Monthly Archive for November, 2008

Advent: do nothing!

Published on November 30, 2008 in liturgy and spirituality. Closed Tags: , , , , , , , .

Happy New Year!
Well for Western Christians anyway – we start the new church year on Advent Sunday, the Sunday that falls between November 27 and December 3. (Orthodox start the church year September 1).

From the late 4th century CE to the late Middle Ages, much of Western Europe, including Great Britain, engaged in a period of fasting beginning on the day after St. Martin’s Day, November 11. This fast period lasted 40 days, and was, therefore, called “Quadragesima Sancti Martini”, which means in Latin “the forty days of St. Martin.” At St. Martin’s eve, people ate and drank very heartily for a last time before they started to fast. This fasting time was later called “Advent” by the Church.
Wikipedia St Martin’s Day

These 40 days do not end up at Christmas – someone might help explain to me how that works. There are still some who continue this fasting tradition, encouraged by the rule given by Saint Francis of Assisi to lay people to live in the year 1221.

The Nativity Fast, is a period abstinence and penance practiced by the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches, in preparation for the Nativity of Christ, (December 25). The fast is similar to the Western Advent, except that it runs for 40 days instead of four weeks. The fast is observed from November 15 to December 24, inclusively.

Sometimes the fast is called Philip’s Fast (or the Philippian Fast), as it traditionally begins on the day following the Feast of St. Philip the Apostle (November 14).
Wikipedia Nativity Fast

At least I can count the 40 days to Christmas here!

In any case, this might me a moment to make a fresh start – a new year’s resolution – in our spiritual discipline. There is plenty on this site to help. I have just been forwarded the following two excellent lectio divina resources to add to what is already here:
Lectio Divina on the daily eucharistic Gospel readings
Lectio Divina on the Sunday Gospel readings (free download).

Another suggestion: reflect on the great Advent hymns
Come thou long expected Jesus
O come, O come, Emmanuel
On Jordan’s Bank, the Baptist’s Cry
Lo, He comes with clouds descending

Most important – during Advent: do less. Do nothing for Advent!

Advent wreath badge

Published on November 29, 2008 in liturgy and spirituality. Closed Tags: , , , , , .

Advent 1Many people like, from time to time, to add a badge to their website or blog. So if there is interest in this I will produce a new badge each week of Advent. If you like the idea – send your friends the URL of this blog post.

The HTML for adding this badge to your blog or website is:

The Archbishop of Canterbury on Advent

Published on November 28, 2008 in liturgy and spirituality. Closed Tags: , , , , .

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, gives his reflections on Advent: “It is a time of expectation and a time of hope. A time, therefore, also of quiet”.

An Infinity of Little Hours – book review

Published on November 27, 2008 in liturgy, liturgy of the hours and spirituality. Closed Tags: , , , , .

An Infinity of Little Hours: Five Young Men and Their Trial of Faith in the Western World’s Most Austere Monastic Order (Hardcover)
by Nancy Maguire (Author) 288 pages
Publisher: PublicAffairs (March 6, 2006)

Nancy Klein Maguire has written a book I could not put down.
This is the story of five men who entered Parkminster at the start of the 60s. I kept track of their names – and the changed names within the monastery, and significant details, on a small bookmark.

In the 60s, only one monk is described as having electricity in his cell. There is no power in the church. The monks, surprisingly, write their scripture, quotes, notes, and reflections on scraps of paper, backs of envelopes, and magazines.

The story begins, Chapter 1, with a Trappist novice ringing the bell rope of the Gatehouse. He is described as wearing “the white and black habit of a Trappist novice”. Trappist novices wear white – no black. It made me wonder for some time about the accuracy of what was to follow. But from then on we are presented with a carefully documented and at times, I found, deeply moving account of five men journeying to the eleventh century in order to journey to God. It is the result of years of emailing, interviewing, and research. Only in one phrase can you work out which of the five she is married to. [The only other possible error I noticed was St Bernard is quoted p103 - I recognise the quote from Eckhart - did St Bernard also say this?]

There is much in the book that is familiar, for those of us who have been interested in Carthusians. For those new – this might now be the best place to start. There were new things I did not know: four candlesticks by the altar (p57). I had never heard of Antiquior. There was mention of a stage when Vermont only had 1 monk (p15)

Warnings:

Don’t read this book if you want your Carthusians plaster-cast “saints”. Here they are “warts & all”: fights over chanting, petty misunderstandings, breakdowns, “Dom Columba” stating Dom Leo “is no monk”… Don’t read this book if you want to think of the present Carthusians as never reformed. I did not know that the broken sleep & Night Office so central to Carthusian charism and life is only of fifteenth century origin, not from their foundation.

The book is written as an account of a lifestyle that in its view since Vatican II is no more:” Maguire has produced a vivid, gripping, and deeply touching picture of a world that is now lost.” (back cover)

Read this book if you appreciate real people living messy, complicated lives like yours & mine & trying to find God in this – in the book’s case with heroic focus. Read this book if you are more concerned with a small eternal solid core than ephemeral changes on the surface.

The book begins with a quote from Soren Kierkegaard:

“Of this there is no doubt, our age and Protestantism in general may need the monastery again, or wish it were there. The “monastery” is an essential dialectical element in Christianity. We therefore need it out there like a navigation buoy at sea in order to see where we are, even though I myself would not enter it. But if there really is true Christianity in every generation there must also be individuals who have this need.”

That quote was a gift to me from this book. The people in the book live it. And the book shows how we too can be part of the story.

Liturgical colour/color

Published on November 26, 2008 in liturgy. Closed Tags: , , , , , , .

Please can you scroll down the sidebar and answer what colour you/and or your community used last Sunday, November 23. (update 18 December: that poll has now been removed and has been written about here).

The liturgical colour suggested in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, like so much else here, is not mandatory. Whilst under the lectionary page on Liturgical Colours (p.95) White is suggested for Festivals of Our Lord, for last Sunday, November 23, Green is primarily suggested, with Red in square brackets. White, the normal colour for the Feast of Christ the King, is not even provided as an option!

Christ the KingThis is the Anglican Church of Or. I was at a meeting of clergy and senior lay persons last Friday, when one suddenly blanched. He was a visiting preacher at the Sunday service – and he had prepared on the assumption that the Gospel reading would be from Matthew 25. The titles for the Sunday here (and I’m limiting it here to the English language ones) are 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Proper 29, Christ the King, the Reign of Christ, Sunday before Advent, Aotearoa Sunday, Feast of Christ in All Creation. The Gospel readings suggested were Matt 25:31-46, Mark 4:26-34, John 1:1-5,10-14,18, or Mark 16:14-20! [Not to mention BCP 1662: John 6:5-14, and the two year series NZPB p. 641: Matthew 24:32-44 - both of these are formularies of our church]. Take your pick!

Please can you quickly click on which colour/color you and/or your community used last Sunday, November 23. Thank you. This is the first survey on this site – a bit of a learning curve!

More Advent resources

Published on November 26, 2008 in liturgy and spirituality. Closed Tags: , , , .

For those who are seeking still more Advent resources. Here are some from all around the web:

Free websites showcase & resources

Published on November 26, 2008 in liturgy. Closed Tags: , , , , , .

Showcase

The following illustrate putting into practice my Make your own free, simple website quickly
If you want your site to be considered for a future showcase, please send me the web address.

St Andrews Anglican Church, Cambridge The vicar, Rev. Andrew Hedge, tells me it took him a couple of hours to produce this website from scratch following my instructions, never having used wordpress previously!

Most of that has been experimenting with different themes, playing around with photos for the banners and learning the system.

I like the way the tabs are easily made, by making pages and not just posts.

Your instructions were helpful to get started and I soon found my way through the tabs at the bottom of the “Write – Pages” page to learn how to control comments etc. I particularly found your instructions about making the front page a static page very helpful. I think that without that information I probably would have lost interest in the usefulness of Wordpress because it would have appeared to just be a site for continual blogging.

Andrew found that some images were slow to load. Reducing the resolution and image file size prior to uploading may help that and not affect the final look in any way. That, of course, also takes time!

Andrew wanted to put an email address on the site. I am very wary about putting an email address straight onto the internet unless you have good filters for spam. You can, of course, rewrite email addresses: liturgy.co.nz AT gmail DOT com, or similar. There are also instructions for encrypting an email address here and here. Another way I suggested is to leave comments “open” on a contact page and just moderate the comments – never placing them on the site with an introduction to that effect. Andrew has followed that suggestion here.

Another very attractive site produced following my instruction is the “work in continual progress” by Union Presbyterian Church. This also makes very good use of Google Maps which will be explained in the resources.

And of course there also continues to be my original parish of St Isidore of Seville.

Resources

There are a number of simple, free, online resources that quickly enhance and enlarge your website:

  • I have already mentioned You Tube. After joining you can upload video clips. You can embed videos onto your website – copy and paste what is in the “embed” window to the right of the video clip onto where you want it to go on your site. This is a good example.
  • Flickr is a similar site for photographs. After joining you can upload photos from events, groups, leadership. These can be set for public or private. You can put links from your site to individual photos or a collection of photos.
  • Picasa is similar to Flickr but part of Google. You can see a good example of its use as a link on the bottom of this post of mine.
  • Yahoo Groups can powerfully expand your site. You can store documents, photos, organise calendars, and have a variety of discussions organised into threads. You could have a number of different groups linked to your site. They can be moderated, partially moderated, or a free for all. They can even be a service-outreach beyond your community providing a place for safe discussion or advice…
  • Google Groups are similar to Yahoo Groups but part of Google.
  • Google Maps can be used well to indicate where your community meets.
  • Facebook is a very popular social networking site. You can form a group or have a page in relation to your site and/or community. You can even raise money through “causes”.
  • Bebo is similar to Facebook. You will need to ascertain which is more appropriate for your context. Or both.
  • And you may go even more powerfully – and create your own social networking site – your own ning.

Don’t forget

Your free, simple, powerful website has its own “Blog stats” on your dashboard so you can see what is working and what is not. A thousand people have already visited my St Isidore’s parish site!
And also – don’t forget to link your site to “Liturgy” www.liturgy.co.nz
And if you want to have your site considered for a future showcase – email the URL to me.
Write about this post and the introduction. Let others know about this site and what it offers.

What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church? A Parable

Published on November 25, 2008 in liturgy. Closed Tags: , , .

Sourced from Beyond Relevance

Jesus was an Episcopalian – book review

Published on November 24, 2008 in liturgy and spirituality. Closed Tags: , , , , , , .

Jesus Was An Episcopalian (And You Can Be One Too!): A Newcomer’s Guide to the Episcopal Church (Paperback)
by Rev. Chris Yaw (Author) 168 pages
Publisher: LeaderResources (July 24, 2008)

There is one main suggestion that I have for this book: Chris Yaw needs to bring out another version with the title changed to Jesus Was An Anglican. In the midst of far too much gloomy, inward-looking Anglicanism (sorry – Episcopalianism), this book is a breath of fresh air. A book I would unreservedly hand to someone interested in “Anglican” or “Episcopalian”. There are genuinely laugh-out-loud moments. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu writes, “Yes, the Lord has a sense of humor, that is why God created Anglicans! Thank you my friend for this light-hearted and generous invitation to inquirers.”

” How lovely! It has so many nice quotes from the Prayer Book.” Episcopalian after reading the Bible

Nowhere does the book descend to the stuffiness that some might associate with Anglicans/Episcopalians. I appreciate its missional starting point – the book begins not from history or internal structures, but with God using us to make a difference in the world. It is honest about the birth pangs into a new context. It is serious about the significance of being allowed (called!) to use our brains. (With its quote that 53% of Americans “believe God created humans in their present form exactly as described in the Bible” – by the way only 1% more than believe in astrology – the use of one’s mind in discerning a variety of genres in the Bible may be a difficulty for some).

denominationsWhen it does come to history, I’m appreciative that Chris Yaw doesn’t start, as too many do, at Henry VIII, but instead starts with the founder of the church being Jesus. Comfortable as I am with the mixed motives and mess of church history, I, for one, have little interest in belonging to a church founded relatively recently by an English king. (”Old Catholics” also provide a helpful critique of the “Branch theory of Christianity”)

Structure, theology, and specifically Anglican approaches are well covered. The plethora of Episcopalian terminology is clearly and simply defined. Layout and images are clear, helpful, and appropriate.

This book is ideal for a number of contexts: individual reading for ideas and illustrations (I used a point from it, and let people know about the book in my Christ the King sermon yesterday), study groups, those interested in and/or new to Anglicanism/Epicopalianism. An intelligent, fun, fair, positive introduction to a prophetic denomination that is far far more influential than our numbers would suggest. I recommend it.

********
Chris Yaw runs a blog: Through a mirror dimly
You can even buy “Jesus was an Episcopalian” shirts, caps, and mugs!

Awaiting the Christ Child

Published on November 23, 2008 in liturgy and spirituality. Closed Tags: , , , .

Thanks to my e-friend Christine Sine

Advent Wreath

Published on November 22, 2008 in liturgy. Closed Tags: , , , , .

Advent wreathRecently I provided resources for Blessing the Advent Wreath, including a new Advent Wreath hymn/song. Common Worship provides prayers at the Advent Wreath related to the lectionary:

Advent 1 The Patriarchs
Advent 2 The Prophets
Advent 3 John the Baptist
Advent 4 The Virgin Mary

Christmas Day The Christ

The prayers reproduced below reflect these four themes.

The second, third and fourth prayers in each case are written with children in mind, and the third is to be said by the congregation together. Only one prayer need be used on any occasion, though the second and third fit well together in each case.

ADVENT 1

Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord, God of our ancestors:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
You called the patriarchs to live by the light of faith
and to journey in the hope of your promised fulfilment.
May we be obedient to your call
and be ready and watchful to receive your Christ,
a lamp to our feet and a light to our path;
for you are our light and our salvation.
Blessed be God for ever.

God of Abraham and Sarah,
and all the patriarchs of old,
you are our Father too.
Your love is revealed to us in Jesus Christ,
Son of God and Son of David.
Help us in preparing to celebrate his birth
to make our hearts ready for your Holy Spirit
to make his home among us.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
the light who is coming into the world. Amen.

Lord Jesus, Light of the world,
born in David’s city of Bethlehem,
born like him to be a king:
Be born in our hearts at Christmas,
be king of our lives today. Amen.

People of God: awake!
The day is coming soon
when you shall see God face to face.
Remember the ways and the works of God.
Christ calls you out of darkness
to walk in the light of his coming.
You are God’s children.
Lord make us one as we walk with Christ
today and for ever. Amen.

ADVENT 2

Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord, just and true:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
Of old you spoke by the mouth of your prophets,
but in our days you speak through your Son,
whom you have appointed the heir of all things.
Grant us, your people, to walk in his light,
that we may be found ready and watching
when he comes again in glory and judgement;
for you are our light and our salvation.
Blessed be God for ever.

God our Father,
you spoke to the prophets of old
of a Saviour who would bring peace.
You helped them to spread the joyful message
of his coming kingdom.
Help us, as we prepare to celebrate his birth,
to share with those around us
the good news of your power and love.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
the light who is coming into the world. Amen.

Lord Jesus, Light of the world,
the prophets said you would bring peace
and save your people in trouble.
Give peace in our hearts at Christmas
and show all the world God’s love. Amen.

People of God: be glad!
Your God delights in you.
giving you joy for sadness
and turn the dark to light.
Be strong in hope therefore;
for your God comes to save.
You are God’s children.
Lord make us one in the love of Christ
today and for ever. Amen.

ADVENT 3

Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord, just and true:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
Your prophet John the Baptist was witness to the truth
as a burning and shining light.
May we your servants rejoice in his light,
and so be led to witness to him
who is the Lord of our coming kingdom,
Jesus our Saviour and King of the ages.
Blessed be God for ever.

God our Father,
you gave to Zechariah and Elizabeth in their old age
a son called John.
He grew up strong in spirit,
prepared the people for the coming of the Lord,
and baptized them in the Jordan to wash away their sins.
Help us, who have been baptized into Christ,
to be ready to welcome him into our hearts,
and to grow strong in faith by the power of the Spirit.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
the light who is coming into the world. Amen.

Lord Jesus, Light of the world,
John told the people to prepare,
for you were very near.
As Christmas grows closer day by day,
help us to be ready to welcome you now. Amen.

People of God: return!
You are called to be God’s own.
From the mountains announce the good news.
God comes in justice and peace,
to all who follow his ways.
You are God’s children.
Lord make us one in the peace of Christ
today and for ever. Amen.

ADVENT 4

Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord, merciful and gentle:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
Your light has shone in our darkened world
through the child-bearing of blessed Mary;
grant that we who have seen your glory
may daily be renewed in your image
and prepared like her for the coming of your Son,
who is the Lord and Saviour of all.
Blessed be God for ever.

God our Father,
the angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary
that she was to be the mother of your Son.
Though Mary was afraid,
she responded to your call with joy.
Help us, whom you call to serve you,
to share like her in your great work
of bringing to our world your love and healing.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
the light who is coming into the world. Amen.

Lord Jesus, Light of the world,
blessed is Gabriel who brought good news;
blessed is Mary your mother and ours.
Bless your Church preparing for Christmas;
and bless us your children who long for your coming. Amen.
People of God: prepare!
God, above all, maker of all,
is one with us in Christ.
Maranatha!
Come, Lord Jesus!

God, the mighty God,
bends down in love to earth.
Maranatha!
Come, Lord Jesus!

God with us; God beside us,
comes soon to the world he has made.
Maranatha!
Come, Lord Jesus!

We are God’s children,
we seek the coming Christ.
Maranatha!
Come, Lord Jesus!

CHIRSTMAS DAY

Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord, King of Peace:
to you be praise and glory for ever
The new light of your incarnate word
gives gladness in our sorrow,
and a presence in our isolation.
Fill our lives with your light,
until they overflow with gladness and praise.
Blessed be God for ever.

God our Father,
today the Saviour is born
and those who live in darkness are seeing a great light.
Help us, who greet the birth of Christ with joy,
to live in the light of your Son,
and to share the good news of your love.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
the light who has come into the world. Amen.

Lord Jesus, Light of Light,
you have come among us.
Help us who live by your light
to shine as lights in your world.
Glory to God in the highest. Amen.

People of God: shout and sing!
Tell the good news of peace on earth.
Lord, bring us today into Christ’s peace.
All God’s people say / shout:
Amen.

Angels dance
and the bright star shines.
All creation bows to the Lord of all.
Lord, bring us today into Christ’s light.
All God’s people say / shout:
Amen.

One with us,
yet born to save,
he will show us the way to God.
Lord, bring us today into Christ’s love.
All God’s people say / shout:
Amen.

People of God: shout and sing:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Amen.

Copyright (c) The Archbishops’ Council 2006

The full Common Worship Advent resource (PDF)

Mount Calvary Retreat House and Monastery destroyed in fire

Published on November 20, 2008 in liturgy, liturgy of the hours and spirituality. Closed Tags: , , , .

Mount Calvary MonasteryMount Calvary Monastery and Retreat House was destroyed in the Montecito Tea Fire fire last week. The fire started November 13. It destroyed 210 homes in the cities of Montecito and Santa Barbara. The seven Benedictine Episcopalian (Anglican) monks, staff and retreatants were all safe.

Everything was lost, including a magnificent 17th century South American gold altar, a 1652 painting of Jesus healing the paralytic, and a painting of Fr. Karl Tiedemann, OHC who founded the monastery in 1947. The monks belong to the Order of the Holy Cross, who live in a Covenant of Friendship with the Roman Catholic order, the Camaldolese. The two orders have had a joint monastery. I was blessed to have spent time with the Order of the Holy Cross and the Camaldolese – photos and other information is to be found on this site.

Mount Calvary monksThe International Herald Tribune reported that Brother Radelmiller, the prior, 68, was the only one to get his habit, with the six-inch-long ebony cross he received at his ordination 38 years ago tucked into the pocket. “I keep running into little things that I’d missed,” he said, “things I had not realized I’d lost.” He began to cry quietly, then took a breath, saying: “But I really do feel like the most important thing is that we’re all O.K. and together. If they’re memories, I’ll just have to remember them. The most important thing is us.”

The brothers have accepted hospitality at St. Mary’s Retreat House, run by the Episcopal Order of Sisters of the Holy Nativity. Let us remember and pray for the monks, their life, witness, ministry and discernment for the future, and all affected by these fires.

Br. Randy’s photos

Elizabeth I & Mary I

Published on November 19, 2008 in liturgy and spirituality. Closed Tags: , , , , , .

Mary & ElizabethIn this week in which we celebrate 450 years since the death of Queen Mary I, and of Queen Elizabeth I ascending the throne (November 17), it is worth remembering the inscription on their shared tomb in Westminster Abbey:

Partners in throne and grave, here we sleep, Elizabeth and Mary, sisters, in hope of the Resurrection.

They shared the same father. One had a protestant mother, the other a Roman Catholic one. Both were crowned in the Abbey in which they are now buried. Both lived in turbulent religious times. The history, symbolism, and inscription provides much food for thought – even in this age.

Image: (L to R) Queen Mary I by Master John, Queen Elizabeth I attributed to Nicholas Hillard (National Portrait Gallery)

Christ the King – Catholics and Anglicans share prayer

Published on November 19, 2008 in liturgy and liturgy of the hours. Closed Tags: , , , , , , .

Christ the KingOnce again Episcopalians (Anglicans) and Roman Catholics will pray a similar prayer. This Sunday, November 23, is the Feast of Christ the King. Episcopalians will pray:

Almighty and everlasting God,
whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son,
the King of kings and Lord of lords:
Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin,
may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

This is Howard Galley’s translation of the pre-Vatican II Roman Missal collect for the feast of Christ the King:

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui in dilecto Filio tuo, universorum Rege, omnia instaurare voluisti: Concede propitius, ut cunctae familiae Gentium, peccati vulnere disgregatae, eius suavissimo subdantur imperio; qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

After Vatican II, the Roman Catholic Church moved the feast day and altered the double purpose clauses:

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus,
qui in dilecto Filio tuo, universorum Rege,
omnia instaurare voluisti,
concede propitius,
ut tota creatura, a servitute liberata,
tuae maiestati deserviat ac te sine fine collaudet.

ICEL (1973) translates this as:

Almighty and merciful God,
you break the power of evil and make all things new
in your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe.
May all in heaven and earth
acclaim your glory
and never cease to praise you.

This is the first time time that the origin of Anglicans and Roman Catholics praying a similar collect on the same day is clear to me. The collect clearly is attached to the feast of Christ the King. Recently I have noted four times when Anglicans and Roman Catholics pray the same collect without any explanation yet of how that occurs:

October 26
October 12
October 5
August 31

Kiwi Anglicans have another collect assigned to the feast of Christ the King. They are allowed to vary the collect from the one suggested, and so I encourage them to join the majority of Christians praying the above this coming Sunday, even if it is in the NZPB version:

Let us pray (in silence) [that the reign of Christ may live in our hearts and come to our world]

pause

Almighty and eternal God,
you have made of one blood all the nations of the earth
and will that they live together
in peace and harmony;
so order the course of this world
that all peoples may be brought together
under Christ’s most gentle rule;

through Jesus Christ our Lord
who is alive with with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God now and for ever.
Amen.

NZPB p. 637b

Commentary on the collect

Let us widen the circle that prays this prayer together on Sunday beyond Catholics and Anglicans.

Advent wreath blessing

Published on November 16, 2008 in liturgy. Closed Tags: , , , , , .

Lord our God, we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ.
He is Emmanuel, the hope of all peoples;
he is the wisdom that teaches and guides us;
he is the Saviour of every nation.

O God, let your blessing come upon our community gathered here before you.

Bless us (+) and our advent wreath (+)

May the light that shines forth from them illumine our way as we journey towards Christmas;
may the light that shines forth from them illumine our lives as we wait in hope for the birth of the Christ-child.

We ask this through Christ who is the Light of the World.
Amen.

This prayer is adapted from the ecumenical one found at the website of the Anglican Roman Catholic Commission of Aotearoa New Zealand (ARCCANZ).

A full service focused around this rite has been placed at “A blessing of the Advent Wreath” and can easily be adapted to different contexts.

Further prayers at the Advent Wreath for each Sunday and Christmas Day

Advent wreath song

Anglican parish priest Doug Chaplin of the wonderful blog MetaCatholic has produced an Advent wreath song. There is a verse for each Sunday of Advent, and one for Christmas Day. It can be combined with other forms of prayer quite easily. If you want to use it, please do, but with an attribution. The tune is Personent Hodie.

Take this light, let it shine:
call of God, love divine,
summons old Abram’s line,
hope for all the nations
gift of God’s salvation.

Shine, O candles, shine,
Burn with love divine,
to the night,
comes the light
of the Father’s glory.

Take this flame, let it burn:
prophets called: “From sin turn,
come to God, evil spurn:
God will love and pardon,
bear away your burden.”

Take this wick, let it glow
for the one come to show
way of God, Christ to know:
baptise in the river,
new life to deliver.

Take this spark, let it blaze,
Mary’s called: girl amazed,
now says yes, God be praised.
In the womb of woman,
God’s Word now is human.

Take this fire, let it flame,
God is born in our frame,
sinless child tastes our shame,
sin’s might he is breaking;
new the world is making.