Advent – B&C Productions

Saint Andrew’s Day

We now commemorate the first saint for the year! It is fitting for an apostle who was the very first one called by our Lord, Jesus Christ.

For today, the collects/prayers will stack up where we have the collect for St Andrew’s Day and the collect for the First Sunday in Advent:

Classic 1662 Collect	B&C P’s modernisation
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 the holy commandments; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.	Almighty God, you gave such grace to your holy Apostle Saint Andrew that he readily obeyed the call of your Son Jesus Christ, and followed him without delay [and brought his brother with him]: Give us, who are called by your holy Word, grace to give ourselves up obediently to fulfil your holy commandments; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. NOTE: The phrase in brackets has been added from a modern version for theological clarity.*
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 Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.	Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your 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 living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Epistle Reading

…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
    and their words to the ends of the world.”

But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
    with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”

Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
    I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
Romans 10:9-21 (ESV)

The Gospel Reading

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Matthew 4:18-22 (ESV)

We are now in the season of Advent which is also the liturgical new year. Throughout Advent, we prepare ourselves for Jesus’ first and second arrival by repenting of our sins. This is reflected in the collect for the season:

Classic 1662 Collect

B&C P’s modernisation

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 Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your 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 living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Collect for First Sunday in Advent

Epistle Reading

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Romans 13:8-14 (ESV)

Gospel Reading

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
Matthew 21:1-13 (ESV)

Additional link

If you would like a short reflection to accompany the collect and readings, click here.

Collect for the Fourth Sunday in Advent

O Lord, we pray that you raise up your power and come among us, and mightily help us; and, as we are sorely hindered by our sins from running the race that is set before us, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through the satisfaction of your Son our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

The above is a collect that B&C P modernised from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer for the Fourth Sunday in Advent.

The epistle reading is:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV)

The gospel reading is:

Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”
They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
John 1:19-28 (ESV)

The Collect for the Third Sunday in Advent

I am going to do something different for this post – a little comparison of the collect for the Third Sunday in Advent of the 1662 Prayer Book, the 2019 Prayer Book and an excerpt of B&C P’s version of the collect (as the rest of it is similar to the 2019) with some reflection before proceeding to the traditional Epistle and Gospel readings for the collect:

Book of Common Prayer 1662

O Lord, Jesu Christ who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

Book of Common Prayer 2019

O Lord Jesus Christ, you sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries may likewise make ready your way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient toward the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world, we may be found a people acceptable in your sight; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Excerpt of B&C P’s version

O Lord Jesus Christ, at your first coming you sent your messenger to prepare your way: …

What is interesting is the parts of the collect of the 1662 and the 2019 Prayer Books which I have emphasized. The 1662 collect is in the context of Jesus’ first coming with an implicit reference to John the Baptist as the singular messenger who prepares his way which the rest of the collect then flows smoothly into a prayer for all ministers to follow in John’s example. The 1662 lectionary’s gospel reading helps to clarify who is the messenger in the collect.

Whereas in the 2019, the starting emphasis seems to be on Jesus sending “messengers the prophets” (plural) to prepare the way for our salvation. At first glance, it does not name John the Baptist nor does it implies it. However, my understanding is that if one has Matthew 11:13-14 in mind where John the Baptist is the culmination of the Law and Prophets, it followds that like the Old Testament prophets and John, minsters are to call us to repentance and lead us to God who can only save us.

For B&C P’s version, we decided to maintain the first part of the collect according to the 1662 Prayer Book but in contemporary English. It will be published in a prayer book supplementary which we plan to release soon.

And now, for the readings…

The 1662’s Epistle reading for this collect is:

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God
1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (ESV)

The 1662’s Gospel reading paired with the collect is:

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepersare cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written,
“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’
Matthew 11:2-10 (ESV)

Have a blessed Sunday. Gaudete!

The Collect for the Second Sunday in Advent

Today marks the Second Sunday in Advent. Below is the classic collect (prayer) from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer in modern English to mark this week:

Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and the comfort of your holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

This collect is paired with the following Bible lessons: Romans 15:4-13 and Luke 21:25-33.

If you are curious about the collect and the relationship between it and the first lesson, check out this blog post here.

Advent and Sirach 18

Sirach 18 so happens to be the first lesson for the Morning Prayer according to the 2019 lectionary. It is a reading from the Apocrypha and there is always plenty of good examples of Christian life to be learnt, just like how Article 6 of The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion defines how the Apocrypha should be rightly used. You can check out the Sirach 18 passage here.

It opens by extolling God before moving on to the subject of humanity. There is God’s grace and mercy to humans even when He disciplines (verses 11 to 14). The rest of the chapter is advice on how to conduct one’s self. In verses 19 to 26, it talks about sin, judgment and death. God’s grace and mercy taken together with our sin, death and judgment are things which Christians should bear in mind particularly during this Advent season as we think of Jesus’ first coming and prepare for the second.

Tag: Advent