Advent Prayer: May we be ready to meet Him at His Second Advent

O Almighty Father, fountain of light and salvation, we adore thine infinite goodness in sending thy only begotten Son into the world that, believing in him, we may not perish but have everlasting life; and we pray thee that, through the grace of his first advent to save the world, we may be made ready to meet him at his second advent to judge the world; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

—Bishop William Walsham How (1823-1897)

H/T The Rev. Kendall Harmon, at TitusOneNine

 

Two Prayers for the first Sunday of Advent

The traditional Anglican collect for the First Sunday in Advent:

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, now and ever. Amen.

***

A contemporary prayer for the First Sunday in Advent by Pastor Scotty Smith, from his blog Heavenward:

     You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isa. 40:9-11 (NIV)

     Dear heavenly Father, on this first Sunday of Advent, we praise, bless and adore, for the privilege of celebrating your great faithfulness and your immeasurable generosity. You sent Jesus to us, and have given him for us. Every promise you have made finds its emphatic “Yes!” in Jesus (2 Cor. 1:20).

     Fuel our wonder and enflame our hearts, Father. Help us engage again, with the story of Jesus’ birth, with childlike wonder and renewed hope. Bring familiar Scriptures alive in fresh and transforming ways. We don’t trust in a season, but in our Savior.

     I love how Isaiah describes the Messiah coming to gather us up in his “Advent arms.” To be tended as a helpless lamb, to be held close to your heart, to be gently led—what more could we possibly need or desire? We believe; help our unbelief.

     And in Jesus, you come near to us as the Sovereign Lord, with your sleeves rolled up as the great ruler. Your arm rules over all history and every heartache, over all kings and every crises. Nothing and no one can alter, subvert, or change the story you are telling, and the kingdom you are advancing, through Jesus. Thankfully, these aren’t mere metaphors, Father; for metaphors can’t save us, only inspire us. You really are this involved in our lives, and your really are this merciful and mighty.

     Indeed, the coming of Jesus puts all nations on notice: There is only one true King, and he is Jesus. And the coming of Jesus puts us—your people, face down in adoring love. Over the next several weeks, show us, yet again, how Jesus is a most wonderful and grace-full Savior—Immanuel, the God who is very much with us and totally for us. So very Amen we pray, with Advent longings, in Jesus’ matchless and merciful name.

A Prayer Litany for Marriage from the ACNA college of bishops

The ACNA bishops today released a unanimous statement on the Supreme Court’s decision re: same sex marriage.  You can read the full statement here.

At the end they issue a call to prayer, and include a wonderful litany for marriage.  I urge all of our readers to print this out and pray it regularly.

Today there is no place for either triumphalism or despair, so we prayerfully and sincerely urge a spirit of charity by all. We speak out of a concern for the consequences that our people and our neighbors will suffer from an unjust and unwise decision by five justices of the Supreme Court. We call those justices to repentance, even as we echo Jesus’ words, praying for God the Father to forgive them, for they know not what they have done.

We call our people to a season of prayer for marriage and offer the accompanying Litany and Prayer to guide us.

A Litany for Marriage

We thank you, heavenly Father, for graciously creating us in your image, male and female, and for ordaining

that a man and woman shall be joined as one flesh in the covenant of marriage.

We thank you, O Father.

We thank you for the gift and heritage of children and for placing them in homes which may be havens of

blessing and peace.

We thank you, O Father.

We thank you for the love between fathers and mothers and sons and daughters that binds together the

generations and undergirds our country’s social fabric.

We thank you, O Father.

Lord Jesus Christ, divine Bridegroom, we repent for all the situations in which we have dishonored the

covenant of marriage through selfishness or unfaithfulness.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We repent as a Church where we have failed to prepare our children for holy matrimony, or to care for those

who are widowed, divorced or single.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We repent where as citizens we have become complacent and neglected the defense of marriage in the public

square.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We pray you, Holy Spirit, to restore marriage to its due honor in our country and to revive our marriages and

families as emblems of your love.

Deliver us by your grace and power.

We pray you to strengthen our bishops and other leaders as they join with faithful churches to make a strong

God-honoring defense of your design for marriage.

Deliver us by your grace and power.

We pray you to have mercy on those who have promoted false teaching about marriage and on those who

have been led astray and harmed by it.

Deliver us by your grace and power.

Grant us courage, O Triune God, to hold fast to the truth of your Word, and give grace to those who are

counted worthy to suffer for the Name of Christ.

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his

glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and

authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24-25).

A Prayer for Marriage

Almighty God our heavenly Father, you have created us male and female in your image and have ordained that a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. Look down in mercy, we pray, on our families, our church and our nation. Knit together in constant affection those who, in Holy Matrimony, have been made one flesh. Turn the hearts of the parents to the children, the hearts of the children to the parents, and the hearts of all to those who are single or alone. Finally, grant that your Church may steadfastly defend the unchangeable bond of marriage which embodies the mystery of Christ’s love for us; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and forever.

A prayer for diligence in studying Scripture and strength to obey

This WONDERFUL prayer was posted by Trevin Wax at his blog over the weekend.  It really resonates with me.  So often I assume I can search and understand the Scriptures in my own strength instead of relying on the Holy Spirit. 

May Your Spirit, O Christ,
lead me in the right way,
keeping me safe from all forces of evil and destruction.
And, free from all malice,
may I search diligently in Your Holy Word
to discover with the eyes of my mind Your commandments.
Finally, give me the strength of will
to put those commandments into practice
through all the days of my life.

– Bede, 673-735

Holy Saturday around the Blogosphere 2015

These links are in fairly random order…, but represent some of the good resources that are being posted today for Holy Saturday.

Lent & Beyond Holy Saturday entries  (several new entries posted already… more to come later)

Ohio Anglican:  Collect and Scripture readings for Holy Saturday

Biola Lent Project:  Devotional for Holy Saturday

Kendall Harmon:  A Prayer for Holy Saturday (I)

Kendall Harmon: The Sound of Perfect Silence

Anglican Mainstream: Meditation for Holy Saturday

Archbishop Cramner blog: Easter Eve: dead, buried, bereft

Trinity School for Ministry:  Holy Saturday Devotional

Godspace:  Even Resurrection Pauses For Sabbath Rest

Desiring God: He Descended into Hell? Holy Saturday

Prydain:  For Easter Eve: a reading from Augustine of Hippo

Give Us This Day (Fr. Charles Erlandson) – Easter Even – John 19:38-42

Emily Polis Gibson – Upon our Saviour’s Tomb, wherein never man was laid

Malcolm Guite – Check out his 14 Sonnets for the Stations of the Cross (especially sonnets 13 & 14)

Scotty Smith: A Prayer for Saturday of Holy Week

Patrick Comerford: Through Lent with Vaughan Williams (46): ‘Dona nobis pacem’ 6 ‘Dona nobis pacem’

Dean of Durham: Harrowing Hell: the significance of Easter Eve

Transfigurations:  Holy Saturday (Psalm 88)

Vicar’s Versicles: Holy Saturday – Meditate in Silence

A new poem from Teresa Roberts Johnson: To His Mother on Holy Saturday

Music for Holy Saturday:  I Called to God (Jonah 2:2-9) Patrick Schlabs

CT Magazine:  Sitting, Waiting, and Hoping in the Tomb of Jesus

Emily Polis Gibson:  Waiting in Hope, Brought to Our Senses

John Ortberg:  In between despair and joy

Cardiphonia:  The Canticle of Jonah for Holy Saturday.  (Also at Cardiphonia, check out several older entries including: Bruce Benedict’s original Holy Saturday hymn / poem:  “Death Tasted Hope in Christ’s last Breath,” and their compilation of Songs & Hyms for Holy Saturday)

Wow… I can’t ever remember seeing so many excellent and meaty reflections for Holy Saturday before…!  It’s been a blessing to have some time to read, reflect, and collate these devotionals and resources!

 

Music for Good Friday- John Michael Talbot- Prayer Before the Cross

One of my favorite worship songs – a musical prayer – just played in my Good Friday playlist.  I’m spending the evening listening to music focused on the Cross.  I thought I’d share this here since it’s from an older album that may not be so widely known or played these days.

(John Michael Talbot,  from Troubadour of the Great King, 1981.  iTunes link)

We adore You, most holy Lord
Jesus Christ, Lord Jesus Christ
As we gather together in this place
And throughout all the world

We worship You, Lord
We adore you, Oh Lord
And we bless Your holy name
For by Your cross
You have redeemed us
You have redeemed all the world

Good Friday entries at Kendall Harmon’s TitusOneNine (2009 – 2015)

Rather than just linking to Kendall Harmon’s Holy Week category at TitusOneNine as I’ve been wont to do on Good Friday in past years, I thought it would be good if I did a round up of some of Kendall’s best Good Friday entries from today (so far) and years’ past…  As I did in last night’s Maundy Thursday roundup, I’ll post several prayers in full, and then post links to quotes, poems, music, sermon excerpts, etc.

A Prayer for Good Friday (I)

Lord Jesus Christ, who for the redemption of mankind didst ascend the cross, that thou mightest enlighten the world that lay in darkness: gather us this day with all they faithful to that same holy cross; that, gazing in penitence upon thy great sacrifice for us, we may be loosed from all our sins, and entering into the mystery of thy passion, be crucified to the vain pomp and power of this passing world; and finding our glory in the cross alone, we may attain at last thy everlasting glory, where thou, the lamb that once was slain, reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

A Prayer for Good Friday (II)

O Christ, who by the thorns pressed upon thy head hast drawn the thorns from the sorrows of this world, and given us a crown of joy and peace: Make us so bold as never to fear suffering, nor to suffer without cheerfulness in thy service; to the glory of thy holy name.

A Prayer for Good Friday (III)

Lord Christ, who didst enter into thy triumph by the hard and lonely way of the cross: May thy courage and steadfast loyalty, thy unswerving devotion to the Father’s will, inspire and strengthen us to tread firmly and with joy the road which love bids us to take, even if it leads through suffering, misunderstanding, and darkness. We ask it for thy sake, who for the joy that was set before thee endured the cross, despising the shame, O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer.

A Prayer for Good Friday (IV)

O God, whose blessed Son endured the loneliness and darkness of the cross, that we might enjoy eternal fellowship with thee: Grant that amidst life’s shadows we may know that we are never forsaken, but that we are ever walking in the light of thy countenance; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

A Prayer of William Temple

Lord Jesus Christ, who didst for me endure the horror of deep darkness, teach me by the depth of thine agony the vileness of my sin, and so bind me to thyself in bonds of gratitude and love that I may be united with thee in thy perfect sacrifice, my Saviour, my Lord, and my God.

A Prayer of John Wesley

O holy and ever-blessed Jesus, who being the eternal Son of God and most high in the glory of the Father, didst vouchsafe in love for us sinners to be born of a pure virgin, and didst humble thyself unto death, even the death of the cross : Deepen within us, we beseech thee, a due sense of thy infinite love; that adoring and believing in thee as our Lord and Saviour, we may trust in thy infinite merits, imitate thy holy example, obey thy commands, and finally enjoy thy promises; who with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest, one God, world without end.

And Another Good Friday Prayer

O holy and adorable Redeemer, by whose condemnation we are acquitted, by whose stripes we are healed, by whose death we have life, by whose cross we gain our crown: Keep us, we beseech thee, ever mindful of thy boundless love; and when thou dost call on us to bear for a while thy cross, like Simon of old, make us to rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer for thy sake, and accept our feeble sacrifice, through the merits of thine eternal redemption. (W. E. Scudamore (Rector of Ditchingham and Fellow of Saint John’s College, Cambridge)

Still Another Good Friday Prayer

O God, the Father of mankind, who didst suffer thine only Son to be set forth as a spectacle despised, derided, and scornfully arrayed, yet in his humiliation to reveal his majesty: Draw us, we beseech thee, both to behold the Man and to worship the King, immortal, eternal, world without end. Amen.

A Prayer for Good Friday (IX)

Hear us, O merciful Lord, and remember now the hour in which thou didst commend thy blessed spirit into the hands of thy heavenly Father; and so assist us by this thy most precious death, that dying unto the world, we may live unto thee; and that at the hour of our departing from this mortal life, we may be received into thine everlasting kingdom, there to reign with thee, world without end.

A Prayer for Good Friday (VII)

Dear Lord, who hast blessed us with the gift of family life, that we may learn to love and care for others: We praise thee for the example of thy Son Jesus Christ, who even when deserted and betrayed by closest friends took thought for his mother and his disciple. Open our eyes to recognize in all men the claims of kinship, and stir our hearts to serve them as brethren called with us into the sonship of thy love.

A Prayer for Good Friday (VI)

Almighty and eternal God, who in thy great love didst give thine only Son to die for our sins, and for the sins of the whole world: Enable us, we beseech thee, by thy Holy Spirit, to worship thee with reverence, and meditate with humility upon those mighty acts by which thou didst bring redemption to thy people; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

***

Poems, Quotes, Sermon Excerpts…

• John Donne—Good Friday, 1613, Riding Westward
• George Herbert—The Sacrifice
• Richard John Neuhaus on Good Friday
• Of Which Wood Shall we Eat this day? (Martin Luther)
• Lord George Carey’s 2014 Good Friday Sermon
• “The love that Jesus showed on the Cross: love that endures and that saves”
• Good Friday is about the central and pivotal idea of a “happy exchange”
• Good Friday—A Five Year Old Gives Just a Glimpse of What the Cross Really Means
• For I the Lord have slain (John Newton)
• All generations shall lament and bewail themselves more than him (Martin Luther)
• Charles Spurgeon on the Dying Thief
• The Agony  (George Herbert)
• His Damnation our Liberation, His Defeat our Victory (Karl Barth)
• How shall I measure out thy bloud? (George Herbert)
• The Carpenter’s Son (A. E. Housman)
• And so we come to Good Friday (Benedict XVI)
• Ian Poulton’s Good Friday Sermon 2012 – Five Words from Matthew: Surely
• The 2012 Good Friday Homily of Father Raniero Cantalamessa (Preacher of the Papal Household)
• To open that Kingdom to them (St Thérèse of Lisieux)
• Father Cantalamessa’s Good Friday Homily 2011
• Meditations for Good Friday Via Crucis by Augustinian Sister Maria Rita Piccione
• Father Cantalamessa’s Good Friday Homily 2010
• A Ballad of Trees and the Master (–Sidney Lanier 1842-1881 )
• The Seven Last Words
• The Twelve –Allen Tate (1899-1979)
• Who was Jesus? –Attributed to Gregory of Nazianzus (329-389)
• Roosters –Elizabeth Bishop (1911 – 1979)
• Father Cantalamessa’s Sermon on Good Friday 2009
• Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of India: Meditations for Good Friday 2009

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MUSIC & SERMONS – Audio & Video links – (I’m in the process of checking these links, not all may be working)

• From Sweden’s Lund Cathedral—The final Chorus of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion

• St Pauls Cathedral Choir: God So Loved The World (John Stainer)

• Orlando Gibbons – Drop, Drop, Slow Tears

• Johnny Cash & The Carter Family – Were You There (1960)

• Kings College Cambridge Chapel Choir: Faure Pie Jesu and Agnus Dei

• J.S. Bach: “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” (Choir of King’s College, Cambridge)
  • Try this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M4uUJibpvw

• A Sermon for Good Friday: Tim Keller on 5 things the Cross Teaches us about Suffering 
  • try this link (web archive)

• Music For Prayer and Meditation on Good Friday 2011—Michael Card’s “Why”
  • try this link

• O Sacred Head Now Wounded – Fernando Ortega

Kendall Harmon’s Maundy Thursday entries – including 7 Maundy Thursday prayers

Here are some entries for Maundy Thursday (from this year and past years) at Kendall Harmon’s fabulous TitusOneNine blog.  First his collection of Maundy Thursday prayers, posted various years:

Still Another Prayer for Maundy Thursday

Blessed Lord Jesus, who, when about to depart out of this world, having loved thine own, and loving them to the end, didst institute the holy sacrament of thy Body and Blood, the dying legacy of thy love: Vouchsafe, we earnestly pray thee, that we may never draw near thine altar, save with hearts enkindled by love for thee and for one another; for thy dear name’s sake.

Another Prayer for Maundy Thursday

O Lord Jesus Christ, who in the garden didst teach us, by word and example, to pray, that we might overcome the perils of temptation: Graciously grant that we, always continuing in prayer, may gain abundantly the fruit thereof, and be partakers of thy victory; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

A Prayer to Begin the Day from The Royal Maundy

Lord Jesus Christ, who when thou wast about to institute thy holy Sacrament at the Last Supper didst wash the feet of the apostles, and teach us by thy example the grace of humility: Cleanse us, we beseech thee, from all stain of sin, that we may be worthy partakers of thy holy mysteries; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.

A Prayer for Maundy Thursday

O Christ, the true vine and the source of life, ever giving thyself that the world may live; who also hast taught us that those who would follow thee must be ready to lose their lives for thy sake: Grant us so to receive within our souls the power of thine eternal sacrifice, that in sharing thy cup we may share thy glory, and at the last be made perfect in thy love.

A Prayer for Maundy Thursday

O Lord Christ, who in the days of thy flesh didst hallow bread and wine to be a perpetual memorial of thy passion, and a never-failing means of fellowship with thee: Make us so to thirst after thy righteousness that through these holy mysteries we may be filled with all the fullness of thy divine life, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; for thy glory’s sake.

One Last Prayer for Maundy Thursday

O Saviour of the world, who in Gethsemane didst accept the bitter cup in submission to the Father’s will: Look mercifully upon our weak and wayward lives, and arm us with such strength and courage that we may tread without fear the appointed path of duty, and evermore follow the pattern of thy costly obedience; for thy honour and glory, who now livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

Still Another Prayer for Maundy Thursday

O Lord Jesus Christ, enthroned in the majesty of heaven, who, when thou camest forth from God, didst make thyself as one that serveth: We adore thee because thou didst lay aside the garment of thy glory, and gird thyself with lowest humility, and minister to thy disciples, washing their feet. Teach us to know what thou hast done and to follow thine example; deliver us from pride, jealousy and ambition, and make us ready to be subject one to another, and with lowliness to serve one another for thy sake, O Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

***

Music,  Poems, Sermons & Quotes:

• “The most profound revelation of the heart of God apart from the crucifixion”
• Music for Maundy Thursday: Paul Mealor – Ubi Caritas
• God in Private and Public: A Bishop Tom Wright Maundy Thursday Sermon
• The Bp of Chelmsford—An act of love or a photo opp?
• Saint Peter (Christina Rossetti poem)
• The Archbishop of York for Maundy Thursday 2014—True Friends
• This Bread I Break (Dylan Thomas Poem)
• Maundy Thursday (–Wilfrid Owen)

and also recommended:

Kendall Harmon’s Sermon from Sunday for Holy Week—‘It is finished’

Lent Prayers – St. Augustine: Move me to do what is Holy

Thanks to John Birch at Faith and Worship, I was reminded of this great prayer from St. Augustine, which we first posted in 2007, and then again in Lent 2009,

Breathe on me, Holy Spirit,
that I may think what is holy.
Move me, Holy Spirit,
that I may do what is holy.
Attract me, Holy Spirit,
that I may love what is holy.
Strengthen me, Holy Spirit,
that I may guard what is holy.
Guard me, Holy Spirit,
that I may keep what is holy.

– St Augustine of Hippo (AD354-430)

There are at least 8 or 9 other great quotes and prayers from St. Augustine we’ve posted in years’ past.  You can find them here.

A prayer of self-dedication – commiting ourselves afresh to the Lord for 2015

From our 2005 archives, one of my favorite prayers.  I’m shocked I’ve never re-posted this here at this version of Lent & Beyond since we began this site in 2007!

I’m aware that I can’t change my behavior unless God first draws my heart towards Him and renews my mind…:

Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you,

so guide our minds,

so fill our imaginations,

so control our wills,

that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated unto you;

and then use us, we pray you, as you will,

and always to your glory and the welfare of your people;

through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

A good new year’s prayer: the Methodist Covenant Prayer

From our 2004 archives, the following prayer, often called The Methodist Covenant Prayer, makes a good prayer of fresh commitment to the Lord for the New Year.

I am no longer my own, but yours:
Put me to what you will,
Rank me with whom you will;
Put me to suffering;
Let me be employed by you or laid aside by you,
Exalted for you or brought low by you;
Let me be full, let me be empty;
Let me be nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
To your pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
You are mine, and I am yours. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen

An 8th c. Advent Hymn (Creator of the Stars of Night)

One of the bloggers I follow, Trevin Wax, posted a portion of an ancient Advent hymn on Sunday:

Come, Sun and Savior, to Embrace

Come, Sun and Savior, to embrace
Our gloomy world, its weary race,
As groom to bride, as bride to groom:
The wedding chamber, Mary’s womb.

At Your great Name, O Jesus, now
All knees must bend, all hearts must bow;
All things on earth with one accord,
Like those in heaven, shall call You Lord.

Come in Your holy might, we pray,
Redeem us for eternal day;
Defend us while we dwell below,
From all assaults of our dread foe.

– 8th century hymn

Many of our readers may recognize this as the final three stanzas of the lovely and wonderful Advent hymn Creator of the Stars of Night.

There is a great devotional reflection about this hymn here. (It’s a Google books page view, from An Advent Sourcebook, by Thomas O’Gorman, so I can’t copy an excerpt here, but it is really worth reading!)  You can also read the full lyrics, which differ slightly from the version of the hymn typically sung in modern churches.

Here is a nice chanted version of the hymn in Latin & English, performed by the Christendom College Choir & Schola Gregoriana:

Here’s a contemporary rendition from the album High Street Hymns:

***

Update:  I found a copy of the devotional reflection on this hymn which I cited above:

“FOR many, Advent would not be Advent if introduced by any other hymn. It is well-nigh impossible for even the best of poets to find a formula that really corresponds to the first line of the Latin text. The Latin “sidus” [“siderum”] means more than “star.” It includes the stars, of course, but also sun and moon and planets and all the heavenly constel¬lations and comets and meteors. These are the cosmic elements that will appear in later stanzas of the hymn. For the ancients, these mysterious heavenly bodies that moved about and that had their cycles of waxing and waning and that in some unfathomable way could affect the course of human destiny-these heavenly bodies were perhaps living beings.

“The opening line of this Advent hymn should make us think of the great array of all the powerful cosmic bodies that figure in those eschatological texts of scripture where the whole of the created universe responds to the presence of its God. The point of reference is not some lovely nightfall scene studded with gently glimmering stars, but rather that Great Day when “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give her light, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29). Indeed, this Advent hymn, if we really look at it, is something of a “Dies irae” in a less strident mode.

“In stanza three, the world’s evening draws to a close. We recognize in the last three lines of this stanza the allusion to verse six of Psalm 19, the verse that occurs so frequently in the Christmastide cycle: “And he, as a bridegroom coming forth from the bridal chamber, rejoices as a giant to run his course.” So just when the world seems doomed to certain extinction, the Sun comes forth in a blaze of light and begins its paschal journey across the whole of human life and experience. This imagery is especially appropriate towards the beginning of December and the first Sunday of Advent, when nights are growing progressively longer and longer, until, upon the arrival of the winter solstice just before Christmas, the inexorable onslaught of darkness is reversed with the birth of Christ, the Sun of Justice, who now begins to run his course over the whole of our existence.”

–Chrysogonous Waddell

Links to Favorite Advent Devotional Sites for 2014

UPDATED: 9 December (you’ll need to click on the “read more” link to see the new entries.)

This post is sticky.  Look below for new entries.

Happy Advent!   Below is a list of some of the best sites for devotionals and prayers throughout Advent.  Almost all the sites featured below will have new entries each day of Advent.  We will  update this list from time to time as we discover new websites.  Resources marked “*(A)”  are from the  Anglican tradition.

 

A Special New Anglican Advent resource for 2014: 

*(A) Advent Bible Study Video series on the Second Coming from ACNA Bishop Julian Dobbs.  A really wonderful Advent teaching series.  Don’t miss this!

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Sites featuring Regular Advent Devotional Reflections & Prayers:

• Newly Added:  *(A) If you read nothing else, we encourage you to start each day of Advent with Scripture!  Here are each day’s readings according to the Daily Office of the Book of Common Prayer (ESV Bible online).  Should you prefer to read the Daily Office Scriptures in another version, you can find a clear table with all the readings here.

• Our Advent Devotionals category here at Lent & Beyond.

• Emily Polis Gibson’s Barnstorming blog and her special Advent series for 2014 “Awaiting His Arrival” – Emily’s mix of poetry, photographs, and reflections on Scripture make her Advent series a truly special gift to all who read her blog.  Highly recommended!

• Biola University’s online Advent calendar.  The best new Advent resource from 2013 is back again for 2014.  Truly EXCELLENT!  Substantive reflections on Scripture, artwork, music… Again, this site is a special gift.  Don’t miss it!

• *(A) Anglican Mainstream’s daily Advent devotionals: Anglican Mainstream is again posting daily Advent meditations from the Church of the Resurrection in Tampa, FL.

• *(A) Trinity School for Ministry’s daily Advent reflections, short daily reflections written by the faculty and students at the seminary.

• Godspace blog:  Christine Sine posts wonderful original Advent prayers and meditations, podcasts, and tons of wonderful Advent resources.  Christine encourages contemplation and application – ensuring we live out the Gospel in our lives, in care for those in need.

• *(A) The Rev. Patrick Comerford is featuring a Hymns of Advent series for Advent 2014.  Very recommended for those who love to learn about history and liturgy.  His entries are usually very rich in terms of their focus on Anglican heritage.

From our 2006 archives: Advent wreath prayers and activities for children

Reposted from our 2006 archives.  I believe all the links below work, though I may be able to provide better / updated versions of these links, and will try to do so soon.

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We see a lot of search queries in our site meter with folks looking for Advent Wreath prayers or Advent crafts and activities for young children.

While we’ve linked some children and family-oriented resources in our Resource Compilation, not many of them were as helpful as I’d hoped. So I went on a search for a few more resources — especially those that would easily print out on one or two pages.

Here are the some of the best resources I’ve found today:

Crafts and Activites

1) Children’s Advent Crafts and Activities (for pre-school children)
I found this link on the MOPS website. It provides a Bible reading, a craft, and suggested activities for each week of Advent. Very appropriate for Sunday School classes (ages 3-6).

2) CatholicMom.Com’s list of Advent Activities for Children — this spans a much wider age range of children. Loads of Activities Here.

Children’s Advent Prayers for lighting the wreath, etc.:

The Passionist Community has a very nice set of prayers for young children during Advent. Here’s a prayer they offer for using in lighting the Advent Wreath candle each day:

O God,
as light comes from this candle,
may the blessing of Jesus Christ come to us,
warming our hearts and
brightening our way.
May Christ our Savior bring life
into the darkness of this world,
and to us, as we wait for his coming.

Here is their list of 4 prayers for each week of Advent.

Advent Favorites: A Responsive Advent Wreath Prayer and an Advent Kyrie

Note – 23 Nov 2014:  Please note the embedded links may not yet work.  I need to update them all, but I’m traveling with little internet access for the coming week, and I wanted to at least get this online as a resource since Advent begins next Sunday.

From Our 2006 Archives

A Responsive Advent Wreath Prayer and an Advent Kyrie

Filed under: Prayers & Prayer Themes, Advent Resources, Advent 2006

This responsive intercessory prayer could be used any week of Advent during a family Advent Wreath lighting.

A Responsive Advent Wreath Prayer:

Leader: Christ came to bring us salvation and has promised to come again. Let us pray that we may be always ready to welcome him.

Reader: Our response is “Come, Lord Jesus.”

Reader: That the keeping of Advent may open our hearts to God’s love, we pray to the Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Reader: That the light of Christ may penetrate the darkness of sin, we pray to the Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Reader: That this wreath may constantly remind us to prepare for the coming of Christ, we pray to the Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Reader: That the Christmas season may fill us with peace and joy as we strive to follow the example of Jesus, we pray to the Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Leader: As we wait for the coming of Jesus, let us pray in the words He gave us:

All: Our Father …

Source: http://www.stlouisparish.org/html/adventtraditions.htm#advent6

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I also just came across a somewhat similar Advent Kyrie for weeks 1 and 2 of Advent from ELCA pastor Thomas L. Weitzel: It’s based on O Come O Come Emmanuel (and the Advent Antiphons)

Advent Kyrie (weeks 1 & 2)

A. O Lord, have mercy and come to us.
C. Come, Lord Jesus.

A. O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High, pervading and permeating all creation:
C. Come and teach us the way of prudence.

A. O Adonai and Ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai:
C. Come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.

A. O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign before the peoples, before whom all kings are mute, to whom the nations will do homage:
C. Come quickly to deliver us.

A. O Emmanuel, our King and our Lawgiver, the anointed of the nations and their Savior:
C. Come and save us, O Lord our God.

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Advent Kyrie (weeks 3 & 4)

A. O Lord, have mercy and come to us.
C. Come, Lord Jesus.

A. O Key of David and scepter of the house of Israel, you open and no one can close, you close and no one can open:
C. Come and rescue the prisoners who are in darkness and the shadow of death.

A. O Dayspring, splendor of light everlasting:
C. Come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

A. O King of the nations, the ruler they long for, the cornerstone uniting all people:
C. Come and save us all, whom you formed out of clay.

A. O Emmanuel, our King and our Lawgiver, the anointed of the nations and their Savior:
C. Come and save us, O Lord our God.