Bishop Eric Menees
In the first week of Advent we examined
Archbishop Cranmer's collect, which called us to prepare for the coming of
Christ either through our death or Jesus' Second Coming - which ever comes
first. This preparation is vital to our life as Christians, and, in fact, we
should live each day as if may be our last. Perhaps it is for this reason that
Archbishop Cranmer recommended praying the Collect for the First Sunday of
Advent each week of Advent.
In the collect for the Second Sunday of Advent,
Archbishop Cranmer provides the compass for our daily preparation to meet the
Lord. "Blessed Lord, which hast caused all holy Scriptures to be
written for our learning; grant us that we may in such wise hear them, read,
mark, learn, and inwardly digest them; that by patience and comfort of thy holy
word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which thou hast given us in our savior Jesus Christ."
A fundamental belief of Christians world-wide
is that the Lord God did cause all Holy Scripture to be written for our
learning. The Scriptures are God's self-revelation to man, providing us with an
image of God and instructions on how we are to live our lives and love the
Lord. St. Paul, under the inspiration of God, wrote to Timothy: "All
Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be
complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
If we grant the primary premise that all
Scripture comes from God and is intended for our learning, then the next step
is all the more important - we pray that God will open our hearts and minds to
have the discipline to "hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly
digest them." In other words, that the scriptures will become not
simply something we hear read in church on Sunday, but that they will become a
part of our lives. It is precisely through the development of a Scriptural
World that we find comfort, peace, and hope. When we learn to examine the world
through the lens of scripture, we understand better why it is that things
happen, and, more importantly, what our response to the world around us should
be!
For example: To the world around us, death is
the worst thing that can happen. However, as biblical Christians, we understand
that while death is a part of the Fall of Man, resurrection to New Life is the
plan of redemption in Jesus Christ. We do not know this intuitively; we learn
it by reading, marking, and digesting the Word of God and sharing it with
others.
As the Season of Advent draws to a close we
will read the wonderful fulfillment of the prophecy found in Isaiah chapter
nine: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there
will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it
and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and
forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this." (Isaiah 9:6-7)
Let us pray with the Church that God will
soften our hearts and open our minds to receive this Wonderful Counselor and
Might God - whom we know to be Jesus Christ - and that we will allow His
government to increase by submitting to Him and allowing Jesus’ governance over
our lives. This will and can happen daily, if we but pray regularly the Collect
for the Second Sunday of Advent.
Note: The "Notes to the church" articles are written by Bishop Menees for the Diocese of San Joaquin. I have posted them on Soundings with his permission for a wider audience. This is also the case for his "Why I am an Anglican" series. Dale+
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