False Prophets & God's Messenger: Advent Daybook 18

18.John the forerunner.jpg

An Advent daybook for these weeks of prayerful expectation.

Pray:  Heavenly Father, make me more like Jesus and more like the true self you've created as I welcome your loving presence today. Please guide my thoughts and impressions by your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Look: St. John the Forerunner, Angel of the Desert, Lyuba Yatskiv - Source | HT 

Listen*: Prepare the Way of the Lord (Taiźe), Paul Leddington Wright Singers - Spotify | YouTube  

Read**: Psalm 119:49-72; Psalm 49; Isaiah 9:8-17; 2 Peter 2:1-10a; Mark 1:1-8 

Excerpts:

"Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together! My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre."

*

"Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. You are good and do good; teach me your statutes. The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts; their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in your law. It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces."

*

"The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.

The people did not turn to him who struck them, nor inquire of the Lord of hosts. So the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one day— the elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail; for those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up."

*

"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

...then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.

Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones."

*

"As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’”

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

- Psalm 49:1-4 * Psalm 119:66-72 * Isaiah 9:12-16 * 2 Peter 2:1-3, 9-10 * Mark 1:2-8 (ESV)

Pray: Book of Common Prayer, Prayers of the People (Form VI)

On Wednesdays, through Advent, we’ll practice an intercessory prayer method called “Prayers of the People”. This comprehensive format of call and response guides us through each sphere of our world with specific prayer. If you’re praying with a friend or family member, one of you can read the first part (the bidding) and one can read the second part (the response).

“In peace, we pray to you, Lord God.

Silence

For all people in their daily life and work; For our families, friends, and neighbors, and for those who are alone.

For this community, the nation, and the world; For all who work for justice, freedom, and peace.

For the just and proper use of your creation; For the victims of hunger, fear, injustice, and oppression.

For all who are in danger, sorrow, or any kind of trouble; For those who minister to the sick, the friendless, and the needy.

For the peace and unity of the Church of God; For all who proclaim the Gospel, and all who seek the Truth.

For our church leaders; and all other ministers; For all who serve God in his Church.

For the special needs and concerns of our congregation.

Silence

Add your own requests and petitions: ____________.

Hear us, Lord; For your mercy is great.

We thank you, Lord, for all the blessings of this life.

Silence

Add your own thanksgivings: ________________.

We will exalt you, O God our King; And praise your Name for ever and ever.

We think of all who have died in Christ, and thank you that they may have a place in your eternal kingdom.

Silence

Lord, let your loving-kindness be upon them; Who put their trust in you.

We pray to you also for the forgiveness of our sins.

Silence

Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; in your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things done and left undone; and so uphold us by your Spirit that we may live and serve you in newness of life, to the honor and glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Silence

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen. Alleluia!”

Do: Prepare to worship God through the O Antiphons of Advent

Starting tomorrow, we’ll be joining in with countless Christians over the centuries who pray the O Antiphons the week before Christmas. Read some of the histories in the links below.

Advent slightly shifts its focus beginning tomorrow (December 17) when the antiphons for Vespers, known as the Greater Antiphons, but more commonly known as the O Antiphons, are sung at the Magnificat. Each O Antiphon addresses Jesus with a title that comes from the prophecies of Isaiah anticipating the coming of the Messiah. The first letters of the titles in the original Latin in reverse order spell “Ero Cras,” meaning “Tomorrow, I will come.”

In the last few years, starting with the poet-priest Malcolm Guite’s sonnets during Advent, I began to notice references to this prayer tradition. We began to incorporate the prayers into our Compline service at Church of the Apostles (using a wonderful resource from our friends at Modern Liturgic). This is the framework I use for the final pages of the Advent Daybook.

(By the way, you are welcome to enjoy Church of the Apostles O Antiphon Compline service which will be livestreamed on our Facebook page this coming Sunday, December 20 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time. The hour will be full of Scripture, carols, prayer, and readings of a couple of Malcolm Guite's sonnets.)

The reality is that most of us who celebrate Christmas have been praying the O Antiphons without ever knowing it. The seven prayers make up the seven verses of the beloved Advent hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”. I know I’m not alone in my love for that hymn. I never get tired of it and enjoy almost every arrangement I’ve ever heard.

I should mention that I take a small creative license in pausing the O Antiphon liturgy for the final Sunday in Advent and then completing the series with the seventh O Antiphon (O Come, Emmanuel!) on Christmas Eve instead of December 23. I’ll keep the same daily format for Advent Daybook posts with the Scripture selections for each of the O Antiphons rather than the selection from the lectionary. I’ll also include a link to each of Malcolm Guite’s seven sonnets.

Here’s a little bit more of the background to this rich prayer tradition from Malcolm Guite:

“In the first centuries the Church had a beautiful custom of praying seven great prayers calling afresh on Christ to come, calling him by the mysterious titles he has in Isaiah, calling to him; O Wisdom. O Root! O Key O Light! come to us!

I have responded to these seven “Great O” Antiphons, as they are called, with seven sonnets, revoicing them for our own age now, but preserving the heart of each, which is a prayer for Christ’s Advent for his coming, now in us, and at the end of time, in and for all. (*Note: See these sonnets as the opening sequence in his cycle of sonnets for the liturgical year - Sounding the Seasons or his Advent anthology, Waiting on the Word.)

… we come to the last of the Seven Great O Antiphons, which was sung on either side of the Magnificat on Christmas Eve, O Emmanuel, O God with us. This is the antiphon from which our lovely Advent hymn takes its name. It was also this final antiphon which revealed the secret message embedded subtly into the whole antiphon sequence. In each of these antiphons we have been calling on Him to come to us, to come as Light as Key, as King, as God-with-us. Now, standing on the brink of Christmas Eve, looking back at the illuminated capital letters for each of the seven titles of Christ we would see an answer to our pleas : ERO CRAS the latin words meaning ‘Tomorrow I will come!”

Here’s the list of prayers for each day - working backward so you can see better the Latin acrostic:

December 23 - O Emmanuel: O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the One whom the Gentiles expect, and their Salvation: Come and save us, O Lord our God.

December 22 - O Rex: O King of the Nations, and their Desire; the Cornerstone who dost unite the divided into one: Come and save mankind, whom thou didst create out of clay.

December 21 - O Oriens: O Day-Spring, radiant everlasting Light, and Sun of Righteousness: Come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

December 20 - O Clavis: O Key of David, and Scepter of the house of Israel; who openest and no one shutteth, who shuttest and no one openeth; Come and bring the prisoners out of the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

December 19 - O Radix: O Root of Jesse, who standest for an ensign to the peoples, at whom kings shall shut their mouths, and to whom the gentiles shall pray: Come and deliver us, and do not delay.

December 18 - O Adonai: O Lord and ruler of the house of Israel, who didst appear to Moses in a burning bush, and didst give him the law on Sinai: Come and deliver us with an outstretched arm.

December 17 - O Sapientia: O Wisdom, who didst issue out of the mouth of the most High, and dost reach from one end of the world to the other, mightily and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence.

A few additional resources:

Screen Shot 2020-11-21 at 1.59.21 PM.png
AdventTamara Hill MurphyAdvent Daybook 2020