In the Reformed Calendar of the Church of England printed in The Book of Common Prayer (1662) there is one festival commemorating the birth of a saint (St John Baptist), one commemorating the new birth of a saint (St Paul) and many commemorating the birth by death of saints into eternal life [“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” Psalm 116:15.]
In the medieval Calendar of the Ecclesia Anglicana (Church of England), there were two festivals for St John the Baptist, one for his birth (June 24) and one for his death (August 29, the Beheading of John the Baptist).While the commemoration of his death is noted in the Reformed Calendar it is not made into a festival there.
Thus why did the Reformers choose to retain the festival of his birth rather than that of his beheading?
The answer is suggested by the Collect composed to replace that in the medieval Sarum Rite. First, the Sarum Collect:
God, who by the nativity of the blessed John [the Baptist] hast made this day honourable amongst us; Grant unto thy people the grace of spiritual joys, and direct the minds of all the faithful into the way of eternal salvation. Through the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Second, the BCP Collect:
Almighty God, by whose providence thy servant John Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of thy Son our Saviour, by preaching of repentance; Make us so to follow his doctrine and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and after his example constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth’s sake; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The key is in the statement that John was “wonderfully born”. The first chapter of the Gospel of Luke presents the story of his conception and birth. His mother was past child-bearing age but she conceived after his father was visited by an angel from heaven who announced that he would have a son, who would have a unique vocation. Further, this son had already been the subject of prophecy from prophets of the old covenant. The Epistle Reading from Isaiah 40:1-12 for this Day is one of these prophecies and the other is from Malachi (3:1 & 4:5). Thus John the Baptist was miraculously born, to be the last prophet of the old covenant to prepare the way of the Messiah, a vocation which had been prophesied by O T prophets and declared supernaturally by an archangel.
To continue with an application to Anglicans.
The petition which at the center of this Collect is well suited in 2004 to be a fervent prayer of Anglicans in the West/North and especially in North America. Make us so to follow his doctrine and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and after his example constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth’s sake.
There surely needs to be repentance on a deep and large scale by all Episcopalians and Anglicans [even the so-called orthodox] as they turn away from the errors, heresies, immorality, imperfect liturgies and bad canon law into which their provinces have plunged. Then, cleansed by the blood of Jesus, prophets amongst them need to speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, as need are prepared to suffer patiently for the truth as it is in, with and through Jesus Christ the Lord.
The Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon.),
Christ Church, Biddulph Moor & St Anne's, Brown Edge
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