As we are now happily within the Twelve Days of Christmas, I am pleased to share this snippet by John Donne that I have borrowed from Alan Jacobs blog: https://buttondown.email/ayjay/archive/christmas-epiphany/ John Donne, from a sermon preached at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Christmas Day 1626 : The life of Christ was a continual Passion; others die Martyrs, but Christ was born a Martyr. He found a Golgotha (where he was crucified) even in Bethlehem, where he was born; For, to his tenderness then, the straws were almost as sharp as the thorns after; and the Manger as uneasy at first, as his Cross at last. His birth and his death were but one continual act, and his Christmas-day and his Good Friday, are but the evening and morning of one and the same day. And as even his birth, is his death, so every action and passage that manifests Christ to us, is his birth; for, Epiphany is manifestation; And therefore, though the Church doe now call Twelfth-day Epiphany, because...
2022-12-19 Vespers - Commemoration of Adam and Eve - Isaiah 40:1-17 & Revelation 7:1-17 As we commemorate the first man and woman today, we recognize that Adam and Eve were endowed with great gifts from God. Adam is created in the image of God. And from Adam came Eve. Adam is given dominion over all the earth. A tremendous responsibility of stewardship is entrusted to him. When they succumbed to the temptation to be like God, and fell into sin, their sin impacts us all to this day. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s command, they inaugurated a cycle of life and death that we have no choice but to participate in. Creation is constantly changing. There is nothing steady. The seasons come and go. The sleep and inactivity of winter leads into the new birth of spring which is followed by a summer of growth which is then followed by a time of harvest and a slow dying as all of creation returns to its winter death waiting for the new life to ...
Video of Lessons and Carols at St. Luke, Rensselaer Christmas Eve – Isaiah 9:2-7 & Luke 2:1-20 O Lord, Your Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. When the heavenly host of angels appeared to the shepherds in the night sky, they sang out “ Glory to God in the highest and peace to God’s people on earth .” Tonight, we join with the heavenly host in glorifying God for the gift of Jesus. Jesus, sweet baby Jesus, born in humble surroundings, is a child born not for the sake of Mary and Joseph or for the sake of continuing the family line. Jesus is born for the sake of the world. In and through the life of this baby, we receive the promise of salvation. For the peace he brings us; for the forgiveness he wins for us through the cross; for the hope he instills within our hearts, and for the embodiment o...
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