Our Savior Christ once visited, that when On that last day in glorious majesty To judge the quick and dead he comes again, We, from our earthbound ...
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Almighty Lord and everlasting God,
ADVENT 2020
Daily Readings and
Reflections
Come in the silence of our human night
And give us grace that we may cast away
The works of darkness; from eternal day
Now send to us the armor of your light;
In this brief mortal life protect and guard
Your people whom, in great humility,
Our Savior Christ once visited, that when
On that last day in glorious majesty
To judge the quick and dead he comes again,
We, from our earthbound weaknesses may rise,
Rise to immortal life, unending days,
Through him whose life in Trinity supplies
Now and forever your eternal praise. Amen.
— Christopher L. Webber,
“The Advent Sonnet,”
based on the Collect for the
First Sunday of Advent.
HOLY TRINITY (CHAPEL HILL)
www.holytrinitych.org
1
ADVENT AT HOLY TRINITY Using the Advent Wreath
During the season of Advent (adventus means coming), the Church looks back and The Advent wreath has a long history of use by Christians. It most definitely
recalls the miracle of Christ’s first coming 2,000 years ago — the Incarnation! We predates the Middle Ages among the Germanic and Scandinavian peoples of
celebrate this as foundational to our faith. God took on flesh and “moved into the Northern Europe. In the 16th century, Martin Luther recommended Advent
neighborhood.” We also look ahead to his promised return, the consummation of wreaths to families as a way to teach their children about the meaning of Christmas
all things, and new creation. As we contemplate all that can mean, we realize we are - the God the Son became a human being.
a people in waiting.
This year, more than ever, we feel the weight of the waiting. There is no denying it. At Holy Trinity, Advent wreaths have become a part of our Advent customs. We
The threat of a dangerous virus marks our daily lives. We are desperately waiting for light the wreath on Sundays in our worship services and throughout the season
rescue and peace. We are waiting for a cure. Advent reminds us, if we’ve forgotten, in our homes. Since Advent is a time to stir-up our faith in the Lord, the wreath
that this is always true, COVID-19 or not. We are always a people in waiting — provide us with a helpful way to focus our preparations for Christmas while not
waiting with groaning Creation for the redemption of the world through our Lord losing sight of its true meaning.
Jesus Christ.
The candles in the wreath symbolize the light of Christ that came into the world
Into this, we’ve prayerfully created this year’s Advent Daily Readings and at his birth. The evergreen foliage symbolizes eternal life. The circular shape of the
Reflections. These little booklets have become a part of an Advent rule of life for wreath is a symbol that God is everlasting. The colors of the candles are derived
many of us at Holy Trinity over the years. We use them to guide our time with the
Lord in the mornings when we’re alone. They help us get back on course during from the traditional liturgical colors of Advent and Christmas, purple or blue and
the season, when we’ve gotten distracted and lost our way. We use them to set the white. Each candle is lit on successive Sundays in Advent and then lit each day of
“table” before dinner with our friends and families. The lessons and the reflections the week as a part of your individual or family’s daily prayers.
are helpful guides to good conversations about what the season of Advent is all
about. Below is the sequence and symbolism for candles:
How do you use this booklet? We envision you gathering around your Advent
wreaths with these booklets in hand to do something like this.... • Week 1 - Hope (purple): We hope because God is faithful and will keep the
promises made to us.
1. Light a candle on your Advent wreath. (see page 2 for more information on • Week 2 - Peace (purple): In their hope, Israel longed for the One who would
Advent wreaths). come and bring peace, as Isaiah prophesied, “For to us a child is born, to us a
2. Pray the weekly Collect (see page 3 for a list of collects). son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called
3. Read the appointed Psalms.
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Note: The psalm appointed for morning appears first, separated from those • Week 3 - Joy (rose): We look back to Christ’s first advent and forward to his
appointed for evening by a vertical bar. For example, Psalm 12 | 13, means second and rejoice!
Psalm 12 is appointed to be read in the morning and Psalm 13 in the evening.
• Week 4 - Love (purple): God’s love for us is so great, he became a man for our
4. Read one or all of the appointed lessons. redemption.
5. Read the reflections knowing they were selected because of some connection to • Christmas Day - Christ (white): “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear
a theme which appears in the daily Gospel reading. a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us)”
6. Be attentive to themes, discuss them with your friends and family, and consider
them in your prayers. (Matthew 1:23).
May God bless us and our world this Advent. Amen! Come, Lord Jesus, come!
Waiting with you,
Cover Art: Wisnu Sasongko (Indonesian, 1975 - ), Prayer of Mary, 2004.
Acrylic on canvas, 78.5” x 25.”
1 2
Collects of Advent & Christmas
Sunday November 29, 2020
Provided below are the Collects for the Sundays in Advent and Christmas. These
prayers can be used in your daily devotions each day of the week following the — First Sunday of Advent —
Sunday when they are appointed.
Daily Reading
First Sunday and Week of Advent Psalm 80
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the Isa 64:1-9a
armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ 1 Cor 1:1-9
came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in Mark 13:24-37
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. Advent Reflection
Advent is about learning to wait. It is about not having to know exactly what is
coming tomorrow, only that whatever it is, it is of the essence of sanctification for
Second Sunday and Week of Advent us. Every piece of it, some hard, some uplifting, is sign of the work of God alive in
Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us. We are becoming as we go. We learn in Advent to stay in the present, knowing
us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience that only the present well lived can possibly lead us to the fullness of life.
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 Savior Jesus Christ; who Life is not meant to be escaped, we learn, as the liturgical year moves from season
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. to season, feast to feast. It is meant to be penetrated, to be plumbed to its depths,
to be tasted and savored and to bring us to realize that the God who created us is
with us yet. Life, we come eventually to know, is an exercise in transformation, the
Third Sunday and Week of Advent mechanics of which take a lifetime of practice, of patience, of slow, slow growth.
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 — Joan Chittister
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 Monday November 30, 2020
the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
— The Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle —
Fourth Sunday and Week of Advent Daily Readings
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and as we are
sorely hindered by our sins from running the race that is set before us, let your Psalm 78:1-18 | 78:19-40
bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our John 1:35-42
Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for Isa 43
ever. Amen. Luke 9:1-17
Advent Reflection
Christmas Eve Saint Andrew, whose life the Church remembers today, is often called the Apostle
O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true of first things. His only recorded words are when he declares to his brother, Simon
Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also Peter, “We have found the Messiah!” (John 1:41). Those words, taken together
enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and with two other actions of Andrew in the Gospels — bringing the Greek-speaking
reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. outsiders to Jesus (John 12:20-22) and bringing the boy with the loaves and fishes
to Jesus (John 6:8-10) — are a blueprint of Christian mission: acknowledge Jesus
and bring others to meet him, so that he can feed them, body and soul.
Christmas Day
— David Lott
Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon
him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born
again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your
Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the same Spirit
be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
3 4
Tuesday December 1, 2020 like me, like many, who did not expect God to come in that way and at that time.
While I wait for Jesus to answer my prayers—and to answer prayers that I have yet
to even pray—he is at work in all kinds of unexpected ways. If I only look for him
Daily Readings to come in the way that I want him to, then I miss all the mysterious, beautiful
Psalm 78:41-73 | 80 ways that he is already present. I need to remember to wait for him. I need to trust
Acts 24:1-23 that, like the string threading itself throughout this art, he holds all the strange,
Isa 44 often puzzling parts of my life together, and the frustrating parts too. When I do
Luke 9:18-50 trust him, I find that my heart is filled with gratitude. Some days it is filled with
wonder.
Advent Reflection — Phaedra Taylot
Wednesday December 2, 2020
Daily Readings
Psalm 81 | 83
Acts 24:24—25:12
Isa 45
Luke 9:51-end
“The Strange Things that Christ Holds Together”
Advent Reflection
God didn’t choose to reveal himself to the great and mighty. He himself, when
This art piece is made from a strange family of elements: beeswax, sticks, string, a he came, had no place to lay his head. Instead, he came to the lowly and the
book page, some pieces of a dress pattern and gold oil pastel. In much the same marginalized. This is not unusual for God; in fact, it is his normal pattern. There is
way that strange events and characters combine to form the story of Christ’s birth, no Great Chain of Being, no humans born to dominate others in God’s name. God
so these art materials form a cast of “characters.” does not need religious hierarchy or political power. Rather, he is looking for people
who are looking for him.
Layers of hot wax have been painted onto a board. Embedded in between these
layers are bits and pieces of a dress pattern. Together they allude to the mysterious There is a lesson here: do not discount the lowly. The little old lady at church may
pattern that God lays out for us. His Word, symbolized by the beeswax, secretly but know the Word of God far better than the pastor. The homeless man may have
certainly holds all things together inside that pattern. more wisdom than the college professor. The waitress at Waffle House may have a
divine message for you. Look to the marginal, the very young, and the very old. Pay
Sticks appear as a reminder of Jesus the Vine Dresser and the Root of Jesse. From attention to the poor and the prisoner. Don’t disregard them.
both this Vine and this Root we receive our real sustenance. String is tied and
stretched in a cruciform pattern. Pages from an old Bible re-tell four narratives. The Don’t disregard yourself, either. You may not be a biblical scholar, you may not have
Transfiguration. An account of the Ascension. The wild birth of John the Baptist. been a Christian for very long. That doesn’t mean God can’t reveal himself to you.
The incarnation of God in Bethlehem. These stories remind us of the fantastical He can, and he will.
elements in the events surrounding Christ’s comings and goings. All these events
are incredible and, across the board, unexpected. Surely we can only expect God to — Thomas McKenzie
enter into our lives in a similar way — mysteriously entering when we least expect
him, appearing, then disappearing, leaving us open-mouthed but always disclosing
his everlasting love for us. God uses such strange and wild ways to accomplish his
purposes. He fills people long empty. He astonishes us, as the Gospel writers might
say.
Gold marks the center of the panel. This symbolizes the kingship of Christ. It
is a kingship that appears at every point that we allow him to assume a place of
preeminence in our lives.
Why did I make this piece? I did it to remind myself, despite my sometimes feeble
faith, that all these things are true. His mother, for example, was a young woman
5 6
Thursday December 3, 2020 Saturday December 5, 2020
Daily Readings Daily Readings
Psalm 84 | 85 Psalm 89:1-18 | 89:19-52
Acts 25:13-end Acts 27
Isa 46 Isa 48
Luke 10:1-24 Luke 11:1-28
Advent Reflection Advent Reflection
Advent reminds of our need for Christ’s second coming to hurry up and come. We,
like Israel, have our groans and our cries and are awaiting relief. Might we too be Do we really want the kingdom of God or the kingdom of our selves? More
tempted to not recognize the new and surprising ways in which God might make often, we tend to seek a gilded afterlife when we could have Eternal Life. We seek
this real to us? When the candles go out after Christmas, we who think we know breadcrumbs of earthly pleasure when we could join a heavenly banquet. We avoid
Jesus so well, run the risk of falling back into the groaning and lament with no new pain when we could embrace joy. We plead for words of comfort and light, but our
answers to the questions, “God, where are you? How Long, O Lord.” darkness does not comprehend the Word.
Would it be that the story of God could hit our ears this Advent as if we never had Help us, Lord. We ask for a roadmap to heaven when the Way, the Truth, the Life
heard it before. May God call us to make the journey to see Jesus in the manger as stands right before us. We want the crown without the cross, and we fix our gaze
King and Lord anew. A new year, a new perspective on that same old story. on the crown more than on the King. We look to Glory, but others do not see the
glory when they look at us.
— Josh Barfield, from a sermon on the Wednesday before Advent, 2020
We do not ask too much in prayer, but too little. We follow the one who multiplied
the loaves and do not see the bread of life. We want to quench the thirst of this
Friday December 4, 2020 moment, but do not ask for living water, the cup of heaven.
The Everlasting took human form so that we might lift our eyes from the gifts to
Daily Readings the Giver. He emptied himself so that from his fullness we might receive grace upon
Psalm 86, 87 | 88 grace. The baby lay in a feeding trough so we might not be forever hungry. The
Acts 26 child spoke in his Father’s house, so we might put away childish things. The man
Isa 47 told us that we must die to live, that sorrow would turn to joy, that those who seek
Luke 10:25-end will find. He rose that we might rise. He came to be with us for a time so that we
might be with him forever.
Advent Reflection
— David C. Downing
Advent relieves us of our commitment to the frenetic, responsibility-laced, fast-
paced world of Marthas. It slows us down. Gives us permission, exhorts us even, to
be Marys. Advent asks us to stop and think. It makes us look beyond today to the
“great tomorrow” of life. Without Advent, moved only by the race to nowhere that
exhausts the world around us, we could be so frantic with trying to consume and
control this life that we fail to develop within ourselves a taste for the spirit that
does not die and will not slip through our fingers like melted snow.
— Joan Chittister
7 8
Sunday December 6, 2020 Monday December 7, 2020
— Second Sunday of Advent — Daily Readings
Psalm 92, 93 | 94
Daily Readings Acts 28:16-end
Psalm 85 Isa 50
Isa 40:1-11 Luke 12:1-34
2 Pet 3:8-18
Mark 1:1-8 Advent Reflection
I have a framed print above my bed of a painting by my friend Jan, who has learned
Advent Reflection much about waiting through long and painful practice. She has had recurring
John told them to repent and to live compassionate lives. True repentance is cancer and significant health problems that have given her scars and a hard-won
a turning toward God that manifests itself in a changed attitude toward our joy. She’s been shaped through waiting—waiting for a call from the doctor, for test
neighbors in a way which gives hope to those mired in hopelessness. To be clear, results to come back, for another treatment, for healing, for she’s not sure what.
John is not calling us to care for the weak in order to earn a place in the kingdom. Her home is filled with her paintings, and one day as I walked in I was drawn to
No, this compassion is necessary because the Messiah himself is compassionate. one in particular. It was abstract, luminous, and intricately textured, and there was
a keyhole etched on the canvas. Standing before it I felt like I was standing before
If we cannot care for the weak, how can we claim to follow the God whose very an unearthly, mysterious door. I turned to Jan and said, “I want to see what’s on the
nature is manifested in compassionate forgiveness of sinners? Our own repentance other side of the door.” She smiled and said, “Good. That’s exactly how I wanted
and compassion serve as individual reenactments of the great act of compassion and you to feel.”
grace: the coming of the Son, the very embodiment of God’s grace, compassion,
and forgiveness. — Tish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the Ordinary
— Esau McCaulley
Tuesday December 8, 2020
Daily Readings
95, 96 | 97, 98
Rev 1
Isa 51
Luke 12:35-53
Advent Reflection
If your own life is too comfortable to want the second coming of Jesus, you must
look across the world to those lives which aren’t. It’s natural to hope for yourselves,
and how healthy it is to do so. But it is unnatural to hope only for yourself. “Be on
guard,” says Jesus, “against that fatal absorption with yourself. Take care, stay alert,
stand up, and raise your heads because the kingdom is coming.” Jesus Christ’s words
are an antidote to our sloth, an antidote to our worldly cynicism. Jesus’ words are
meant to raise our heads and raise our hopes for justice.
Do you know what he’s saying? If you kind of know about the second coming of
Christ but you’re not watching for it, you’re not longing for it, you’re not yearning
for it. Then that probably means you are basically too comfortable as you are.
— Tim Keller
Henry Ossawa Tanner (American, 1859-1937), Angels Appearing before the Shep-
herds, c. 1910. Oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum.
9 10
Wednesday December 9, 2020 Friday December 11, 2020
Daily Readings Daily Readings
Psalm 99, 100, 101 | 102 Psalm 105:1-22 | 105:23-45
Rev 2:1-17 Rev 3:7-end
Isa 52 Isa 54
Luke 12:54—13:9 Luke 14:1-24
Advent Reflection Advent Reflection
We have a God who is infinitely good and who knows what He is doing. He will Actually, nobody really believes that God wants everyone to stay exactly as they are.
come and deliver you from your present trouble in His perfect time and when you God loves serial killers. God loves ruthless, arrogant businessmen and politicians.
may least expect it. Hope in Him more than ever. Thank Him for the strength God loves manipulative mothers who damage their children’s emotions for life.
and patience he is giving you, even in the midst of this trial, for it is an evident But the point of God’s love is that he wants people to change – to repent! He hates
mark of His concern for you. Encourage yourself with His love and thank Him for what they’re doing and the effect it has on everyone else – and on themselves, too.
everything. Ultimately, if God is a good God, he cannot allow that sort of behaviour, and
that sort of person, if he or she doesn’t repent, to remain for ever in the party he’s
— Brother Lawrence, Practicing the Presence of God throwing for his son.
— N.T. Wright
Thursday December 10, 2020
Saturday December 12, 2020
Daily Readings
Daily Readings
Psalm 103 | 104
Rev 2:18—3:6 Psalm 106:1-18 | 106:19-48
Isa 53 Rev 4
Luke 13:10-end Isa 55
Luke 15
Advent Reflection
We need delay no longer in coming to the Lord in prayer. It is time to begin. Even Advent Reflection
though it may be mustard-seed-small, stumbling, and uncertain, the beginning, For most of my life I have struggled to find God, to know God, to love God. I
is always worthwhile. And the beginning is more than the first stab or the first have tried hard to follow the guidelines of the spiritual life—pray always, work
several stabs. Prayer is a matter of keeping at it. The rewards will come no other for others, read the Scriptures — and to avoid the many temptations to dissipate
way. Thunderclaps and lightning flashes are very unlikely. It is well to start small myself. I have failed many times but always tried again, even when I was close to
and quietly. No need to tell one’s friends or acquaintances. No need to plan heroic despair.
fasts or all-night vigils. You should have it firm in your mind that prayer is neither
to impress other people or to impress God. It’s not to be taken with a mentality Now I wonder whether I have sufficiently realized that during all this time God has
of success. The goal, in prayer, is to give oneself away. The Lord loves us - perhaps been trying to find me, to know me, and to love me. The question is not “How am
most of all - when we fail and try again. I to find God?” but “How am I to let myself be found by him?” The question is not
“How am I to know God?” but “How am I to let myself be known by God?” And,
— Emilie Griffin finally, the question is not “How am I to love God?” but “How am I to let myself
be loved by God?” God is looking into the distance for me, trying to find me, and
longing to bring me home.
— Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son
11 12
Sunday December 13, 2020 Monday December 14, 2020
— Third Sunday of Advent — Daily Readings
Daily Readings Psalm 108, 110 | 109
Psalm 126 Rev 6
Isa 65:17-25 Isa 57
1 Thess 5:12-28 Luke 16
John 1:19-28
Advent Reflection
Advent Reflection Anyone may readily learn the meaning of our Savior’s parable of the dishonest
Today is Gaudete Sunday: a day in Advent for rejoicing. The good news in our steward. “If you have not been faithful in what is another’s, who will give you what
Advent waiting is that help is on the way. Mercy will burst forth on our planet and is your own?” We were not born with riches, but on the contrary, naked. We can
on us through Emmanuel, God who has joined us in our mess. The Messiah will truly affirm in the words of Scripture that “we neither brought anything into the
come, night will not last forever. world, nor can carry anything out.”
Advent’s call-to-joy reminds us that our need is so great, our longing for good Let those of us who possess earthly wealth open our hearts to those who are in need.
things so immense, that only God can fill us. Things we long for lose their magic Let us show ourselves faithful and obedient to the laws of God. Let us be followers
because they are never enough. Jesus said our souls have the capacity for a river of of our Lord’s will in those things that are from the outside and not our own. Let us
joy to flow through them. The joys of this life are real but from them we can only do this so that we may receive what is our own, that holy and admirable beauty that
dip cupfuls of happiness. They are meant to provoke our longing for joy. So as we God forms in people’s souls, making them like himself.
follow Advent’s path and hear the call to “rejoice” we are stirred up to ask, “And
where do we find a joy that will not fade?” — Cyril of Alexandria
— Sally Breedlove
Tuesday December 15, 2020
Daily Readings
Psalm 111, 112 | 113, 114
Rev 7
Isa 58
Luke 17:1-19
Advent Reflection
New life, the life which Israel was longing for as part of the age to come, had
arrived in that village that day to heal those ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19). To the
Samaritan, the foreigner, it had called out of him a faith he didn’t know he had.
Faith and healing go hand in hand. Once again, ‘faith’ here means not just any old
belief, any generally religious attitude to life, but the belief that the God of life and
death is at work in and through Jesus, and the trust that this is not just a vague
general truth but that it will hold good in this case, here and now. This rhythm of
faith and gratitude simply is what being a Christian, in the first or the twenty-first
century, is all about.
— Tom Wright, Luke for Everyone
Marianne von Watteville (Swiss German, Moravian, 18th century), O, I rejoice, I rejoice,
ca. 1750. Watercolor and thread on paper, Unity Archives, Herrnhut, Germany.
13 14
Wednesday December 16, 2020 O Antiphons
For the final week of Advent, we will reflect on the “O Antiphons,” the seven
Daily Readings responsory readings which were read or chanted in the ancient church during the
final week of Advent. You will know them from singing the Advent hymn, “O
Psalm 115 | 116, 117 Come, O Come Emmanuel.” Each “O Antiphon” highlights a title for the Messiah
Rev 8 in respect to a specific prophecy from the prophet Isaiah.
Isa 59
Luke 17:20-end The origins of the “O Antiphons” are not precisely known. Boethius mentions them
in the sixth century. At the Benedictine abbey of Fleury a hundred years later, these
antiphons were recited by the leaders of the abbey in descending rank. Then a gift
Advent Reflection was given to each member of the community. By the eighth century, they were in
We Christians tend to forget that the story of waiting is our story. When the use in the liturgical celebrations of Advent in Rome, signifying their acceptance into
Messiah comes, after all, he is only a baby, and we are left waiting. When he begins the mainstream liturgical life of the Church.
his ministry, he does not bring the deliverance we have been longing for, and we
are left waiting. When he reaches the climax of his ministry he dies, and we are left Those Benedictines were clever. They arranged the order of the “O Antiphons” with
waiting. After he trumps death and rises again as the first fruit of the New Creation, a definite purpose. If you reverse the order of the titles and take the first letter of
he ascends to heaven and tells us he will return... and we are still left here waiting. each one — Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia—the Latin
words ERO CRAS are formed. Ero cras means, “Tomorrow, I will come.” It is a
Let us take heart; the sun has risen, and the fog is not forever. Sometimes faith fitting way to think of our journey towards Christmas. Christ has promised he will
is not a glorious adventure; it is a long walk that we wouldn’t have the option of come. Christ is coming. Come, Lord Jesus. Come!
quitting if we tried. Let us remember that the posture of waiting, though often
excruciatingly difficult, is also fundamentally Christian. We do well to take
advantage of Advent and the practice of waiting, so we can be ready when he
comes.
— John Ellison
Judith Appleby (British, 1952–), The Stell Falstone, 2011–14.
Acrylic on canvas.
15 16
Thursday December 17, 2020 Friday December 18, 2020
Daily Readings Daily Readings
Psalm 119:1-24 | 119:25-48 Psalm 119:49-72 | 119:73-88
Rev 9 Rev 10
Isa 60 Isa 61
Luke 18:1-30 Luke 18:31—19:10
O Sapientia (Wisdom)
O come, thou Wisdom from on high, O Adonai (LORD)
Who orderest all things mightily; O come, Adonai, Lord of might,
To us the path of knowledge show, Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
And teach us in her ways to go. In ancient times didst give the law
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel In cloud and majesty and awe.
Shall come to thee, O Israel. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Isaiah prophesied, “The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom
and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge Isaiah prophesied, “But He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for
and fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.” (11:2-3), and the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with
“Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom.” (28:29). the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his
waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips”(11:4-5). And, “Indeed the Lord will be
Reflection there with us, majestic; yes the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our
king, he it is who will save us” (33:22).
The Jewish concept of wisdom was more than just practical skills required for living
well. It was the inscrutable knowledge and creative power of God. We hear in Isaiah
that wisdom shall rest upon God’s messiah, “The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Reflection
him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength” The Latin word for “Lord of might” is Adonai. Jews would say Adonai in place of
(11:2-3). We also hear wisdom personified, especially in the Proverbs, “‘The LORD the sacred name for God printed in Torah — the four Hebrew letters known as The
created me at the beginning of his work,’ Wisdom says, ‘the first of his acts of old. Tetragramaton. These holy letters could not be uttered by unworthy human beings
Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth’” (Proverbs without committing blasphemy. So, Adonai or LORD was used instead.
8:22-23).
The Christmas miracle is this unknowable, unnameable, utterly holy Lord, chose
Wisdom, then, originates with God. Personified, it pre-exists this world and was to come among us and to be known by us and to have a name. The same Lord who
a part of God’s speaking Creation into existence. This sets the stage for what delivers us from slavery to sin is the same Lord who led the children of Israel in the
St. John says to us about who Jesus is. In John 1, Jesus is the Divine Logos, the Exodus out from their slavery in Egypt. He who once appeared to Moses clothed
Divine Word. In the ancient Jewish world, Logos and Wisdom were virtually in the burning bush which was not consumed by fire, comes to us in mortal flesh
interchangeable terms for divine, inscrutable knowledge (for those interested, see unconsumed. He who came in thunder and lightning to give the Law on Mt. Sinai,
Philo and the Wisdom of Solomon). So, when we read in John 1, “In the beginning now comes in swaddling clothes. He who gave the Law, lived and died to redeem
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in those who were under the Law. He who protected, guided, and fed them in the
the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was wilderness, is the same One who now comes in the appearance of Bread and Wine
not any thing made that was made,” many would have agreed with John about the to feed and nurture his people on the way to the Promised Land of New Creation.
divine nature of Wisdom. But then he says this: “And the Word became flesh and
dwelt among us.” Divine Wisdom has become a Person — Jesus Christ! If anyone wishes they had stayed behind in slavery, who are afraid to brave the
wilderness, who fear what is to come. If anyone believes there is no one to protect
If anyone cannot see the Wisdom of it all, is unable to make sense of life. If there them, to guide them, and to guard them. Be encouraged. That open-armed God,
is anyone who understands many things a little but nothing enough to live on, who has taken on flesh and the name Jesus, who was born of a woman, born under
nothing enough to decide which way to go. If there is anyone for whom the most the Law, to redeem those who are under the Law, the Great Lord of Might, O
High is so high as to be out of reach. Be encouraged. He who is Wisdom has come Adonai. He is Emmanuel — God with us. So, rejoice!
down and is very near to you. From way up there, to way down here; the all-wise
God of Wisdom, O Sapientia. He is Emmanuel — God-with-us. So, rejoice!
17 18Saturday December 19, 2020 Sunday December 20, 2020
Daily Readings — Fourth Sunday of Advent —
Psalm 119:89-104 | 119:105-128 Daily Readings
Rev 11 Psalm 132:(1-7) 8-19
Isa 62 2 Sam 7:1-17
Luke 19:11-28 Rom 16:25-27
Luke 1:26-38
O Radix (Root)
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free O Clavis (Key)
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny; O come, Thou Key of David, come,
From depths of hell And open wide our heavenly home;
Thy people save, Make safe the way that leads on high
And give them victory o’er the grave. And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel. Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Isaiah prophesied, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and Isaiah prophesied, “I will place the Key of the House of David on His shoulder;
a branch from his roots shall bear fruit” (11:1). On that day, the root of Jesse, set when he opens, no one will shut, when he shuts, no one will open”(22:22). “His
up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, “for his dwelling shall dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David’s throne, and over His kingdom,
be glorious” (11:10). Remember also that Jesse was the father of King David, and which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever”
Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be of the house and lineage of David (9:6).
and be born in David’s city, Bethlehem (Micah 5:1).
Reflection
What did the key of David do? It opened the door into the King of Israel’s palace.
Reflection It also closed the door to the King’s palace. A rope was put through the key and it
The Latin word translated rod was originally the Latin word radix, or root. It takes hung over the shoulder and down the back of the keeper of the key, who was in a
its cue from chapter 11 of Isaiah mentioned above. By the time Isaiah is writing, very powerful position of authority indeed.
Jerusalem has been destroyed and the people of Israel are in exile. The mighty tree
of Jesse which bore King David seems to have been hacked off, chopped down, In Isaiah 22:22 we read, “And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of
and forgotten. All seems to be lost. But God’s salvation is coming to them in a David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”
surprising way, through the coming of the Messiah: not a Messiah coming in glory David’s key is again mentioned in Revelation 3:7-8: “The words of the holy one,
but a Messiah ‘like a sapling…a root in arid ground’ (Is 53:2). the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts
and no one opens. I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door,
What is a fragile, small root at Christmas becomes by Good Friday the Tree of which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you
our Salvation. Though death seemed to have cut it down, there was Resurrection have kept my word and have not denied my name.”
and Ascension. That root now stands high unto the heavens now! Dismantling the
power of all tyrants who set themselves up to destroy God’s people – even Satan, The one who is the Key of David is the risen and ascended Jesus. What does
hell, and the grave. the Key of David open now? The door to his heavenly Kingdom. And that door
remains open to those who keep his word and do not deny his Name.
If anyone feels defeated, chopped down, and left to rot. If anyone is left sighing,
“I am weary or I am dead tired!” and these are not mere figures of speech but the If anyone is outcast, pushed aside. If there is anyone for whom all the doors seem
very symptoms of tyranny in your life. Be encouraged. The God who is the root of bolted shut. If there is anyone who has lost the key to a life that opens to joy and
life, who brings beauty from ashes and life from dead stumps, is the Rod of Jesse, O flourishing. Be encouraged. The Key of David has come, who is both God and
Radix. He is Emmanuel — God-with-us. So, rejoice! human, who experienced exclusion, injustice, and misery. And he, O Clavis, has
opened the door to abundant life everlasting. He is Emmanuel — God-with-us. So,
rejoice!
19 20Monday December 21, 2020 Tuesday December 22, 2020
— The Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle — Daily Readings
Daily Readings Psalm 122, 123 | 124, 125, 126
Rev 14
Isa 65
Psalm 118 | 120, 121 Luke 20:27—21:4
Rev 13
John 14:1-7
Isa 64
Luke 20:1-26
O Rex Gentium (Desire of Nations)
O come, Desire of nations, bind
O Oriens (Dayspring) In one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease
O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer, And be thyself our King of Peace.
Our spirits by Thine advent here; Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, Shall come to thee, O Israel.
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Isaiah prophesied, “For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder
Shall come to thee, O Israel. dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever,
Prince of Peace” (9:5). “He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on
Isaiah prophesied, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown” (9:1). pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they
train for war again” (2:4).
Reflection
Day spring is a translation of the Latin word Oriens, which means the East. It is Reflection
synonymous with the location of the end of night and the beginning of day. This We live in a time of foundation shaking, sad divisions, don’t we? They seem
antiphon is traditionally associated with December 21st, which is the winter solstice insurmountable, don’t they? The original Latin is helpful in making out the
for us, the shortest, darkest day of the whole year. It is fitting that on the day when
the darkness and shadows are at their most prominent in the natural world, our meaning of this antiphon. Desire of Nations is Rex Gentium. That is, King of the
Nations. Christ is the One who has the power and authority, like a potter does
minds are called to consider the dawning light of Jesus Christ. with clay, to bind the divided hearts of humankind again in unity. As it was in the
beginning, there was one human family, all made from the same dust, all given a
The prophet Malachi wrote: “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, joint share in God’s one world.
when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble…. But for you who fear my
name, the Sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings” (Mal 4:1-2). The Advent assertion is that King Jesus will reclaim that vision. It is a vision realized
This Sun of righteousness is Jesus Christ, the light which shines in the darkness, and in John’s Revelation, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no
the darkness has not overcome it. In fact, one day, when he returns, his light will one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages,
expose the inmost secrets of our hearts, all wickedness will be disclosed, judged, and standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm
put away. branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our
God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Rev 7:9-10). In King Jesus, we
If anyone is dwelling in darkness, suffering as a result of the evil of others. If anyone discover again we are one human race, not fragmented by racism or enmity, sharing
dares to practice evil under the cover of darkness and has lost all their splendor. one world, not fighting to break it into pieces, knowing one source, owing our
Be encouraged: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon allegiance to the one King.
those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.” Therefore, dear one,
there is no darkness too dark for the dawning Sun of righteousness, O Day spring, If anyone’s foundations have been shaken by betrayal, marginalization, injustice,
O Oriens. He comes to set you free, with healing in his wings, and to make you division, or strife. Be encouraged, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
splendid again with his own great splendor. He is Emmanuel — God-with-us. So, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called
rejoice! Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” There is
no other foundation which is sure but that of Jesus Christ, no peace but the one he
brings, O Rex Gentium. He is Emmanuel — God-with-us. So, rejoice!
21 22Wednesday December 23, 2020 Thursday December 24, 2020
Daily Readings Daily Readings
Psalm 127, 128 | 129, 130, 131 Psalm 132, 133 | 134, 135
Rev 15 Rev 16
Isa 66 Song of Songs 1
Luke 21:5-end Luke 22:1-38
O Emmanuel (God With Us) A Christmas Eve Prayer
O come, O come, Emmanuel, In the solemn silence of this Thy Holy night, O Heavenly Father, let Christ be born
And ransom captive Israel, anew in our hearts and in this land. Out of the depths of selfishness and languor
That mourns in lonely exile here and envy, let spring the spirit of humility and poverty, of gentleness and sacrifice —
Until the Son of God appear. the eternal dawn of Peace, good-will toward men. Let the birth-bells of God call our
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel vain imaginings back from pomp and glory and wealth—back from the wasteful
Shall come to thee, O Israel. warships searching the seas—back to the lowly barn-yard and the homely cradle of
a despised Jew, whom the world has not yet learned to call Wonderful, Counselor,
Isaiah prophesied, “The Lord himself will give you this sign: the Virgin shall be with the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. Amen.
child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel”(7:14).
— W.E.B. Dubois
Reflection
Emmanuel means God is with us, so it is fitting that this last of the “O Antiphons”
comes just before we celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation, that moment in
history when the meaning of the name Emmanuel was truly fulfilled. There’s joy
and sorrow here. He has come to ransom captive Israel, to deliver God’s people. But
God’s people are still mourning in lonely exile, still subject to the brokenness and
darkness that mark this old world.
But there is reason for rejoicing in the sorrow of exile. On the First Sunday of
Advent around 1140, Bernard of Clairvaux, the Abbot of Cîteaux, preached of
a third advent, a middle coming. At the first, Christ was our redemption; at the
last, he will become manifest as our life; but in the middle he is our rest and our
consolation.
This middle Advent is Christ’s presence with us now. He promised to be with us,
even to the end of the age (Matt 28:20). He promised to be with us whenever two
or three are gathered in his Name (Matt 18:20). He promised to be present to us as
we serve the least of these (Matt 25: 31-46). To two disciples on the road to Emmaus,
he is revealed in the Word and the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:13-35). So, he is
also present to us as we hear his voice in Holy Scripture and receive the sacrament
of Holy Communion. This third advent, these many-middle-comings, means Jesus
is with us now. Thus, we have these experiences of liberation from exile, God’s
blessed freedom, even as we await these things to be fully realized.
Clementine Hunter (American, 1886/87–1988), The Annunciation and the Adoration
If anyone has sold themselves into captivity for money, power, lusts, private of the Wise Men, 1957. Oil on board, 48 × 78 in.
resentments, work, and family. If anyone realizes they cannot buy themselves back
from their lonely exile from God. Be encouraged. The Son of God has appeared, In this painting, Christ is born on Melrose Plantation in central Louisiana, where the
artist, Clementine Hunter, lived and worked until old age. On the left the archangel
appears, and will appear again. He redeems us from our captors with his sacrifice. Gabriel leads pregnant Mary down a footpath to a farmhouse, while on the other
He is bound and determined not to let his ransom go to waste. This is why Jesus side Mary sits on a stool with the newborn Jesus on her lap. Joseph stands behind
Christ is O Emmanuel — God-with-us. So, rejoice! them keeping watch. The three wise men come bearing gourds as gifts. Above the
scene is the giant yellow star that led the wise men to the child and two white-clad
angels (with a scattered choir of others) trumpeting the good news of the Savior’s
birth.
23 24Friday December 25, 2020
— The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ: Christmas —
Daily Readings
Psalm 19 or 45 | 85, 110
Isa 9:1-8
Rev 17
Song of Songs 2
Luke 2:1-14
A Christmas Sermon
What shall I say! And how shall I describe this Birth to you? For this wonder fills
me with astonishment. The Ancient of Days has become an infant. He Who sits
upon the sublime and heavenly Throne, now lies in a manger. And He Who cannot
be touched, Who is simple, without complexity, and incorporeal, now lies subject
to the hands of men. He Who has broken the bonds of sinners, is now bound by
an infants bands. But He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be
clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness.
For this He assumed my body, that I may become capable of His Word; taking my
flesh, He gives me His spirit; and so He bestowing and I receiving, He prepares for
me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sanctify me; He gives me His Spirit,
that He may save me.
Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of
the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is ended, the devil confounded, the
demons take to flight, the power of death is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse
is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought
back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of
life has been implanted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear,
and men now hold speech with angels.
God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things comingle. He
became Flesh. He did not become God. He was God. Wherefore He became flesh,
so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. He was
placed in a manger, so that He, by whom all things are nourished, may receive an
infant’s food from His Virgin Mother. So, the Father of all ages, as an infant at the
breast, nestles in the virginal arms, that the Magi may more easily see Him. Since
this day the Magi too have come, and made a beginning of withstanding tyranny;
and the heavens give glory, as the Lord is revealed by a star.
To Him, then, Who out of confusion has wrought a clear path, to Christ, to the
Father, and to the Holy Spirit, we offer all praise, now and for ever. Amen
— John Chrysostom, from the earliest Christmas sermon on record, 386 A.D.
Sandro Botticelli (Italian, ca. 1445–1510), Mystic Nativity, 1500. Oil on canvas, 108.6 × 74.9
cm. National Gallery, London.
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