Patrick Comerford
The Season of Advent – and the real countdown to Christmas – began last Sunday and tomorrow is the Second Sunday of Advent (8 December 2024). The Church Calendar today celebrates Saint Ambrose (397), Bishop of Milan and Teacher of the Faith.
Later this morning, the Greek Orthodox parish in Stony Stratford is holding a pre-Christmas version of the monthly coffee morning, Our Place! Το Στεκι Μασ, with promises of ‘Greek Christmas goodies’ from Greece – including olives, honey, oil, kurabiedes, marshmallows and small gifts – as well as good coffee and good company from 10:30 to 3 pm.
Tomorrow (8 December), the Orthros and Divine Liturgy in the church on London Road, Stony Stratford, includes solemn celebration of the patron saints of the community, Saint Stylianos (26 November) and Saint Ambrose (7 December), and the 35th anniversary of the founding of the community.
But, before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, to reflect, to pray and to read in these ways:
1, today’s Gospel reading;
2, a short reflection;
3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;
4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.
Matthew 9: 35 to 10: 1, 6-8 (NRSVA):
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; 38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’
10 Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.
[He told them to go] 6 … ‘to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.’
Today’s reflection:
The Gospel reading in the Lectionary for the daily Eucharist today (Matthew 9: 35 to 10: 1, 6-8) is awkwardly edited and selected. But it is also an Advent message that may be difficult to listen to and accept as we prepare for Christmas.
The reading begins with an image of Christ in ordinary, everyday situations, going ‘about all the cities and villages’ (Matthew 9: 35), mixing with ordinary people. These are people who need hope, people who are sick, sore and sorry, people who are distressed, marginalised and suffering, and Christ has compassion for them, because they are harassed and helpless, ‘like sheep without a shepherd’ (Matthew 9: 36).
They are ordinary people, indeed, in ordinary places, in ordinary times, but suffering and often isolated and marginalised in their everyday lives.
And to answer their plight, to carry out his mission, he chooses 12 disciples, 12 ordinary people, with ordinary backgrounds, ordinary everyday lives and careers: Peter, who denies him three times; Andrew his brother, a fisherman; James and John, ‘Mammy’s boys’ who jockey for position, unsure of what the Kingdom of God is about; Philip, who could easily turn away Greek-speaking Gentiles; Matthew, despised as a tax collector; Thomas who doubts him; Judas who betrays him … (see Matthew 10: 2-4).
In our ordinary everyday lives, Christ calls us to follow him, not for our own self-satisfying feeling of being good, but to proclaim the Good News; not for our own advantage and enrichment, but because that is what the suffering world needs.
We are called as ordinary people to do that; our Baptism is our commission to do that; our Confirmation is our ‘Amen’ to that.
Christ sends the 12 out in mission to the marginalised and the outcast. They are to proclaim the ‘good news,’ as Saint John the Baptist announced, that the kingdom of heaven has come near’ is at hand.
We might ask, as we prepare for Christmas, whether we are preparing to welcome back the occasional worshippers, the seasonal churchgoers and the nominal parishioners, who love the good feelings that come with the carols and the cribs but are put off by the churchy and the pushy, or perhaps even what they see as hypocritical judgmentalism, the suffering, the isolated and the marginalised.
And, we might also ask whether we are ready to delight in meeting strangers in our midst and bringing them into our tent, to share the kindness, friendship and hospitality found within. For the kingdom of God is at hand.
I find myself thinking about a well-known prayer by Bishop Thomas Ken (1637-1711):
O God, make the door of this house
wide enough to receive all who need human love and fellowship,
and a heavenly Father’s care;
and narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride and hate.
Make its threshold smooth enough to be no stumbling block to children,
nor to straying feet,
but rugged enough to turn back the tempter’s power:
make it a gateway to thine eternal kingdom.
Today’s Prayers (Saturday 7 December 2024):
The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church’, the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), has been ‘Hope – Advent’. This theme was introduced last Sunday with Reflections by Esmeralda Pato, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa Representative and Chair of USPG’s Communion-Wide Advisory Group.
The USPG Prayer Diary today (Saturday 7 December 2024) invites us to pray:
Lord, we praise you for not leaving us in despair by sending your Son Jesus as a sacrifice for our sin and all the wrongs of this world. In times of waiting, draw us closer to you.
The Collect:
God of hosts,
who called Ambrose from the governor’s throne
to be a bishop in your Church
and an intrepid champion of your faithful people:
mercifully grant that, as he did not fear to rebuke rulers,
so we, with like courage,
may contend for the faith we have received;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
God of truth,
whose Wisdom set her table
and invited us to eat the bread and drink the wine
of the kingdom:
help us to lay aside all foolishness
and to live and walk in the way of insight,
that we may come with Ambrose to the eternal feast of heaven;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Collect on the Eve of Advent II:
O Lord, raise up, we pray, your power
and come among us,
and with great might succour us;
that whereas, through our sins and wickedness
we are grievously hindered
in running the race that is set before us,
your bountiful grace and mercy
may speedily help and deliver us;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honour and glory, now and for ever.
Yesterday’s Reflection
Continued Tomorrow
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
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