If in any year [as in 2002] there be twenty-six Sundays after Trinity, the service for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany shall be used on the Twenty-fifth Sunday.
so that on the Sunday immediately before Advent Sunday the appointed Collect, Epistle and Gospel for "the Sunday next before Advent" can be used for those who use the ancient Eucharistic Lectionary in the BCP:
O God, whose blessed Son was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil, and make us the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life: Grant us, we beseech thee, that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves, even as he is pure; that, when he shall appear again with power and great glory, we may be made like unto him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost, he liveth and reigneth, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
The Epistle: 1 John 3:1-8 The Gospel: St Matthew 24:23-31
This Collect was written by Bishop Cosin in 1661 for the BCP of 1662 and is an excellent example of 17th century writing of a compact prayer for public worship.
The Prayer begins by the people of God recalling in the presence of God the Father Almighty some of the primary reasons why his only-begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, became Incarnate of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Three are stated - to destroy the works of the devil, to make us sons (children) of God, and to make us the heirs of eternal life.
St John tell us that "for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy (literally "loose", apply a solvent to) the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). Jesus successfully resisted the temptations of the devil in the wilderness, was continually casting devil/demons out of sick people, and saw his sacrificial death upon the Cross as the final part of his battle with the devil. The death of Jesus, instigated by the devil, was in the wisdom of God the great means of defeating the devil. Of his apostles he said, "In my name they shall cast out devils" (Mark 16:17).
Those who believe on the name of the Lord Jesus are forgiven, justified and made the children of God by adoption and heirs of eternal life with the same Lord Jesus in heaven. "If children then heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17).
The Son of God's Incarnation and Saving Work has a twofold aspect. It is both destructive and creative - destructive of sin which is in origin the devil's work, and creative of divine sonship & eternal life, which is in totality divine work.
From recollection of the purpose of the Incarnation, the prayer turns to petition, basing the petition on the declaration of Christian hope already expressed - "sons of God and heirs of eternal life." We pray that "we may purify ourselves even as he is pure" and that "we shall be made like unto him."
Purification corresponds to the destructive work of Christ - to remove & destroy sin in order to be purified. "As Christ was manifested to destroy sin by his sacrificial blood of the Cross, grant that we, fully cooperating with his grace, may destroy sin in ourselves." (Cf. 2 Corinthians 7:1).
Being made like him in the resurrection of the dead for life in heaven corresponds to the creative and renewing work of the Father through Jesus Christ by the Holy Ghost. "We know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2).
The conclusion of the Collect is different from others because of its specific invocation of the First (the Father) and Third (the Holy Ghost) Persons of the Blessed, Holy and Undivided Trinity - "with Thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost." It has the effect of placing the minds of the petitioners in front of the eternal throne, prostrating themselves in a spirit of adoration before the LORD God, the Father, in Christ Jesus the Son and by the Holy Ghost, unto ages of ages.
The Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon
No comments:
Post a Comment