II Christmas

Let Us Pray For…

Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA)
The Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns (Missionary Bishop)
Anglican Church of Nigeria


Prayer Petitions
Let us give thanks for the Convocation of Anglicans in North America. Let us pray that the recent protections by the secular courts will draw attention to CANA’s mission so that it may continue unhindered as faithful promoters of the Anglican Way in North America.

WHS

From the Scriptures
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.

Isaiah 61:1-4 (ESV)

A Guiding Prayer
ALMIGHTY God, who hast poured upon us the new light of thine incarnate Word; Grant that the same light enkindled in our hearts may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

“The Second Sunday after Christmas Day,” The Book of Common Prayer (USA, 1928)

A Heritage Reflection
“Just as we recognize the existence at once of fire and the light which proceeds from it: for there is not first fire and thereafter light, but they exist together. And just as light is ever the product of fire, and ever is in it and at no time is separate from it, so in like manner also the Son is begotten of the Father and is never in any way separate from Him, but ever in Him.”

St. John of Damascus (c. 676-749)
Exposition of the Orthodox Faith

California CCP Churches - Supreme Court Ruling on Monday

Please pray for...

California CCP congregations as they wait for the State Supreme Court ruling on their properties, which will be announced on Monday Morning.

h/t The Anglican Curmudgeon blog

January 1st, 2009

Please pray...

That God will bless the Common Cause Partners to obey His will and to know and love Jesus the Savior.

In the 1928 Book of Common Prayer (USA), January 1st is The Circumcision of Christ. This observance emphasizes Christ's obedience to the Law of Moses, so that He would be the perfect sacrifice to fulfill the Law for us. This is reflected in the

Traditional Collect:

ALMIGHTY God, who madest thy blessed Son to be circumcised, and obedient to the law for man; Grant us the true circumcision of the Spirit; that, our hearts, and all our members, being mortified from all worldly and carnal lusts, we may in all things obey thy blessed will; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Revised Common Lectionary observes this day as The Holy Name of Jesus. Here the emphasis is with the Angel's instruction that Joseph and Mary call their child Yeshua, a name meaning "God saves" or "God is salvation." Jesus role as Savior is extolled in the

Contemporary Collect:

Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Both Propers include a selection from

Paul's Letter to the Philippians:

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death--
even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
(2:5-11)

I Christmas

Let Us Pray For…

Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC)
The Rt. Rev. Donald Harvey (Moderator and Chair)
Anglican Province of the Southern Cone


Prayer Petitions
Let us give thanks for the Anglican Network in Canada’s role in the formation of the Anglican Church in North America. Let us pray for ANiC clergy and congregations as they face tribulations in the coming weeks and months. May their witness inspire other orthodox Anglicans to stand for the faith once delivered. May God continue to bless and expand the ministry of ANiC.

WHS

From the Scriptures
I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Galatians 4:1-7 (ESV)

A Guiding Prayer
ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin: Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace. may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

“The First Sunday after Christmas Day,” The Book of Common Prayer (USA, 1928)

A Heritage Reflection
“And so have we here now in one both twain His natures. ‘God sent His Son’—there His divine; ‘made of a woman,’—here His human nature….And here now at this word, ‘made of a woman,’ He beginneth to concern us somewhat. There groweth an alliance between us; for we also are made of a woman.”

Bishop Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626)
Sermons, Vol 1

Christmas Day

From the Scriptures
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Hebrews 1:1-4 (ESV)

A Guiding Prayer
ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only. begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

“The Nativity of our Lord, or the Birthday of Christ, commonly called Christmas Day,” The Book of Common Prayer (USA, 1928)

A Meditation
As we celebrate this most joyous of occasions, let us remember that the birth of our Lord in inseparable from his life, death, resurrection, ascension, and Second Coming. As the Litany reads:

By the mystery of thy holy Incarnation; by thy holy Nativity and Circumcision; by thy Baptism, Fasting, and Temptation,
Good Lord, deliver us.

By thine Agony and Bloody Sweat; by thy Cross and Passion; by thy precious Death and Burial; by thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension, and by the Coming of the Holy Ghost,
Good Lord, deliver us.

As we sing the familiar carols of Christmas—so many which are known by heart—and we hear their familiar tunes on the streets and in the stores, let us recall some of those second and third verses that tie the Sacred Birth to our redemption:

“Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.”

“O holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray!
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us to-day.
We hear the Christmas angels,
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!”

“Come, Desire of nations come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the Woman's conquering Seed,
Bruise in us the Serpent's head.
Adam's likeness now efface:
Stamp Thine image in its place;
Second Adam, from above,
Reinstate us in thy love.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,
Glory to the Newborn King.”



A Heritage Reflection
“For it is thus that thou wilt both controvert them in a legitimate manner, and wilt be prepared to receive the proofs brought forward against them, casting away their doctrines as filth by means of the celestial faith; but following the only true and stedfast Teacher, the Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who did, through His transcendent love, become what we are, that He might bring us to be even what He is Himself.”

St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Bishop and Martyr (d. ca. 202)
Against Heresies

Prayer Request - Anglican Network in Canada

Please pray for...

the 4 Niagara ANiC parishes appearance in court in Hamilton Tuesday, December 23rd at 10 a.m.

Please pray for their lawyer, Peter, that he may convince the judge of their position regarding court costs and the impact it would have on these churches; also that they may find favour in the eyes of Justice Millanetti.

IV Advent

Let Us Pray For…

Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA)
The Rt. Rev. Charles Murphy (Senior Bishop)
Anglican Church of the Province of Rwanda


Prayer Petitions
Let us give thanks to God for blessing the AMiA with growth, and let us give thanks that the AMiA is a part of the Anglican Church in North America. Let us also pray that, as with Blessed John the Baptist, we will all be so careful, especially in These Days, to take the attention off of ourselves, and point everyone to our Lord, whose sandals we are unworthy to untie.

WHS

From the Scriptures
And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John 1:19-28 (ESV)

A Guiding Prayer
O LORD, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and 'deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, world with out end. Amen.

“The Fourth Sunday in Advent,” The Book of Common Prayer (USA, 1928)

A Heritage Reflection
“For when we Christians speak of tradition, we mean the experience of the Christian community lying authentically within that which God through Christ has handed over for the revelation of himself and the salvation of men and women everywhere.”

Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey (1904-1988)
The Anglican Spirit