reorient ourselves to the true miracle of Christmas: Jesus.
On page 845 in the Book of Common Prayer you will find a section titled: An Outline of the Faith. It is one of those secret gems that make our prayer book so un-common. It asks and answers questions, for example: what are we by nature, what is meant by a covenant with God, what is our duty to God, what is sin, what is the new covenant, what is the Holy Spirit, what is the Church, who are the ministers of the Church, what is prayer, what is the Christian hope, what do we mean by heaven and hell, what is our assurance as Christians? These are huge questions and yet the answers are almost as short as the questions, and are open-ended as to expand your understanding of the faith beyond measure. Who is Jesus to you, the Bishop asks. An Outline of the Faith helps to contextualize what your answer means within the Church and beyond.
The 10 pm service on Christmas Eve is one of the most moving services of the year. All the noise of the season seems to dissipate as the service goes on, and by the time we sing Silent Night it is as though we all, in corporate worship (explained on page 857), comprehend to the extent humanly possible, who Jesus is to us. We are bound together by this love that comes from beyond any one of us individually, but which can be found in all of us, “through Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.”
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
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