Have a Blessed Ancient, Weird, and Reformed Advent!
There is a hunger in many Canadian Christians for practices which are truly old. So, why don’t you consider using a cycle of Bible reading and prayers for Advent which is both truly ancient and also reformed by the gospel?
I am not a scholar, just a pastor, but my understanding is that the season of Advent goes back to the 300’s. The following Advent Bible texts and prayers are not that old but almost! Even better, up until about the 1970’s they were widely used.
In 1073 the Sarum Missal was put together. This included, among other things, assigned Scripture texts and prayers for each Sunday throughout the year. The compiler sorted through the work done by Gregory the Great in 590. In turn, Gregory’s work involved him sorting through Sunday Bible texts and prayers from two earlier Christians, Gelasius in 492 and Leo the Great who died in 461.
In 1549, as part of the English Reformation, Thomas Cramner basically kept this ancient Bible reading system, in some cases adding a few verses. He kept most of the main prayers (Collects), usually editing them to make the Gospel clearer. He also removed some Collects and wrote new prayers that were gospel centred and reformed.
In the case of Advent, he kept the Bible readings (adding a couple of verses in one case). He composed two new prayers, or Collects, one for the first Sunday in Advent (which is also the theme prayer for all of Advent) and another for the Second Sunday in Advent. Some changes were made in the wording of the prayer for the fourth Sunday in Advent; that prayer goes back to Gelasius in 492! The prayer for the Third Sunday in Advent is a young whippersnapper by comparison. It was completely rewritten in 1662, so it has only been prayed for 362 years!
Now, before you look at these texts and prayers, you are in for a shock. They will look weird to you. They do not look like Advent prayers and Bible readings. Now, if you think about it, this is an odd thing to say about bible readings and prayers that were in continuous use (and are still used by some churches like the one I serve in) going back 1500 years! Maybe they had it right and we are mistaken?
The problem is that we now think of Advent as the time to prepare for Christmas. These older Christians saw Advent as the start of the Christian year. In other words, they saw Advent as the time to rededicate your year to Christ and commit to growing in godliness in the coming year, and so they chose prayers and Bible texts appropriate to this.
My suggestion for using the following is to pray the Collect twice each day throughout the week that begins on that Sunday. Once in the morning and once in the evening. Use them as prayers to pray, and also as a teaching about how to live a godly life as part of a godly local church – in other words, a concise teaching to meditate upon. As well, take the two weekly scripture texts as texts to meditate upon throughout the week. Finally, use the Collect for the First Sunday in Advent as a prayer that you also pray twice a day, every day, until Christmas Eve. In other words, from the Second Sunday in Advent on, there will be two Collects you pray morning and evening, the Collect for the First (and every) Sunday in Advent, and the Collect for the week.
If you want more, I recommend the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, International Version (IVP Press). By the way, I have modernized the spelling of the Collects.
May the Lord grant you a blessed Advent and a year where you grow in godliness!
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 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, now and ever. AMEN.
Romans 13:8-14 and Matthew 21:1-13.
The Second Sunday in Advent
Blessed Lord, who has caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them that by patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast to the blessed hope of everlasting life, which You have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. AMEN.
Romans 15:4-13 and Luke 21:25-33
The Third Sunday in Advent
O Lord Jesus Christ, who at Your first coming did send Your messenger to prepare Your way before You: Grant that the ministers and stewards of Your mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready Your way by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at Your second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in Your sight, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. AMEN.
1 Corinthians 4:1-5 and Matthew 11:2-10
The Fourth Sunday in Advent
O Lord, raise up (we pray to You) Your power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore bound and hindered in running the race that is set before us. Your bountiful grace and mercy may 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, world without end. AMEN.
Philippians 4:4-7 and John 1:19-28
George Sinclair has served in a suburban and in a rural “multi-point” church. He is currently the Rector of Church of the Messiah in the heart of urban Ottawa. He was the Chair of Essentials Canada and founding Chair of his denomination (ANiC). He currently serves as the Chair of the ANiC task force to make ANiC more deeply biblical at every level. He is the Principal of Ryle Seminary. He is blessed to have been married to Louise since 1981. They have 9 children and lots of sons and daughters-in-law and grandchildren. George is an original Council Member for TGC Canada.
