First Sunday in Advent

 The Collect

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour 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 liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

The Epistle (Romans xiii. 8)

OWE no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

The Gospel (St. Matthew xxi. 1)

WHEN they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name 'of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Advent I - Message in a Minute

Advent gives the faithful the necessary tools to accept the fact that we are all going to die and that God's judgement is good news and nothing to be fearful of. Indeed Advent teaches us that the main purpose of life is to get ourselves ready for death and prepare for judgment.

Facing up to death and judgment is like having your alarm clock go off. It is, quite literally, the receiving of a clarion call. Saint Paul tells us in today's readings that, "Now it is high time to wake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."

Is it time for you wake up?

Paul goes on to say, "the night is far spent, the day is at hand." How much longer are you going to wander like a sleepwalker, not really knowing where you are, who you are and not facing up to how this is all going to end?

During this wonder-filled time of year let us be mindful about various comings of Jesus -- his coming on the first Christmas; his coming onto the stage of human history through the preaching of John the Baptist; his royal coming into his capital city on Palm Sunday. Thinking about those comings helps us get ready for the way we shall see his coming at the end as our judge.

Repent ye, for the kingdom of God is at hand.

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Memorial for Thomas à Kempis

The Collect

O ETERNAL Lord God, who oldest all souls in life: We beseech thee to shed forth upon thy whole Church in paradise and on earth the bright beams of thy light and thy peace; and grant that we, following the good examples of thy servant Thomas, and of all those who loved and served thee here, may at the last enter with them into thine unending joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) was born in the village of Kempen near Düsseldorf, Germany. The most famous work of Thomas à Kempis is The Imitation of Christ, which has endured for over 500 years and has been translated into more languages than any other book.

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You are invited...

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Blessed Lammas Day

Anglican's tend to think of harvest festivals as celebrations that mark the end of harvest when all crops have been safely broad in’ However, many rural celebrations of the past were also held at the beginning of harvest. In England it has historically been the custom to attend church on August 1^st with a loaf from the first grain that was harvested in order to make bread to be used in the Holy Communion. This day was known as Lammas Day.

At Saint Francis-in-the-Streets this year we thought it would be a good thing to revive this old custom with a unique Family Eucharist service on 2^nd August. Instead of using the usual unleavened bread, the bread without the yeast that we normally use at Holy Communion, we will have a small loaf of leavened bread to symbolize the first fruits of the harvest.

Remember, O man...

An edifying quote from Saint Francis of Assisi

Memorial for Francis of Assisi

The Collect

MOST high, almighty, and good Lord: Grant thy people after the example of blessed Francis, we may for love of thee delight in all thy creatures, with perfectness of joy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Readings: (Galatians vi. 14; Saint Matthew xi. 25)

Born in 1181, Francis of Assisi was well known for drinking and partying in his youth. After fighting in a battle between Assisi and Perugia, he was captured and imprisoned for ransom. Francis spent a year in prison, awaiting his father's payment, and, oral tradition teaches that he began receiving visions from God.

After securing his release from prison, Francis heard the voice of Christ, who told him to repair the Church and live a life of poverty. Consequently, he gave up his life of luxury and became a devotee of the faith, his reputation spreading all over the Christian world. Later in life, Francis received a vision that left him with the stigmata of Christ, making Francis the first person to receive such holy wounds.

He was canonized as a saint on July 16, 1228. Today, St. Francis of Assisi has had a lasting resonance with millions of followers across the globe.

Transitus of Saint Francis

Let us remember the Transitus of Saint Francis this evening. Please take a moment to reflect on John 13: 1-17:

Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;

3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;

4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.

5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?

7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.

8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.

12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?

13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.

15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

Blessed Lammas Day

Anglican's tend to think of harvest festivals as celebrations that mark the end of harvest when all crops have been safely broad in’ However, many rural celebrations of the past were also held at the beginning of harvest. In England it has historically been the custom to attend church on August 1^st with a loaf from the first grain that was harvested in order to make bread to be used in the Holy Communion. This day was known as Lammas Day.

At Saint Francis-in-the-Streets this year we thought it would be a good thing to revive this old custom with a unique Family Eucharist service on 2^nd August. Instead of using the usual unleavened bread, the bread without the yeast that we normally use at Holy Communion, we will have a small loaf of leavened bread to symbolize the first fruits of the harvest.

Seraphim Mary to be Ordered to the Priesthood

Ash Wednesday - A Penitential Office

The DO's and NOT TO's During Lententide

Do

• Fast, pray, and be charitable;
  
• Increase your love for God and your neighbour;
  
• Spend time in prayer;
  
• Read more scripture;
  
• Attend additional prayer services;
  
• Shut off your digital devices; and,
  
• Serve more in your home and in your community.
  
  

Don't

• Waste time;
  
• Go through Lent without changing in your life;
  
• Be legalistic about the benefits of fasting; and,
  
• Do not forget that the battle we face is spiritual.

May God, Almighty, accept our prayers, fasting, and repentance in Jesus' name. Amen.

Anglicanism and Sacraments

The sacraments are the means through which God unites creation to Himself and shares the fruit of the Incarnation with mankind.  The Prayer Book Catechism teaches that a sacrament is:

“...an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us; ordained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof.”

From this we learn that a sacrament is a means of grace: not a mere token of grace received otherwise, but rather an effective sign by which grace is given and by which that free gift is pledged for our assurance.

Besides Baptism and Holy Communion the church recognizes other spiritual markers in our journey of faith. These include:

• Reconciliation or Private Confession
• Confirmation
• Matrimony
• Ordination to Holy Orders
• Unction or anointing with oil those who are sick or dying

Let us be a sacramental people, always seeing God always at work around us.