The Collect
O LORD, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.
The Epistle (Philippians iv. 4)
REJOICE in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The Gospel (St. John i. 19)
THIS is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; he it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Advent IV - Message in a Minute
The hustle and bustle of the season is one of the reasons that Advent is important. It prevents us from domesticating and secularing Christmas to such a degree that we miss the point of it all. First of all, it attacks human complacency by telling us the clock is ticking. "You are going to die." "The world is going to come to an end." "Whose side are you on?" "The time to make up your mind is not later on when you can get around to it but now."
Advent also reminds us of some other threatening facts. God is going to judge. Judgement day is coming. He is going to assess your life. You are going to be found wanting. You are going to deserve to go to Hell and the only thing that will save you and give you the promise of heaven is the simple statement, "I'm guilty, I'm sorry, Jesus died for me."
Finally, with its second-half focus on John the Baptist, Advent reminds us that Jesus entered the world of real people where real things happen, things like looking out for your own selfish interests, and not liking people to confront you with the truth about yourself, and doubting, and finally questioning if anything at all has any real meaning.
Jesus came into that world, the world we recognize as the one we have to live in, it is not a sugar-coated fantasy world but reality world. Jesus came into the world, and he saved the world, and when this world is gone he is going to take us to heaven if we want to go. So, "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice."
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