The first collect of the Advent season announces boldly a great change is coming in the form of Jesus Christ. To prepare for this coming there now begins the putting away of darkness and the taking up of a new “armor” – the “armor of light.”
Praying Advent
The opening collect for the first Sunday in Advent makes a majestic beginning to the four weeks of advent that is now beginning. Here is the contemporary version from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer or known affectionately as the BCP.
"Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor 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 lives and reigns with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen" (Book of Common Prayer or BCP).
Prophets of the Old Testament
Of course, the coming of Christ had long been foretold beginning with the prophet Isaiah:
“The young is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7: 14)
This continued with another great prophet, John the Baptist, who proclaimed in the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
" Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." (Matthew 3:1-3)
Then, of course, there is Mary's Annunciation when she hears what is to be borne in her. Advent is nothing if not a time of waiting.
Anglican Prayers
On the second Sunday in Advent, once the opening hymn is sung the congregation reads aloud together the second collect:
"Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen." (BCP)
As the journey out of darkness commences, great energy is required. Energy and persistence that, with the coming of Christ, all things will change. But the waiting seems interminable as duties, chores, and lists pile up. Yet, it is also a time to pull back from the doing. This great paradox is indeed the paradox of Christian life which must be lived somewhere between doing and becoming.
Book of Common Prayer (BCP) Lectionary
The third Sunday in Advent presents one of the most dramatic of the four collects. The congregation again reads aloud together:
"Stir up thy power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, world without end. Amen." (BCP)
At the beginning of the fourth week, this time of preparation is nearly ended with the sweet message that He who is coming is nearly arrived. This emerging from darkness, week by week, advent candle by advent candle, has ended and the great day is nearly at hand and about to be entered.
The Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent
Finally, the fourth Sunday has arrived and in great anticipation of Christmas day the congregation reads:
"Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen." (BCP)
Sources:
Black, Vickie (2004). Welcome to the church year: An introduction to the seasons of the Episcopal church. Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing.
The Book of Common Prayer (1979). New York: The Seabury Press.
Megge Hill Fitz-Randolph - Megge Fitz-Randolph is a poet, teacher, and student of Carl Jung and mythology. Her poems have appeared in various journals including ...
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