The personal writings of a liberal Anglo-Catholic living in Halifax
Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter, and was a fisherman when Jesus called him to be one of his disciples.
Collect of the Day: Almighty God, who didst give such grace unto thy holy Apostle Saint Andrew, that he readily obeyed the calling of thy Son Jesus Christ, and followed him without delay: Grant unto us all, that we, being called by thy holy word, may forthwith give up ourselves obediently to fulfil thy holy commandments; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Happy New Liturgical Year!
The First Sunday in Advent, the first candle is lit as we await the coming of Christ. ๐ฏ
Collect: Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, now and ever. Amen.
Advent Prose (Rorate caeli / Drop down, ye heavens) (https://youtu.be/A2aKSpxFymQ)
Hymn: Lo! He comes with clouds descending (https://youtu.be/jjn3fBTvBjY)
My stubbornness of all violet candles (no pink) for the Advent wreath (and by extension, violet and not blue for the Advent season) is a matter for another time. But if youโre an avid follower of this blog, that should not come as a surprise.
Today is the Sunday Next Before Advent, the last Sunday before Advent. It is often called โStir-up Sundayโ for the opening words of the collect for this day. ๐ฅฃ
Collect: Stir Up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Part of the tradition is to start making Christmas puddings today for Christmas. I brought in my Christmas pudding batter to church, and had members of the congregation help me stir it up. ๐ฅฃ๐๐ฅฎ๐จโ๐ณ
Margaret was an Anglo-Saxon princess who became the consort of King Malcolm III of Scotland in 1069. Margaret is chiefly remembered for her efforts on behalf of Scotlandโs poor. She not only gave out large sums of money but also ensured that institutions already in place did indeed provide relief for the homeless, the hungry, and the orphaned.
Collect: O God, you gave to your servant Margaret such faithfulness as Queen of Scotland that she cared for the poor and relieved the needs of those who lay in prison. Grant us a like devotion, whatever the service to which you call us, that we may be agents of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Collect: Grant to us, O God Most High, the gifts of wisdom and understanding, that following the teaching of your servant Richard Hooker, we may cleave without compromise to those saving doctrines on which the faith of your Church is founded, and order all else most fittingly by the rule of love and the bond of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Richard Hooker was an English priest who died in 1600, and we remember him today as a theologian who defended the Church of England and its choice of โthe middle wayโ (via media) between Roman Catholic and Puritan ideologies.
Hooker was educated at Oxford University and devoted himself to scholarship and reflection on the subtle points of theology.
He is mainly remembered for the one great work that he wrote, entitled Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. This work was addressed to the Puritans because they sought to purify the Church of England according to their own narrow reading of the Bible. Against this movement Hooker argued for a more liberal outlook, which coordinated the testimony of Scripture, the course of Christian history, and the values of human reason, in order to defend the English Church as a communion for all peoples, not just a small group of โsaints.โ
His defence of Anglicanism is now commonly known as the Three-Legged Stool of Anglicanism, (Scripture, Reason, and Tradition) and has been accepted as the cornerstone of the Anglican faith.
โWhat Scripture doth plainly deliver, to that the first place both of credit and obedience are due; the next whereunto, is what any man can necessarily conclude by force of Reason; after this, the voice of the church succeedeth. That which the Church by her ecclesiastical authority shall probably think and define to be true or good, must in congruity of reason overrule all other inferior judgements whatsoeverโ (Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie)
Psalm: 121 Levavi oculos (Sung by the Choir of Kingโs College, Cambridge)
1st Lesson: Isaiah 43. 1-7
2nd Lesson: 1 Corinthians 15. 50-end
Hymn: Christ, enthroned in highest heaven (French Church Melody, c. 16th cent) (https://youtu.be/Lrn3NcqA2ms)
Collect of the Day: Most merciful Father who has been pleased to take unto thyself our brethren departed: Grant to us who are still in our pilgrimage, and who walk as yet by faith, that having served thee faithfully in this world, we may, with all faithful Christian souls, be joined hereafter to the company of thy blessed Saints in glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.
Collect during the Octave of All Saints: O Almighty God, who hast knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of thy Son Christ our Lord: Grant us grace so to follow thy blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys, which thou hast prepared for them that unfeignedly love thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty God, on this Commemoration of the faithfully departed, we pray for those who have left this mortal world. We pray to thee for those whom we love but see no longer. Grant them thy peace; and in thy loving wisdom and almighty power, work in them the good purpose of thy perfect will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We pray for all the victims of COVID-19, taken from us prematurely. We pray for all the faithful departed and that we will be one day united with them in the Kingdom of Heaven. We pray for the forgotten dead, who have no graves or markers.
Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. Amen.
O Sing unto the Lord a new song: let the congregation of saints praise him.
(Setting: Evening Service in G, Charles Villiers Stanford)
Psalms: 146 (Lauda, anima mea) & 149 (Cantate Domino) (Sung by the Chichester Cathedral Choir)
1st Lesson: Ecclesiasticus 44. 1โ15
2nd Lesson: 1 Corinthians 1. 1โ8
Hymn: For All the Saints (Walsham How/Vaughan Williams) https://youtu.be/mvXDY4HHC1o
Collect of the Day: O Almighty God, who hast knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of thy Son Christ our Lord: Grant us grace so to follow thy blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys, which thou hast prepared for them that unfeignedly love thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
High Anglican Haligonian 