Advent Chapel

Christmas morning

adventchapel — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 11:30:26 +0000

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.
- Philippians 2:5-11

O God our Father,
whose Word has come among us
in the Holy Child of Bethlehem,
may the light of faith illumine our hearts
and shine in our words and deeds;
through him who is Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

God and man today become
More in tune than fife and drum,
So be merry while you play,

Tu-re-lu-re-lu,
Pat-a-pan-a-pan,
So be merry while you play,
Sing and dance this Christmas day!

Christmas Eve – at night

adventchapel — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 22:00:43 +0000

I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day a Saviour, Christ the Lord.
-Luke 2.10-11

Eternal God,
this holy night is radiant
with the brilliance of your one true light.
As we have known
the revelation of that light on earth,
bring us to see the splendour of your heavenly glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Therefore let our gathering
Now sing in brightness
Let it give praise to the Lord:
Greeting to our King.

Advent Devotional: Saturday, December 24th

adventchapel — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:30:34 +0000

(Wondering what this is? For more information, see the introduction.)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. – John 1

We live in turbulent times. The newspapers are filled with stories about war, political scandal, famine, natural disasters. There is poverty and discord in our cities and in our homes. But “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Goodness is stronger than evil. “There have been tyrants, and murderers,” said Ghandi, “and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it–always.” The message of Christ is similar to this. In the long view of history, the way of God – the way of love, always prevails.

O that birth for ever blessed,
when the virgin, full of grace,
by the Holy Ghost conceiving,
bare the Saviour of our race,
and the babe, the world’s redeemer,
first revealed his sacred face,
evermore and evermore.

This Advent devotional is intended to help you enter into the season of advent. We hope you enjoy it! Many thanks to the Rev. Paul Jennings for his help putting these reflections together.

Advent Devotional: Friday, December 23rd

adventchapel — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:30:48 +0000

(Wondering what this is? For more information, see the introduction.)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;
for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created,
things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—
all things have been created through him and for him.
He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
so that he might come to have first place in everything.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. – Colossians 1

The uniqueness of Jesus is that He is at once fully God and fully human. We do not worship a god who is far away, but the One who is near to us in our human glory and frailties, who walked among us in the flesh. It is in Him that our everyday lives are lifted up and become sacred places. Our jobs, our relationships, our hobbies, our occasions for celebration and mourning all become infused with holy meaning because Christ is the bridge where the mundane encounters the divine. What does it mean to you that God has reconciled the world to Himself in Christ?

Of eternal love begotten,
ere the worlds began to be,
he is Alpha and Omega,
he the source, the ending he,
of the things that are, that have been,
and that future years shall see,
evermore and evermore.

This Advent devotional is intended to help you enter into the season of advent. We hope you enjoy it! Many thanks to the Rev. Paul Jennings for his help putting these reflections together.

Advent Devotional: Thursday, December 22nd

adventchapel — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:30:48 +0000

(Wondering what this is? For more information, see the introduction.)

Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings;
lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,
lift it up, do not fear;
say to the cities of Judah, Here is your God!
See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms,
and carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead the mother sheep. – Isaiah 40

In our competitive society today, values like love, care and compassion tend to be perceived as signs of weakness as opposed to strength. And yet, this joyful passage tells us that almighty and powerful God tends lovingly and gently to His sheep. True strength comes from the lifting up of all peoples: from solidarity, from love and from compassion. What would our society look like if we sought after power in this way? How would it change our politics, our workplace, and our relationships?

Angels, announce with shouts of mirth
Christ who brings new life to earth.
Set every peak and valley humming
With the word, the Lord is coming.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Lord, is on the way.

This Advent devotional is intended to help you enter into the season of advent. We hope you enjoy it! Many thanks to the Rev. Paul Jennings for his help putting these reflections together.

Advent Devotional: Wednesday, December 21st

adventchapel — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:30:05 +0000

(Wondering what this is? For more information, see the introduction.)

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
Come, my heart says, seek his face!
Your face, Lord, do I seek.
Do not hide your face from me.
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord! – Psalm 27

It is so easy to get distracted. We want to do the good and right thing but our attention is pulled in another direction and the opportunity passes. This passage pulls us back to our true desire, bringing us back to our search for God “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” We are encouraged to hope for the goodness that we long for, to take courage during the wait for better times, and to rely on the strength of God in the meantime. Waiting, as we do during Advent, can give us the time and opportunity to retreat inward, growing closer to ourselves and to God, and to let distractions fall away.

Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim
One more light the bowl shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather,
Bright as sun and moon together.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the star, is on the way.

This Advent devotional is intended to help you enter into the season of advent. We hope you enjoy it! Many thanks to the Rev. Paul Jennings for his help putting these reflections together.

Advent Devotional: Tuesday, December 20th

adventchapel — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:30:43 +0000

(Wondering what this is? For more information, see the introduction.)

But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.
You are precious in my sight, and honoured, and I love you. – Isaiah 43

Advertising works very hard to make us believe that we are not good enough. T.V. commercials and beauty magazines brag of the benefits of the latest anti-wrinkle cream, hair growth formula or weight-loss fad. We push ourselves to achieve at work, because our status depends on our productivity. But this is not how God measures our worth. We are precious in God’s sight for no other reason than that we are created in God’s image, and God loves us. Meditate on this passage, keeping in mind that God is speaking to you personally, and means every word.

Birds, though you long have ceased to build,
Guard the nest that must be filled.
Even the hour when wings are frozen
God for fledging time has chosen.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the bird, is on the way.

This Advent devotional is intended to help you enter into the season of advent. We hope you enjoy it! Many thanks to the Rev. Paul Jennings for his help putting these reflections together.

Journey of the Magi by T.S. Eliot

adventchapel — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:30:43 +0000

'A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.'
And the camels galled, sore-footed,
     refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the
     terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.

Then the camel men cursing and
     grumbling
And running away, and wanting their
     liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the
     lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns
     unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high
     prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all
     night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears,
     saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a
     temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of
     vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill
     beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped in
     away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with
     vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for
     pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no imformation, and so
     we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment
     too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say)
     satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I
     remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This:  were we led all that way for
Birth or Death?  There was a Birth,
     certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt.  I had
     seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different;
     this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like
     Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these
     Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old
     dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their
     gods.
I should be glad of another death.

– T.S. Eliot

Advent Devotional: Monday, December 19th

adventchapel — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:30:02 +0000

(Wondering what this is? For more information, see the introduction.)

My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’ – Luke 1

Mary is rejoicing because she has been entrusted with bringing Christ, the Son of God, into the world. The Eastern Orthodox Church calls her the theotokos, the “God-bearer.” She is truly blessed with the sacred responsibility of this task. Like our sister, Mary, we too are “God-bearers,” entrusted with bearing Christ into the world. What does it mean to bring forth the light and goodness of our lives? How can we accomplish this?

Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,
One more seed is planted there:
Give up your strength the seed to nourish,
That in course the flower may flourish.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the rose, is on the way.

This Advent devotional is intended to help you enter into the season of advent. We hope you enjoy it! Many thanks to the Rev. Paul Jennings for his help putting these reflections together.

Love

adventchapel — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 13:30:25 +0000

love and other foolishness

love
in a young girl’s song;
fearful,
determined,
hopeful,
bursting.
love
in a mother’s song;
tender,
embracing,
challenging,
stern.
love
is god’s song;
curious yet timid,
playful and wondering,
coming among us again.
we light a candle for love.

Poem by Katherine Hawker, found at http://www.liturgyoutside.net