1st Sunday in Advent: Isaiah 63:16-17, 19; 64:2-7; Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37 ~ blameless at Christ’s return

1st Sunday in Advent

+ In the name the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening prayer:

AdventWreath

Advent begins today. During the first part of the season, the Church focuses on the end of time, when Christ will come in glory.
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Rend the heavens and come down, O God of all the ages! Rouse us from sleep, deliver us from our heedless ways, and form us into a watchful people, that, at the advent of Your Son, He may find us doing what is right, mindful of all You command. Grant this through Him whose coming is certain, whose day draws near: Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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A Reading from the Old testament: Isaiah 63:16-17, 19; 64:2-7 (NLT)

Surely you are still our Father! Even if Abraham and Jacob would disown us, Lord, you would still be our Father. You are our Redeemer from ages past. Lord, why have you allowed us to turn from your path? Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you? Return and help us, for we are your servants, the tribes that are your special possession.
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Sometimes it seems as though we never belonged to you, as though we had never been known as your people.
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As fire causes wood to burn and water to boil, your coming would make the nations tremble. Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame!

When you came down long ago, you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked! For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! You welcome those who gladly do good, who follow godly ways.

But you have been very angry with us, for we are not godly. We are constant sinners; how can people like us be saved? We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind. Yet no one calls on your name or pleads with you for mercy. Therefore, you have turned away from us and turned us over to our sins.
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 (NLT)

Show us your mighty power. Come to rescue us! Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.
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Take care of this grapevine that you yourself have planted, this son you have raised for yourself. For we are chopped up and burned by our enemies.
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Then we will never abandon you again. Revive us so we can call on your name once more. Turn us again to yourself, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.
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A Reading from the Letters: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 (NLT)

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through him, God has enriched your church in every way — with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
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A Reading from the Gospels: Mark 13:33-37 (NLT)

And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!

“The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return — in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”
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Intercessions:

O God, our ever-present help, come to us now in this our time of trouble. Lord, hear our prayers:

+ For believers everywhere who wait for the Lord’s coming – that this Advent may help us prepare…. Lord, hear us.
+ For all the people who look forward to the celebration of Christmas – that Christ’s heart and mind may find a place to dwell in our lives…. Lord, hear us
+ For the nations where there is no peace, especially Israel, Palentine and the Middle East – that war may soon become a distant memory…. Lord, hear us.
+ For people suffering because of sickness and disease – that they may experience healing and support from the people of God…. Lord, hear us.
+ For all who are infirmed in mind or body – that they may know Christ’s healing power…. Lord, hear us
+ For people trying to rebuild their lives after any betrayal of trust – that they may feel the tender love of Christ, on whom they can rely…. Lord, hear us.
+ For all those who have died in Christ – that God’s light may shine on them and on all who grieve their loss…. Lord, hear us.

God of hosts, Your hand protects Your chosen people: listen to our prayers, we ask You, through Christ our Lord. Amen
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Benediction:

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. (Revelation 22:20-21)

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Morning Prayer: 29 Nov – Revelation 22:6-21 ~ Jesus is coming again!

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

Revelation 22:6-21 (ESV) – to be read aloud

And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

Reflection

THE FOURTH VISION: THE NEW JERUSALEM (21:9-22:5)

Epilogue (22:6-21)

In this passage, we hear the voice of Christ… who sets forth two major themes: the authenticity of the book as a divine revelation, and the imminence of the end. (Mounce, p. 402)

The reliability of Revelation: The words that relate the visions of things to come… are worthy of belief because they correspond to realty…. The source of the revelation is the Lord, who is further described as “the God of the spirits of the prophets….” John insists that his visions of the end constitute genuine prophecy. Under the impulse of the Holy Spirit he has faithfully recorded what God has revealed concerning the end of all things (cf. 1:3; 19:10). Further, he attests that he has actually heard and seen all the things recorded in the book…. They are prophetic and intended to be heard and understood. (Mounce, 403-5)

The end is near: Since the time is near, the message of judgement and hope is to be proclaimed among the churches. This raises once again the problem of a postponed consummation…. One of the most helpful suggestions is that the Apolcolypse has a two-fold perspective: it is concerned with the struggle between Christ and Antichrist that comes to a climax at the end of the age, but this struggle also existed between church and state in the first century and has surfaced in history whenever the state has made totalitarian demands. Thus the time has always been at hand. The tension of imminence is endemic to that span of redemptive history lying between the cross and the parousia. (Mounce, p. 406)

Rewards in heaven: The distribution of rewards on the basis of works is taught throughout Scripture (see Jer 17:10; Rom 2:6; 1 Pet 1:17). The reward will be spiritual blessedness to the righteous but judgement for those who are evil. It is the quality of a person’s life that provides the ultimate indication of what that person really believes…. Eternal life is the reward of faithfulness in the face of the great tribulation. (Mounce, p. 406-7)

Jesus Christ: The “Alpha and Omega” sets him apart from the entire created order…. The “Root and Offspring of David” identifies him as the promised Messiah. The “bright Morning Star” is a promise that the long night of tribulation is all but over and that the new eschatological day is about to dawn…. It is the testimony of the church empowered by the Holy Spirit that constitutes the great evangelizing force of this age…. The threefold use of the present imperative (“come/let him come”) serves to extend the invitation until that very moment when history will pass irrevocably into eternity and any further opportunity for decision will be past. (Mounce, 407-9)

Maranatha: The longing for the Lord’s coming stands at the heart of the Christian faith; apart from Christ’s return, his redemptive work remains forever incomplete. His return is the only sure hope for the future of the world. (Ladd, p. 296)
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Jesus is coming, He’s coming again / Jesus is coming again
Jesus is coming, He’s coming again / Jesus is coming again

Just as He went, He’ll come back in a cloud
We’ll hear the sound of a trumpet loud
Heavenly warriors and angels of praise
Will sing of His glory that triumphant day

The groom is preparing a place for His bride
There for eternity close to His side
Awaiting the words His Father will say
Go get Your bride for the wedding’s today
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Canticle

Christ, as a light – illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield – overshadow me.
Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Peanut Gallery: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.

This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).

The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) On Sundays, we’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

Morning Prayer: 28 Nov – Revelation 22:1-5 ~ the river of life, Eden restored

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 22:1-5 (ESV) – to be read aloud

In this mixed media textile by artist Karen Goetzinger, each element was chosen for its particular meaning and ties to Revelation 21. For instance, the layered organdy fabric making up the city skyline is a fabric often used in wedding dresses, evoking the description of the holy city, “coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (21:2). The patchwork fabric at the base of the piece evokes the precious jewels decorating the New Jerusalem (21:19-20), and the gold leaf cross in the center illuminates the city, for “the city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp” (21:23). Karen Goetzinger, Revelation 21. Mixed Media Textile. Collection of Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minnesota. © Karen Goetzinger, www.karengoetzinger.com. — In this mixed media textile by artist Karen Goetzinger, each element was chosen for its particular meaning and ties to Revelation 21. Mixed Media Textile. Collection of Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minnesota. © Karen Goetzinger, http://www.karengoetzinger.com.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Reflection

THE FOURTH VISION: THE NEW JERUSALEM (21:9-22:5)

Eden restored (22:1-5)

Throughout chapter 21 John has been using the imagery of a magnificent city to describe the people of God in the glorious age to come. While the first five verses of chapter 22 continue that description, they also portray the eternal state os Eden restored, thus “book-ending” the Christian Bible…. Now in Revelation we see redeemed humanity back in the garden, able to eat the bountiful fruit of the tree of life. The curse has been removed, and God’s people are again privileged to “see his face” and serve him. No greater good or more joyous truth could be imagined than eternal fellowship with God and the Lamb! Truly, the unimaginable blessings of Eden have been restored. (Mounce, p. 398)

In divine providence, our Bible ends with the ultimate restoration of the original creation. Paul teaches that although the creation is currently in bondage to decay, it nevertheless eagerly awaits the time when it will be liberated from this bondage. This will take place when the children of God are brought into the glorious future prepared for them (Rom 8:19-21). Although sin has marred the history of the human race, God has, through the redemption wrought by his Son, set into motion a new humanity. In the present age he rules the hearts of all who have turned to him in faith: in the age to come that reign will find it’s full completion. Sin will be forever removed and the design of Eden will be fully realized. The book of Revelation is the final chapter in God’s eternal plan for his children. It portrays in imagery of the most evocative kind the glorious future of all who resist the mark of the beast and turn in believing faith to the Lamb. It brings us full circle to the original desires of God in his creation of all that is (Mounce, p. 401)
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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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THANKSGIVING: My Moms Chose Adoption ~ “9 Things You Should Know About Adoption” (Reblog – The Gospel Coalition)

Peanut Gallery – 74 years ago my two moms (birth and adoptive) chose adoption and here I sit married for 48 years with two children and eight grandchildren and we are all most grateful for the choices these women made. Life itself is the greatest gift of all – sine qua non. The following article summarizes the current state of adoption in our country. I was one of the fortunate ones. Thank you moms.
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9 Things You Should Know About Adoption – click for original article

Each year in November, the President of the United States issues a proclamation to announce National Adoption Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness of the need for adoptive families and to encourage citizens to become involved in the lives of children and youth in foster care. Here are nine things you should know about adoption in America:

1. Adoption has been and remains rare. Between 1973 and 2002, the percentage of ever-married women 18–44 years of age who had adopted a child fluctuated between 1.3 and 2.2 percent. Men were twice as likely as women 18–44 years of age to have adopted a child. Among ever-married persons, men (3.8 percent) were more than 2.5 times as likely as women (1.4%) to have adopted.

2. Relinquishment of infants at birth is extremely rare. Only 1 percent of children born in the United States in 1996–2002 to women 18–44 years of age as of 2002 were relinquished for adoption within their first month of life.

3. Surveys reveal that women currently seeking to adopt would prefer to adopt a child younger than two years old, without a disability, and a single child rather than two or more siblings. (Two-thirds of women would not accept a child 13 years of age or older or a child with a severe disability.) The data also suggest that women would prefer to adopt a girl rather than a boy.

4. In 2012 there were 397,122 children in foster care and 101,666 waiting to be adopted. The average age of a child in foster care waiting to be adopted was 7.8 years old. The average age of children in foster care being adopted was 6.3 years old.

5. On average, a child will wait three years in foster care awaiting adoption. About 55 percent of these children have had three or more placements with foster care families, and 33 percent had changed elementary schools five or more times, losing relationships and falling behind educationally.

6. In 1851 Massachusetts passed the Adoption of Children Act, the first modern adoption law in America. The law is considered an important turning point because t required judges to determine that adoptive parents had “sufficient ability to bring up the child” and that “it is fit and proper that such adoption should take effect.”

7. The beginning of the foster care concept in America was the Orphan Train Movement. Between 1854 and 1929, as many as 250,000 children from New York and other Eastern cities were sent by train to towns in midwestern and western states, as well as Canada and Mexico. According to the Adoption history project, families interested in the orphans showed up to look them over when they were placed on display in local train stations, and placements were frequently made with little or no investigation or oversight.

8. Each year thousands of U.S. citizens adopt children from abroad. In 2013, Americans adopted 7,092 children from abroad. The total number of intercountry adoptions from 1999 to 2013 was 249,694. According to UNICEF, approximately 13 million have lost both parents.

9. The Child Welfare Information Gateway, a government-funded adoption information service, estimates the average U.S. adoption costs of various types of adoptions:

Intercountry Adoptions — $15,000 – $30,000

Independent Adoptions — $8,000 – $40,000+

Licensed Private Agency Adoptions — $5,000 – $40,000+

Facilitated/Unlicensed Adoptions — $5,000 – $40,000+

Public Agency (Foster Care) Adoptions — $0 – $2,500

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Joe Carter is an editor for The Gospel Coalition and the co-author of How to Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History’s Greatest Communicator. You can follow him on Twitter.

Morning Prayer: 27 Nov – Revelation 21:9-27 ~ the holy city

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 21:9-27 (ESV) – to be read aloud

The New Jerusalem (Tapestry of the Apocalypse) Angers — The New Jerusalem
(Tapestry of the Apocalypse)
Angers

Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed — on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Reflection

THE FOURTH VISION: THE NEW JERUSALEM (21:9-22:5)

The Holy City (21:9-27)

The presentation of the New Jerusalem, the eternal dwelling place of God and his people, is described in terms that would delight the first readers of Revelation for whom a beautiful and abundant city would symbolize everything that is necessary for complete satisfaction. (Mounce, p.388)

The holy city: The holy city coming down from God out of heaven should be understood as a “real event’ within the visionary experience…. The descent is an announcement in visionary terms of a future event that will usher in the eternal state. That the city comes down from God means that the eternal blessedness is not an achievement of people but a gift from God…. As the holy city descends from heaven, it glitters with a shimmering radiance that manifests the presence and glory of God…. The juxtaposition of the twelve tribes and the twelve apostles shows the unity of ancient Israel and the NT church…. The best interpretation of the measuring of the city is that the apocalyptist is “struggling to express by symbols the vastness, the perfect symmetry, and the splendor of the new Jerusalem. (Mounce, p. 389-92)

The overall picture is of a city of brilliant gold surrounded by a wall inlaid with jasper and resting upon twelve foundations adorned with precious gems of every color and hue. The city is magnificent beyond description. As the eternal dwelling place of God and his people, it is described in language that continually attempts to break free from its own limitations in order to do justice to the reality it so imperfectly describes. (Mounce, p. 389-95)

No temple: In the heavenly city there is no temple…. The temple is replaced by “the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb….” The final state toward which this points is eternity itself, where the presence of God the Father and the Lamb permeates and sanctifies all that the heavenly Jerusalem symbolizes…. The heavenly city has no need of sun or moon to shine because it is illuminated by the glory of God. (Mounce, p. 395)

Open gates: The gates of the New Jerusalem stand open because with the demise of evil security measures are no longer necessary…. Through these open gates the kings of the earth bring the glory and honor of the nations. The reference is of the choicest of earthly treasures. Once again we are to think of the imagery, not in a literal sense, but in its symbolic significance…. Those who enter the city are not the wicked and deceitful but those whose names have been written in the Lamb’s book of life. In the imagery of this paragraph the people with free access to the city are one with those who dwell within it. (Mounce, p. 397)
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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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